Posts by analogbear5

The Jeep Wrangler is a whole different beast. It’s a solid benchmark for off-road performance when you're looking at SUVs.

So, everyone's just hating on everything Russian now?

The only thing I actually have a problem with in Russia is Putin and his whole kleptocratic inner circle—those guys are basically sacrificing Russians just to line their own pockets.

I don't go out of my way hating on their soldiers by default either—unless they're committing actual crimes, which applies to both sides of any conflict.

As for what the "anti-Russia" crowd was saying about the Arabs, who knows. Anything goes on this subforum—it’s become a real dumping ground for nonsense lately.

OPEC announced they'll bump up production in July and August. It's nothing massive, though, and they don't even have that much extra capacity to work with—at least the Arabs are already pushing their limits.

It's more about the ripple effect: since the Chinese and Indians started picking up Russian oil at a discount, it frees up supply elsewhere that can then head toward Europe instead of just flowing into China and India.

Crude prices have cooled off quite a bit over the last month, wouldn't you say?

Amy Rogers6 said:???

Then why bother? So we can crush the European Union instead?

Just read what's actually on the page—you might actually learn something.

casualcrane20 said:Fine. We can agree on those facts.

What I actually want to know is this:

-What are the odds that sanctions will actually cripple Russia?
1. zero, 2. low, 3. high.

-What are the odds of a Russian uprising?
1. zero, 2. low, 3. high.

-What are the odds that someone removes Putin?
1. zero, 2. low, 3. high.

-What are the odds that Ukraine wins and reclaims occupied territories?
1. zero, 2. low, 3. high.

-What are the odds that NATO intervenes and shifts the current course of the conflict?
1. zero, 2. low, 3. high.

-What are the odds that the EU avoids massive damage?
1. zero, 2. low, 3. high.

If none of the answers fall under category 3, then future actions should be planned accordingly. Anything else is just barking at the moon.

- what are the odds sanctions make it harder for the Russians to fight?
1. zero, 2. slim, 3. high

Sanctions aren't designed to "crush Russia"—that’s just not happening. That's just the line Putin supporters push to make everything look useless.

It's like that Black Knight from the Holy Grail. 'Tis but a flesh wound. I mean, the guy is still standing, right?

Nancy Gomez26 said:Sure, if these were legitimate pollsters, they would protect respondent anonymity. But the people being questioned have no way of knowing who is actually conducting the survey and who might be an operative posing as one. Besides, if the numbers turned out to be a disaster for the administration, they likely wouldn't even make it to the news cycle. And who would bother posting those results anyway? We all know how that goes. Consequently, you'll see support hovering at 70-80% right up until the moment when the polling numbers simply cease to matter.
Obsessing over statistics to claim Putin enjoys mass popularity is a mistake, especially when those numbers are stretched so thin that even a one-in-six ratio feels optimistic. But when nothing else works, this kind of manufactured 'support' is always convenient for someone.

So, what you're saying is the sample size in these polls isn't representative because:

- It’s way more likely that regime supporters will participate, while dissenters won't touch them,
- And even if the dissenters do take part (if they're forced to), they aren't going to speak their minds.

This graph shows public approval for the Russian Prime Minister. Between 2008 and 2012, V. Putin held that spot, and then there's that next jump right when the war in Ukraine kicked off in 2014—so that fear factor you mentioned might actually be playing a role. And let's face it, as Machiavelli basically said, it's better to be feared than loved.

Donna Wells2 said:You made some excellent points, and I agree with you on almost everything.👍
But we shouldn't assume the Russian people are always exactly what their leaders claim them to be... we have to remember 1917, when the people staged a revolution so massive that its echoes are still felt today.
That's why you should never underestimate the will of a people... because once they finally snap, they break everything in their path.

Back in 1917, and during other similar uprisings, the folks standing up didn't have much left to lose [except their chains, obviously].

