Carl Cook said:So, Goldman Sachs thinks this is all just noise?! 🍿
It strikes me as though this whole situation is merely a calculated component of an Anglo-American campaign designed to force a total embargo on Russia. That said, judging by how much Russia is currently groaning under the pressure, I’d argue that even these existing sanctions are delivering a significant sting. In all honesty, no amount of short-term sanctions can actually halt aggression in its tracks. Personally, I would reserve the option of a complete, sweeping embargo exclusively for a scenario where chemical weapons or similar atrocities are deployed.
I find this entire maneuver regarding paying for natural gas in rubles completely baffling. Look, it is obviously vital for the Russians to secure Euros if they want any hope of defending their currency's exchange rate. But here is the catch: will they actually sell the gas for Euros, or are they planning to dump rubles to buy Euros first? To me, it all feels like a distinction without a difference. Besides, if the Euro can simply be used to purchase rubles from someone like China, what exactly is the Tsar going to do then?
It is truly fascinating to observe how—perhaps almost every single corporation from the "West"—
—is "withdrawing," "fleeing," "abandoning," ceasing operations, or relocating away from Russia.... 🤔
A massive amount of questions are being forced upon us here ....
For instance: are these corporations—many of them absolute giants—really "suffering" because of those Maidan-style "revolutionaries" in Ukraine, causing them to "capriciously" exit Russia and walk away from their business—
—or is this actually being ordered? 😁
If this is (as is likely) an order, then we have to ask who, how, why, where, and how much, among other things.... 🤔
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Up until now, "business" hasn't exactly been known for being "sentimental" or "sensitive" enough to "capriciously" abandon massive investments and established markets... 😁
One thing is certain: doing business with Russia has become incredibly difficult due to the SWIFT restrictions and the boycott by shipping companies. On top of that, Russia isn't even paying in dollars or euros anymore, even if SWIFT were still fully operational. Furthermore, Western public opinion is absolutely livid toward Russia, and anyone staying put faces potential boycotts and a PR nightmare in the States. All things considered, the Russian market just isn't worth that much of a headache.
cosmicgull52 said:Let's kick things off with the Week 18 results and some service updates. 🙂
In this last round, nobody managed to hit five or six touchdowns. Our winners for the week, all landing four scores, are: boldbison40, ginobili44, karlos100, kevin love, packer, and starmo!!! 🎉🎉🎉
As most of you are already aware, the playoffs are an entirely different beast. It’s thirteen games of pure chaos where anything can happen. Tomorrow morning I'll post the Wild Card matchups, though we all pretty much know how the bracket looks already.
The final regular season standings will be up shortly; today has just been a bit of a whirlwind for me...
It’s a damn shame the regular season is wrapped up, especially since I was just starting to get into the groove after those two massive wins this week—if my memory serves me right, they were the only ones all season. 😬