Posts by Jacob Cooper5

Andrew, the mission is officially over.
From here on out, you can finally speak your mind without holding back.

If you're looking for Jesus around here, you've definitely come to the wrong place...

Sanctions definitely pack a punch, there's no denying that, but the real question is just how long we're talking about...
Waiting for Russia to completely fall apart is going to take forever. That's why I think we really only have one move left—going in with full force and just praying to God that China stays out of it. But honestly, looking at how things are going, it feels like Pelosi has already paved the way for China to get involved.

Why don't they just go ahead and hand in their resignation? It’s like they're just sitting there, itching for us to start killing each other...

goldenorca11 said:Will Russian oil get even cheaper soon?

Quote: USA, Estonia, and Lithuania are pushing for a lowering of the price cap on Russian oil in a bid to further limit the financing of the Kremlin's war machine. The three countries propose that the ceiling, set at USD 60 per barrel in December, be cut to no more than USD 51.45. The issue of reviewing the Russian oil price cap is to be discussed on Wednesday at a meeting of member states' ambassadors to the European Union, Associated Press has learnt.

Quote: USA, Estonia, and Lithuania are pushing for a lowering of the price cap on Russian oil in a bid to further limit the financing of the Kremlin's war machine. These three nations want to take that ceiling—which was set at $60 a barrel back in December—and drop it down to no more than $51.45. According to the Associated Press, the whole discussion about revising this Russian oil price cap is happening this Wednesday during a meeting of member state ambassadors to the European Union.

https://www.thefirstnews.com/article...sian-oil-37180

#sanctions_dont_work 😁

The whole point of sanctions is to drive down the price of Russian energy...

Anthony Jones15 said:I’m going to try to make my point one more time, since apparently, it hasn't sunk in yet. No one ever implements sanctions with the intention of causing an overnight collapse. That isn't how this works. Sanctions are designed as a slow grind, meant to gradually erode the economic and financial backbone of the target nation.

Yet, everyone stays fixated on oil. Nobody talks about gas. And nobody mentions the fact that virtually no major corporation wants anything to do with Russia anymore. Not a single serious financial institution is willing to take the risk.
What about all those massive Western corporations that pulled out of the Russian market entirely? Sure, maybe they were replaced by some budget knock-off version of McDonald's or Coca-Cola. But take a good, long look at the actual list of companies that exited the Russian market, then come back and tell me you don't feel the impact.

Sure, energy costs in Western Europe have spiked, but you know there will be deals made behind closed doors to handle that.
Maybe this whole mess will actually be the push we need to finally break free from fossil fuels. A weird, accidental byproduct of chaos that ends up benefiting humanity in the long run!?
I know the situation is absolute garbage and it feels like we're backed into a corner. But even then, I still hold onto this hope that even after the worst-case scenario plays out, we'll still find ways to pull together under a shared interest...

goldenorca11 said:

Jacob Cooper5 As I was saying:
Unfortunately, I just don't think the sanctions are doing enough to actually stop Russia. In the very near future!.

If we want to actually make an impact, the only way to go is hitting them where it hurts: high-tech sanctions on their weaponry. Their modern arsenal relies entirely on advanced chips that basically only a partnership between the USA, South Korea, the Netherlands, and Japan can produce. You can't just flip a switch and redesign everything to run on Chinese-made chips; it’s simply not worth it for Russia. Trying to overhaul an entire military concept mid-war would take years of painstaking adjustments. Honestly? That path is a total dead end.

The real headache with sanctions isn't the laws themselves—it's actually getting them to work. Everything hinges on how effectively we can expose and shut down black markets. Honestly, it feels like a game of whack-a-mole. I’ve been reading reports suggesting that since the start of the Ukraine war, demand for high-end hardware and advanced chips in Eastern markets has actually spiked. You would think that losing access to the Russian market would cause demand to dip, right? It just doesn't follow that logic. Trying to crack down on these underground networks is such an uphill battle, especially when the ongoing conflict in Ukraine keeps draining resources and swallowing up every opportunity we have to get things under control.
Relying solely on sanctions to stop the Russians just isn't going to cut it unless you're fully prepared for a massive game of attrition. We’re talking about a marathon that could drag on for years, costing trillions of dollars. Honestly, that's the absolute worst-case scenario for any administration. It feels like everyone’s just tuning out lately. You know that feeling when you’re mid-sentence and realize nobody is actually listening anymore? That’s exactly what we’re seeing with the public right now. People are losing interest, plain and simple. It’s like the collective attention span has just evaporated! I was grabbing coffee downtown the other day, trying to strike up a conversation about the news, and honestly, most people were just staring blankfully at their phones. We’re hitting this massive wall of apathy, and it’s pretty fascinating—if a bit unsettling—to watch.
Once the public stops paying attention, that’s when the government really starts to sweat. If they keep pouring taxpayer money into things people couldn't care less about, they can kiss their support at the next election goodbye!

