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The Barnaul Fire from the link is 2,000 miles east of Donetsk. The comments in the link say it is a furniture factory, but info from Google suggests it might be some kind of cable/wire manufacturing plant, or maybe they just make wooden crates. From the footage, this does not look like there was an explosion. The building looks somewhat intact, other than the fire, which favors Special forces rather than drones.
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The silicon boom in Houston was one of the reasons Bottom-Line-Bud and the Oilers left Houston (too much?). The explosion of “Gentleman’s Clubs” and the pull of the discretionary income from the 18-50 male demographic was huge, and the accompanying wave of stripper dance music was the result. That’s my theory and I’m not changing it.
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Take up yoga. I started when I was 41, and by my 50’s, I was an instructor and in the best shape since I was college. Its the best exercise there is. Stress relief, physical symmetry, skeletal alignment, cardio (astanga yoga). My yoga friends are my best friends. Not even close. Ptins, age 52. In the group photo, I’m the one w/ the ‘stache.
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Texas Recruiting Notes 2025: Duck Around and Find Out
PTINS replied to texifornia's topic in 🤫$9.95🤫
Speaking of running backs ... Can one of you photo shop wizards please put Reggie in USC colors w/ VY tattooing his ass? Much appreciated. I want to supplement Elisha when we get a commitment. -
Heartwarming to see the Next Generation of Surlyites Growing up Right!
PTINS replied to DalTxHornFan's topic in Lulz
Consider the possibility that is was an empty that was full of water. Not really a tough choice, though. Leave the game or pacify the kid? You gotta do what you gotta do. -
This UNLV thing and is a big ball of shit and I'm glad we are not in it. Sark deferring this conversation until the end of the process is one of the smartest things he's done. It identifies the NIL chasers early and keeps them away from the more forward thinking players that are a better fit. Government regulation is not the answer. It will be so rigid it won't work, some people will always break the law, and we are back to the bag game we just got away from. It seems like most schools have decent alignment between the Athletic Departments and their collectives, which minimizes a lot of issues. The most common theme seems to be funding the collectives, whether its Texas or Ohio State or UNLV.
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From what I read, the Sluka family, or their agent, never talked directly to the UNLV Collective, and I put 100% of the blame on the Sluka family. At some point in the process, before you sign the UNLV paperwork, the Sluka's should have had some follow-up conversations to confirm what was understood. This in not buying a stolen TV in an alley behind a restaurant. Get something in writing, anything. All agreements are verbal. This would be similar to an oral agreement, though it is not obvious that anything was agreed upon, other than playing football and moving expenses. After the fact, there are a lot of different ways this could have played out. The first thing I saw was the kid decided to quit and not play, redshirt and transfer, all very publicly. Game over. This has probably been an issue for 2-3 months. The statement UNLV released is very clear in their position. Anything they said or did after the fact was going to be very public. Letting the third party pay them off? Reminds be of Bill Clements, former Governor of Texas and SMU Alumnus, when asked why SMU kept paying players after they got caught; "We made a commitment to those kids." That statement, as much as anything, is why they deserved what they got.
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FIFY If not for this genre of music, all those sweet things in the tittie bars would have nothing to dance too.
