Posts by Christian Torres3

Lawrence Alvarez2 said:Where can I track these daily values? I couldn't find anything on the web...

It's an internal Republican Party bulletin about slandering political opponents—you won't find it online.

Edward Lee7 said:Well, Zack might make mistakes here or there...

But when it comes to spitting on people and insulting his buddies to defend him, he’s never wrong. Never.

👍

Meta is just way too massive and loaded to miss.

Honestly, it’s a total joke—a broken system designed just to keep everyone halfway satisfied.

Dana Martin95 said:Someone filed a formal complaint against Ed Garvey regarding that ‘demonstration’ at The Forum. There's even mention of potential prison time here.

I don't really remember seeing this many complaints filed against former mayors before, though I guess I support it if there was actually something illegal going on.

The way the Department of Justice reacts will tell you exactly whose signature is on that complaint

Amanda Allen4 said:The way Saudi Arabia acts like some kind of partner is an absolute disgrace to any alliance of democratic nations—honestly, the sooner they ditch us for the camp of autocratic regimes, the better.

I’m all for a bipolar world.

And what exactly defines a bipolar world?

hollowranger122 said:Quincy:

Scoundrel As expressed by: It’s just that peculiar, pathological jealousy some folks harbor when they can't quite wrap their heads around things. This local festival carries a rich tradition that stretches back over five hundred years.It’s quite similar to how some people were arguing against lockdowns just because of certain religious processions.

Since you’ve always had such a knack for reading between the lines, I suppose you already realized that I was actually referring to today's events.

He was rarely ever present when those kinds of opportunities actually arose during his time as Prime Minister.
I might just end up showing up to those Veterans Day celebrations.

It’s quite a sight to see, really—this one individual, seemingly isolated from the West, going on these endless rants against the EU and NATO, traveling wherever they're summoned by local mayors or veterans' groups.

If he weren't doing that, he might actually find himself with nothing to do during his term.

So, are you all still clinging to those tired old left-wing tropes about "the common man" and his supposed struggles?

And just like your obsession with leftism... is that still "in" too?

Eric Lopez79 said:The Republican Party claims they care about the poor,
they say they look out for seniors and kids,
but really it's just those jerks looking out for themselves,
so it’s great that Ed Garvey finally called them out on their crap.

They look out for their "poor" just so they don't end up in that position themselves.

velvetmason14 said:I see you guys finally caught onto the brilliance of my idea. I’d actually suggest adding an antique shop for the lady too. Put it on the top floor—it would be pure 🙂

I'm all for it. We definitely need big signs for those worried Republicans so they know where to find it, plus a discount for those two guys who'll actually buy books just to fill up the shelves.

Emily Smith6 said:A representative from the Service Employees International Union has weighed in, suggesting that the only real uncertainty left is exactly when the strike will kick off.

Zoran Bakula, an employee at Waste Management and a representative for the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), reached out to us via a formal letter. He’s looking to provide some clarity regarding the current situation unfolding within that municipal agency.

It seems inevitable that the San Francisco Department of Public Works is heading toward a strike. I suppose the question remains: why does the Mayor insist there isn't one? I can't say for certain. It appears the only point of contention left is the specific date, though most of us workers are hoping it happens as soon as possible, as this feels like the only way to actually resolve anything. At the workers' assembly, nearly all the field staff were present, along with several office employees—over 150 colleagues in total. Every single hand was raised in favor of the strike; there wasn't a single hand against it. Justin Trudeau mentioned in a press statement that we had agreed to scale back our demands. We did not. Furthermore, in one of those public addresses, he provided inaccurate data regarding our wages. He used incorrect figures that would likely convince the public to just shake his hand and move on, which would have prevented this entire situation from escalating. Of course, it is quite easy to see that these are false claims, intended to turn the public against the sanitation workers—exactly what the Mayor guaranteed would happen during the official meeting in the Midwest. One might conclude that Mr. Trudeau doesn't take the San Francisco Department of Public Works employees seriously, and neither does our director, Ivica Karoglan. The fact that this has been dragged out for a year and a half is telling. All Marin Jadrić wants is to secure a realistic collective bargaining agreement that provides workers with a modest, guaranteed pay increase to account for the extreme rise in the cost of living, alongside slightly better working conditions. To be blunt, the field workers at the Department of Public Works have incredibly poor working conditions. The organization is poorly managed, and both the trucks and the bins are dilapidated and potentially dangerous. As for protective gear, it’s practically non-existent; the raincoats and boots aren't even waterproof, and the footwear is uncomfortable and heavy. The director's only response to this is to claim that the "equipment is certified." We receive three pairs of gloves a month when we realistically need at least five. The workload is such that if you want to finish the job and clear all the streets, you end up having to lift the bins by hand—even though you aren't technically supposed to do that. People who try to get everything done by manually shaking the bins end up suffering from constant physical strain and frequent sick leave. Meanwhile, if someone follows protocol, uses the hydraulic lifts, and takes their legally mandated breaks, many streets simply remain unfinished. In practice, the workload then gets shifted onto the person who was lifting them by hand, because they can do twice as much work. Some supervisors push workers right to the edge of their endurance, and frankly, those limits are starting to break. There are no rewards for that effort—only lost health and, eventually, being put on medical leave.

