Europe at War

[Florestan]

He belittles this discussion (that he is also largely trying to drive) on a very regular basis. I say let's grant him the mercy of not having to deal with such trivial meaningless people any more. He won't be forced to keep posting in a conversation he keeps telling us is inconsequential, and none of us will need to read the stuff he keeps telling us is inconsequential. Everybody wins.

In my opinion, there is one and only one solution to the Todd problem: we should all (and I mean all) stop replying to his posts. There really is no other way.

[Madiel]

In my opinion, there is one and only one solution to the Todd problem: we should all (and I mean all) stop replying to his posts. There really is no other way.

Well there is another way. Kicking him out. Your way is fine as well if everyone can stick to it.

[prémont]

In my opinion, there is one and only one solution to the Todd problem: we should all (and I mean all) stop replying to his posts. There really is no other way.

Yes, I can't but say it again and again: Put him on your ignore list as I have done.

[Todd]

Why the West's oil sanctions on Russia are proving to be underwhelming

...The problem, however, is that price-reporting agencies have not adapted their methods to a world in which Russian oil no longer sells through channels they can observe. Whereas European refiners and traders used to share data with price-trackers, Indian ones do not. Agencies also used to rely on publicly available indicators to estimate shipping costs between Russia's western ports and European oil terminals. Rates for ferrying oil from Russia to Asia, by contrast, are set in private...

Even more striking is the extent to which Russia's export machine has become less reliant on the West's shipping and financing infrastructure, and has therefore escaped the scope of sanctions. As we report this week, a shadow trade that uses a parallel system is booming. Before December, more than half of western Russian crude was handled by a European shipping or financing firm. That share has since fallen to 36%...

Some things persist after wars end.

[Fëanor]

Why the West's oil sanctions on Russia are proving to be underwhelming

Not really surprising unfortunately.  Russia is offer oil to China and India at bargain prices.

China and India feel they don't have much to win/lose in the Ukrainian conflict:  but the long run might prove then wrong in case of a Russian "victory".

[Todd]

China and India feel they don't have much to win/lose in the Ukrainian conflict:  but the long run might prove then wrong in case of a Russian "victory".

You clearly missed the most important bit of the story.

[Florestan]

Yes, I can't but say it again and again: Put him on your ignore list as I have done.

I won't put him on my ignore list. I will simpy stop replying to his posts in this thread once and for all, which amounts to the same thing.

[Florestan]

Well there is another way. Kicking him out.

I'm not in favor of such a radical move, not least because kicking him out would only encourage and empower him to consider himself a victim of censorship, which would of course be incorrect (pun): he deserves being kicked out not for what he says in this thread but for how he says it. I do think a reprimand from the mods in this respect is long due -- but kicking him out of the forum altogether would be unjustified. Plus, I am one of those who think that his contributions in the non-political threads are valuable and I wouldn't like to see them discontinued.

The only person ever to be kicked out of GMG was the late M Forever, may God rest him in peace. There are two differences between him and Todd, though: on M Forever's side, he always justified his position and views in lengthy posts which were thoughtfully written and contained no links or copy-pasted paragraphs and rarely resorted to snide one-liners or the annoying-as-fuck-and-hell "Incorrect."; on Todd's side, he displays his gratuitous sarcasm in political threads only.

I'm sure, though, that given the generally lax and tolerant GMG moderation, M Forever must have really pissed off the mods big time. I suspect Todd is not in the same position.

EDIT: I really wish it were possible for a member to be banned only from certain threads. Back in the days when the USA politics thread was open and, despite my resolution not to post anymore, I kept on posting and posting, I even asked the mods to ban me from it only --- but alas!, it's not possible. I still think it would be a most useful feature: if you didn't want to post in a thread anymore but you can't help but posting, you would ask the mods to ban you from that thread only.

Your way is fine as well if everyone can stick to it.

It would certainly be a good and welcome exercise in self-restrain for all of us.

[Madiel]

Well that isn't actually the only person to ever be kicked out, but let's not dwell on such joys.

[Florestan]

Well that isn't actually the only person to ever be kicked out, but let's not dwell on such joys.

Agreed. There's more to life than Todd.

[Florestan]

Excellent point that I had quite forgotten. But maybe they can sneak up the Dniester.

I am absolutely sure that Ukrainians will set up a welcome party for the Russians sneaking up the Dniester (Romanian Nistru, hence Transnistria). 

