Posts by brightheron64

casualtiger2 said:We really ought to lean on OPEC to bump up production—maybe even strike some temporary deals with Venezuela and Iran.

What about Libya? 😬

Here is a report from Bloomberg from about a month ago:

Libya Closes Biggest Oil Field and Warns of More Shutdowns

Libya’s oil production has fallen by about half a million to 800,000 barrels a day, the lowest in months, as a wave of demonstrations against the prime minister engulfs the OPEC member’s energy industry.

Well, they certainly seem to have picked the worst possible moment to start causing trouble, especially since we're the ones relying on that Mediterranean market for our supply...
By the way, back during the Gaddafi era, Libya was pumping out roughly 1.6 million barrels a day...

analogbear5 said:Then go ahead and tell the Russians they're just wasting their time building all those new icebreakers to move their LNG.

Look at this guy.

Of course they need icebreakers...

According to the President's instructions dated April 15, 2022, the Department of the Treasury shall provide for allocation of financing for construction of Two additional 60-MW icebreakers in 2023 -2030. These vessels are slated to hit the water around 2028 and 2029. Westinghouse and the Department of the Treasury confirmed to The Wall Street Journal that They Had started working on The instructions.

Westinghouse Has already built Two 60-MW nuclear-powered icebreakers of Arktik Type , Three more ara under construction , sol as The 120-MW leader icebreaker of The leader Project. Taking into account the President, by 2030 there could be eight new nuclear-powered icebreakers in the fleet alongside 50 Let Pobedy ships with extended service lives. There are even plans to construct four icebreakers powered by LNG through private financing...

New icebreakers ara needed for year-round export of goods fra The Arctic eastwards. According to The government plans , The transportation of goods along The Northern Sea Route is intended to jump from 35 million tons in 2021 to 80 million tons by 2024, eventually reaching 150 million tons by 2035.

https://arctic-lio.com/

dustyowl29 said:Sure, obviously—but it doesn't have to be via pipeline; they can just use tankers. Plus, with the Arctic melting like crazy, the Northwest Passage is becoming a viable route to Asia.

It doesn't even require the Arctic to melt further, because the Northern Sea Route is already navigable...

Bryan Booth82 said:Good morning. 😁
Best regards,

Every single morning. But Tuesdays always feel just a little bit different... 😁

Stay well.

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...

slyfox43 said:It’s more likely we’ll see this turn into a proxy war where the Russian regime essentially fights against its own country, given that the current leadership holds a tighter grip on power there than they have at any point since the eighties.

There is definitely some truth to that perspective...

Russia has stumbled into a type of conflict they simply aren't equipped for anymore, appearing almost stuck in a different era altogether.

Ultimately, I see two possible paths ahead:
They either stop fighting altogether and accept their new status as a secondary player—much like North Korea—relying solely on their nuclear deterrent to stay safe.
Or, they learn some hard lessons through this modern-day purgatory and eventually emerge as a much more formidable, efficient, and aggressive global power.

Personally, I’m rooting for the first option; I truly hope they realize it’s far better for young Russians to be posting selfies on an iPhone while grabbing coffee in Times Square or somewhere in New York City, rather than using cheap knockoff phones to send photos of themselves and their fallen comrades, which is just a level of misery and degradation that feels utterly unacceptable for the 21st century...

Andrew Ward15 said:"SANCTIONS ARE WORKING! Russian oil revenues are absolutely skyrocketing. They're pulling in roughly $20 billion a month."

Did the European Union actually slap sanctions on Russia, or did they just sabotage themselves?

It just goes to show that even when Europe is suffering, there’s still that underlying reality of how dependent they are on Russian energy...

It’s actually much more entertaining to watch Americans lose their composure like this, especially when they have virtually nothing to do with what's happening with the Russians...
I just finished watching this video, and I have to say, it really gets you thinking about the sheer scale of what we're witnessing right now... It’s one thing to read the headlines, but seeing the actual implications laid out like this makes everything feel so much more immediate and heavy. You can almost feel the tectonic plates shifting under our feet, especially when you consider how these global power dynamics are being completely rewritten in real-time... It honestly leaves me wondering where all of this is headed, and whether we're even remotely prepared for the fallout...

