Posts by Larry Wilson25

That’s just a bad move—it would send oil prices through the roof, and honestly, let them handle the shipping themselves using rupees if they want to be so bold...

Carl Lee27 said:Honestly, it’s almost funny—you’d almost have to ask the Russians if they’re even willing to take any gas back at this point!

If we just lifted those restrictions on Russian oil imports and let the market actually breathe, you'd see how messy things would get. I bet those folks in the West wouldn't be acting so high and mighty toward the Russians anymore.
I mean, it really comes down to who has the lower breakeven point, right?
And then you've got Biden over there giving short-term handouts to the shale drillers—probably while greasing the palms of a few Republicans in Congress to keep things moving.

Natural gas prices could actually dip below zero in parts of Europe

Europa Tsvetan Paraskov - May 28, 2023, 6:00 PM CDT

Since sluggish demand for gas in power generation and industrial sectors has caused European natural gas prices to go into a freefall over the last few weeks, traders and industry officials aren't ruling out the possibility that Europe could see brief periods of negative day-ahead prices in certain markets this summer.

The perfect storm—massive stockpiles left over from a mild winter, steady LNG imports, and just plain weak demand—has led to eight straight weeks of losses for European benchmark gas prices. That’s the longest losing streak we've seen in over six years... honestly, it's wild.

https://oilprice.com/Energy/Natural-...Of-Europe.html

The EU somehow managed to survive the fever dreams of every Russophile, neighbor, and all those other trolls who claim to hate the West while they're busy lining their pockets with Western cash. I guess they just don't have much love for the Rupee either. 😬

shadowbison2 said:You really have to write Rome. 😳

Now, Elton John could probably claim he's some kind of big shot—I mean, who knows? But look, I'm definitely no artist, so for me, it's just
Rome.

I just caught what Mickey posted over on the forum. That’s really the heart of the matter right there...

Oh, Mark—you're a little late to the party on this one.
So, apparently, Anida is dating some guy from Africa? Honestly, I sometimes have to double-check if "Anida" is even a woman's name—it's such an unusual one—but hey, jealous is jealous, right?
At the end of the day, it's all just people. No need to make a huge drama out of it.
As for me, my own "one that got away" finally decided to... well, let's just say she's moving on. I'll admit it, I'm feeling a bit jealous. I bet it's some guy with money... or maybe just some tall, dark, and handsome guy from a big city like Chicago.😢

Another classic USovska drama... honestly, this is just what we do on this forum.
The guy uses the word "Black man" and suddenly everyone’s launching a woke attack. It feels totally performative to me. Like, if he had used a different term—boom, instant ban. It’s ridiculous.
Personally, I’m against having Freyy as a moderator. 🕺

I mean, lord knows she can do it, as long as people stop messing with the chat. That chat is sacred in the USA!
It’s holy ground. Marsovka makes sure we don't go disrespecting God or Jesus or anything else. 😁

Alright, I'm going back to the very beginning of the thread. I just skimmed through the last few dozen posts.

Edit...
I read everything. Look, okay, TNT needs to get the hang of political correctness. Just because an African American might call themselves a Niger, or a gay person might use certain slang for themselves, doesn't mean you can just throw those terms around in public. Or like when Bregović says gypsy during some evening show. Or if Ademi uses the term shiptar... it's just different.

I'm not actually against the whole "woke" banning thing. I'll adapt to how the community wants to run.

Noah Diaz said:Lucky Americans seem to think the rest of the world exists solely to follow their orders.

For instance, now these whiners at our major domestic airlines are demanding that everyone else take the long way around, essentially begging the world to pile up losses just like they are.

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/17/u...s-ukraine.html
Banned from Russian Airspace, U.S. Airlines look to restrict competitors

“Foreign Airlines using Russian airspace on flights to and from the US. are gaining a significant competitive advantage over American competitors in major markets, including China and India,” the presentation, dated February, said. “This situation is directly to the benefit of foreign airlines and at the expense of the United States as a whole, with fewer connections to key markets, fewer high paying airline jobs” and a dent in the overall economy.