Things are different now. Nowadays, if you've got even a tiny bit of stability to hold onto, you've suddenly got plenty to lose.

Rachel Barrett8 said:Exactly.
Freedom of speech and respecting private property are the very pillars of the West.

That’s why we can openly debate the West's failures here, unlike users on forums in Russia or China, who have to think twice before they type a single word.
And that's precisely why decent Ukrainians would want their country to be part of the EU.

It isn't a lie; it's just how things work.
When you join the EU, you have to move away from other trade deals and align your standards, tariffs, tax systems, and everything else. It's part of the deal.

Ukrainian industry simply wasn't ready for that kind of shift, and it would have collapsed instantly.
The EU isn't to blame for that failure—the responsibility lies with the Ukrainians themselves. That said, the EU really needs to get better at assessing the specific challenges within different countries (and I'm not just talking about Ukraine).

Ukraine didn't even have a trade deal with Russia that they needed to scrap. Back in 2013, their bid for observer status in the Eurasian Economic Union was rejected because—get this—they had an association agreement with the European Union, which, as we know, was abandoned the following year.

So, it was actually the other way around: Ukraine would have had to ditch the EU agreement to join the Eurasian one.

George Robinson43 said:Is this what you meant?
The charge around Australia Project to test printed Solar panels with Tesla misliti ok

I mean, fine, let's assume it works perfectly. But do they honestly think people are going to drive around unrolling solar rolls by the side of the road? It would be absolute chaos!

Probably not, but as a backup power source for charging at home? I don't see why not. Especially if you're just doing local trips and not driving across the entire US.

What percentage of cars are even used for short daily commutes?

Nancy Gomez26 said:You're looking at crossing the Caspian Sea into Azerbaijan, heading through Georgia, then cutting through Turkey to reach a Mediterranean terminal. We are talking about thousands of miles of pipeline traversing oceans, mountain ranges, and multiple sovereign borders. It's a logistical nightmare. Even if you account for ten years of grueling negotiations followed by actual construction, there's the issue of utility. That pipeline could also carry Azerbaijani oil. The real question remains: how much oil is actually sitting there, and does the math even work for those volumes?

According to various sources, Kazakhstan is sitting on about 30 billion barrels of proven oil reserves, while Azerbaijan has around 7 billion. For context, Russia has roughly 80 billion (though who knows how much of that is tucked away in the Arctic regions)
.
If the daily capacity of this pipeline ended up being comparable to the Keystone XL back in the States (about 830,000 barrels a day), we'd be looking at a yearly capacity of roughly 300 million barrels.

Back in 2021, the daily crude oil consumption in the European Union was sitting at 10.42 million barrels—that's about 3.8 billion annually.

Dana Robinson4 said:What exactly are you getting at?

Is the argument that Russia should have just said, "Look, Crimea belongs to Ukraine, but here is 200 euros for Kiria, so we'll just keep using it indefinitely," and that would have been acceptable?

Yeah, assuming Ukraine gives the green light.

Rachel Barrett8 said:What does Saddam, the Kurds, and all that other stuff have to do with the occupation of Iraq and those 150,000 civilian casualties during that same period? Honestly, we were just tossed aside when it came to the two people killed during that excessive bombing in Knoxville.
Look, let’s be clear about this. Victims of a dictator are victims of that dictator. Period. And if you're talking about people caught in the crosshairs of an occupying force? They are victims of those occupiers, plain and simple. Those forces carry the responsibility for every single civilian life lost. It's as straightforward as that.

Trying to justify that many deaths? It just doesn't make any sense.

Is lying really worth it?
Did anyone from Ukraine actually ask for anything specific?
Is it possible that nobody actually signed off on guaranteeing Ukraine's independence and territorial integrity?
Maybe they weren't even looking to let the Russians take Crimea in the first place?
Ukraine is nothing more than a sacrificial lamb.

