patrick.net

indigenous says

With the world economy tanking the urge to start a war will become stronger, but with interconnectedness of the global economy it is harder, just ask Germany as they are greatly affected by the embargo on Russia.

Germany shutting down all their nukes seems pretty foolish now dosen't it?

New Renter says

Germany shutting down all their nukes seems pretty foolish now dosen't it?

Say what?

Bush had Arthur Ashe, Obama has Putin.

indigenous says

Blurtman says

His army of hackers is wreaking havoc on the US space industry.

Do tell?

A bit of a facetious comment, but who knows these days? A friend of mine's daughter works in IT at a major bank. He claims she told him that accounts are constantly being looted by hackers, to be replenished quickly by the bank, and without the account holder being aware of what had happened. Now when a hacker in Russia loots a bank account in the USA, what does the hacker receive exactly? Digital credits? I can't say that I understand how it all works.

New Renter says

Strategist says

The Russians are a well educated population with a head on their shoulders. They will put life and their well being before ideology

Just as they did from 1917 to 1989?

I suppose fanatically agreeing with anything that Stalin came up with counts as "put life and their well being before ideology".

A hundred years ago Russia was a different country with a different level of education, just as we were different at that time.
1989 actually proved Russia was willing to put ideology in the back burner. They gave up their empire without firing a single shot. The Noble prize Gorbachev won was well deserved.

New Renter says

Strategist says

We let them keep Crimea, and they help us destroy Iranian nukes, and anything else we want destroyed in the Middle East.

I thought that's what Israel was for.

The world has a common enemy when it comes to the Islamists. A world united against them will ensure a quick victory.

Blurtman says

He claims she told him that accounts are constantly being looted by hackers

That seems dubious. That banking info is encrypted? The s on https

indigenous says

New Renter says

Germany shutting down all their nukes seems pretty foolish now dosen't it?

Say what?

He is referring to the well known fact that Germany is on a path to decommissioning all their nuclear power reactors, thereby increasing their reliance on coal and natgas (from Russia). That was a very foolish decision by Germany. That and lending money to the sourthern Eurozone. Otherwise the Germans have been more sensible than anyone else in the G7.

justme says

He is referring to the well known fact that Germany is on a path to decommissioning all their nuclear power reactors, thereby increasing their reliance on coal and natgas (from Russia). That was a very foolish decision by Germany. That and lending money to the sourthern Eurozone. Otherwise the Germans have been more sensible than anyone else in the G7.

Oh my bad, when he said nukes I never thought about reactors.

On the other, Germany has been practicing mercantilism. It serves them right for their exploitation of the PIGS same as China is going through now for the same reason. And of course they will want the EU to bail out the PIGS as well.

Speaking of Putin and Russia: I long for the more quiet years of the cold war, ca 1974-1989, where the US military relatively speaking was fairly good at keeping their pants on, mostly just playing hide-and-seek with Soviet submarines and air force.

The US was doing bad stuff in Latin America during that period, but I think not quite on the grand scale that was Vietnam (before) or Iraq/Afghanistan (after). Not having the SovietUnion to spar with clearly created a climate where the warmongers were looking for alternate outlets for their pent-up aggression.

If we want peace, the best way would be to reduce the Defense budget by a factor of ten. It has been pretty clear that since WWII, having a large standing army is a disaster waiting to happen. In fact, the army will start looking for new enemies and new opportunities for war as soon as the old enemies have been beaten. As long as war is the only career path, and previous generals have made hay on previous wars, war is what we will get.

PS: It would be interesting to compare the death toll and cost of US anti-communist meddling in Latin America to the same for anti-islam/anti-arab meddling in Iraq/Afghanistan/Middle-East.

justme says

In fact, the army will start looking for new enemies and new opportunities for war

What do you mean "start", this has been part and parcel to the world since the beginning.

justme says

US anti-communist meddling in Latin America

Do tell.

justme says

indigenous says

New Renter says

Germany shutting down all their nukes seems pretty foolish now dosen't it?

Say what?

He is referring to the well known fact that Germany is on a path to decommissioning all their nuclear power reactors, thereby increasing their reliance on coal and natgas (from Russia). That was a very foolish decision by Germany. That and lending money to the sourthern Eurozone. Otherwise the Germans have been more sensible than anyone else in the G7.