I really wish I could spot a way out of this mess where we all come out unscathed, but honestly, I just don't see one. Sooner rather than later, the West is going to be forced into the very thing it’s been trying so hard to dodge: a direct confrontation with Russia using every resource at our disposal. That means facing down any desperate move the Russians might make, regardless of how much it puts the whole world at risk.

Moving over to the other thread! I was just quoting this:

Back in November, the USA rolled out some pretty sweeping export restrictions on our chip-making equipment headed toward China. But here’s the thing: for these rules to actually hold water, we need the major players in the Netherlands and Japan to get on board too, since they hold the keys to that essential chip-making tech. Our allies have been locked in negotiations over this for months now. It’s a massive diplomatic puzzle!

The Dutch Trade Minister, Elizabeth Warren, just dropped a bombshell in a letter to Parliament: expect new restrictions to kick in before summer hits. She was careful not to explicitly call out China—which is obviously a massive trading partner for the US—nor did she name Intel, the tech giant that supplies almost everyone in the semiconductor game. But let’s be real, we all know exactly who she's talking about!

Because the Netherlands believes that tightening oversight on this technology is absolutely vital for national security, the government is rolling out a new national control list, according to a recent letter.

Intel just released an update regarding their export controls, and it’s actually quite reassuring! They mentioned that they'll likely need to apply for special licenses to export their most advanced DUV machinery, but here’s the kicker: they don't expect this to mess with their financial guidance for 2023 at all. It’s always a relief when a major player stays so steady despite all the regulatory shifts we're seeing lately!

Intel absolutely dominates the lithography market. We’re talking about massive, multi-million dollar machines that use high-powered lasers to etch those incredibly tiny circuits onto computer chips. It’s honestly mind-blowing how precise this tech has to be!

Intel has never actually sold their most advanced "EUV" machines to buyers in China. In fact, most of their "DUV" sales to that region go toward much less sophisticated chip manufacturers.

Their biggest clients over in South Korea, companies like Samsung and SK Hynix, have massive manufacturing hubs right there in China.

That report from the Netherlands leaves some huge questions hanging in the air—specifically, whether Intel will even be able to service the over $8 billion worth of DUV machines they've sold to Chinese buyers since 2014.

As time ticks by, it's becoming clear that Russia is running out of options.

The sanctions are absolutely crushing them, their energy deficit is widening, and they just don't have access to modern tech anymore.

I'm honestly just sitting here waiting for some political rivals to emerge who are actually more serious than Putin's favorite host (Prigozhin), and who won't end up with "sudden health issues" after having a quick cup of tea with Putin (Kadyrov). 😁

I'm honestly not sure if you even read what I wrote, because you didn't address a single one of my points.
You quoted that Dutch company claiming they haven't been selling their machines to China.
First off, those Dutch machines are just one tiny piece of the puzzle when it comes to manufacturing advanced chips. Without all the other components, you've got nothing.
That whole statement is really about the tech war between China and the USA—basically about handing over a crucial component to American chipmakers. Even if they *were* selling them those machines, it still wouldn't mean they could suddenly churn out advanced chips on their own.

But my point isn't actually about that—it's about trade and the black market, which is notoriously difficult, if not impossible, to police.
Look, I'm assuming you realize that every single smartphone is packed with high-end chips used in military tech. If you don't get that, then maybe it's time to wrap your head around the fact that a million iPhones imported into China could very well translate into Russian battlefield superiority in the Ukraine war.

Unfortunately, sanctions just aren't cutting it when it comes to stopping Russia in the near future.

