Just now, Voice of Reason said:

Evidence that THE WORLD has got Russia where they want them. I'll pay $10 a gallon if it fixes the problem in Russia.

Or at least some leverage.  I will pay $10 a gallon too but that is easy for me to say because I can afford it and it will not affect my standard of living at all. 

Just now, theguru said:

War and a humanitarian crisis create a lot of potential to profit for an elite few. 

We can always find someone who profits in every circumstance.

4 hours ago, theguru said:

The "who" is not for BGP.

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The basic fact is America is saying no to the Mig29s so at this point we are only willing to help the Ukrainians to an extent but that has been obvious from the beginning so nothing to see here from where I sit.

But we send Javelin SAM’s?  I don’t get it?  Planes would be provocative, but Javelin’s aren’t?

3 hours ago, theguru said:

Headline from The Daily Wire:

"Russia Threatens To Send Oil Prices To $300 Per Barrel Or Higher If West Bans Oil Imports."

Folks that want the US to shift from oil to green energy, no matter the cost are salivating at that thought. 

2 hours ago, Voice of Reason said:

Evidence that THE WORLD has got Russia where they want them. I'll pay $10 a gallon if it fixes the problem in Russia.

You would hope so right?  Their economy is based on industrial, ours is based on service.  I feel like they have oil, gas, fertilizer and wheat to sell to someone.  I don’t know how this ends.  Even if they surrender you can’t forgive them.

3 hours ago, Voice of Reason said:

Evidence that THE WORLD has got Russia where they want them. I'll pay $10 a gallon if it fixes the problem in Russia.

 

3 hours ago, theguru said:

Or at least some leverage.  I will pay $10 a gallon too but that is easy for me to say because I can afford it and it will not affect my standard of living at all. 

Kind of an interesting number I saw from Derrick Thompson yesterday. If consumer spending were the same as it was from '75-'80, we would be paying over $10/gallon at the pump today.

Oil is down to $108, was at $130 the other day this is why I don’t trade oil.  You don’t want to be the last one holding the bag.  Hopefully, some level of stability is here.  I still see gas around $3.65ish.

1 hour ago, bugatti said:

 

Kind of an interesting number I saw from Derrick Thompson yesterday. If consumer spending were the same as it was from '75-'80, we would be paying over $10/gallon at the pump today.

I don't have a clear understanding of this but at first blush it makes me think we were way overpaying for gas during that time period. 

Britain is sending Ukraine thousands of Starstreak HVM (High Velocity Missile) MANPADS which are Mach 4, laser beam ammo, impact delay anti-aircraft weapons.  These appear to be very lethal weapons.

Also, Ukraine is using Ukrainian Punisher Drones that can travel 30 miles behind enemy lines, carry a 4.4 pound combat payload, and can return to their launch site and be redeployed in 7 minutes with a new combat payload. 

Saw that US intelligence estimates that Russia has had more fatalities during these few weeks of the invasion, that we did during the entire time we were in Iraq...which is just mind-boggling to me.

1 minute ago, CincySportsFan said:

Saw that US intelligence estimates that Russia has had more fatalities during these few weeks of the invasion, that we did during the entire time we were in Iraq...which is just mind-boggling to me.

The "narrative" has been that Russia is using a lot inexperienced Russian soldiers as "Cannon Fodder."

And the estimates make sense to me, in many cases Ukraine has been able to remain at a distance and use some advanced weaponry to kill the Russian invaders. 

1 minute ago, theguru said:

The "narrative" has been that Russia is using a lot inexperienced Russian soldiers as "Cannon Fodder."

And the estimates make sense to me, in many cases Ukraine has been able to remain at a distance and use some advanced weaponry to kill the Russian invaders. 

Have seen/read multiple reports of people in Russia talking to relatives in the Ukraine, and being very casual in conversation not knowing anything about what's going on, other than a "military maneuver."  They are literally in disbelief when told about the bombing and killing going on.

You'd think if they start having 5,000+ corpses being returned for burial, word would start to spread that this is not a "normal" event.

1 minute ago, CincySportsFan said:

Have seen/read multiple reports of people in Russia talking to relatives in the Ukraine, and being very casual in conversation not knowing anything about what's going on, other than a "military maneuver."  They are literally in disbelief when told about the bombing and killing going on.

You'd think if they start having 5,000+ corpses being returned for burial, word would start to spread that this is not a "normal" event.

For sure.

When you add in injured Russian soldiers I have seen estimates between 10 and 20k.

More to your point, it sounds like the soldiers are disposable in more ways than one, here is part of a headline from the lbc.com.uk:

'Russia is refusing to take back its dead soldiers to "prevent mothers, wives and daughters from learning the true scale of the war", Ukraine has claimed.'

More and more there are multiple reports that Russia may use chemical or biological weapons against Ukraine.  I think some of the heightened reporting is due to the fact it has been again revealed that America and Ukraine have as many as 15 US funded biolabs in Ukraine.  Russia (and some others) claim those are bio weapon factories but America says the labs are used for peaceful purposes.  This joint effort has been going on since at least 2005 and for whatever reason much of the information about the labs has been scrubbed off the internet recently.  

1 hour ago, CincySportsFan said:

Have seen/read multiple reports of people in Russia talking to relatives in the Ukraine, and being very casual in conversation not knowing anything about what's going on, other than a "military maneuver."  They are literally in disbelief when told about the bombing and killing going on.

You'd think if they start having 5,000+ corpses being returned for burial, word would start to spread that this is not a "normal" event.

Russia just passed a law making it illegal to spread "fake news" about what is happening in Ukraine, punishable by 15 years in prison.

I have said this often. The most important freedom in maintaining a free society is freedom of the press.