Now airlines are pressing the White House and Congress to fix the problem by subjecting foreign carriers from nations not already banned from Russian airspace to the same restrictions applied to American competitors, effectively forcing them to fly the same routes as their American competitors.

The Biden administration should “take action to ensure that foreign carriers overflying Russia do not depart, land or transit through U.S. airports,” said Marli Collier, an Airlines for America spokeswoman.

It looks like the sanctions are finally starting to bite, and now we're seeing desperate moves from people who have run out of options. 😁

They’ve got the dollar, they’ve got SWIFT, and they’ve got GPS. I won't even get started on their military might.

So, why the hate?

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They're tightening the noose around the Russians—which, honestly, I'm fine with. The US and the European Union are basically the wealthiest markets out there, right alongside Japan. Why on earth would anyone want to lose access to those markets? Plus, who else besides those two blocs is churning out planes in massive quantities and providing the navigation systems everyone relies on?

If you hate the US that much, fine—go live in Russia or somewhere in Asia. They've got democracies like India over there.
And let's be real, that's a country that's peaking even when you factor in Pakistan.

hollowdriver13 said:Round two, let's go

https://www.reuters.com/article/russ...-idUKKBN2TP0T6

The Russian Ministry of Finance is claiming they finished the year with a 2.3% deficit.

Wait, a deficit means you're in the black? Can someone send me a link to the dictionary definition for that one?

Honestly, that’s not even a bad deficit—I mean, it’s definitely not catastrophic.
When it hits 24%, then we can start talking about a total downward spiral of nonsense.
Look, when you consider this is a country that basically survives solely on selling raw materials—and they're currently at war against a massive power backed by the West—it's not actually that terrible, especially if you notice everything started dipping in the second half of the year.
If we're talking about the budget deficit, it just means they brought in 2.4% less than what they spent. The real question is: are they going to keep pretending everything is perfectly fine, or are they actually going to try cutting spending? Let's be real—cutting spending is never politically popular, ever. Maybe they'll just officially declare war to distract everyone.

This year is going to be a much tougher climb for them because, from what I can see, prices for metals and energy have absolutely tanked.

Roger Fowler said:If someone is so fragile that insults from random strangers online actually sting, maybe they should just stay away from digital media altogether? Since forums are private property, they fall under the whims of the owners and their little circle of sycophants—you have to accept that. Once you step into this space, you've already agreed to the terms. There are plenty of other places to hang out.

If people actually took a good look at today's newspapers, honestly, nobody would bother posting anything online—because, let's face it, nobody would be getting anything right! It’s wild how much things have shifted. In a way, the internet—all those social media feeds and those endless comment sections on forums—has just become this massive extension of our actual personalities and our raw emotions. It's like we aren't just typing words anymore; we're basically putting our souls out there for everyone to see.
Imagine you're at this massive get-together—I'm talking a huge crowd, maybe forty people deep, everyone's mingling, drinks are flowing, just a lively atmosphere, right? You're right in the middle of a conversation, feeling good, sharing your thoughts on something—doesn't even matter what—and then, out of nowhere, some total stranger looks you dead in the eye and calls you an idiot. Just like that. Right in front of everybody. Can you even process that for a second? It’s such a bizarre, jarring moment when someone who doesn't even know your middle name decides to take a swing at your character in front of a whole room of people!
How are you holding up?

Roger Fowler said:If someone is so fragile that insults from random strangers online actually sting, maybe they should just stay away from digital media altogether? Since forums are private property, they fall under the whims of the owners and their little circle of sycophants—you have to accept that. Once you step into this space, you've already agreed to the terms. There are plenty of other places to hang out.