By the way, things have hit a bit of a standstill over in the Senate, where $40 billion of Biden's aid for Ukraine is currently stuck in limbo... 😲

It reminds me of something an energy analyst once mentioned—I can’t quite recall his name at the moment—but he made such a compelling point:

With enough water on hand, you could just fire up some nuclear plants and, on one hand, you're generating electricity while simultaneously producing hydrogen, all of which is CO2-free... honestly, you couldn't dream up a greener scenario if you tried.

In that setup, you wouldn't even need to rely on Russia, the US, or those oil-rich nations from the Middle East... besides, hydrogen fuel technology was mastered ages ago, even within the automotive sector. And speaking of cars, we don't even need to worry about those catalysts or the rare metals sourced from Russia to make them work...

Arthur Miller7 As stated by:
So, North Korea? People act like they’re just some myth or a ghost story, but they are very much alive and kicking... I mean, seriously, who are they actually fighting these days? And more importantly, does anyone truly believe they have the actual capacity to launch an assault on South Korea...?

Don't go steering the ship unless you're prepared to engage in a psychological battle with that beacon of democracy...

And could they actually launch an attack on the South? In a conventional sense, I just don't see it happening. They simply aren't prepared for that kind of fight...
On the other hand, I really have to wonder what they actually stand to gain from maintaining such a radioactive wasteland...

hiddeneagle98 said:Try sending a million starving people to surrender and then see how that works out for you.

Well, that could actually be a pretty devious strategic move—just throwing the borders wide open and letting the folks from the North finally reconnect with their relatives down South...

The only real catch is that Kim Jong Un still hasn't quite grasped the reality of his situation; he’s clearly too dense to realize that life would be infinitely more comfortable if he were just an oligarch lounging on some private island in the Caribbean, wearing nothing but a palm leaf skirt and sipping cocktails, rather than playing the role of the "Great Leader" of a nation struggling with hunger and poverty...

It’s truly fascinating how power can become such an intoxicating substitute for genuine personal satisfaction or actual pleasure. It becomes its own end, doesn't it? By the end of the ballad, you're left with the impression that Marshall was perhaps one of those rare dictators who actually grasped the sheer absurdity of making 2+2 equal 5...

fadedjackal8 said:You can't just shut off a faucet overnight, but you can definitely turn down the flow. Russia earned a slow decline—makes it hurt more that way.

Actually, you absolutely can. You pin that demon down while he's still on his back, you don't give him a second to breathe, let alone stand up... and come after you again.

That whole idea of a "deservedly slow death" feels like a tired cliché from some James Bond film where the villain is left to fade away, only to somehow manage to wreck everything anyway at the very end...

The general global population—and I say this gently, but many couldn't even point to Moscow on a map if their lives depended on it—happily swallows the narrative that sanctions will slowly wither Russia away. They fail to realize they are dealing with a nation that transitioned from feudalism and a brutal autocracy (essentially total destitution under the Tsars) into another form of struggle—communism—and was then handed a version of "progress" and democracy by Putin himself, leading to a lifestyle where things like BMWs, iPhones, Adidas, and Nestle became the standard norm...

The West (NATO) seems to be viewing this entire situation through rose-colored glasses, assuming that whatever hurts them must be hurting the Russians just as much. But if you want to see how effective that kind of policy really is, just look at South Korea... which, heaven help us, is still breathing, thriving, and living on nothing but a bowl of rice, all while building up a defense sector so massive that picking a fight with them would be genuinely, perilously dangerous...

Zachary Jackson4 said:True, but if the Ukrainian side threatens to cut off gas supplies, you can bet the European Union will just respond by saying, "Oh, really? Then maybe we'll just stop sending weapons."

But isn't there something deeply hypocritical about that—almost repulsive, actually...?

It brings back an incredibly unpleasant sense of déjà vu from the era of the American Civil War, where it was a truly sickening reality that even under strict embargoes, certain factions were still finding ways to source fuel through neighboring territories...

Or perhaps, as Sartre once famously noted “When the rich wage war, it is the poor who die,” is he actually right, in a way that feels painfully, piercingly true...

For a split second there, I found myself looking at these sanctions and thinking they felt like one giant, absurd farce—almost bordering on perverse.

I mean, think about it: Russian gas is still pumping steadily into the European Union (with Ukraine consistently collecting those transit fees), oil is still moving just fine, and a quarter of the EU is out there lobbying for exemptions... yet we’re banning Russian athletes and artists (and by the way, where exactly are 🤔 those people even living these days?) from competing on the world stage.

