The Good(?) Old Days

[KeithMacdonald]

1 hour ago, Hroth said:

If not so many countries are buying Russian oil,

 

If only!

One part of the EU (and Britain) openly boasts of the "sanctions" as reported in the mainstream media, as part of the "we are all helping the Ukraine" meme. Another part of the EU (and Britain) is less openly arranging "business as usual" - the main argument in the EU at the moment is how to limit the windfall profits the Russians are now making - after we so spectacularly shot ourselves in our feet i.e. the sanctions are now hurting us more than they hurt Russia.

 

Quote

Bloomberg reports EU Talks Stall Over Price Level for Proposed Russian Oil Cap - The EU’s executive arm proposed a level of $65 a barrel, which Poland and the Baltic nations rejected as being too generous to Moscow, the people said. But several countries with major shipping industries, including Greece, don’t want to go below $70, the upper end of the range put forward by the EU earlier Wednesday.

Ref: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-11-23/eu-talks-stall-over-price-level-for-proposed-russian-oil-cap?sref=Fbhig0fX

 

"EU diplomats said most EU countries, with G7 members France and Germany taking the lead, were supportive of the price cap, worried only about the ability to enforce it."

 

The ability to enforce it is rather small.

 

Quote

The G7 proposals appear to replace the complete ban on insuring Russian oil shipments that was due to come into force on December 3 as part of the EU’s sixth sanctions package. Now it would be permitted to insure Russian oil shipments so long as the oil price does not exceed the cap. 

Ref : https://carnegieendowment.org/politika/87873

 

Quote

The proposed restrictions could also be easily circumvented. Whenever countries on sanctions lists face difficulties in selling their natural resources, creative minds will find a way to thwart the proposed measures with help from companies prepared to turn a blind eye to the shady elements of ostensibly legal transactions. Oil shipments could be bundled with some symbolic but pricey services, such as customs services, laboratory analysis, or document translation. Another scheme would involve loading a supposedly full 80,000-ton oil tanker with only 50,000 barrels of oil, bringing the cargo price per barrel closer to the market price. 

 

Most of the public is feeling the pain of higher prices. We're being told it's all the fault of Putin, and "sanctions are working". It's all a bit of a pantomime. We're not buying Russian oil now are we? Or from other countries with sanctions? (oh no we're not). We just happen (cough) to be buying a lot more oil from intemediaries like India and Malaysia.  Don't look too closely where that oil comes from (oh yes we are).

 

Quote

Malaysia’s oil exports to China have exceeded the country’s actual oil production by one-third. Malaysia also cooperates with Iran and Venezuela in contravention of sanctions regimes. 

 

Nothing to see here. move along please!

 

Also, Russia has a much more visceral and long-term memory of how to win a war of attrition. Not once, twice - and now perhaps a third time. 1812, 1942, 2022. Two of the common factors are waiting for the opponent to over-extend their supply lines, and let winter take its toll on the opposition that is less ready and able to cope with the winter (that's us).

 

Germany (of all nations) almost forgot what happened 80 years ago when it lost control of its sources of oil.

See

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

and

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

and

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

 

 

[The Johnster]

8 hours ago, APOLLO said:

Note the magazine date !!!

 

 

My dad had an old Jag in the early 60's - The closest we ever got to a flying car !!!

 

Brit15

It does look a bit like a drone, points for prescience!  Presumably the road wheels fold up around or inside the rotors, much more practical than any so-far attempted frying car design with wings that make it unfeasible as a road vehicle for day-to-day use.  Good bit of Jetson’s influence in it!

[Nearholmer]

31 minutes ago, The Johnster said:

attempted frying car design

Are you thinking of a mobile chip van?

 

Quadricopters (if that’s the right word) are c100 years old, but the early ones were mind-bogglingly difficult to control.

[Hroth]

2 minutes ago, Nearholmer said:

Are you thinking of a mobile chip van?

 

Quadricopters (if that’s the right word) are c100 years old, but the early ones were mind-bogglingly difficult to control.

 

They obviously thought there would be civilian applications for the Flying Bedstead    

 

[KeithMacdonald]

17 hours ago, The Johnster said:

any so-far attempted frying car design

 

17 hours ago, Nearholmer said:

Are you thinking of a mobile chip van?

 

Not to be confused with the Flying Frying Scotsman.

http://fryingstocksman.co.uk/

[TheSignalEngineer]

On 23/11/2022 at 16:13, C126 said:

As "Officer Commanding - Telegraphs" at work to-day, I realise a modern annoyance is correspondents assuming they may use your fore-name automatically.  I would rather this were retained, primarily, for my partner, friends, family, and close colleagues.  Or am I alone in thinking it discourteous?  I can not say I understand the trend.

We got pulled up if we referred to a neighbour by their first name, or even worse nickname. That is except for my grandma's neighbour who would come out and sweep the shared path when you had used it. We called her 'Old Fusspot'. Mom said "it's Mrs to you". As I ran off I shouted "OK. Old MRS Fusspot". No more was said.

Edited November 26, 2022 by TheSignalEngineer

[Ozexpatriate]

15 hours ago, KeithMacdonald said:

Frying Scotsman

Locally, The Frying Scotsman is an expatriate Scot with a chippy / food cart in Beaverton Oregon. 

 

Facebook

[Hroth]

4 hours ago, Ozexpatriate said:

Locally, The Frying Scotsman is an expatriate Scot with a chippy / food cart in Beaverton Oregon. 

 

Facebook

 

Does he do deep fried Mars Bars?

 

[jjb1970]

I must admit, I still find something off about instant familiarity, I know it's the norm today but at work especially I think it's better to maintain some distance and if familiarity builds over time all well and good. One thing I quite liked about power plants was there was no illusion that management were there to be mates with the shop floor people. That's not to say we didn't get on and outside of work was a different story but at work management was there to manage and not try to be someone's mate. 

[Ozexpatriate]

12 hours ago, Hroth said:

Does he do deep fried Mars Bars?

Of course.