placidtiger142 said:Look, we all know what the real issues are here: oil, gas, and everything else under the dirt.
Russ wants to become the world's top energy superpower because they just can't compete economically or militarily anymore.
They might be #1 on territory, and maybe even on energy resources too, so they’re playing that specific card.
It's like, sure, go ahead and be the greatest carpenter on the planet with the fanciest tools, but I'm the one who actually owns all the wood.
Anyway, this whole gas situation could get seriously ugly.
I honestly think the EU has totally underestimated the Russian thoroughbred in this race—specifically when it comes to gas and oil.
Winter is coming, and if they really decide to turn off the tap, the EU could completely fall apart. We're talking full-blown internal chaos.
Let's try to actually wrap our heads around what would happen if they just shut it all down.
The entire EU industrial sector would collapse. Maybe like 50% of people over there would end up unemployed, freezing their asses off. People would start doing crazy stuff. Stealing, looting, whatever it takes just to survive.
Unfortunately, the EU is living in a dream world if they think they can just swap out those Russian energy supplies in a year or two... And it isn't just about gas and oil that they're hooked on. Fertilizers, steel... you name it.
But hey, let's hear it—what's your scenario if they actually cut the supply?
To me, it looks like that would absolutely bring Europe to its knees. You only see real unity in an alliance once the dark days actually hit.
It's easy to play at being united and solid while Ukraine is getting hammered and we're all sitting pretty, eating gourmet food, driving our shiny new cars, hitting the beach or the slopes, and messing around with Bitcoin because we don't know what else to do.
I'd love to see that "unity" when Germany has to shutter Siemens, Daimler, and VW... or when the French and Italians have to shut down their factories because, well, there's no heat and nothing else that runs on gas.
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62% of the gas doesn't come from Russia. The European Union will have no problem hitting at least 80% by ramping up production elsewhere—Norway, Africa, the Middle East—plus LNG tankers from the USA, Canada, and so on. There are also stockpiles...
So, even if Putin shuts off the tap, the European Union would, in the worst-case scenario, only be short about 10 percent.
Putin simply doesn't have enough aces up his sleeve. He'll end up looking like a clown.
goldenowl73 said:Russians are claiming: 51 Americans have been killed in Ukraine so far, and 74 have deserted
According to the Russian Department of Defense—which was reported on by Reuters—as many as 51 Americans have been killed since this whole "special operation" kicked off in Ukraine. They’re even going so far as to claim that the group of American soldiers is the fourth largest contingent coming out of all of Europe.
I mean, honestly, how much of this stuff coming from the Russians can we actually take as gospel?
Generally speaking, over the last 8 years, we've had 3 Russian citizens die in accidental kitchen fires because someone burnt an egg, while 43,452 American nationalists supposedly kicked the bucket...
urbanotter said:It’s entirely possible that Putin actually went through all that effort to poison him personally.
Personally, my gut feeling is that it was probably just Peter from Mrduša or maybe Mike from Mrduša getting a little too carried away.
Good grief, my crystal ball is working overtime today; I really ought to start checking it more often.
Honestly, instead of everyone around the globe losing sleep over his medical charts, someone should probably just focus on figuring out what's actually wrong with Vladimir Vladimirovich.🙏🙏
So you're going to play dumb and ignore the fact that at least ten of Putin's "enemies" have been poisoned?
At the same time, you talk trash about the "unfree West," where people can write whatever they want without fearing for their lives. Well, here you are, spewing Kremlin propaganda right here, which suggests you don't feel threatened. You aren't worried that the US government will throw you in prison for fifteen years because you aren't following the party line. You don't watch what you drink, and you aren't afraid of crossing the line. If you were in Russia spreading Western propaganda so openly, you'd know you wouldn't stay free for long...
Go ahead, send me a link to a Russian forum where I can show up and say whatever I want. It's a democracy, after all—shouldn't be that hard? It doesn't have to be a forum; any group or social media platform that isn't under total state control would do...
Oil dropped from $125 down to $112 in just one week.
