8 posts shown.
steelfox98 said:They don't have them because a huge chunk of those contracts expired. The nations actually listened to that brilliant recommendation from the Green Party and the European Union back in 2015—don't sign long-term deals, just pivot to spot markets. Or, in plain English, deal with the middlemen.
Because obviously, renewable energy will solve every single problem we face. 🤣
To top it all off, you see Poles buying "German" gas, Swabians buying "Canadian" gas, and everyone else grabbing American gas and oil. Given recent history and how America resells Russian energy, one has to wonder how "American" they really are.
The icing on the cake? Take the Estonians, for instance. They flip petroleum products despite not owning a single refinery.
Russia is exporting smaller volumes, but at drastically higher prices. Old term contracts were around $250; now we're looking at $3,500. It doesn't take a genius to figure out if they're in the black or the red.
In short, Russia is raking it in, the resellers are doing fine, and politicians along with media outlets like Index—who orchestrated this whole mess—are busy patting themselves on the back for their "firm stance." That leaves one small rhetorical question:
Who's going to foot the bill?
Since I work for a massive multinational corporation, I know for a fact that about 70 percent of gas is contracted three years in advance. So, looking at the situation in America, we see how people operate in the shadows—basically, how billions of dollars were raked in in such a short window. And no, it wasn't the Russians who took that money.
urbanotter said:I don't want to derail the conversation since we're drifting off-topic, but I have to wonder if this counts as "Russian propaganda" too.
Keep in mind that nearly 50% of TSMC's production is physically located in China.
https://www.racunalo.com/ovo-su-najv...va-na-svijetu/
China settled the Hong Kong issue using the "one country, two systems" model, which is exactly what they intend to apply to Taiwan.
But let's not wish for that, because once that happens, things are going to get incredibly messy.
Hong Kong is a different story entirely, though even that story isn't exactly a happy one—it's basically a ticking time bomb with 7 million people living there. Taiwan is a whole other beast with 24 million people and a serious military. I don't think China and Russia will ever truly be friends. Right now, Russia probably hasn't even realized how many Chinese citizens are wandering around Siberia. It’s honestly a shame that Vladimir Putin has essentially destroyed any chance of a unified Europe for the long haul. If you look back at the oil crisis in the seventies, that was way worse than what we're dealing with today. After that crisis, both Europe and America came out stronger than ever, so I suppose things will work out similarly this time. I just feel bad for Russia, because they'll likely end up suffering the most in the end. It’s painful to think that a country as wealthy as Russia has such widespread poverty, and after all this, that poverty is only going to get worse. The kind of poverty that existed in Russia before the war is something we can't even wrap our heads around.
Adam Lee13 said:What’s actually driving these insane electricity prices in France??? Besides just pure greed??😁😁😁😁
France has a ton of their nuclear plants undergoing maintenance right now, so they've gone from being major exporters to importers at the absolute worst time.
The shutdown of several nuclear reactors duo to corrosion issues Has contributed to The French electricity price increase as Power production Has dramatically decreased in The country
Only 24 of the 56 reactors operated by energy giant EDF were online on Thursday.
France, which traditionally exports electricity, is now an importer.
bluerider63 said:Sanctions definitely work. I mean, Russia is pulling in oil money like there's no tomorrow, while back here in the States, we're getting hit with news that gas prices are jumping to $5.25/gal.
I guess we don't really know exactly how much Russia is pulling in right now, but they're definitely making plenty since the European Union is pumping up its stockpiles way more than they did this time last year. Who feels the squeeze first? Not the wealthy, obviously, just the poor. And there's already shortages of medicines and certain food items—I know someone in Siberia who mentioned they've been smuggling meds through Mexico. Everything has become incredibly expensive over there too, and their standard of living is much lower than people in the European Union. They basically tell us we'll manage somehow, but I wonder what happens to us, especially those folks out in Siberia. Even they're getting nervous about the Chinese, because the Russians have no idea just how many Chinese people are moving into Siberia.
electricsurfer47 said:to say sanctions don't work... well, Russia wouldn't keep bringing it up if they didn't. They mention it constantly. That's a sign they're working.
Of course they work. You can already feel certain products running low, and some regions have already started imposing sales restrictions. It's like one Russian economist pointed out—sure, we could probably find replacements for something like McDonald's, but how on earth are we going to replace critical components for airplanes, or parts for ships, or even something like Ikea?
Russia thought they could just steamroll through Ukraine with a blitzkrieg, while the West assumed sanctions would crush Russia just as quickly. I guess both sides were wrong. Nothing happens overnight. It’s a massive lie to suggest that sanctions only hurt us and don't impact Russia at all. Right now, the Russians are basically running on old stockpiles—raw materials, spare parts, and whatnot. The real trouble starts once those reserves run dry. The Russian economy looks stable for the moment because they have cash on hand and certain supplies, but I suppose problems will likely hit this fall or winter when those stocks are gone. Once citizens burn through their emergency savings, things change. Actually, Russia is way more dependent on the countries imposing sanctions than it is the other way around. Once the European Union finds a workaround for raw materials, they won't need Russia anymore. Meanwhile, Russia needs so many things from the nations that sanctioned them. According to recent Russian polling, 60 percent of citizens feel their financial situation
has worsened, and about 65 percent think it’s only going to get worse. The Russians aren't crashing as fast as some people predicted, but they are sliding downward, slowly but surely. Independent Russian economists seem to think that if this war drags on and sanctions stay put—especially if the European Union drastically cuts back on Russian energy—the Russian economy could end up right back where it was after the collapse of the USSR in 1990. There is one big difference this time, though; Russia actually has a middle class now, and they know they deserve better. For now, everything in Moscow seems mostly fine, but the first cracks are showing in smaller towns and rural areas, and even in Saint Petersburg. Bigger issues are expected when people in Moscow start running out of things too. Maybe we'll see an uptick in car thefts again since there won't be any new ones available, and parts will be a nightmare. You'll see it with aviation, shipbuilding, and so on. So, I guess we are looking at a very turbulent and difficult fall and winter. I doubt Russians will starve, and certainly not Americans, but it won't be easy for a lot of people, I suppose.
mellowlynx68 said:If the Forum management actually wanted to do their "real job," they should probably be biased whenever it turns out most people are pushing regressive views. They ought to work on promoting the opposite side and educating folks instead.