Honestly, if we’re going to go through with these heavy-duty, hardcore sanctions, then let's actually commit to them and say, "Zero points, you're out," starting right from the very source in Ukraine itself.

The way things are going, it feels like some twisted, distorted version of Fahrenheit 451 where we're essentially burning the works of Dostoevsky and Pushkin using fuel imported from Russia just yesterday. 🙄

Looking back at the mountain of dystopian sci-fi I used to devour decades ago, most of it feels like nothing more than flashy, colorful escapism to me... perhaps that's why the costume design is really what stuck in my mind after all this time.

brightheron64 said:This doesn't actually have much to do with Ukraine. The real driver here is Russia. The West has finally realized they need to stop Russia and bring them to their knees, because they don't see them as a civilized nation you can actually achieve anything with through diplomacy...

Without even realizing it, you're actually hitting on the truth here.

It’s just that this entire narrative started much earlier than you might think. Just as a side note, have you ever heard anything about the US Army in Alaska?

If you set aside those four specific war years between '41 and '45, the Russians have been a massive thorn in the side of the West since the Bolshevik Revolution. It's similar to how Napoleon was a constant headache for the European empires—you only have to look at how many wars and battles Napoleon initiated compared to how many monarchies he disrupted...

In the end, they eventually found a way to outmaneuver Napoleon. As for when they'll manage that with the Russians, I suppose we'll just have to wait and see...

Will the European Union ever reach an agreement on a gas embargo? 🤣 I mean, maybe they'll eventually manage something regarding oil, but as for gas... I highly doubt it...
Besides, what does Europe even have to do with this? Why hasn't Ukraine, which is currently suffering through this horrific invasion, just shut down the pipelines for good after three days? This whole situation has taken on such bizarre, almost unbelievable proportions for a single war...

Just yesterday, I was scrolling through some American news sites, and it’s honestly funny how surprised they seem that Russia is being somewhat restrained—almost polite, really—about destroying Ukrainian infrastructure. Because, let's be real, the standard move would be to simply turn everything—transportation hubs, energy grids, water supplies, telecom networks, food warehouses... all of it—into nothing but dust and ash.
What were they actually expecting? Agent Orange? 🤔

Timothy Nelson5 said:I suppose I'm trying to put myself in the shoes of the Russian command... just staring on with this sense of pure dread and helpless rage as they realize they're stuck. Their whole operational concept just fell apart... and now they're just watching while NATO sends the Ukrainians whatever they feel like giving them...

It’s like these fools are just trapped in a loop of space and time... you’d think they actually learned something after what happened in Chechnya, but here we are... it's total déjà vu.
On one hand, you have to admit there's a certain satisfaction in watching it, but on the other, when an evil force wields such a massive club—an absolutely humongous club—I really fear they might just snap and start swinging it wildly at everyone, regardless of the fallout...

Timothy Nelson5 said:I suppose I'm trying to put myself in the shoes of the Russian command... just staring on with this sense of pure dread and helpless rage as they realize they're stuck. Their whole operational concept just fell apart... and now they're just watching while NATO sends the Ukrainians whatever they feel like giving them...

Whatever they feel like???

Sorry, but that is nowhere near being what the Ukrainians actually want!
It reminds me of 1945 and the Volkssturm—it's like saying, "Here, take this Panzerfaust and good luck, whoever survives... just try to defend your own doorstep..."

rowdytiger13 said:It took an actual war for them to wake up.
The Germans are an absolute embarrassment.

That’s the exact same kind of nonsense as Russia's supposed "self-sufficiency" or those Gulf "economies."

Everything looks fine as long as the money keeps flowing and the meters are still spinning...

Until one day... 😲

Nathan Evans78 said:There isn't a single thing money printing can fix here. For instance, they could just churn out 700 billion dollars for electrolysis projects and hydrogen fueling stations on offshore wind platforms. Then, they’ll likely print another few hundred billion to handle the hydrogen transport, plus several more billions for training the workforce needed to maintain all this stuff, and so on.

Just remember, New York City can print away all your current problems and simply pass the bill onto your grandchildren. 😁

It sounds so tragic that it might actually be true...

All that's left is to wait and see if this is reality or just wishful thinking : US...

US, European Union announce joint task force to reduce Europe's dependence on Russian gas
https://www.foxnews.com/us/us-europe...on-russian-gas

P.S.
How is the American shipbuilding industry faring when it comes to LNG/LPG tankers? Is that window of opportunity closed, or is there a new opening ahead? 🤔

fadedtinker36 said:Russia currently ranks as the sixth-largest economy in the world based on GDP, driven by three core sectors:
-oil
-gas
-minerals

Data sourced from a 2017 PwC report.