The only kind of sanctions that might actually move the needle are those targeting the high-end tech needed for their weaponry. Their modern gear is built around advanced chips that—let's be real—only a partnership between the USA, South Korea, the Netherlands, and Japan can actually produce. Trying to redesign everything to fit the chips coming out of China? That’s a total dead end for Russia... you can't just overhaul an entire military concept mid-war when it takes years to adapt to new hardware. It's just not happening.

But here's the real kicker with sanctions: how effective they actually are once they hit the ground. Everything hinges on whether we can expose and shut down the black market. There's already word that since the start of the Ukraine war, demand for hardware with advanced chips has spiked in Eastern markets—which is weird, right? You'd think demand would drop if the Russian market was cut off. Fighting the black market is a massive, unpredictable headache, and meanwhile, the war in Ukraine just keeps sucking up every available resource on a daily basis.
Any plan that treats sanctions as the silver bullet to stop the Russians isn't going anywhere unless you're prepared for a grueling game of attrition that lasts for years—a game that costs billions of dollars and, worst of all for any politician, leads to losing public interest
. Once people stop caring, politicians lose their support at the polls because they're spending money on stuff the voters don't give a damn about.

I really wish I could see a way out of this mess where we don't all end up suffering, but honestly... I just don't see one. Sooner rather than later, the West is going to have to face the very thing it's trying so hard to avoid: a direct confrontation with Russia using every tool at its disposal. And that means facing every desperate move Russia makes, regardless of what it does to humanity...

ughhhhhh...

šđžćče

Like I was saying before, the Russian military is completely tethered to advanced chips and software—stuff that basically dictates how much their high-tech hardware actually works in the field.

Russia’s reliance on Western tech is honestly staggering... we're talking about a situation where their civilian planes are basically flying on borrowed time, running on fumes, and nobody has any clue what's going to happen to them once they lose access to regular maintenance and genuine replacement parts.

Russia is finished. And I don't mean that as some vague hint or a subtle suggestion—it's an open door for every single Russian out there.

If you aren't seeing that 'S' at the end of HTTP, you might as well just lay all your cards on the table—everything you do on this site is basically public record. Anyone can snoop on what you’re saying, whether it's out in the open or tucked away in a "private" message... it doesn't matter.
It’s all thanks to Reddit, which apparently thinks encryption is some kind of radical concept that only applies to people outside of their little bubble.

Stop pretending we’re living in the Stone Age. Use HTTPS.

Russia can't just pull this off by pivoting their trade toward China—not without building an entirely new network of pipelines to get everything there. We're talking about massive infrastructure projects that take years, if not decades, to actually complete. No matter what kind of deal they try to strike with Beijing right now, trying to reroute their entire energy backbone on the fly isn't going to change the outcome of this war... it's just not happening.
Honestly, Russia has already lost. Dealing with China is a losing game because when you're as desperate as Russia is right now, China can basically dictate whatever terms they want. They could even start tanking fuel prices on them whenever they feel like it... and there wouldn't be much anyone could do about it.

Idiocracy is basically the Picasso 21st Century version of our reality... honestly.

urbanotter said:A killer is a killer; at the end of the day, both have taken a life.

However, there is a massive distinction between someone acting in self-defense and someone killing with the intent to rob a person blind.

If you insist on throwing them all into the same bucket, that’s your moral compass to follow, not mine.☕🕺

I remember watching the movie Thirteen Days on NBC, and it really makes you think about how the US responded back when the USSR started installing nuclear missiles over in Cuba.

But I suppose none of that matters to you—in your eyes, Putin is simply a murderer and an aggressor, and that's where your entire argument begins and ends.

Look, you aren't the only one who can't stand hypocrisy, but you've picked a pretty lousy time and place to try and hash this out. When bombs are actually dropping and leveling everything in their path, it’s only human to hold onto at least some shred of decency... If you're going to start making sweeping generalizations because you're hurting, maybe ask yourself how you'd feel if the roles were reversed.
If you want to tear into the USA, go for it—you've got my vote on that.