I’m totally on board with this. I mean, if we’re looking at the very nature of how a forum actually functions—just thinking about the logic of it—it's pretty obvious that someone has to step up and moderate the whole thing. You can't just have a free-for-all without some kind of structure, right? So, looking at the wiki:

Back during the era of the Roman Empire, things really started to shift—you know, when they began building all these specialized new plazas instead of just sticking to the old ways. You had the *forum civile* for legal stuff and the *forum venalia* for all the trading and commerce. Even when they built the Caesar Forum and the Augustus Forum alongside the original central hub, those were still basically following that old-school layout. But then, fashion changed! People got into this whole trend of specialized forums, so you started seeing places like the *forum boarium* specifically for cattle trading, the *forum holitorium* for vegetables, and all sorts of other niche spots popping up everywhere.
So, I was reading up on some old-school architecture stuff recently—you know, how the ancients used to obsess over space—and I stumbled upon Vitruvius. He was this Roman architect and theorist back in the 1st century BCE who spent a ton of time geeking out over the "ideal" forum. His whole philosophy was basically a balancing act: you want a forum big enough to handle a massive crowd without feeling cramped, but you don't want it to be so ridiculously oversized that everyone standing in it feels like a tiny little ant. It’s all about scale, right? According to him, the sweet spot for those dimensions—the perfect length-to-width ratio—is exactly 3:2. It's funny how much we still think about spatial vibes today, even if we aren't building marble plazas in the middle of town!
So, looking at those specific guidelines—it’s actually pretty wild how things were laid out back then. Basically, the architect Apollodorus, who came all the way from Damascus, was commissioned by Emperor Trajan to build the Trajan Forum. This massive project went down in Rome between 107 and 143 AD. To give you an idea of the scale—and I mean a *serious* scale—we're talking dimensions around 280 by 190 meters, covering roughly 25 acres. It was absolutely massive!

Back during the days of the Roman Empire, things started changing fast—you know how it goes when society starts getting more organized? They began building all these specialized forums for specific needs. You had the *forum civile* for legal stuff and the *forum venalia* for all the trading and commerce. Even when they built those big ones like the Caesar Forum and the Augustus Forum alongside the old central hub, they were still basically following that same old-school blueprint. But then, the trend shifted—everyone wanted their own niche space! Suddenly, it was all about these hyper-specialized spots, like the *forum boarium* specifically for cattle trading, or the *forum holitorium* just for vegetables, and all that other stuff. It was like the city was finally finding its groove by breaking everything down into dedicated zones.
So, I was reading up on some old-school architecture stuff, and it got me thinking about this Roman architect and theorist guy, Vitruvius. He was obsessed with the whole concept of the forum back in the 1st century AD—you know, those massive public squares that served as the heartbeat of the city. According to him, there’s actually a "sweet spot" for designing one. He argued that an ideal forum needs to be big enough to handle a massive crowd without breaking a sweat, but—and this is the important part—it shouldn't be so ridiculously oversized that people feel like tiny little ants wandering around a wasteland. You want people to feel present, not insignificant! He even threw out some specific math for it—he reckoned the perfect dimensions should follow a 3:2 ratio of length to width. It’s funny how much we still struggle with that same balance today, right? Finding that perfect scale where everything feels just... right.
So, following those specific guidelines, you’ve got the architect Apollodorus—who actually hailed from Damascus—building out Trajan's Forum under the orders of Emperor Trajan. This whole thing happened between 107 and 143 AD right there in Rome. To give you an idea of the scale—because it was massive—it measured roughly 280 by 190 meters, covering about 25 acres (or 10 hectares if you're looking at it that way). Just huge!

Look, I’m all for making this forum a bit more free-spirited—really, I am—but we have to be realistic here. We need to remember that this place isn't some massive public corporation or a publicly traded company; it’s just a private space where people who don't use an ad blocker are essentially footing the bill for the owner. It’s a simple setup, really.
Listen, I'm telling you—maybe when Hajduk actually wins something significant, then we can start talking about rotating the moderators and changing up the mods every six months. Until then? I don't know. 😁
Cheers to bluecyclist64—and hey, maybe dial back the vulgarity just a hair? You're a grown man, after all!