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Texas A&M Recruiting 2025: The Land of Melk & No Money
PTINS replied to texifornia's topic in 🤫$9.95🤫
100% agree that a player and coach are different situations. High School recruits are kids, until they aren't. I was agreeing with the notion that the people that attacked Simms and Sark are still here, in some cases may be the same people. Coaches are paid to do a job, no different than most people. They are open to criticism, no doubt. Early Mack built a great program, late Mack let it crumble beneath him. This. The "I told you so!" crowd after Arkansas. Sark made his own mistakes. He was obviously surprised by the reception in Fayetteville. He shouldn't have been. There are plenty of people here (at Texas, not necessarily Surly) who knew the depth of passion between Arkansas and Texas. Too bad Sark didn't hear, or believe, those opinions. But Sark was a first year coach, not late Mack that mailed it in. Thank you for the time you and others put into this, as well as the insights you share for our benefit. Watching a coaching decline is like the frog in boiling water. By the time you realize it, it's too late. There's a time and place for everything. I spent 30+ years in the commercial side of O&G, most of that time competing against bigger and more established companies. We identified deficiencies, and tried to minimize their impact. Don't recall anybody ever sending messages to our competitors highlighting our weaknesses. I've also provided expert witness analysis and testimony for 20+ years. There are many thoughts and ideas I discussed internally that were never memorialized in writing. You know, discovery and smoking guns. -
Texas A&M Recruiting 2025: The Land of Melk & No Money
PTINS replied to texifornia's topic in 🤫$9.95🤫
Texas is similar to most schools with large numbers of fans in that there is always a vocal minority that thinks they are right, with the mistaken belief that the louder they say it the more right they are. They have the patience of a gnat, and a sense they are entitled to whatever they want, right now, without ever putting in the work to get it. Just paying for it is not the same as work. Those same people also cannot distinguish between an NFL veteran QB and an 18 year old kid. Every teenager makes mistakes, that is how they learn. The stench left from the way so many treated Chris Simms is one of the darkest stains on our proud history. His recruiting was not unlike Arch's. A super talented, high profile player with an Super Bowl MVP father, who was flooded with offers and information, and choose Texas, against the conventional wisdom. He choose Texas. For me, it's very simple, if you are on the field wearing a Texas jersey, then you are My QB. Regardless of the way he was treated here, Chris took the high road. Everyone is entitled to their opinion. Thinking it, saying it, and taking the time to write it are different things. You can call someone's mother a whore, and apologize for it later, but things are NEVER going to be the same. That unattractive portion of our fan base didn't go anywhere. The "Seven win Steve" crowd is still here, with a piece of crow between their teeth that will never go away.- 2541 replies
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Nice pic. Del Valle Cardinal.
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Game Week Thread Week 5 2024, Mississippi State @ Texas
PTINS replied to Wulaw Horn's topic in Football
My son and DIL took us to see Coheed & Cambria in San Antonio. Afterwards, I asked them what the Venn diagram between DnD players and C&C listeners looked like. They immediately responded in unison, "It's the same circle!" -
If he utilized just one graphic to supplement his yapping, I might actually listen to him. I went to Rocky Mountain National Park once a month for 3 years; I don't need to his mug interrupting the natural beauty. (There is also the reality, if my roots weren't in Texas, I'd live in Colorado.)
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Not sure if any place has ever run out of oil, but I understand your tongue-in-cheek point. The last wave of US refining modernization in the 80's-90's saw a shift in refining capacity from a domestic slate of a lighter, sweeter crude oil to a foreign slate of heavier, sour crude oil. The US production was continuing to decline and the production growth was coming from the middle east and South America. When the US learned how to extract oil from shale, drilling and fracturing a 10,000 foot horizontal lateral instead of drilling vertically though the 100 foot seam, domestic production went from the "end of the Permian Basin" to the US being self sufficient in oil production for the 50+ years. Though the production volumes are much higher, it is a much lighter slate that yielded lower quantities of transportation fuels than the heavier crude slate. To maximize refining yields, the US imports the heavier crude oil and exports the "excess" higher oil. In the graphic below, the oil produced in the Permian (Delaware & Midland Basin's) is similar to Eagle Ford (South Texas)- Bakken (North Dakota) grades. The imported crude, not unlike Jed Clampett's bubbling crude, would be heavier than the Canadian Crude.
