Anders

I needed this today. 😄

“U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson said, ‘We’re not at war right now. We’re four days into a very specific, clear mission.’ The best response to that came from the Federalist’s Sean Davis: ‘It’s not a war unless it comes from the war region of France, otherwise it’s just sparkling combat.’”

Trump makes his masters’ biddings while the rest of us argue about the shiny objects and humanitarian losses. The clear winner of this war is the American oil industry. Why? They don't need the Strait of Hormuz to reach the customer. • The Export Advantage: As a net oil exporter, U.S. shale producers in the Permian Basin are watching WTI skyrocket 37% in just one week—climbing from $67 to over $91. • The Players: Domestic majors like ExxonMobil and Chevron are seeing profit margins explode because they are selling domestic oil at "war-risk" prices without the shipping risks of the Middle East. • The Trump administration is already moving to cut "red tape"—including a move yesterday to roll back $6 billion in offshore drilling financial requirements. With oil at $91, they don't need much encouragement. The financial incentive to drill is the highest it’s been since the 2022 energy crisis, and “we the people” will pay for it, while the Iranian people will die for it. If we set aside innocent people’s suffering, which means nothing to MAGA cultists (only their personal suffering is relevant to them), not even the most stubborn MAGA cultists can argue against that regular folks won't see a dime of the oil industry’s record profits but rather add to it. Not since the 1970s or the start of the Ukraine war in 2022 has oil spiked with this kind of velocity, and we are already seeing it at the pump—the national average jumped 27 cents this week to $3.25. It won’t stop there; it’ll hit our energy bills, travel, and the cost of all goods - cost of living. It’s worth considering this next time there’s a right wing “outrage” over government subsidies to build a couple of solar parks, or when someone suggests that these oil companies should pay more taxes to finance the military power, deaths and injuries, infrastructure, and security that yield and protect their record-breaking profits, which are now paid for by our tax dollars… or when the pro-lifers wring their hands.

With the Olympics rolling, I must admit that I am not missing the #NHL one bit…. So far. 😊

The hockey is about to be great, but the other events are really fun to watch. Although I’m not very much into all these sports where judges award points for style (figure skating, etc.), I find plenty of other things to watch like speed skating (short track is awesome), curling, ski- and snowboard cross (damn!), downhill skiing, and all the cross-country skiing, not to mention the biathlon! I’m sure I’m forgetting a bunch of other fun stuff because I am watching it all! 😃

I always enjoy the Olympics, but I can’t remember getting into it this much since I was a kid. 🤩

I hope the rest of you guys enjoy it as well!
#olympics 🙃😊🙃

Perhaps it’s time to remind them of ol’ McFluffy and his hamberders?

This is pretty cool. t will take a miracle for the Dems to capture The Federal Senate, but then again, I think this was thought of as such as well. https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/5716988-democrats-score-upset-texas/ #State #Senate #Texas #Upset #Democrats #SpecialElection

@josemontesinos@masto.es @newsguyusa@flipboard.social can you point to any time in history where Donald Trump has honored a deal he made? He even wrote a book called “the art of the deal” where he explains in great detail how he makes commitments to get financed and then uses that money to take the situation hostage. After that, he brags about going back and renegotiate because he has “all the power” to do so (holds the cards).

The Western Banks learned all about him during the 1980s and the 1990s, which is why he was blackballed from most of them, which put him in a cash crunch. His enterprise was, eventually, financed by Russian banks or rather Cypress banks funded by Russian (old Soviet) money in the last minute, which why the Russians had so much power and influence over him… nowadays, as Russia’s financial situation is much different, I have a feeling that his empire is underwritten by middle eastern money, which is why you see them pop up (with Jared Kushner) in most all of America’s affairs.

I wish there was a way to motivate all these America Great Agains to watch a little wisdom from 1957 called “A Face in the Crowd,” starring Andy Griffith.

#AFaceInTheCrowd #Movie #Influencer #Podcast

The difference between how I felt last night and how I feel this morning can only be described as a monumental momentum shift. I must’ve had a turnover in my sleep. 😵

#HappyNewYear

The WJC just hits different. All the noise around the NHL and the Olympics loses its luster for me once this tournament starts. There’s nothing that quite measures up to the World Juniors as far as I am concerned.

*I would love if they could add 2 more teams to the top group (6+6) just to give the nations just below the top-7 a little more of a toehold and time to build their programs.

#hockey #wjc #olympics #nhl

I want to take a moment and wish you a very happy holiday season and a really “God Jul” [Good Yule]. I mostly lurk these days, and I appreciate and thank you for your posts and thoughts. It’s fun, even when/if I might feel a different way about whatever.
One thing I am certain we all can agree on is cheering for the Swedes in the World Juniors! That seems like an uncontroversial no-brainer we all can get behind! 😉

Enjoy! 🎅🏾 🍻 🍖🥧☕️🥃