Which specific PDFs have you been flagged on?
BTW, you’re actually a solid forum user—I was just scrolling through your thread over on Alternative the other day. Honestly, compared to most of the crowd posting there, it’s pretty obvious you actually know your stuff (technical background, right?) and I actually find myself wanting to read your posts because they aren't just a mess of nonsense—they're actually well-structured.
You strike me as being a bit stubborn—maybe even a little rigid—with your opinions, but man, if I were a moderator, I would've slapped a partial ban on you already. I don't see why it hasn't happened yet.
Aleta, what do you even have to lose?
UPS, I forgot—it’s such a patriarchal setup over there that you wouldn't be allowed to make a call like that anyway. 😬
(low blow) 😁

It’s not like you let him off the hook for murder. ☕

coppersailor28 said:Intellectual honesty practically forces me to quote my favorite radio station

It’s pretty obvious you're a retiree.

Radio Yerevan was asked: "Is there any way Hillary Clinton could still enter the White House?"
Radio Yerevan answered: "In principle, yes. She could divorce Bill and marry Donald Trump.

amberhound8 said:I have no idea what actually happened, but my guess is that this "member" either never wrote a single thing or wasn't even active on the forum to begin with. I used to think all this drama was just staged to lure in new users—you know, just adding some spice to the boredom so people wouldn't leave—or maybe someone was just looking for revenge against that specific user.

Which "member" are we even talking about here?

I mean, look at the USA and you'll see it instantly—we've got the partisans, the hustlers, and then us losers.
That doesn't end well. 😁

Donna White85, look, I know this is a bit old school, but I’m just not following your logic here. You popped up in the US thread specifically to talk about abortion—a topic involving a PDF you clearly haven't even looked at—and then went straight for the jugular with the moderator.
If you haven't noticed, Thomas Hernandez4 hasn't even moderated ZK or Politics before, so why the sudden need to go totally scorched earth on her?
But, I have to admit, you’ve definitely piqued my curiosity regarding that whole subject... assuming the conversation is still going somewhere.

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coppersailor28, what do you think? Is this how moderators should be handling things:

Our sincerest apologies to the esteemed Donna White85! Our moderator made an error. As a gesture of goodwill, we are offering you a -50 point credit. This means you are permitted to insult, or even outright curse out, anyone on any thread without being docked those 50 points.
Best regards.
Your Reddit.

brightheron64 said:If my memory serves me right, they've basically been draining our own Department of Energy reserves.



President Biden’s Dangerous Use Of The Strategic Petroleum Reserve
https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidbl...h=5e0be8eb4047

Joe was banking on the idea that the Prince would just step in and refill everything, but apparently, things have gotten a little more complicated than he anticipated...
Whether domestic production can actually bridge that gap remains to be seen, though honestly, I haven't the slightest clue myself...

So, I was just sitting here thinking—is it oil or gasoline we’re actually talking about? There's such a massive difference, right? But anyway, which country is actually pulling the most oil out of the ground globally? If you want the real answer, you've gotta go ahead and Google the top three leaders. It's wild how much stuff is being pumped out there!

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brightheron64 said:If my memory serves me right, they've basically been draining our own Department of Energy reserves.



President Biden’s Dangerous Use Of The Strategic Petroleum Reserve
https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidbl...h=5e0be8eb4047

Joe was banking on the idea that the Prince would just step in and refill everything, but apparently, things have gotten a little more complicated than he anticipated...
Whether domestic production can actually bridge that gap remains to be seen, though honestly, I haven't the slightest clue myself...

The Prince sees a recession coming, so he’s slashing production. It’s wild, especially since US shale is basically at its peak right now. I mean, look back—it was the Americans and that whole shale oil boom that pushed oil down to $30, and then they got into those massive fights with Russia, which ended up sending the barrel price into the negatives. Just crazy how fast things flip.

brightheron64 said:If my memory serves me right, they've basically been draining our own Department of Energy reserves.