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Official Coach Sark Thread of Dominance—haters back off
PTINS replied to SimkinsMan's topic in Football
There were many here against Sark for so many reasons. There were also many favorable data points that were overwhelmingly positive, and a lot of supposedly smart people overlooked those facts and memorialized their idiocy for eternity. No one will have the stage set up like VY had. USC was the 2 time defending National Champions w/ 2 Heisman Trophy winners, and USC and Texas were ranked 1 and 2 in every poll, all year long. No question who the best 2 teams were. Texas v. Hollywood. The Rose Bowl. -
Others here have answered more completely. I look at it very simply...how many of each does Russia have? 1. Leaders, 1, Putin 2a. Nuclear Power Plants, #? 2b. Conventional Power Plants, #? 3. Ammo Depots 10-12 4. Air Bases #?, 50-100?, planes??? 5. Navy Bases #?, only Crimea/Sevastopol really matters 6. Tanks, vehicles, troops, etc. a whole bunch of everything else... #1 & 2 a&b are off limits, for good reason. Given the smallish number of potential targets, hitting the ammo depots gives you the ... most bang for for the bucks. Ukraine's ingenuity in progressing their offensive capabilities cannot be understated. Based on the following, everything in western Russia is within range. The first plot shows the Ammo Depots referenced in this thread, and those of which have been targeted. The second plot is the same plot, adding the Oil Refineries that have been targeted. Great summary. Russia's dependence on rail really reduces the practical size of Russia's infrastructure, and Google Earth has brought spy satellite capability to your desk top. Sprinkle it with some homemade weapons, and a big badda boom! Zeihan is now reading Surly. Does not mean that I will read Zeihan. My comments below are not meant to inflame or be argumentative, but, given Surly, ... They are also not meant as a direct response to what was posted. The posts were thought provoking, and this was a convenient way to offer additional information. The US has always been isolationist, ... except when it was in our best interest to intervene. After WWII, with our new military capability and vastly superior economic power, the US "projected" our influence across the globe. By the early 70's, British Petroleum, Royal Dutch Shell, and the US dominated the world oil production portfolio. Texas was but a subset of that mindset, political power without the military and economic influence. By far, the US had the largest oil refining capacity in the world, which was the touch point for most consumers. The US consumption was much greater than the production, with foreign imports satisfying the imbalance. A substantial portion of US oil imports, and of the refining capacity, was to serve the international markets. Our consumption on paper included consumption that happened elsewhere. The Arab Oil Embargo in 1973 derailed that freight train. The growing world economy and insatiable thirst for drastically energy shifted the power profile, and transfer of wealth, from the consumers to the producers. The US policies of regulating domestic oil and gas prices did not work in a global market. Right or wrong, the US Oil & Gas Industry, became the lighting rod for everything that was wrong, and Texas was the focal point. "Drive 75 and freeze them alive!" certainly didn't help that mindset. Right or wrong, everything the US Oil & Gas Industry did, the US was against. The Existential domestic fight for survival compromised their worldwide influence on a critical commodity and created a power vacumn that invited other "outside" influences from across the globe. Over time, Iran, China and Russia, filled that void, and here we are. ...to do the right thing ...once we've exhausted all other possibilities. (see below) Our Au Pairs (no pics. stop reading here) from Germany (2) , Norway and South Africa gained a lot of weight in the first 9-10 months they were here, and lost most of it before they went home. Annika from Finland never gained the weight. Exposure to Texas BBQ, Mexican food and cajun food tends to do that. The first time Heike saw us eating oysters and gumbo at Willie G's on Post Oak, she was astonished, scared and ready to go back home. I took her to HEB and it took forever to get through the produce area, she wanted to know what each thing was, most of which I didn't know. Why do you need so many kinds of apples? Laila from Norway gained 70 lbs and lost 60 of it her last 2 months. Her description of Norwegian food, was "food without spices." One thing they all had in common. If they put it on their plate, they ate it. They did not waste food. We always made them their favorite meals before they left. It was looked like a combination of a free buffet and a last meal on death row, head down and shoveling down the food like there was no tomorrow. They all took a lot spices home with them. Crawfish without the crawfish boil spices? Fuck that shit! When I graduated in '79, I had to write a speech on the biggest challenges we faced as college graduates. Three Mile Island and the Iranian Revolution topped the news, and as a Mechanical Engineering graduate - (Energy & Fluid systems), I talked about energy production. Duh!!! (I've realized over the years, that growing up as an Air Force Brat expanded my horizons and exposed me to many things. At the same time, growing up on an Air Force Base also was a very sanitized, and protected