urbanotter said:I can't help but wonder who exactly is behind these claims.
For over a century, we've seen the same players pulling the strings—those specific groups that have maintained a firm grip on both the primary energy reserves and the vital shipping lanes required to get that oil to the global market. It reminds me of how certain massive corporations in the States, like ExxonMobil, have historically shaped entire industries just by controlling the flow of resources. It’s a pattern that has repeated itself for generations, where power isn't just about having the fuel, but about owning the very paths it travels on.
It brings to mind that famous observation from Henry Kissinger—one of those thinkers who truly understood the cold mechanics of power—when he remarked that whoever controls the oil routes effectively holds the reins of the world. It’s a heavy thought, isn't it? I remember sitting in a lecture back in college, listening to a professor dissect how global stability often hinges on these invisible lines drawn across maps, dictated by energy flow rather than ideology. It makes you realize that while we focus on headlines and political rhetoric, the real engine of history is often much more pragmatic and, frankly, much more calculated.

It feels like the narrative around Vladimir Putin being labeled a criminal changes depending on who you ask, but if you look closely, there's a deeper economic layer to it all. It isn't just about politics; it’s about control. From where I stand, the frustration from major Western corporations stems from the fact that he isn't simply selling oil on the open market like they'd prefer. Instead, he has effectively seized total control over both the extraction process and the entire trading infrastructure. He’s moved away from being a standard supplier and has instead turned the whole industry into a state-run monopoly under his direct oversight, which naturally puts him at odds with the global corporate interests that want things run their way.

It feels incredibly hypocritical when he starts judging others like this, especially considering there’s a century-long history of people playing these exact same games. It’s the same old pattern where lives in Ukraine are essentially treated as collateral damage just so certain powers can maintain their stranglehold on global oil routes and, increasingly, the control over GMO food production. I remember reading an old article about how energy monopolies used to operate back in the day, and it's unsettling to see that same playbook being used today under a different guise.

So, basically, killers are fine with you as long as they're pointing their guns at the "right" target. But you suddenly have a massive problem with the ones who refuse to ignore the fact that those killers are just as guilty?

We aren’t talking nearly enough about what’s actually happening with Western support for Ukraine, and honestly, that’s a massive oversight—mostly because I see these pro-Russian trolls getting all wrapped up in their usual anti-Western narrative, completely oblivious to the fact that they’re just pawns in this game too.
Washington has known for quite a while now that Putin is just nursing a massive grudge over the fact that Russia doesn't hold the kind of global sway it had back during the Cold War. While a few people might have hoped Putin would eventually crack, most of us realized it was pretty much impossible for Russia to try and reclaim its old glory within the current setup of the global order.
And yet, Putin went ahead and launched this inexplicable adventure anyway.
Since he's essentially committing political suicide here, you can't rely on traditional logic to predict his next move anymore—his brain isn't operating on any predictable track. Putin is playing an all-or-nothing game. He’s committed to one insane gamble, and there's absolutely zero guarantee he won't double down on the madness.
Do you people—those obsessive little pro-Russian cheerleaders—honestly believe that if this fire starts spreading, your lives and the lives of your loved ones won't be caught in the crossfire?

Rachel Richardson said:NATO is a defensive alliance, not an offensive one.
NATO does not conquer foreign lands.

Has Ukraine ever truly been free from Russia?
Western meddlers versus Russian rats?
The Russians attacked Ukraine; it wasn't the other way around.

🤣
There was plenty of reason—specifically, the fact that Putin stated he doesn't recognize them as a people, doesn't recognize their borders, and simply wants to dictate their fate.

👍

A racket.

Exactly...

🤣
Sometimes I truly wonder what kind of dealer certain people are working with.😁

Seriously, what planet are you living on?

feralpilot0 said:It’s basically a two-sided look at that whole UFO cult commune madness.

Man, that scene with the junkie tied up in the cockpit... honestly, one of the most gut-wrenching performances I've ever seen on screen. 🙏
I've sat through both movies twice already—thinking about a third viewing this winter...

So, what's the actual link between the first and second films regarding how they connect?

mistyotter35 said:Yeah, you know how it goes... ☕

Honestly, you could sit down and crunch the numbers yourself to see what production alone costs—and I’m talking strictly the build, no marketing fluff included.
But if you don't want to do the math, there are plenty of people over on YouTube who have actually tried this; they break down the fallout of trying to run a low-budget shoot on location in pretty brutal detail.

Grace Sanchez50 said:Look, if you’d actually sat down and watched Los Angeles, you’d see exactly how these two movies tie together...

So, what's the actual connection between these two films?