American Politics

[Spidy]

Again, Go to the table in the Environmental Impacts section of the web page that shows emissions for hard coal, brown coal, and natural gas.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foss..._power_station

And please learn to think and research independently. Like Elvis. I'm not able to educate you via a message board on combustion and chemistry.

(...kkkk!) Just what I thought! What a cop-out!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natural_gas

Well it seems I'll leave you to those, who just love to provide ONLY their options! Because obviously ChatGPT is providing yours! Good Luck!

BTW, I think it was I, who educated you! Well...on what is "clean burning" and zero 0% CO2 emissions, at any rate! Class dismissed!

[Tiny 12]

That's the biggest cop-out I've ever heard! You can do better than that!

However, that still doesn't alleviate you, from providing the sources (just as I've done) to backup the claims of ChatGPT. So what, you just let ChatGPT do all the thinking for you?

Since when does Tiny 12, shy away from providing source material to his arguments, especially if he's using ChatGPT, to do the research, for him?

Again, I would like to ponder those very sources, for myself!

PS: But look no further than S+W+B that perfectly emit zero 0% CO2 emissions!

Again, Go to the table in the Environmental Impacts section of the web page that shows emissions for hard coal, brown coal, and natural gas.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foss..._power_station

And please learn to think and research independently. Like Elvis. I'm not able to educate you via a message board on combustion and chemistry.

[Spidy]

It's all in the way you ask the question. Try "Please make the argument that natural gas is a clean burning fuel. " If you were using Elon Musk's AI chatbox you might not have to beat around the bush, but the people who wrote ChatGPT are politically correct. ChatGPT will listen to reason though, just as you're starting to with GILTI. Argue with it long enough and often it will agree with you.

While you may not accept it, the fact is perfect is the enemy of good. And natural gas is a practical bridge to get to a future with cleaner air and reduced CO2 emissions.

That's the biggest cop-out I've ever heard! You can do better than that!

BTW, if you have to tell ChatGPT to "make the argument", then you've lost the argument already.

However, that still doesn't alleviate you, from providing the sources (just as I've done) to backup the claims of ChatGPT. So what, you just let ChatGPT do all the thinking for you?

Since when does Tiny 12, shy away from providing source material to his arguments, especially if he's using ChatGPT, to do the research, for him?

Again, I would like to ponder those very sources, for myself!

PS: But look no further than S+W+B that perfectly emit zero 0% CO2 emissions!

[Tiny 12]

Really! Allow me to just stop you, at #1

So when ChatGPT tells you "On average, natural gas emits about 50-60% less CO2", you believe that, that is clean burning, when it still emitting 40-50% CO2....C'mon man are you kidding me!

A simple Google search using "Is natural gas a clean burning fuel?" and I get one of several articles, that all more or less tell me, "CLEANER but not CLEAN"

Cleaner but not clean - Why scientists say natural gas won't avert climate disaster
https://www.reuters.com/article/busi...idUSKCN25E1DR/

Natural Gas Is Not A Clean Burning Renewable Fuel
https://theclimateguru.org/natural-g...enewable-fuel/

Forgive me, but I doubt very much, that if you typed the following, into ChatGPT "Is natural gas a clean burning fuel?", it would just return the basic composition of the gas, its properties and relation to other fossil feuls and not come to the same conclusions as those articles I provided.

So with that in mind, when I have a hard time believing you or ChatGPT version of events, I will naturally ask for "the sources" (if you could be so kind), so I may determine the facts for myself, should the need arise.

You forget, I'm not MAGA and therefore don't take things blindly!

It's all in the way you ask the question. Try "Please make the argument that natural gas is a clean burning fuel. " If you were using Elon Musk's AI chatbox you might not have to beat around the bush, but the people who wrote ChatGPT are politically correct. ChatGPT will listen to reason though, just as you're starting to with GILTI. Argue with it long enough and often it will agree with you.

While you may not accept it, the fact is perfect is the enemy of good. And natural gas is a practical bridge to get to a future with cleaner air and reduced CO2 emissions.

As to sources, I already gave you the Wikipedia table showing emissions of particulate matter, SO2, and NOx compounds from natural gas, which are the primary contributors to dirty air. Your belief that CO2 and CH4, being colorless, odorless, nontoxic (unless you stick a mask on your face and connect it to a CO2 or CH4 cannister) gasses contribute to dirty air is subjective. You want references but I dont know what to give you. Maybe some chemistry and chemical engineering textbooks?