I don't think that decision was foolish, given there is a willingness to embrace Russia as a full partner - which is where Merkel is bumbling, probably under pressure from the NATO. But sooner or later this will resolve as well and they will reverse the sanctions against each other.

mell says

I don't think that decision was foolish, given there is a willingness to embrace Russia as a full partner - which is where Merkel is bumbling, probably under pressure from the NATO. But sooner or later this will resolve as well and they will reverse the sanctions against each other.

You are saying it was smart to dismantle nuclear reactors?

indigenous says

mell says

I don't think that decision was foolish, given there is a willingness to embrace Russia as a full partner - which is where Merkel is bumbling, probably under pressure from the NATO. But sooner or later this will resolve as well and they will reverse the sanctions against each other.

You are saying it was smart to dismantle nuclear reactors?

Germany is small enough to get along with a mix of renewable energies and some imported nat gas. They also abandoned coal a while ago, though some modern plants are returning now, still much less than there used to be. They are leaders in so-called "passive" houses that require close to zero heating, as the numbers of these grow, consumption will continue to decline. They don't use AC. Not sure where the decentralized small Thorium reactors fitting into backyards technology is at this point, but these sound more promising to me than the current centralized reactor technology (if it can mature). Independent of the debate on how safe current nuclear reactors are, nobody wants the waste in their neghborhood, we've had chernobyl, fukushima etc. and they make good targets for enemies. We'll see how it turns out. Also, why not use Russia's nat gas, they have so much of it and it's a great natural resource. Europe just needs to grow up and untie itself from NATO. The US wouldn't have much of a problem with this if Libertarian forces would take over or at least increase their influence.

Ok thanks.

mell says

They don't use AC.

AC = air conditioning?

I agree AC is overrated.

We have a lot of natural gas, as a result of fracking, as well.

mell says

Germany is small enough to get along with a mix of renewable energies and some imported nat gas.

Germany uses a LOT of energy/

Germany was the largest energy consumer in Europe and the eighth-largest energy consumer in the world in 2012...

....Germany was the fifth-largest generator of nuclear energy in the world in 2012 with 94.1 terawatthours, a decrease from 102.3 terawatthours generated the previous year. Following Japan's Fukushima accident in March 2011, the German government decided to close eight reactors launched before 1980 because of public protests and to close Germany's nine remaining nuclear reactors before 2022.

http://www.eia.gov/countries/country-data.cfm?fips=gm

mell says

They also abandoned coal a while ago, though some modern plants are returning now, still much less than there used to be.

I wouldn't call 24% "abandoned". That's a significant dependence.

Coal is Germany's most abundant indigenous energy resource, and it accounted for about 24% of Germany's total primary energy consumption in 2012, a slight increase over the previous few years. Coal consumption increased after Japan's Fukushima reactor accident occurred in March 2011, and Germany used coal as a substitute for nuclear power in electricity generation. Germany was the world's eighth-largest producer of coal in 2012. Nearly all coal production serves the power and industrial sectors.

I don't think itindigenous says

Ok thanks.

mell says

They don't use AC.

AC air conditioning or alternating current?

I agree AC is overrated.

We have a lot of natural gas as a result of fracking as well.

AC = Air Conditioning
A/C = Alternating Current

I dunno where you live but I doubt anyone from Phoenix or Houston think AC is overrated.

mell says

nobody wants the waste in their neghborhood, we've had chernobyl, fukushima etc. and they make good targets for enemies.

Funny, people are perfectly fine with concrete and sunlight, both of which yield more radiation (and cancer) than a properly stored waste drum

mell says

and they make good targets for enemies.

So do skyscrapers, dance clubs, Olympic events, airliners, adn cruse ships. shall we abandon those too?

New Renter says

AC = Air Conditioning

A/C = Alternating Current

dumb question.

New Renter says

I dunno where you live but I doubt anyone from Phoenix or Houston think AC is overrated.

Yup

OTOH swamp coolers are quite popular in these areas

Oilwelldoctor says

2. All systems of global collective security now lie in ruins. There are no longer any international security guarantees at all. And the entity that destroyed them has a name: The United States of America.

Shamefully true!

Oilwelldoctor says

5. Russia has no intention of going fishing in the murky waters created by America's ever-expanding “empire of chaos,” and has no interest in building a new empire of her own (this is unnecessary; Russia's challenges lie in developing her already vast territory). Neither is Russia willing to act as a savior of the world, as she had in the past.