To those convinced we're heading for a headless rally in oil prices: why aren't you selling your houses to go all-in on crude? Everyone would be a millionaire if they could actually predict market movements... But honestly, you could just as easily crash and burn, much like when oil prices went negative a couple of years back.
rowdyraven112 said:The reason Norway has so many electric vehicles is because the law says you won't be allowed to drive an internal combustion passenger car starting in 2025. Even then, a company like Volvo will still be churning out gas engines. That’s the reality of "awareness" in Norway. Let's wait until after 2025 and see what happens. Personally, I'm skeptical about battery performance in extreme cold. By the way, that's also why there's a shortage of EVs and why prices are spiked—other countries aren't rushing into these legal mandates nearly as fast.
It doesn't even matter if this happens in two years or five. It's possible they’re just trying to accelerate the timeline, and if the adoption rate isn't high enough by 2025, they might push it back a bit.
The real point is that in five to ten years, this will be the "new normal" for any country where the regulations allow for it.
hollowdriver13 said:Look, I never said the shift to Teslas wasn't inevitable, I just think it won't be quite as smooth as everyone expects. Norway is its own special case and isn't really a fair comparison for the rest of us; they've been aggressively subsidizing and incentivizing EV purchases for nearly a decade. While the rest of the developed world was sitting at 1-2% sales, they were already pushing 40%+. They started early, and now they're reaping the rewards.
And honestly, I’m not so sure people are going to be lining up to buy used EVs. It's not like these cars have proven they can last as long as a traditional gas car—you only have to look at how many used Priuses or Chevrolet Volts are out there right now, which are all cars that should be hitting that 8-to-10-year mark by now.
Germany, as an example of a standard developed nation, is at 25%—up from just 5% two years ago. It’s clear they could reach Norway's levels within two or three years. If they build the infrastructure to support 25% electric cars in cities and on highways, hitting 100% will be easy enough.
Besides, half of those imported junkers spend more time at the mechanic than on the road, but does that stop people here from importing them? People just love to complain. If everyone actually wanted economical, reliable cars, our cities would be full of Toyotas rather than decaying status symbols.
hollowdriver13 said:I mean, even in California, you deal with those regular rolling blackouts every single summer. It’s usually not actually a production issue; it’s a transmission nightmare, pretty much the same situation they face in Australia. The grid just can't handle the peak loads, so they have to go into controlled shutdowns for certain areas just to prevent the whole damn system from crashing. Plus, you've got those insane temperatures that cause cable stretch on the power lines, which makes short circuits way more likely. Honestly, energy grids across most of the developed world are basically in the gutter right now. That's why the push to go all-in on Teslas without making massive, heavy-duty investments into the distribution network is just 🤦
I don't know if you realize that 85% of the cars registered this year in places like Norway are electric.
The argument is settled. In developed nations, EVs will be the majority within five years.
Of course, in America, people will spend the next decade peddling stories about how they're junk, how the batteries will die instantly, or where anyone is supposed to charge them. But once there's enough money flowing for the first wave of used imports from overseas, we'll end up exactly where the Norwegians are today...
Russia has banned 121 Australian citizens from entering the country. The reason? They're being accused of spreading anti-Russian sentiment. Apparently, they refused to refer to the invasion of Ukraine as a special operation...
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The Vice President is ramping up an urgent plea for Americans to start cutting back on their energy consumption following the news that ExxonMobil announced significant cuts in natural gas deliveries through a key pipeline.
On Tuesday, state-owned ExxonMobil announced they were slashing gas flows through the undersea Nord Stream 1 pipeline by 40%, and then just twenty-four hours later, they dropped even more bad news about further cuts that bring the total reduction to roughly 60%...
In all realism, Russia might have maybe 18 months left to mess with Germany, and even then, it’s mostly just regarding gas (they can't really touch oil anymore).
After that, Germany will be the one causing them trouble, and we won't be talking in months, but decades...
I actually decided to look up the Department of Sanitation online.
This is what I found:
- No new trucks have been purchased in five years, yet they’re running them through two or three shifts - 45% of the fleet is out of commission - They are short at least 25 trucks - Regular maintenance hasn't been performed for years - Debt from repairs and parts has been piling up for years - Way too many administrative staff, not enough actual workers - Young, capable people are leaving because the pay is too low, and they can find better work elsewhere
To me, these don't look like issues that started yesterday... and they won't be fixed within a single term.