President Biden’s Dangerous Use Of The Strategic Petroleum Reserve
https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidbl...h=5e0be8eb4047

Joe was banking on the idea that the Prince would just step in and refill everything, but apparently, things have gotten a little more complicated than he anticipated...
Whether domestic production can actually bridge that gap remains to be seen, though honestly, I haven't the slightest clue myself...

If I remember correctly, Americans are pulling "easy oil" out of the ground through fracking—which is pretty wild when you think about it—so we basically have enough refinery capacity to be totally self-sufficient. But man, if the Republicans take over... things are going to get messy. Prince The next President is going to be handing over a massive favor to Pemper—it’s basically a done deal. And honestly? I wouldn't be surprised if Putin signs off on an agreement sooner than anyone expects. Everything is moving way faster than people realize! 🥱

Amanda Allen4 said:It can, sure—but there's a catch: you're looking at higher prices for refined products because production costs here in the USA are significantly higher than they are in Saudi Arabia. Plus, this isn't an overnight fix; it takes time.

It’s exactly like when you run out of bread, can't find any at the local bakery, and are forced to knead the dough and bake it yourself from scratch. 😁

Before inflation really kicked in, the breakeven point for shale oil was sitting around $60—but by January, that number dropped down to $40. And those guys over in Riyadh? They’ve got it down to a measly $21. Crazy, right?

I mean, figuratively speaking... the US has its own set of issues too. Natural gas prices are absolutely wild right now—it feels like every time I turn around, the utility bill is creeping up even more. Honestly, it’s getting to the point where you have to really watch the thermostat just to stay sane. It's one of those things that everyone talks about when they mention inflation, but nobody seems to actually fix the root of it. Just constant fluctuations! Look, if you're aiming for a $60 breakeven, you’ve gotta embrace that whole capitalist mindset—I mean, people aren't out here working for $600 like they do at those low-rent places!

Terry Green3 said:Anyone with nuclear weapons can use them. This isn't any more serious now than it was before the invasion, following this referendum. This move is just about seizing any leverage for peace talks while keeping the entirety of Ukraine on the table. They're cementing it now, and there's no undoing that without a total military defeat of Russia. There's no other way; they have to be pushed out of Ukraine so completely that once they're gone, they won't even dream of attacking from Russian soil again. That's the bottom line.

There's a massive gray area between the extremes, you know? Right now, the West is still mostly in deterrence mode.
But when we shift to tactical operations, we're going to be in an offensive posture. The silver lining is that Americans will be leading the negotiations instead of that ineffective European Union—and let's be real, they never like to talk business unless they've got some serious leverage in their hands.

Morgan Brown4 said:Wait, so there’s still no official word on the rat?

I honestly thought Ukraine would have dropped that announcement the second foreign troops stepped onto their soil (so why the hold-up?)...

And now you gotta wonder—does this whole "annexation" thing just give Ukrainians the green light to push back into territory occupied since 2014, or maybe even take the fight straight into Russia?

I already laid it out above regarding why these referendums happen. It's so the professionals and the mobilized military can go to war without needing permission every single step of the way. That's just how the law works over there.

They’re dragging their feet on passing that law specifically so their career soldiers lose the ability to refuse orders—which, according to the rules, they actually could do if the theater of war was outside of Russia.

And look, I’m not talking about those massive nukes everyone keeps freaking out about. The USA could easily deploy a small tactical one in international waters—say, somewhere like the Black Sea.

edit: every fight has two sides, after all.
Do people seriously think the Russian generals are idiots? They aren't. These guys are trained for war; they can absolutely project where this whole mess is headed. Sure, maybe we end up in a skirmish involving mini nukes, but do you honestly feel any safer thinking the USA and Britain are leading that charge? Or maybe it's France and... who else?

James Chavez91 said:I don't know... I actually dig the suggestion someone made. If the whole deal for Ukrainian Independence was supposed to involve denuclearization, but now these bastards are just trampling over those borders and acting like they get a say in it anyway
Then maybe it’s only fair to hit the reset button and let the Ukrainians have some of that arsenal back—just to level the playing field, I guess.