Fuck I don't either, but here we all are along for the rotten ride.

CaptainShuddup says

Fuck I don't either, but here we all are along for the rotten ride.

It would be nice however if the new reserve currency was the Mark instead of the Yuan. Hard to trust them commies...

New Renter says

Germany uses a LOT of energy/

Germany was the largest energy consumer in Europe and the eighth-largest energy consumer in the world in 2012...

Well they also have the highest population, not sure how it boils down per capita and after you take away industrial production. But they do generate 2/3 - 3/4 of that needed energy from renewable sources and continue to make headway in energy conservation, esp. around buildings. A close to zero energy bill is not a bad thing.

New Renter says

mell says

nobody wants the waste in their neghborhood, we've had chernobyl, fukushima etc. and they make good targets for enemies.

Funny, people are perfectly fine with concrete and sunlight, both of which yield more radiation (and cancer) than a properly stored waste drum

Yeah but they have the choice of exposure and protection here. There's also the long duration of needed storage and safety concerns around that.

New Renter says

So do skyscrapers, dance clubs, Olympic events, airliners, adn cruse ships. shall we abandon those too?

A core meltdown is still an event of different magnitudes. Granted they happen rarely, but they do happen. I am not for favoritism in any industry, but I see the future in renewable energy as the technology matures. Doesn't mean I freak out if there's a nuclear pant somewhere close by.

New Renter says

Funny, people are perfectly fine with concrete

Btw. I thought it was only granite or granite polluted concrete? You can surely check the contamination of the concrete when using it in construction, no?

bgamall4 says

I believe it.

The Russians are a well educated population with a head on their shoulders. They will put life and their well being before ideology. We need to sit down with them and negotiate. It's the fanatical Islamists that can't be negotiated with. We let them keep Crimea, and they help us destroy Iranian nukes, and anything else we want destroyed in the Middle East.

I was with you until you brought up Iran, who doesn't yet have nukes. But Russia will not let Iran be run over by the globalists either.

Why not? They let us run over Iraq and Afghanistan.
The Russians themselves are victims of Islamic terrorism. The whole world knows Islamists can never be trusted, and they must be controlled. When push comes to shove they will go with the West just like in the past.

And everytime the Russians said "Build your radar and missile shield around our side of the Caspian if you want to monitor Iran - even shoot down the missile during launch, the most vulnerable phase."

- the USG said "Nah."

That's because the missile shield and radar was never for Iran, which neither has an atomic bomb or a missile capable of flinging one as far as Europe (maybe not even Israel).

The US was not very supportive of Russia fighting to protect the urban population of Chechnya against the Saudi-backed Muslim Hillbillies of the Mountains.

mell says

New Renter says

Germany uses a LOT of energy/

Germany was the largest energy consumer in Europe and the eighth-largest energy consumer in the world in 2012...

Well they also have the highest population, not sure how it boils down per capita and after you take away industrial production.

Unfortunately the real cost of German electricity is obfuscated by subsidies the German people pay to lower the cost of wholesale electricity. THAT "cheap" electricity is then sold to neighboring countries.

New Renter says

mell says

They also abandoned coal a while ago, though some modern plants are returning now, still much less than there used to be.

I wouldn't call 24% "abandoned". That's a significant dependence.

Oops I was wrong, its not 24%. Its now 45%!

http://www.economist.com/news/business-and-finance/21620080-germanys-reliance-russian-gas-fallingbut-not-sustainably-going-out-gas

thunderlips11 says

And everytime the Russians said "Build your radar and missile shield around our side of the Caspian if you want to monitor Iran - even shoot down the missile during launch, the most vulnerable phase."

- the USG said "Nah."

I don't think the Russians will ever launch their missiles at the West, so it's a big fuss over nothing. The Iranian regime might, so the answer is not a defense shield that may not perfectly work, but to make sure they have no missiles or nukes to begin with.

thunderlips11 says

The US was not very supportive of Russia fighting to protect the urban population of Chechnya against the Saudi-backed Muslim Hillbillies of the Mountains.

Very foolish on the part of the US government. Radical Islam is a dangerous cancer that easily spreads. They just don't get it.

New Renter says

Unfortunately the real cost of German electricity is obfuscated by subsidies the German people pay to lower the cost of wholesale electricity. THAT "cheap" electricity is then sold to neighboring countries.