existence, with everything I was exposed to carefully selected by others, for a reason. The NCO Club was next to the Bowling Alley, and the Officer's Club was next to the Gold Course. That was the only class distinction I saw til I moved back to Texas when I was 10 years old. I never really felt deprived until I came to UT, and was exposed to differences between the haves and the have nots.) After 40-50 years, energy production and supply and demand is still a challenge. Some things changed, and some things have not. Ignorance people are still ignorant. And bullies still pick on little kids. The people of the Second Army of the World, and billions of people don't don't have indoor plumbing and burn coal in their homes for cooking and heat. They burn coal without any alternative. The natural progression should be from freezing to death -> burn wood -> burn coal -> burn oil - burn gas-> ???, with a layering of nuclear power and renewable's where its practical and economics support doing so. Widespread US consumption of natural gas has happened in my lifetime, and half the world has never seen the benefits of natural gas, yet the global mindset is adamant that we need to stop using it. Because "we" have options. Most people don't. We, the US, prefer to be isolationists, until it suits us to be something else. We, the US, are an economic and industrial powerhouse, rich in resources and isolated geographically. We have projected our ideals and beliefs on a world, that really has little in common with us. The freedoms we sometimes take for granted become more cherished when we see how hard others have to fight to get them in the first place. Powerful stuff. I'm paraphrasing "Your work, the work of 400 people, is saving millions of Ukrainians." I'm betting Zelensky looks at that factory, and thinks ...
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A few observations, Having witnessed resume padding by others for a good many years, the term "an expert on methane", is a pretty low bar to step over. Once you understand a few physical properties and characteristics of methane, there is not much else. Perhaps that expert could add expert on Hydrogen Sulfide to their credentials. The wells in Luling have produced oil (and small amounts of natural gas) that contains sulphur compounds, including hydrogen sulfide (H2S), since they were drilled 100 years ago. That is a fact. That fact is the reason the wells have posted signs warning people there is "H2S" or "Poison Gas" present, and the reason why the all the above ground surface equipment is designed to be used in a dangerous, corrosive, hazardous environment. Apparently the recent testing confirmed that the gas wells producing methane and H2S contained extremely high concentrations of methane and H2S; “It was off the scales. Methane was off the scales and hydrogen sulfide was off the scales,” ... “The monitor would immediately start beeping when I crossed the property line.” Off site, the monitor wasn't beeping. Ok, all is good. They crossed the property line to the well producing the poisonous gas, and the monitor immediately started beeping. Ok, it looks like the monitor is working. As one would expect, the concentration increases as you get closer to the source. One would expect an expert on methane to understand that methane containing elevated levels of H2S requires elevated levels of personal protection (masks and fresh air tanks, not a respirator), especially when directly exposed to the source of the poisonous gas. At "higher" H2S levels, any exposure could be fatal, on contact. You don't need to be an expert to understand that fact. Every flange, valve, meter and piece of equipment at the well site is a possible fugitive emission source. Oil is stored in atmospheric tanks that breath, or vent, low quantities of vapor (gas) entrained in the oil. The minute quantities of leaked vapors are diluted and dissipate readily. These tanks are designed to hold a column of liquid at atmospheric pressure, not a pressure vessel for storing liquids under pressure. Those locations with elevated levels of H2S are operated and maintained by personnel that have specific training and knowledge and have been equipped accordingly. At least the reporters eventually recognized the obvious and left for their own safety. I like to know the rules so I no how far I'm stepping over them. Rules or guidelines on a Poison Gas that can be fatal on contact? Those are absolutes.
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Companies that own & operate wind farms use their windmill tax subsidies ... to invest in oil & gas exploration and production... tax free.
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Reminds me of that time, after baseball practice at Bergstom AFB (Pre airport), we went off chasing Jack Rabbits along Hiway 71. We got about halfway down, adjacent to the apron where they parked the planes. Out of nowhere, 2 jeeps full of GI's w/ M-16's came speeding towards us, and influenced us to get the hell out of there. For any of you near Houston, consider taking a drive to Mont Belvieu, on FM 146 (state highway?) from I-10 North about 2-3 miles. Probably the highest concentration of pipelines in the world, mostly NGL pipelines. First time i went there in 1980, I thought it looked vulnerable. Given what happened in Deer Park, they will probably end up building a wall or barrier along the highway. The industry "bought" the town a long time ago. I'm out. I might be un-retiring here for a bit.