Mines, anyone?

[prémont]

In my opinion, there is one and only one solution to the Todd problem: we should all (and I mean all) stop replying to his posts. There really is no other way.

As long as some GMGers read his posts there will be some who want to react upon them. The only solution is to avoid reading his posts = putting him on ones ignore list.

[drogulus]

    I'm fine with Russia selling oil at an underwhelming profit. That's what the price cap is for. India gets cheap oil and has no beef with the sanctioneers. I wish I'd thought of it.

    Cheap oil doesn't help Russia enough to matter. The point is the profits they are denied.

     WSJ

A European Union oil embargo and a U.S.-led price cap have upended how Russia gets its oil to market. The price cap forbids Western shippers and insurers from dealing with Russian crude that trades above a $60 a barrel. Many tanker owners have opted to stay away from the Russian market completely. Russian oil now sells mostly to buyers in Asia, requiring much longer sailings compared with Europe.

The resiliency of Russian oil exports indicates that the price cap is working as intended, preventing a surge in oil prices from the European embargo while complicating Moscow's ability to make top dollar on its exports.

     India can say they are not observing the price cap. They'll still buy at subsidized prices which amounts to the same thing.

[Florestan]

As long as some GMGers read his posts there will be some who want to react upon them.

That's the idea: do not react anymore.

[Herman]

snide one-liners or the annoying-as-fuck-and-hell "Incorrect."; on Todd's side, he displays his gratuitous sarcasm in political threads only.

Not sure the latter is entirely true, but I'm wondering, why does "Incorrect" bug you so much? A one-word post is skipped more easily.

I'm sure, though, that given the generally lax and tolerant GMG moderation, M Forever must have really pissed off the mods big time. I suspect Todd is not in the same position.

Way back in the early GMG days Todd used to be a moderator (as was I). This may or may not make a difference.
However, Just skipping toddposts is the easy and most effective solution.

[Madiel]

I'm wondering, why does "Incorrect" bug you so much? A one-word post is skipped more easily.

I would have thought it fairly obvious most people consider message boards to be a form of conversation. It's not a blog or Twitter where you can skip the boring parts of someone's monologue.

And my personal experience (including just a couple of days ago in a different context) is that trying to have a text-based conversation with someone who only gives one-word responses, and ones that are deliberately designed to shut down conversation at that... is annoying as fuck.

So yes, if you're not trying to talk to Todd, "Incorrect" is easy to skip. But if you're trying to actually have a discussion about the war in Ukraine, which is the  reason why most people are reading this thread, then "Incorrect" is a deliberate negation of that intent. Or imagine a TV panel show where one of the people ostensibly discussing the topic just says "Incorrect". Sure, it doesn't take much air time, but I bet you you would end up wanting to throw things at the television.

[Herman]

So yes, if you're not trying to talk to Todd, "Incorrect" is easy to skip. But if you're trying to actually have a discussion about the war in Ukraine, which is the  reason why most people are reading this thread, then "Incorrect" is a deliberate negation of that intent.

I know, Madiel, however it's been clear for a long time that it is not possible to have a discussion with him; it's all about one-upmanship for him and ridiculing the other participants, which is why for most of the time this topic is not so much a discussion of the war in ukraine as a 'fight todd' or 'todd fights ebbody else' thing.

[Madiel]

I know, Madiel, however it's been clear for a long time that it is not possible to have a discussion with him; it's all about one-upmanship for him and ridiculing the other participants, which is why for most of the time this topic is not so much a discussion of the war in ukraine as a 'fight todd' or 'todd fights ebbody else' thing.

And this is why my preferred solution is to kick him the hell out.

[Todd]

Germany Has Evidence of War Crimes in Ukraine 'In Three-Digit Range' - Prosecutor

I'd surely like to see what is meant by "three-digit range".  It would seem to me that it would be higher.  It is also clear that the count will only go up as the war continues and the West continues its cold-blooded policy of sacrificing Ukrainian lives to weaken Russia in furtherance of explictly stated US policy. 

[Spotted Horses]

And this is why my preferred solution is to kick him the hell out.

It seems odd to demand someone kicked out of a forum like this, which has a generally laissez-faire approach to moderation, because he or she is annoying without explicitly breaking any rules, just because some people are incapable of restraining themselves from reading or replying.