And yeah. People who are terrified of nukes? I get it. Honestly, we’re all a little scared deep down. Especially if you're a parent—that fear hits differently.
But you just can't give in to an aggressor simply because they have the upper hand. That logic doesn't hold up. By that reasoning, anyone could just decide to take over Switzerland, Austria, Ibiza, or Canada... just because they feel like it.
We don't justify a physically stronger partner hitting a woman just because they're able to do it. No. In a civilized society, we call out that kind of behavior and we punish it.

That's a solid point, and honestly, we need to keep saying it because some people keep pushing those what about arguments.
And they’re all just Americans.
Did we actually have a chance to handle things back in 2014? As a community within the European Union?
We did. It's just like our own domestic conflicts—a total mess. A Fryer attacks another nation and then starts waving nukes around. It's precisely because we let bullies operate within the European sphere that we're sitting here worrying about nukes now.
If we had slapped him with brutal sanctions on gas and everything else back then, none of this would be happening.
But no, instead everyone says it's the fault of the USA. They claim the USA is the villain. That they're always at war. So why should we get involved?
Who was it that actually took down Slobodan Maddox?

gentlestag15 said:Organizing an initiative in an occupied city to help that city join the occupier
man, that's basically a death sentence in pretty much any country on Earth.
The ultimate homegrown traitor.

Back in the day, our guys would have hauled them straight to a military tribunal. 🧐

Look, I don't care if they take a bomb to the face, but I draw the line at soldiers—actual collaborators—abusing people in liberated territory when they're caught. That's just wrong.

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Seriously, everyone else needs to think twice about supporting the invaders. You’re literally acting as their soldier behind enemy lines during a Rat!

Resurrected 🙂

Thomas Nelson25 said:They need to go clear out Crimea.
I should probably write something deep and strategic here, but honestly? Nah.

If the Russians decided to invade us in some alternate universe, we wouldn't stand a chance.
But seriously, I just don't get how you can't spend eight whole years getting ready...

dustyowl29 said:Without the petrochemical plant...

So you're telling me ExxonMobil and First Gas—you know, Paul Vujnovac, who owns a quarter of Walmart—have absolutely nothing to do with the Russians? 😁

Why on earth would Russia push more gas toward Canada? It’s because those sanctions are starting to itch. 😛

Long-range missiles aren't cheap, and they eat up chips—lots of them. And man, were they burning through those chips like there was no tomorrow. It's not like anyone was out there bartering for oil. We're looking at WTI 120, but they’re selling it for maybe 40 to 60 bucks. Their Breakeven is sitting right around 35—maybe even as low as 19$ in some spots. And that's just a standard barrel without any of the service or gear included.
Drilling equipment? Seriously, who is going to service that stuff while sanctions are in full swing? If you ask me, things are going to start falling apart early next year. The alternative is a 3-kiloton disaster.

I honestly can't wrap my head around how much nonsense is being posted here—it's actually embarrassing for the moderation team. But hey, I guess you guys aren't exactly experts in macroeconomics, right?
Seriously, everyone on this forum, what kind of nonsense are you all typing? You should go try testing your "moderation skills" over in the Economics section—maybe your "barstool economics" will actually pass muster there.
Russia wins. 🙂

Dana Robinson4 said:It wasn't really the Kremlin officials making those calls, but rather the optimists who truly believed we could actually isolate Russia from the global market...

But then you look at India and China, and they just don't seem to care one bit about your sanctions, do they?

Look, let’s run the numbers. Say they’re picking up a barrel for $60. What does the refined oil actually look like after all that?
I’m thinking they’re grabbing it for maybe $40 (and paying in local currency, too). What’s the average Breakeven for Russian oil anyway?
And how many chips can they actually score with those savings? Any serious Chinese person who actually owns high-end lithography isn't going to sell off their precious tech for pennies.

Man, looking at your posts, you are such a hardcore little communist sympathizer—it's honestly painful. Like, seriously, who even offended the West (European Union) here?