|
Post by crabbyoldgit on Apr 29, 2024 11:45:33 GMT
Hope nobody thinks I am a war mongerer, the word in my post is God forbid.I think the present conflict in Ukraine is an appalling failure of politics, an accomodation that would have solved Russia's historical fears of an invasion of it's western border and the lack of sensitivity of expansion east of NATO after promising not to after the fall of the USSR was foolish. Putin is a megalomaniac dictator wishing to return to the glory days of the USSR but the west enabled him to carry the Russian people forward with him. The right in the West ignoring Russia as defeated spent force while encourageing european states into become western political clones in the good old USA way have no political savvy at all. Ukraine's actions in trying to suppress the cultural heritage of it's Russian expat population did not help much ether and sure was not in any way freedom loving. Energy security is not only a matter of physical access but the ability to buffer ones state from the economic effects of world events effecting price. A diverse energy mix under ones own control in as far as that is achievable should be our aim , renewable would be nice to. Present storage solutions to stabilize the grid are short time solutions to last a few minutes while we wind up peaker plants on standtby. We need the sort of storage that could run the country for 2 or 3 days in a row and I see nothing to do that at present.
|
|
|
Post by crabbyoldgit on Apr 28, 2024 9:19:58 GMT
I agree at one level that the import of fuel from an unstable middle east is the immediate security issue, however if we ,godforbid got in a fisty cuffs with our Russian friends those cables are very vulnerable and lpg transported by sea from the US is also. That spare cheap electric from the EU may not be available for long as transport and heating goes electric in Europe at an increasing rate gobling up capacity. I know people do not like it but solar ,on shore wind and that magic large scale economic storage I think is the long term answer if the tecnical storage issue is solved. Nuclear energy will play a part but it's not really renewable and it is expensive.
|
|
|
Post by crabbyoldgit on Apr 28, 2024 7:41:35 GMT
Last year there was much trumpeting of the UK becoming a clean green electricity net exporter, a new green Saudi Arabia of the west. Well I watch a site called gridwatch, I recommend and since the repair of the French nuclear fleet we are anything but. This morning I recon 20% of our electricity is being imported and figures of that order are not rare. Ok it's cheap and there must be a power glut in europe, but energy security , um, not when it's coming over in submarine cables. The government answer is new gas fired plant, but that does not aline well with our climate promises and anyway it does not solve the security issues, gas has to be imported. Not sure I have any easy answers, the need for large scale energy storage at an economic cost becomes more and more the answer to all our present issues but I don't see a great white hope technical solution out there. Anybody seen any bright new game changing solutions.
|
|
|
Chat
Trump
Apr 26, 2024 18:35:33 GMT
Post by crabbyoldgit on Apr 26, 2024 18:35:33 GMT
QI informs me the chances of an American president dieing in office is a 8 in 44, mutch higher than a lumber jack, considered a very dangerous job. If the orange man wins there is more hope yet than I dared to dream. edit if the competition wins it's got to be near a racing cert.
|
|
|
Post by crabbyoldgit on Apr 25, 2024 14:18:06 GMT
SNP fortunes continue to go down hill following the collapse of their power sharing agreement with the Greens.
At least the SNPs fortunes cant get much worse Now it will be difficult to go further down hill but I have always had great faith in the ability of the snp to exceed my expectations.
|
|
|
Post by crabbyoldgit on Apr 23, 2024 12:52:37 GMT
So I am getting a bit anti loan extensions. The loans know when the term ends , they know they are not going to have finished their project or need a new loan and they must know AC retail is not in the business of new loans. So why have they not got on with it and arranged a new loan in good time, ok in the present market it's likely a new loan later down the road maybe at a lower interest rate than available now and twiddling thumbs for a bit may seem good business practice . However why is the AC instructional side not picking these up, or are the the loans such rubbish they will not touch them with a barge pole. About a month ago I expected about 15 of my loans would come to term , two have payed up, it's not good enough. One of the loans cannot remember which, had a loan offer but walked away to start a search for a new lender, what!! Sorry rant over.
|
|
|
Post by crabbyoldgit on Apr 15, 2024 18:56:26 GMT
So the fos route now seems closed and fos do not think an unfair terms case can be upheld in a court of law. I am not involved in the legal route, to be honest had no belief in it,the legal company involved or it being the best action to obtain the largest return of funds for the majority of lenders.However people have the right to pursue there own interests in their own way, I respect that.Now we will see how serious the solicitors are in their confidence of a no win no fee action without the support of fos and fos reading of the legal position.
|
|
|
Post by crabbyoldgit on Apr 15, 2024 13:47:07 GMT
It would not surprise me if all the assets, building , furniture, IT, cups and saucers went to the institutional side and now are being rented back for use by the retail side. £5 for boiling kettle, £1 a week per cup , ect ect. Soon adds up, office space , toilet use fees, all sorts of opportunities.
|
|
|
Post by crabbyoldgit on Apr 11, 2024 16:10:03 GMT
So the lady postmistress prosecuted while pregnant has an apologie today for, quote, the way it was perceived. Not for getting her imprisoned wrongly so as to protect the post office reputation, no , the way it is perceived and damages the post office reputation. Have they learnt anything at all, have they have no shame, no dignity, no ability to take any responsibility. My opinion has now changed I want those responsible in custody.
|
|
|
Post by crabbyoldgit on Apr 9, 2024 15:21:17 GMT
Those opportunity costs are the delusional part of my good news,
Signed: glass 1/2 full when viewed with rose coloured glasses while holding nose.
|
|
|
Post by crabbyoldgit on Apr 8, 2024 19:22:16 GMT
Marginally good personal news for me, with today's 2 capital repayments my lifetime interest repayments now just exceed my remaining stake in the site including non recoverable loans.So if I now lose the remaining lot completely I can delude myself Peer to peer cost me nothing.
|
|
|
Post by crabbyoldgit on Apr 6, 2024 19:31:02 GMT
Just had a call from Microsoft about a virus I have picked up, difficult I do not have any windows based devices. Has nobody on the planet not been tried to scam with this old chestnut or is not aware of the scam, god the daughter of an African general will offer me money to get her dead father's money out of her country next or similar .
|
|
|
Post by crabbyoldgit on Mar 28, 2024 19:23:52 GMT
Seems to me that the present lesson of the Ukraine Russian conflict is the dominant killing weapons are not expensive super machines of neither side but cheap knock off drones that can be printed in an almost a cottage industry setting at very low cost, in large quantities. The big ticket items may take out important targets but on the ground and its boots on the ground that counts, the drone is the new King. Also this is first generation war drones ,mainly based on cheap Chinese recreational kit, but even these are carrying larger munitions further, for longer than only a couple of years ago. Soon as swarming capability software is integrated into the control function watch out nothing within range will be safe.
|
|
|
Post by crabbyoldgit on Mar 28, 2024 18:37:29 GMT
Russians reported to have lost another su35 to friendly fire, cannot see what's exactly friendly about that but,hey ho
|
|
|
Post by crabbyoldgit on Mar 27, 2024 19:06:11 GMT
Mse suggests fixing. I'm with octopus on standard tariff using about 2000kw a year. May go up as I might drop use of log burner. Is it really worth fixing? Mogish if you are planning to space heat using electricity your consumption is not going to go up by a bit unless you live in a shoe box or heat to 10'c. Keep the log burner .
|
|