So was their nuclear power back then, subsidized.

New Renter says

Oops I was wrong, its not 24%. Its now 45%!

http://www.economist.com/news/business-and-finance/21620080-germanys-reliance-russian-gas-fallingbut-not-sustainably-going-out-gas

Agreed that's a worrying trend, though I don't know how "bad" modern coal plants are. They just need to make peace with Russia, there's no much freaking nat gas. Their exports have already been dropping because of sanctions/countersanctions, Merkel as the NATO's lapdog is fucking this up right now.

Strategist says

The Iranian regime might, so the answer is not a defense shield that may not perfectly work, but to make sure they have no missiles or nukes to begin with.

Out of all the middle eastern countries, Iran is the least threatening to the US. That is just so much R propaganda.

indigenous says

Strategist says

The Iranian regime might, so the answer is not a defense shield that may not perfectly work, but to make sure they have no missiles or nukes to begin with.

Out of all the middle eastern countries, Iran is the least threatening to the US. That is just so much R propaganda.

That is just not true. They coined the phrase "Great Satan" They support militants and terrorists, and they are a clear threat to our allies. Ahmadinejad promised to wipe out Israel lots of times.
Those who stone women to death cannot be trusted with nuclear weapons.

Strategist says

That is just not true. They coined the phrase "Great Satan" They support militants and terrorists, and they are a clear threat to our allies. Ahmadinejad promised to wipe out Israel lots of times.

Those who stone women to death cannot be trusted with nuclear weapons.

Yup they said the same about Iraq and Afghanistan.

This guy talks about it all the time:

http://scotthorton.org/show/

He can"t. Somehow they are connected.......

Call it Crazy says

HydroCaBRon says

Putin don't take no shit.

He is exactly the leader America needs.

Exactly!!!

He should knock this guy off of the back of his horse!

*

People can diss Alex Jones, Ron Paul, and some of the less nutty Patriots, but they've done a helluva job explaining Mossadeq/Kermit and the Russian/NATO situation, on top of other things, to an audience that never would have encountered it.

That was shit only well-read lefties used to know about, and when they mentioned it, people would think they were making it up.

Things like Mossadeq and the Missile Shield Bullshit are becoming common knowledge.

Thanks, Internet.

thunderlips11 says

Thanks, Internet.

Agreed, Austrian economics or Thomism or the fact that Kermit did not fall far from the tree of his fucked up grandfather.

mell says

ew Renter says

Unfortunately the real cost of German electricity is obfuscated by subsidies the German people pay to lower the cost of wholesale electricity. THAT "cheap" electricity is then sold to neighboring countries.

So was their nuclear power back then, subsidized.

Which makes pretty much all energy costs hard to accurately pin down.

mell says

Agreed that's a worrying trend, though I don't know how "bad" modern coal plants are.

Any properly operating modern coal plant is going to spew far more radiation than any properly operating nuclear plant.

thunderlips11 problem with the likes of Alex Jones and alike are they get off on tinfoil hat stuff like this iodine thing. It only marginalizes his comments on everything else. I sometimes think some of these guys are government plants to belittle those that follow.

My challenge to nuclear power is easy.

Let one nuclear facility be privately insured. Not just the plant itself, which insurance companies will insure, but external damages to people and property in the surrounding area.

Insurance companies would love to charge big premiums on something they "know" is safer than coal, solar, etc. they already insure.

Why won't insurance companies take easy money, if solar kills more people from falling panels than nuclear power does or would? They love to sell insurance outside the airline gates, or life insurance for babies born in 1st world countries!

Or have insurance companies come to a different conclusion?

(PS I'm not opposed to nuclear - I certainly am interested in the newer plants - I just find this tack a stumbling point when advocates claim near-perfect safety.)

Oilwelldoctor says

thunderlips11 problem with the likes of Alex Jones and alike are they get off on tinfoil hat stuff like this iodine thing. It only marginalizes his comments on everything else. I sometimes think some of these guys are government plants to belittle those that follow.

What you say is true, however, they also have a good side which I think seldom gets pointed out: Inclined to believe victims of police brutality, give whistleblowers a hearing, etc.

Of course they also push Survival Seeds at 100x the cost of just buying hierloom seeds from pretty much any catalog.

indigenous says

OTOH swamp coolers are quite popular in these areas

Depends on the humidity and availability of water.