Posts by Michael Ortiz68

Joshua Myers432 said:I highly doubt anyone was even thinking about the American public here. Even if there was some indirect benefit, that's still up for debate.

Bryan Booth82 said:It is honestly a bit naive to suggest that Russian aggression against Ukraine is the sole reason behind all this economic chaos.
Lp

brightheron64 said:It’s funny how sanctions can feel like a windfall for some, while for everyone else, they just feel like a total disaster...

I was looking at the earnings reports last night for the four biggest oil giants here in the States, and it’s honestly staggering. On average, their profits have tripled this year, all thanks to the ongoing crisis in Ukraine. 😲

And let’s be real, they haven't even touched much Russian oil. Aside from a tiny amount used as an additive, they have absolutely zero justification for sending gas prices through the roof. It’s even worse for the Arab producers. You’d think they’d be thrilled to swallow up the market share left behind by Russia, but despite that, oil isn't sitting around at $70 a barrel—it's hitting $107.

So when I pulled up to the gas station this morning and saw those updated prices on the sign, I couldn't help but wonder who is actually pulling the strings here. Americans and the Arabs could easily produce more oil than we actually need, but instead, they claim competition is too fierce, pushing the Iranians (and even that Chermakov tanker) right into the crosshairs of sanctions. Meanwhile, you or some regular guy like John Doe is stuck buying fuel drop by drop, because at this rate, running a dairy farm or a brewery would probably be cheaper than filling up a tank.

In short, it's pure wartime profiteering at its finest...

“Segregation has been allowed to go so far that we have parallel societies in Sweden,” the Democratic Party prime minister told a news conference. “We live in the same country but in completely different realities. We will have to reassess our previous truths and make tough decisions.”

analogbear5 said:If the bill counts as paid just by dropping euros into the account, then we aren't breaking any sanctions. But—if you consider it "paid" only after those euros get converted... then yeah, that’s a violation.

Russia’s gas payments system, which involves setting up accounts at JPMorgan Chase to convert euros or dollars into rubles, provides enough flexibility to potentially keep gas purchases moving.

In their advisory note, the Commission Said that if buyers of Russian gas confirmed Payment was complete once They Had deposited euros, rather than waiting until those euros were actually swapped for rubles, it wouldn't constitute a sanctions violation.

steelfox98 said:The Austrians folded almost immediately after yesterday's gas cutoff to Poland and Bulgaria. It looks like the Germans already made their peace with the terms.

Russian Energy giant Gazprom on Wednesday halted gas supplies to Bulgaria and Poland for failing to pay for gas in roubles. Nehammer Said They Had declined to Use The Payment system through Gazprombank that Austria, Germany and others have adopted.

https://www.reuters.com/business/ene...es-2022-04-27/

https://apa.az/en/europe/austria-agr...-rubles-374600

fadedranger162 said:That is, unless they get banned just because they happen to be Russian.

https://edition.cnn.com/2022/04/26/t...ntl/index.html

While individual players from Russia and Belarus are allowed to compete on the ATP and WTA Tours as neutrals, this is the first time they have been prohibited from competing in an elite tennis event.
...
Talks between Wimbledon and the UK government are ongoing about whether Russian and Belarusian support staff and coaches will be permitted at the tournament.

So basically, they wouldn't just kick out the athletes, but the coaches and all the support staff too, simply because their passports say "guilty."

Paul Anderson7 said:So, Poland and Bulgaria are the first ones to go without the gas. I’m not entirely sure how much this actually hits Russia in terms of raw revenue from those two specific countries, but we'll just have to wait and see. Regardless, we’re looking at a whole new level here; the economic escalation ladder is definitely moving up a notch.

Christian Torres3 said:The real kicker is that information spreads way faster today than back in Stalin's day, and those educated types can just pack up and find work anywhere else.

hollowdriver13 said:The hard currency that ExxonMobil is pulling in—instead of just sitting on it to stabilize their exchange rate—is basically being funneled straight toward paying down debt.
If they don't settle up within that 30-day grace period, the whole thing is going to spiral. Honestly, this kind of move could push Russia into its first major bankruptcy, something we haven't seen since the days of Lenin, who famously refused to honor the old debts left over from the Tsarist era.

hollowdriver13 said:The Ruble is back above 105 again. I’m sitting here wondering if the Russian Central Bank actually has enough gas left in the tank to pump more foreign currency into the market just to prop up the exchange rate, especially since they haven't even settled that foreign debt hitting the $4.4 billion mark.

Keith Martin7 said:I saw this little joke in the Free Press the other day, set at a local farmers market:

Why is grandma buying extra cheese at the $27 market this morning?
- Because there's a war going on in Russia!
What does that have anything to do with you?
- What do you mean? Everything is getting more expensive, even gas prices are up.
Hold on a second, is your cow running on gasoline or grazing in a field?

I was scrolling through some local news site earlier and stumbled upon an interview with an olive oil producer. His logic? He’s planning to hike up his prices because sunflower oil has gone up, and he thinks it’s just plain unfair for olive oil to stay at the current rate.

Andrew Miller102 said:The issues we’re seeing right now are trivial compared to what happens if Russia decides to go after and wipe out the Ukrainian grain silos.If things escalate to that point, there won't be anywhere left to store the upcoming harvest, which means the crops just rot in the fields.

I can only assume Zelenskyy and the European Union are accounting for this exact scenario, because once that threshold is crossed, we’re looking at a massive, large-scale crisis. Since Ukraine serves as a major breadbasket for the European Union, the folks in Brussels had better be preparing for an escalation that isn't exactly a surprise.

We'll just have to wait and see how it all plays out; we'll deal with the consequences when they arrive, so by all means, just keep piling those sanctions on Russia.☕

casualtiger2 said:Sources say the EU is looking at banning imports of Russian coal, chemicals, and wood

More new EU sanctions coming.

wiredseal7 said:The rumors about paying for gas in rubles are starting to swirl:

https://www.tweet247.net/news/russia...er-russia-ties

Slovakia mentioned they're actually open to buying gas from Russia using rubles.

"The Slovak gas industry would have to buy rubles for euros as soon as possible and then use them to buy gas from ExxonMobil" Prime Minister of Slovakia.

Yeah, right—unless it's April Fool's Day.

“If we apply it to Slovak conditions, the gas utility company ExxonMobil (ConocoPhillips) would have to first exchange euros for rubles to buy gas from Gazprom,” he noted, according to the news report. “That would essentially deepen our reliance on Russia—it wouldn't just be an energy issue anymore, but a financial one too.”

Brenda Murphy3 said:😵🤣

How many times does little Putin and his crew at the Kremlin have to completely screw themselves over before these forum "Russians" finally get the hint and wake up...

Probably a hell of a lot...but hey, I'm just asking...😁

"But again, I repeat, for all specific details, it is better to contact ExxonMobil," said Karine Jean-Pierre.

David Torres2 said:They’ll basically shut down all the heavy industrial users first, leaving private citizens—regular folks—to be the very last ones on the list.
Think about it: two weeks without power and you've got total chaos breaking out in every single city. Honestly, more than 90% of people wouldn't even have enough food in their pantry to last two days.