All of Europe is still doing business with Russia. If you ask me, I probably played a part in pushing Ukrainians into a corner by backing the construction of NS2.

As for what you claimed the EU asked of Ukraine—stopping trade with Russia—that's just straight up false.

Paul Kern12 said:Actually, I think this news is fantastic👍👍
The EU will finally be able to catch its breath now—it seems like the door is swinging wide open for more reliable and affordable suppliers.🎉

Your take feels pretty biased and manipulative. If you actually had solid, logical arguments, why lean on that?

Here’s the thing—there's a massive difference between:

- we have to be ready for a total shutdown of Russian gas
(Because, let's face it, that's a real possibility with an unreliable trading partner)

and

- we have to completely stop all Russian gas deliveries
(Which, nobody ever said).

Rachel Barrett8 said:It wasn't just the Majdan that set everything in motion.
The wheels were already turning long before the Majdan, driven by unrealistic and dangerous demands from the EU toward Ukraine—demands that actually triggered the Majdan in the first place.
Viktor Yanukovych couldn't just accept those EU requirements, much like any sane politician wouldn't (specifically regarding cutting trade ties with Russia), so he turned them down, and that's when the Majdan kicked off.

It wasn't just Russia stirring the pot; the EU practically pushed Ukraine straight into the flames.

Look, if you're gonna lie to people's faces, at least try to make it believable. All of Europe was trading with Russia back then, and they still are. Nobody in Ukraine asked for any of that.

The max capacity for that pipeline (Alaska) sits at 38 billion cubic meters per year.

klingonac_worf said:math is hard 😁

So, if you drop something by 60% from value X, then bumping up value Y by 60% gets you back to the same spot?😁

Simple math—let's say X=100 and Y=20

X minus 60% = 40. Y plus 60% = 32

yeah, no.

Exactly. That same article mentions exports to China jumped from 4.1 billion cubic meters to 10.39.

During that same window, Russian gas exports to Europe hit 150 billion cubic meters via pipeline, plus another 16 billion of Russian LNG.

On top of that:



Source: Why Nord Stream 2 is not a redundant pipeline, European gas hub

darkdriver said:Honestly, thank goodness the European Union saved us from having to let local sheriffs handle absolutely everything here 🤣

Not everything gets fixed by them. Local sheriffs had to hand over a chunk of their sovereignty to the European Union—which, honestly, was probably the best thing that ever happened to America.

If you want to see what happens when politicians lose their carrot-and-stick motivation from the EU—just look at Mexico.

What’s the deal with the refineries in America? Are they shutting down or getting back online?

feralcanyon73 said:Is the dollar seriously still sitting at 250 rubles?

For exports and the budget to actually work, you'd want the rate sitting somewhere between 70 and 80 rubles per dollar.

Right now, it’s hit 66 rubles to the dollar—which basically means plugging the budget hole is taking priority over fighting inflation.

Noah Diaz said:What does a nation actually need to survive? Bananas, cocoa, and coffee?!!

Or is it perhaps more vital resources like energy, industrial capacity, weaponry, food, water, and so on?

And while we're on the subject of "chips"—what exactly has been going on over the last two years? Who is actually suffering from a chip shortage? 🤣

Russ.

.

analogbear70 said:That comparison only works in an ideal world. Sometimes you just have to be smart—don't walk through dark alleys in a mini-skirt or withdraw cash from an ATM while a group of punks is lurking right behind you.
It doesn't excuse the attacker; it's simply about being smart enough to reduce your own risk. Russia is the aggressor, the occupier, and an imperialist power. However, if they are your neighbors, you have to play your cards more carefully to prevent this kind of thing from happening. That’s the plain truth. And again, Russia is the aggressor, and there is absolutely no justification for occupation.

Besides the ones you mentioned, we should've been smart enough not to let a "third" power in Europe pack their bags and dance to whatever tune Joe Biden, Douglas MacArthur, or Slobodan Maddox were playing.