I guess you could ask if the police should be "objective" at a game in, say, New York City (assuming they don't get jumped by local fans), where the majority of New Yorkers start beating up a handful of visiting fans. If they follow that logic of "objectivity," would they just join in on beating the visitors because the majority at the stadium thinks that's what should happen?
The concept of a majority versus a minority has nothing to do with being objective, I suppose.
When it comes to minorities in society, it’s rare that the majority is actually right☕.
Democracy doesn't imply that the majority gets to decide on the rights of any minority. Making decisions purely by majority vote isn't really democracy, and it certainly isn't everyone's opinion or the will of the people. I guess I'm hoping that this time—even though it's hard to believe—that Americans will stand up and show they want a modern America rather than a conservative one, where freedoms aren't restricted.
It's nice, I guess, that most moderators said they'd vote against it. Even though, based on how they moderate the one thread where I was banned from posting, I had the impression they were quite conservative and didn't have much empathy for minorities. So, this is a pleasant surprise for me, maybe.
I'd like to see the mods act according to how they voted—you know, by not allowing certain things, or perhaps turning a blind eye when specific rights are violated. Primarily, I mean women's rights. It wouldn't take much before someone decides to hold a referendum asking if women should even be allowed to vote or something similar. I might be exaggerating a bit, but given the direction we're heading, nothing can really surprise me anymore.
I completely agree with everything Keith Diaz5, Gerald Bailey88 and matriksica wrote. And dear Moderator, I’m not being arrogant; I am simply bitter, primarily because of how you treat those of us who are actually the reason you have a job. If we weren't here, you wouldn't exist, and this forum wouldn't even be making money from ads. So, instead of insulting us, if we happen to have a specific complaint or question, the basic rule should be to show at least a minimum amount of decency toward every user rather than resorting to insults—especially since we just dared to suggest that something isn't right.
Believe me, dear, in the company where I earn my bread, I always treat customers the way you treat us. If I did, my boss would have given me a huge thank you a long time ago. Every single complaint a customer makes requires a well-reasoned explanation, and we always apologize; usually, we aren't even in the wrong, but the customer is always right. That is the fundamental rule. Even if I were some high-ranking commissioner or whatever you want to call me, you wouldn't give me a warning or ban me; you'd just call us old ladies who can't tell fiction from reality, etc.
The whole time, I've been trying to get an answer as to why I received a partial penalty, but I can't get one because I don't ask my questions humbly enough. Then I got banned from a thread due to spoilers, and Moderator Bea says she gets a mountain of reports that are all baseless. Then you swoop in behind that and start claiming I'm breaking whatever rules, acting like the spoiler wasn't even a big deal. It makes me wonder who is actually crazy here, who is sane, and who is being the arrogant, rude one acting like a self-appointed commissioner.
Regarding the Force thread, the issue isn't really that some people don't like the character Force; the biggest problem is that you allow sexist outbursts to drag on constantly alongside the dislike for Force. Some are relatively benign, like people acting like they're high-powered businesswomen when they're actually just stay-at-home moms, while others are much worse, like saying a husband should only take what is his.
I am asking you most politely to visit the Force spoilers thread and read all the messages directed at me. I don't see anyone there suggesting I'm acting like a commissioner, but I do see people being rude to me—and especially you, acting from a position of authority, as if you're the stronger party. I certainly won't stay silent; I will respond, and I'll try not to be arrogant or rude, though I don't think I ever use the vocabulary that you do.
Blood Bank
and I used to get along quite well with everyone on the "How Time Flies" thread, so I only have issues with a small number of forum members who create a new username on every single thread just to repeat the same behavior. On one thread it's Ace62, on another it's Kenneth Cruz73, depending on the need, and now they've even gained support from a Moderator.
Since you wrote that my partial penalty was decided by the editorial board and the Administrator, I would love for each of them—those who stripped me of my constitutional right to freedom of speech and opinion—to write to me explaining exactly why they did it and which rule I supposedly broke, other than the fact that certain users report me whenever they feel like it, which Moderator Bea claims is baseless.
I don't understand the forum hierarchy, but I assume one exists, likely consisting of the Administrators. So, once again, I ask: how do you allow a Moderator to insult users like this? These aren't characters from a soap opera; we are real people made of flesh and blood, and this kind of behavior is truly unacceptable. If someone here acts like an offended socialite, then it's the Moderator Jack, who starts her little torture sessions everywhere she feels she isn't being bowed down to. This started with the Passion Orient thread, which was locked the very second the TV showed the end, just because the girls rebelled—even though they proved what a great group they are through their private chats and hanging out off-topic.
On the Force thread, it has become even worse, and I don't know about other threads because I just don't have the time to check, but I see constant complaints everywhere. Instead of anything changing, things just keep getting worse and worse, and fewer and fewer people are posting on all the threads. Pretty soon, you won't even have anything left to moderate.