[EihTooms]

What boggles the mind is that Axel is not your typical MAGA cultist. When Elvis spews his own brand of nonsense, you know where it comes from -- Elvis is a conspiracy theorist, he's a guy MAGA IS MADE OF. But Axel is not like that. I've communicated with him, he's a worldly, intelligent person. How is it possible that people like that can't see Trump's incessant lies and empty boasts, his crazy rants and off-the-charts boorishness worthy of a drunken vagrant, his fantastical stories from his own alternative universe? And did I mention his pure LIES -- lies so patently obvious that even a 9-year-old could easily cut through them -- and yet, these grown-up fellas keep coming here to mindlessly and exuberantly defend the pure-evil incompetent scamster and his team of sycophants, no matter what they say and do.

One can dismiss his Day One promises: to end the war and lower the prices (very bold promises that ended in spectacular failures) as typical Trump's bravado, but why none of them is asking one simple question:

For what reason, the president who has the majority in both chambers of Congress is ruling with executive orders? He's signed at least 75 orders since taking the Oval office, "the most executive orders within a president's first 100 days over the past 80 years.".

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/polit...rm/ar-AA1zQer1

Seriously, MAGA, why?

Repubs have been demonizing and scape-goating Liberals and by extension Democrats since at least Nixon. It really swung into serious neurotic behavior under Reagan and by the time his VP became president their sick culture had decided "Liberal" was such a terrible label to put on someone that silly man would refer to Liberals as "The L word. " That is how terrible they hoped people would consider Liberal / Democrats to be.

The demonizing and scape-goating got to be as vicious and irrational as the anti-Jewish sentiment in 1930's Germany.

Oh, it is so easy to blame "Libs" for all the failures of your life and the ills of society. Chicago, San Francisco, New York and the rest had been hotbeds of crime, gangs and corruption since the day they were built, through Repub and Dem Mayorships and State Governorships. But it is always the fault of "Lib / Dems", don't ya' know. LOL.

Jews in 1930's Germany.

Of course, never mind that "Lib / Dem" policies and stewardship has so surpassed that of "Conservative-Repub"s for at least 100 years on economic Recoveries, expansions and damn near every job created over the past 50 years while Conservative-Repubs' only specialty appears to be driving us into one Great Depression, Great Recession and Massive Jobs Destruction after another in our and our parents' lifetimes.

So that creates a very inconvenient problem for Repubs; how to demonize and scape-goat the side whose economic results are far and away superior to their own? Particularly when you just had a several decades' long pattern of Conservative-Repub disaster vs Lib-Dem Success too blatantly obvious to ignore?

Enter the Repubs' sucker social issues. On steroids.

Now the most horrible thing to happen to America isn't another Great Repub Depression and Massive Jobs Destruction. Oh no. Hey, shit happens. Wild coincidence. Magical economic cycles. A Witch's Curse. No big deal.

It is now "wokeism", "pronouns", "child mutilation", defund the police", blah blah blah shit that almost no Conservative-Repub can define or point to ever happening as often as someone getting struck by lightning 3 times in a week during the Summer.

But the weak-minded demonizers and scape-goaters must believe in it to keep their deep "own the libs" psychosis alive and kicking. And for the Repub pols to win votes and ever get elected for anything.

Do you know there were Emergency Room staff reports of old MAGAs dying of Covid and with their last choking gasp they still refused to believe they had what their lord and savior assured them was a "Democrat Party Hoax"? That they had essentially chosen to die rather than get a vaccine or avoid crowds in closed rooms and thereby be mistaken for a "Democrat"? LOL.

That is how deeply psychotic the need for "owning the libs" is among MAGAs.

A. H. Is a social issue sucker. So is Tiny to a certain extent. So are many otherwise seemingly lucid and capable MAGAs.

They will vote in a way that directly elects or helps Trumps and Trumpists win elections even though it is blatantly obvious that those traitors' only mission is to destroy the USA Economy, wipe out millions of jobs, skyrocket the debt and deficit with nothing of value to show for it because they have been indoctrinated from an early age to demonize and scape-goat the very Party and philosophy whose policies and stewardship have ever actually ever Made America Great.