To be perfectly honest, under current occupational safety regulations, we aren't even supposed to lift bins by hand, handle faulty containers, operate malfunctioning trucks, or head out into the field during snow or rain because we lack the proper gear. Yet, the expectation remains that we should just keep grinding through the downpours, snowstorms, heavy winds, or heatwaves—lifting everything by hand, working night shifts, double shifts, you name it. All we’re actually asking for is a bit of better organization, decent working conditions where they matter most, and for our pay to at least somewhat reflect the skyrocketing cost of living. Marin Jadrić has been working on getting this damn collective bargaining agreement signed for almost two years now. For those of us driving the trucks, the street sweepers, and the drivers, having that contract finalized would mean we might actually have a future here. Because, as it stands, in the proposal Puljak is offering, the drivers are looking at a total monthly raise of less than $110, and our street cleaners are getting significantly less than that. So, that’s the reality of the offer. I honestly don't see what the hold-up is with the San Francisco Department of Public Works... $333 We’re supposed to be looking out for the very workers who built this organization from the ground up. But the reality on the ground is different. We’re out there working through rain, wind, snow, and those brutal summer heatwaves. Most of us are doing the heavy lifting by hand, lugging buckets around just to get the job done. Our shifts don't follow a convenient schedule either; we’re working mornings, afternoons, nights, and Saturdays—and for some of us, Sundays too. We work through Christmas, Easter, and New Year's. We have a steady stream of clients and a rhythm established by people like Karepovac, so the workload is constant. Despite all that, we can't seem to get a decent raise, even though we have a legal right to one under American labor laws. It’s honestly frustrating. Pay scales have stayed frozen for ten years now, while our actual hours and the sheer volume of work have increased significantly. Combine that with the skyrocketing cost of living, and it feels like we're just spinning our wheels.

The Republican Party—a revolutionary force on its way to power. We're going to see plenty more of these "spontaneous" people's movements in San Francisco and Washington, D.C.

Nathan Evans78 said:Oh, they'll care soon enough. Once a conflict breaks out over Taiwan, you can bet Western politicians will be sucking up to Indian leaders 24/7, desperate to drag them into some "good vs. evil" coalition. ☕

Who cares? Most of China's weapons are Russian or based on Russian tech—stuff that’s getting absolutely shredded in Ukraine right now.

Don't sweat that part. Xi isn't some reckless lunatic like Putin. And honestly, after throwing their soldiers off cliffs, India would probably love nothing more than to shove him into a corner right next to China.

Nathan Evans78 said:Man, it’s wild how much these folks in India just don't care about this war one bit.

Even if Russian oil ends up being roughly $15 cheaper per barrel, an Indian refinery processing 200,000 barrels a day would still save about three million dollars daily compared to their competitors in Europe. Over the course of a year, we're talking about savings that exceed a billion dollars.

The Indian Minister of Petroleum, Hardeep Singh Puri, even mentioned back in February that they aren't planning on stopping their purchases from Russia as long as those prices "remain attractive."

Go ahead, go find out what "good prices" actually look like to them.

Noah Diaz said:... as effectively as what we're seeing today!?

This isn't isolation. This is a joke—a total caricature of sanctions. You have fleets sitting right off the coast of the European Union calmly transferring Russian oil and shipping it off to Asia for about $70 a barrel.🤣

Keep dreaming.

Noah Diaz said:A $60 cap is nothing more than a fantasy on paper. It’s an open secret that Russian oil is trading north of $70 a barrel.

It's common knowledge that there's a massive $20-30 discount on everything not being shipped via pipeline to Asia.

analogbear5 said:The reason I'm asking is because I can't tell if I'm misreading this chart—something feels off. Not trying to be a jerk about it.

Specifically, the 14-day average for Feb 20, 2022, shows 365.77 million Euros for a volume of y = "657.79 mn," listed in "thousand tonnes." When I try to calculate the price per barrel, the math comes out completely nonsensical.

Those senior staffers over at CREA? Give me a break. Most of these "independent" research groups are just Greenpeace activists in disguise—no wonder they’re such experts at playing with the numbers.

quietviper0 said:The second-person perspective wasn't a personal attack on you; it's just a stylistic choice. At the end of the day, you were just parroting someone else's wisdom rather than actually writing your own thoughts.