Honestly, it sounds like the classic symptoms of a corrupt mindset: "Who cares if we skip a service interval? We can just pocket the cash, and nobody will notice." "It doesn't matter if we swap a new part for a used one on a city truck. Nobody will catch on." plus "The city/state/county won't go bankrupt over $0.33" "No big deal if we pay double for a part, nobody will notice." "Doesn't matter if we hire one more person for administration, it won't kill anyone." "Who cares about ten years from now? As long as we grab the money while we can." "You'd be crazy not to take advantage of the situation while you can." "I'm not going to be the only honest fool left." Etc.
gentlemoose57 said:In my neck of the woods, it’s always been Wednesday and Saturday early in the morning—over on Broadway. Honestly, nothing has changed one bit.
Same here. No issues with trash collection at all. I haven't seen anything unusual anywhere in the city. I’m not saying there isn't a missed pickup somewhere or that the Department of Sanitation doesn't have hurdles to clear, but this whole thing feels blown way out of proportion by the media... especially since the city isn't exactly drowning in garbage.
It feels like the goal is just to paint Adams as a complete failure and an idiot. For twenty years, nobody cared about organized crime, mafia influence, massive debts, or triple-charging for every single contract. Now, suddenly, the city administration is responsible for everything, even when leaves fall from the trees in autumn...
It’s clear nobody can get a word in edgewise with Adams, especially when his biggest critics are busy posting about literal dog crap washed away by the rain and a dead pigeon.
Projections suggest Russia could see a nearly 20 percent decline within two years, even while we're seeing record oil prices and massive refinery profits right now.
I wonder what happens when energy prices stop swinging wildly and finally settle back to normal...
darkcyclist92 said:Right now, these sanctions are primarily hurting the EU, and frankly, it’s an even bigger blunder for those who have already abandoned the Russian market, yet all this really proves is that the world is moving to discredit Russia entirely, signaling that any expectation of prosperous business there is becoming utterly futile.
Which, I suspect, also paves the way for potential military action—take the Waste-land, for example.
Russia might be able to blackmail Germany with gas for another year and a half, but after that, the Germans will let them go under.
They had better strike a deal with the Germans (even if it's under the table) if they plan on having any kind of relationship with Europe at all. If the Germans sink billions into gas from Africa—which they plan to abandon in 20 or 30 years anyway—they won't touch a single drop of Russian fuel in the West for a decade, maybe two...
The EU might face a crisis for two years, while Russia will face it for twenty before they ever win the Germans over again...
The forecast used to sit at a 9 percent drop for Russia. Now, it’s been revised to 15 percent. That would signal a massive collapse...
According to a report released Wednesday by the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the sanctions imposed on Moscow due to its invasion of Ukraine are wiping out fifteen years of economic progress and thirty years of integration with the West.
However, predicting the full impact is difficult. It all depends on potential new sanctions from one side and how Russia might retaliate, particularly within the energy sector.
While this war could prove incredibly costly for Vladimir Putin, sanctions don't work like flipping a light switch, noted IMF economist Elina Ribakova during a press conference.
In its latest report, the IMF predicts the Russian economy will shrink by 15 percent this year followed by an additional 3 percent decline in 2023.
analogbear5 said:I usually drop this in just to clear things up whenever someone brings up big GDP numbers. People love using it—along with exchange rates—to try and prove whether Russia is actually thriving or tanking under all those sanctions.
That cost-based perspective just confuses everyone. Are people really going to sit down and calculate their own income manually? You take twelve months of salary plus maybe some side hustle money, and that's it. No one starts by adding up how much they spent on groceries, milk, savings, or investments...
In short, GDP = total wages + income from assets (like rental properties or bank interest) + corporate profits.
GDP accurately measures how much was earned. That isn't its flaw. The flaws lie elsewhere—for instance, it doesn't measure the actual effort involved. It can't distinguish between someone working two hours a day versus someone grinding 15-hour shifts... nor does it account for the underground economy. And so on...