Con man Trump knew this from the very beginning. He knew where the suckers were and how to bamboozle them because their deep psychosis gave them no choice. And he knew very, very well it was not going to be among Lib-Dems.

[Spidy]

Your wish is my command!

Natural gas is considered a clean-burning fuel primarily because of its chemical composition and combustion characteristics compared to other fossil fuels like coal and oil. Here's why:

1. Lower Carbon Emissions.

Natural gas is mostly methane (CH&#8324, which has a high hydrogen-to-carbon ratio.

When burned, it produces less carbon dioxide (CO&#8322 per unit of energy compared to coal or oil.

On average, natural gas emits about 50-60% less CO₂ than coal and about 25-30% less than oil.

...

Really! Allow me to just stop you, at #1

So when ChatGPT tells you "On average, natural gas emits about 50-60% less CO2", you believe that, that is clean burning, when it still emitting 40-50% CO2....C'mon man are you kidding me!

A simple Google search using "Is natural gas a clean burning fuel?" and I get one of several articles, that all more or less tell me, "CLEANER but not CLEAN"

Cleaner but not clean - Why scientists say natural gas won't avert climate disaster
https://www.reuters.com/article/busi...idUSKCN25E1DR/

Natural Gas Is Not A Clean Burning Renewable Fuel
https://theclimateguru.org/natural-g...enewable-fuel/

Forgive me, but I doubt very much, that if you typed the following, into ChatGPT "Is natural gas a clean burning fuel?", it would just return the basic composition of the gas, its properties and relation to other fossil feuls and not come to the same conclusions as those articles I provided.

So with that in mind, when I have a hard time believing you or ChatGPT version of events, I will naturally ask for "the sources" (if you could be so kind), so I may determine the facts for myself, should the need arise.

You forget, I'm not MAGA and therefore don't take things blindly!

[Spidy]

I only have personal knowledge about how one multinational major did things. It held its patents and proprietary software in a USA entity, so wouldn't have paid the GILTI tax because there was no foreign income. It didn't share or sell the results of its research in upstream (exploration and production), because it viewed it as a competitive advantage. And it only received a very small percent of its income from licensing its refining patents. I bet other large USA Oil and gas E&P and integrated companies would operate similarly.

A lot of the "intangibles" are held by the service companies, like Schlumberger, who may hold their patents in places like Ireland for all I know. I don't think Schlumberger is the best example though, as I don't believe it's a USA Company.

The big players in tankers, FPSO vessels (floating production, storage and offloading vessels) and offshore seismic acquisition are mostly foreign. The seismic companies have a lot of intangible assets. Up until Republicans cut the federal corporate tax rate to 21% in 2017, American companies couldn't compete in these areas because of the tax advantages the foreigners had.

Your explanation sounds reasonable enough to me, as I'm still trying to reconcile and wrap my head around, why or what made the reporter think CFCs or foreign O&G companies, were using foreign tax loopholes (ie. Maybe the use GILTI), to sidestep million in taxes and it seem to center around the income from their intangible assets.

Anyways, perhaps there's nothing to the report, perhaps there is. I guess when time permits, I'll take a second look. Same goes for the wind farm subsidies.

[Sirioja]

Yeah, Trump was close to the worst candidate Republicans could pick to run for president. Maybe George Santos would have been worse. But Democrats still couldn't beat him! Hillary should have, both because she won the popular vote by a decent margin and because she would have made a better president IMHO. (I didn't vote for her because the Libertarians were running the best presidential candidate since Ronald Reagan that year -- Gary Johnson.) In the mind of many Americans, including me, Harris and Biden were as bad a choice or worse than Trump.

Michele Obama could give a much better image than a senile schizophrene threatening blackmailing to rob poor Ukrainians with his friend, criminal dictator Putin, also threatening Greenland to rob also them. USA are just behaving like robbers now, when they can t compete with EU and cheap China for economics. But Hamas won t be afraid of a old senile bullshiting. The world have now to protect versus shameful USA under robber, crazy Trump.

[SubCmdr]

It increasingly looks like Trump's going to get the parties to negotiate a ceasefire, instead of continuing with a senseless war. Maybe President Trump will receive the Nobel Peace Prize!

President Putin is serving as an intermediary for negotiations between the USA and Iran, that may also bring peace to the Middle East. Perhaps Trump and Putin will jointly receive a Nobel! And now that Trump's talked some sense into him, Zelenskyy too! Wouldn't that be the cat's meow!