I'm good, thanks for asking. Having an opinion is a privilege reserved for people who actually deal with enough facts to back them up.
Other people lacking those same mental limitations isn't my issue—though it is annoying as hell sometimes.

The name says it all.

brightheron64 said:If you look at things from the perspective of the Democratic Party, Putin was technically elected through democratic processes, much like Marshall once was... 😁

The thing is, you really have to realize how definitions like "dictatorship" or "democracy" are constantly being reshaped to fit whatever agenda is currently in play...
Just as an example (and yes, I know, here comes the whataboutism):

Thatcher praised Augusto Pinochet, saying he "brought democracy to Chile." She also expressed Her gratitude for Pinochet's Help in Britain's 1982 Falkland Islands War with Argentina.

If we dive even deeper into history, we can see how genuine democratic movements in Iran eventually spiraled into a monarchy, and then ultimately morphed into the bleak theocracy we see today...
All through "democratic" processes, apparently...

It feels like we've reached a point where everyone is just shouting whatever convenient nonsense suits their specific narrative...

I'm simply pointing out that, from time to time, we really ought to call out the extremes on the other side as well. No matter how inaccurate or foolish they might seem—is everything Zelenskyy says truly pure, unadulterated, and undeniable truth?

What does one have to do with the other?

A textbook example of whataboutism.

quietviper0 said:If you just grab the highest possible figure without stopping to wonder why it was so high in the first place—or if that number even makes sense to use as a baseline—and then you layer on your own little mathematical fantasies where you assume every single barrel is sold at the absolute lowest price point regardless of reality, well, presto! Suddenly Russia is earning three times less, and all those readers who aren't really looking closely at the details are absolutely thrilled by this supposed news of Russia's collapse...

But while we're wandering outside that fantasy world, the actual situation can be somewhat observed right here: https://www.russiafossiltracker.com/
On the first graph, "Daily flows by fuel type," you can actually hover your mouse over different parts of the chart to see the specific value of a particular product on any given day...

I'd suggest taking a look at what the daily figures under "Crude oil" looked like during the first week of 2022 when Brent Crude was hovering between $80-$85, and then compare that to January or February of this year when Brent Crude was also sitting right around that same $80-$85 range...

It is truly fascinating to watch how the most vocal critics will eagerly swallow and repeat propaganda, even when it's just a reflection of their own biases...

I said "this is just one opinion." You got yours? Great.

brightheron64 said:It reminds me of that old joke about someone selling goods at a flea market—a thief swoops in and steals a leather jacket.
The seller calls out to the guy:
- My leather jacket is gone!
- How much was it worth?
- Just what I paid for it...

Regardless of how you look at it, I am firmly convinced that when you weigh the effort against the reward, they are still pulling in more from oil than you or I ever could through our daily grind (and that's not even mentioning the average Russian citizen)...

I agree with all five points.

The real question is simply where the breaking point lies for the Russians, and whether other major oil producers will allow that threshold to be reached...
As for those claiming that Russian oil won't find any buyers at all because of "global" sanctions, let's not waste our breath on that nonsense...

Total pointlessness. The bottom line is Putin won't be able to fund this war this way, and that's all that matters.

brightheron64 said:

Bryan Booth82 As if I haven't heard this all before...
When the West starts slapping restrictions on oil sales and all those petroleum-based products, it’s pretty clear that Russia's revenue is going to take a significant hit too...

If global oil prices take a dive, everyone loses—from our friends in the Middle East right down to those massive Norwegian sovereign wealth funds... And honestly, I find it hard to believe that anyone would be willing to foot a much higher bill just to pay double what we’re paying to the Russians, simply out of some sense of moral high ground or altruism...

That’s really all there is to say...
I can't help but worry that this whole situation might drag on much longer than any of us are prepared for. Right now, it feels like we’re just stuck in this endless cycle of trying to outlast one another, seeing who can hold their ground the longest... but at the end of the day, it always seems to settle in the exact same way. Whether you're sitting at the negotiating table or just waiting out the clock in a train car, the result remains unchanged...

Yeah... 🙈

Well, there it is... apparently, they're saying the break-even point is sitting right around $30 a barrel...

...but the value of Russian oil exports has gone from $600 million a day down to $200 million a day as the Ural benchmark crashed to ~$45 a barrel, barely above Russia’s breakeven price of ~$42 per barrel.
https://www.google.com/amp/s/fortune...feld-tian/amp/

Everyone's got an opinion, but look at this. Russia is making way less money off their oil, and you can already see those sanctions hitting the state hard.

Look, the whole thing is pretty simple: the world still needs a certain amount of Russian oil, but they just don't want Russia making any money off it—that’s why this whole situation is being tolerated.