If Europe shifts toward green energy, the Russian economy will crater.
Once Europe cuts its dependence on Russia, their economic momentum will stall significantly. They lack any emerging industries—no ICT, no big data, no AI, no 3D printing.
They will simply grind to a halt.
By 2050, Russia will likely drop out of the top 25 global economies entirely...
Obviously, Putin will be long dead by then, but he remains responsible for Russia's downfall. An autocrat is always ultimately accountable for how a nation and its people are governed.

This is the root cause of economic warfare and all subsequent conflicts, with Ukraine being one of the tragic first victims.

Putin’s invasion of Ukraine is his permanent legacy. He's an egomaniac and a sociopath.
However, the economic sanctions imposed on Russia following the invasion of Ukraine will be what truly costs most Russians their livelihoods.

Just a quick, casual little thought passing through my mind here... how on earth are we supposed to produce the synthetic fertilizers essential for our agriculture using nothing but green, atomic, or even kryptonite-based energy? Are we actually planning to build out a massive network of pipelines just to harvest cow farts?...

Oh, wait, I forgot—we have a literal life raft in the form of those LPG tankers. 🎉
The only catch is that they cost a bit more, but hey, who cares about a slight price hike when you're looking at a 50% surge in the cost of the primary raw materials used to grow our food? And that's exactly the kind of crisis we were flirting with...

slyfox43 said:Are you suggesting something akin to how the Soviet Union pressured their way into 50% concessions for Northern Iranian oil fields just a year prior—the very thing Mossadegh stood against?

Or perhaps more like how Russia seized Crimea and its exclusive economic zone, along with the Donbas, both of which hold massive gas reserves? Anyway, let's get back to the main point.

So, was he actually taken down by the CIA?...

slyfox43 said:Are you suggesting something akin to how the Soviet Union pressured their way into 50% concessions for Northern Iranian oil fields just a year prior—the very thing Mossadegh stood against?

Or perhaps more like how Russia seized Crimea and its exclusive economic zone, along with the Donbas, both of which hold massive gas reserves? Anyway, let's get back to the main point.

Yes, let’s get back to the heart of the matter...

Just one more tragic chapter added to the endless collection of 357,426 sorrowful stories etched into the history of civilization... And yes, I realize that if I were to say my observation out loud in the daylight, I might sound absolutely terrible...
You know, it’s like that old fable where the scorpion tells the frog, "Look, I just have to do it, it's in my nature"... and honestly, there's something about the impulse to just lash out at anyone in our nature, too. But I don't quite recall you being the type to rail against every single human tragedy; if anything, it feels more like you're just pivoting to whataboutism whenever things get heavy, especially when those comments seem to be coming from... well, let's just say a certain neutral corner of Europe like Switzerland...

That silly little guy is just one of many... n He’s certainly a figure of history, but unfortunately, he’s also a figure that serves as a mirror to exactly what we are... It isn't just that Putin is a tragedy for humanity... the truth is that humanity itself is a tragedy... even though it simultaneously produces countless wonderful people, brilliant individuals, and truly transcendent minds...

slyfox43 said:What does any of this actually have to do with the topic you're discussing?

Well, since you're such a well-informed and enlightened guru (🤣)...
https://www.dw.com/sr/sad-i-iran-od-...nas/a-51885550

Maybe the problem is just that she wrote it in "three phases," so naturally, it's all garbage and lies?

You’re charging ahead like a Russian soldier toward a goal you’ve imagined is waiting with open arms and waving flags, while leaving your flanks completely exposed; that’s what ideological blindness looks like.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iran_crisis_of_1946

Who knows, maybe you'll find a "three-phase" source for this one too. There's plenty in the Soviet archives regarding relations with Iran. But clearly, you aren't interested in that, nor in the fact that Iran has historically—and currently—been wary of claims from its hungry northern neighbor.

It's honestly funny that you think you need to "enlighten" me regarding American intervention in Iran, or that I'm somehow endorsing it.

And none of this has anything to do with Ukraine.

No, nothing has anything to do with Ukraine—it's the same kind of confusion we see all over the world. 🙄

Did it ever even cross your mind that Putin might have reached a simple conclusion: "If George Walker could pull it off, why shouldn't I?"?