Can't wait to hear what Xpartan thinks about this!

Ferengi Rules of Acquisition #35: Peace is good for Business!

In other news, I am considering an electric scooter / motorcycle here in Pattaya, Thailand. Research online leads me to believe that some have removable battery packs that can be taken up to my room and charged overnight there. I can even have two so if I am rolling hard during the day I could use my room as hub and change out the battery pack during the day and keep rolling. For my in town movements that ranges are perfect. For longer rides I still need a ICE. But that's ok as I was planning to buy a scooter for errands and maxi scooter for longer trips. The crypto and stock market have been very, very, very good to me.

[Tiny 12]

PS: And while your at it, ask ChatGPT, if natural gas is a "clean burning gas", I'd love to hear the answer.

Your wish is my command!

Natural gas is considered a clean-burning fuel primarily because of its chemical composition and combustion characteristics compared to other fossil fuels like coal and oil. Here's why:

1. Lower Carbon Emissions.

Natural gas is mostly methane (CH&#8324, which has a high hydrogen-to-carbon ratio.

When burned, it produces less carbon dioxide (CO&#8322 per unit of energy compared to coal or oil.

On average, natural gas emits about 50-60% less CO₂ than coal and about 25-30% less than oil.

2. Minimal Particulate Matter (PM) and Air Pollutants.

Unlike coal and oil, natural gas combustion does not produce soot, ash, or significant particulate matter.

It emits very low levels of sulfur dioxide (SO&#8322, reducing acid rain formation.

It also produces less nitrogen oxides (NO&#8339 than other fossil fuels, leading to lower smog formation.

3. High Combustion Efficiency.

Natural gas burns almost completely, producing mainly CO₂ and water vapor (H₂O).

This high efficiency means less fuel is needed to generate the same amount of energy, further reducing emissions.

4. No Toxic Residues or Heavy Metals.

Unlike coal, which contains mercury, arsenic, and other toxic metals, natural gas combustion does not release hazardous heavy metals into the atmosphere.

Natural gas is considered a clean-burning fuel because it produces fewer greenhouse gases and air pollutants, burns efficiently, and leaves little to no residue.

Natural gas is often referred to as a bridge fuel because it provides a cleaner alternative to coal and oil while supporting the transition to a more renewable-based energy system.

[Axel Heyst]

Check out this video from last night's speech when Trump calls Warren 'Pocahontas' while announcing he received letter from Zelenskyy calling for peace. All the while Warren and the loony Dems applaud the idea of an unending war in the Ukraine.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vr9U-FCv9gY&t=22s

[Tiny 12]

Okay...it seems I need to revisit my understanding of GILTI, but one last question for you.

So is it your assertion, that O&G companies have no intangible assets? Because if they do (which I think they do) have intangible assets (no matter how small or seemingly inconsequential), wouldn't they need GILTI to be calculated?

And that calc use some variation of the following, when I do a search?: GILTI = Net CFC Tested Income (10% x QBAI - Interest Expense)

That's it, I'm done! It seems YOU and GILTI, have done me in....well at least for now!


PS: My apologies to all the other ISGers, for taking up the forum bandwidth these last few days! I'll try to keep things to a minimum for the next little while.

Thx for your patience and understanding!

I only have personal knowledge about how one multinational major did things. It held its patents and proprietary software in a USA entity, so wouldn't have paid the GILTI tax because there was no foreign income. It didn't share or sell the results of its research in upstream (exploration and production), because it viewed it as a competitive advantage. And it only received a very small percent of its income from licensing its refining patents. I bet other large USA Oil and gas E&P and integrated companies would operate similarly.

A lot of the "intangibles" are held by the service companies, like Schlumberger, who may hold their patents in places like Ireland for all I know. I don't think Schlumberger is the best example though, as I don't believe it's a USA Company.

The big players in tankers, FPSO vessels (floating production, storage and offloading vessels) and offshore seismic acquisition are mostly foreign. The seismic companies have a lot of intangible assets. Up until Republicans cut the federal corporate tax rate to 21% in 2017, American companies couldn't compete in these areas because of the tax advantages the foreigners had.