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Re: Speaking to the press. Example 1-A. Why you want to make sure the right person is speaking to the press and the public. I read a statement that clearly stated it was a "Y-Grade NGL" (Natural Gas Liquid) pipeline, and it further defined what that is. The Mayor giving the Deer Park news conference stated it was "Liquid Natural Gas" (LNG) pipeline. ABC 13 said the good news it is "Natural Gas" burning Natural Gas Liquids (NGL), Liquified Natural Gas (LNG), or Natural Gas are not the same thing...220, 221, whatever it takes. They are similar, but nowhere close to the same thing. 3 completely different products, in composition, physical properties, and in the mitigation of leaks and fires. Natural Gas is primarily methane, it can be converted to LNG, primarily for export, and is then converted back to natural gas. "Natural Gas" is used for both gas produced at the wellhead, which contains the Natural Gas Liquids, and also the finished product that has had the impurities and NGL removed. LNG is also primarily methane, which is lighter than air and will dissipate naturally. It is transported and stored at - 200 °F, < 5 PSI, is warmed and vaporized, and transported at ~ 1,000 PSI and ambient temperatures. NGL Y-grade is a mixture of hydrocarbons, including a nominal 25% propane, which is heavier, than air, and will lay on the ground until if eventually dissipates, or finds an ignition source. It is transported at ~1,000 PSI and ambient temperatures. In this case, I would believe the OIL & GAS COMPANY and not the government officials or the press, but you be you. From the video; This is a well defined utility corridor, including high power electric lines and a number of pipelines, which may include gas, oil, NGL, purity products, or specialty chemicals. In similar pipeline corridors, companies are usually granted construction easements (25-50 feet wide) and will revert to a permanent easement upon completion (some as narrow as 2 feet.) In some cases, the ROW also has a depth requirement. I wouldn't be surprised if some these original agreements are 100+ years old. Obviously in a shared ROW, the wants of a individual company must be tempered with the needs of the others. While pipeline companies needs and wants are similar, the power line owners are different, and somewhat unique. They have exposed high voltage lines and any thing that may cause an electric arc (like a steel pipe) is a primary consideration. Power lines falling on top of pipes and other structures is always a big concern. Note the power lines on the ground in the pictures and videos. In the picture below, you can see the two above ground block valves (red & white) in the fenced locations behind the fire. Interesting that the fence towards Wal-Mart appears to be intact. There is/was a set of power lines going directly over the fire location, with a power pole inside the fence. There are a lot of different facilities, fences, bollards, power poles, telephone poles within the ROW. Deer Park Pipeline Fire I am sorry there was a fatality in this accident. It is never a good thing. I've seen pictures, before and after, NGL and Natural Gas pipeline accidents. I have done repair work on an NGL pipeline leak. Even though all the pressure gauges read "0", there was still pressure inside. Run, Forest!!! Run!!! I have seen a pipeline that was severed by a construction crew and was de-pressuring at sonic velocity with the sound of a jet engine, that dropped the surrounding temperatures ~ 20-30 °F where we were standing. I have seen gas pipeline fires, some of which we started so the gas didn't explode. I have seen a pipeline test blowdown with 2,000 PSI of nitrogen behind it. I have even seen a man pleasure a camel. But, I have never seen a high pressure NGL line (~1,000+ PSI), leaking, vaporizing and burning, releasing that much pressure and energy at one time. (Insert South Austin Mom joke here.) Not unlike the fingers of God. (Go to 0:55 of the video) Looking at the video, my reaction was this does not look look like a leak from a vent valve. Not sure what was there before, but it appears there was a riser (2-4" ?) coming off the below ground mainline. Above ground, there would be line with a smaller valve that could be opened to atmosphere. From the video, there does not appear to be a pipe or a valve, just a big hole (10-20") with a tremendous amount of Natural Gas Liquids, leaking, vaporizing and igniting. (I know ET has a 20" NGL line in the general area.). My guess would be that the car hit the riser, damaged the pipe, which was sheared off by the pipeline pressure, which tossed the car, and the product ignited ( from sparks, or the catalytic converter.) Edit; in the later video's, you can see some kind of pipe or something at ground level that wasn't obvious in the earlier videos. As bad as this is, it could have been much worse. We would use Extreme Theory in our planning; What is the wort thing that can happen? What is the best thing that can happen? Where is the reality within that spectrum?
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I don't know exactly what was damaged and ignited. I agree with the notion in other posts that the block valve was buried, and the blow down valves were above ground. In that event, the actuator for the block valve would be above ground, along with the blowdown valves. If the Deer park vehicle went through a fence along line property line and a fence around the valve site, that says a lot. With that said, the primary concern with protection and security is to keep people and animals away from it. Not fortified bunkers, but a chain link fence with a locked gate. (This probably also meets a minimal threshold for insurance requirements, though I've never heard that brought up in any meetings or discussions I've been involved in.) Equally important, there has to be access to operate and maintain the equipment, including access to the buried lines, if necessary. "Permanent" concrete-filled steel pipes creates obstacles for people (technician and welders) and equipment (back hoes, cherry pickers, etc.). Buried steel structures also impacts the cathodic protection of the pipelines. The chain link fence will keep 100% of the honest people out. From people, vandalism and theft is the primary concern. The fact that the equipment inside the fence keeps the hazardous material inside the pipes and away from people keeps a lot of the less than honest people out. There are a lot of Darwin candidates that accidentally or intentionally did some really stupid things around facilities. Anybody that wants to get in and damage the facility can do it, whether there is nothing at all, or a fence, bollard (never used that word, we used pig pen), wall, or a building. I am sure when this site is repaired, they will have steep pipes around it. Just like they put up deer crossing signs where there have been accidents.
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Location of Ammo Depot Targets: Toropets Ammo Depot, Targeted 9/18/24 Tonight Ukrainian OWA-UAV's successfully struck and have severely damaged the Toropets Northeast Ammunition Depot which has seen significant expansion since the declassified June 1965 report by the National Photographic Interpretation Center now known as the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency. The data right now indicates that there is significant damage to the newer expansions of the depot, primarily among the reinforced ammunition bunkers on the eastern side of the facility along with several of the original 150' x 40' storage buildings and among the barracks and administrative buildings by the depot entrance on the Northern side of the depot/ Today this former Soviet Era Munitions Depot is operated by the 107th GRAU Arsenal which expanded with the depot with an addition of 42 reinforced bunkers and 23 non reinforced storage and maintenance buildings (gravel apron) likely housing several tens of thousands of tons of munitions such as Air Defense Missiles and Surface to Surface Missiles Dawn has arrived and the entire facility is ablaze. Russian Ministry of Defense stated in 2022 that "The arsenal allows us to protect stockpiles of missiles and ammunition from external influences and ensure their safety and explosion and fire safety. The full load of each arsenal storage facility is up to 240 tons." With around 92 such buildings across the old and new portions of the depot that's 22,080 tons of munitions fully stocked and excluding the maintenance facilities. Toropets Ammo Depot - CIA brief, 2001 (the area with the trees) Pochep, Bryansk Ammo Depot, Targeted 9/18/24, (I think this is the target in the video during daylight) More Ukraine drone possibilities:
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Yes; Houston, Texas, where industrial accidents are measured on the Richter Scale.
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I was a midstream guy before midstream was a thing and have provided expert witness analysis and testimony on Midstream contracts and damages for 20+ years. They usually involve correlating a relatively simple business concept to a very complicated operational issue, that was memorialized in a few words in a contract that can be interpreted different ways. Regardless of the words, there are always overwhelming numbers of numbers involved, and "the trend is your friend." I've always enjoyed the perverse entertainment value of depositions, getting down to the nuts and bolts of a complex issue, usually with reams of data and numbers, that ends up with confused attorney's chasing their tails and saying, "Don't ask him that!". More often than not, the opposing expert witness is a finance person or an accountant, and that's never a fair fight.
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