[Axel Heyst]

The Democrat party is in self-destruction mode. It is simply amazing to watch this mass group suicide. It is so bizarre. I mean ever since the 1968 Chicago Democratic Convention the left has seen themselves as the "peace" party. They were against the Vietnam war (although Johnson started it), the Iraq war, and the killing of Soleimani. Biden as VP was even against the raid to kill bin Laden. And the left was so proud of President Biden's impersonation of Humphrey Bogart in the Caine Mutiny with his cowardly and frantic decision to retreat from Afghanistan.

But now for the sole reason that Trump is president the left suddenly wants war, a war between Russia and Ukraine to continue into the foreseeable future. It is just fucking amazing especially considering that President Trump is on the verge of getting a cease fire deal between Putin, the Ukraine and the USA to end this massacre. The left's sea change on war is all because of Trump. They hate him so much they are willing to commit political suicide. This is just one hill they have chosen to die on. There are several more.

[Xpartan]

LOL. So he could cure some horrible disease and no Dem would applaud him for it?

Since when has he ever tried to cure any disease rather than defunding the means to prevent the spread of deadly diseases, a 2019/2020 Trump accomplishment he is determined to repeat this very minute?

How about he and President Chainsaw Musk not defund and cut staff for the kind of toxic chemical regulation enforcement and juvenile cancer research that is likely to create more child brain cancer patients like that poor kid he exploited as one of his human "props"?

And now that he has designated him an honorary secret service cop, the kid and his parents better hope he isn't assigned to a January 6 Vote Certification event the next time a Repub loses a presidential. Election.

If Trump at least added Trillions more to the deficit and this time his Repub economic "stimulus" legislation didn't create one million fewer jobs with it than without it I am sure a Dem or two could conjure up a one-handed clap for him if he really craves it so much.

But everyone with at brain knows that is never going to happen.

What boggles the mind is that Axel is not your typical MAGA cultist. When Elvis spews his own brand of nonsense, you know where it comes from -- Elvis is a conspiracy theorist, he's a guy MAGA IS MADE OF. But Axel is not like that. I've communicated with him, he's a worldly, intelligent person. How is it possible that people like that can't see Trump's incessant lies and empty boasts, his crazy rants and off-the-charts boorishness worthy of a drunken vagrant, his fantastical stories from his own alternative universe? And did I mention his pure LIES -- lies so patently obvious that even a 9-year-old could easily cut through them -- and yet, these grown-up fellas keep coming here to mindlessly and exuberantly defend the pure-evil incompetent scamster and his team of sycophants, no matter what they say and do.

One can dismiss his Day One promises: to end the war and lower the prices (very bold promises that ended in spectacular failures) as typical Trump's bravado, but why none of them is asking one simple question:

For what reason, the president who has the majority in both chambers of Congress is ruling with executive orders? He's signed at least 75 orders since taking the Oval office, "the most executive orders within a president's first 100 days over the past 80 years.".

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/polit...rm/ar-AA1zQer1

Seriously, MAGA, why?

[Tiny 12]

Yeah, the difference between someone who votes Democrat and a Democratic douche is that a douche will support the party no matter how stupid it is. Biden is not demented? No, he is not. Kamala is a drunk? No, she is not.

So instead of falling into the Trump is crazy camp, it is important to see what he really wants when he acts crazy.

And so here it is: https://www.foxbusiness.com/video/6369607232112.

Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick: I want Americans to stop being murdered by opioids and fentanyl.

Yeah, okay, now it is fine to call Trump crazy. This is like blaming the failures of prohibition on Canada and Mexico. Opioids are as easy to make as alcohol and when you ban all items, you make the more potent items in the class the norm. You ban beer and wine and you get more whiskey and vodka. You ban oxycontin and you get heroin and fentanyl.

Last I checked there were a dozen or so overdoses in Portugal. We need to do what they are doing rather than pointing fingers abroad. This was the rare total swing and a miss for Trump. The only good part is that he allegedly is backing off the tariffs.

I agree.

One of the things I like about your posts is you're an independent thinker. We have our disagreements, like on the COVID vaccine and EihTooms. You have severe reservations about the vaccine, while I've gotten six shots. And you think Tooms is loony, while I believe he's intelligent, just sadly misguided and hyper-partisan.

But anyway you call it like you see it, with a good measure of common sense and without regard to what a good Republican or Democrat is supposed to think.