Posts by Joshua Myers432

Christian Torres3 said:Oh, they'll do it. Everything goes smooth as silk, just like the "Great Leap Forward" in China. If they decide they want to start cranking out 7nm processors, they'll make it happen. Anything is possible.

People used to laugh at the Chinese decades ago—maybe 30 or 40 years back. Nowadays? Nobody's laughing anymore.

Anthony Hill5 said:You people have been chanting that same mantra since 2014, yet here we are, still stuck in the exact same spot.

Food production has actually ramped up significantly since 2014. They’ll need to scale things up even more now, but smuggling will definitely play a role. It isn't easy to isolate a country that massive; it’s not North Korea.

Nathan Thomas12 said:I'm holding out for microchips next, since importing them isn't an option anymore. After that? Commercial aircraft.

The Chinese will hand everything over just to get Taiwan back.🤣

Nancy Gomez26 said:Manufacturing a turbine that is reliable, durable, and fuel-efficient isn't some simple feat. In reality, it’s an aircraft jet engine—just repurposed to drive a machine, whether it's a gas compressor, a generator, or propulsion for a vehicle or vessel. Russia might be capable of building them, but it likely doesn't make financial sense for them. Their domestic demand is relatively low; they only need a few units. It is far cheaper and more efficient to simply buy them outright and focus their engineering efforts on things they actually cannot acquire, like military jet engines. Now that they’ve decided to play it smart, they’ll have to feel the sting of the consequences. Perhaps they'll gain some much-needed experience from the fallout.

If they managed to put the first man in space, I suppose they can figure out how to manufacture a gas turbine. 🤣

They didn't need it before; now they have no choice. In the long run, the West is actually doing them a favor. Instead of just sitting on their oil and gas reserves without innovating, they're being forced to actually build something useful. Maybe we could take a page out of that book. Instead of just renting out vacation rentals, changing linens, and flipping burgers on a grill, maybe we should try manufacturing something intelligent for a change.

John Ramos45 said:In the long run, they’re already finished.

https://twitter.com/NOELreports/stat...23841131167746

Long term, we're all done. 😁 🍿

Russia has shaken off those sanctions like dirt off a boot for now. Let's see what this year actually brings.

Timothy Williams5 said:The European Union is moving to cut off Russian oil imports entirely.

That was the stance taken by the European Commissioner for Energy, Kadri Simson. She noted that "our sanction will cover the oil needs for all member states, ensuring that we won't be buying Russian oil starting December 5th and that we've bridged the potential price gap for international buyers through our eighth package of sanctions," she told Reuters.

Beyond that, the G7 plan—designed to complement the EU embargo—is set to provide some level of support to shipping providers involved in exporting Russian oil, though this comes with a catch: it applies only at those mandated low price caps. This measure is also slated to take effect on December 5th.

https://www.reuters.com/business/ene...ls-2022-11-18/

Let’s be more precise: they won't buy it as long as this specific administration is running things in Russia.

William Cooper11 said:Not necessarily. Some estimates suggest we only have about 40 years of fossil fuels left before the well runs dry.

People were making that exact same claim 40 years ago. 😁

brightheron64 said:If I’m being completely honest, who is actually feeling the sting of this specific detail? Is it the Russians, or is it the nations with massive automotive industries? Even the very first round of sanctions forced them to reorganize—primarily their agricultural sector—and if you ask yourself who really lost in that scenario, well... just go talk to anyone in a major farming region, someone who grows citrus or other produce, and ask them what they think about these sanctions. I know a few growers who basically tell anyone listening to shove the sanctions where the sun doesn't shine, because according to them, a Russian buyer will show up with three or five semi-trucks full of cash and pay right on the spot after weighing the load. Compare that to how some big-name corporate tycoon used to handle payments...

I totally get the sense of schadenfreude, and I agree that sanctions are a deserved consequence for an invasion, but when you look at the long game, where is the actual benefit here? Forcing the Russians to find ways to adapt and survive might just break them, or it might simply force them to reorganize, even if it means they end up producing nothing but Lades or Moskvich cars... This isn't even helping us in the long run (think about companies like AD Plastics or Cimos America...). And don't even get me started on the Germans, the Frenchmen, or the Japanese men...

Only time will tell how much sense all these sanctions truly make, and whether forcing Russia toward self-sufficiency—not that they are some kind of wasteland lacking resources—will work better than continuing to feed and subtly manipulate those wealthy oil tycoons and importers who buy everything without a second thought, from hamburgers to S-Class Mercedes... It makes me wonder how much this actually serves the other side and their commitment to playing the role of the righteous hero, even when we set aside "trivialities" like cheap energy sources...

Just look at Iran, for instance; how long have they been under sanctions?
And yet...?

Sure, being self-sufficient in strategic sectors is fine, but there is a massive difference between being independent and being totally cut off from international relations and global trade. This isn't the 19th century. Russia has no future if it's completely sidelined by the West. Either they end up in the same circle as Iran and North Korea, which would be a total failure of Russian policy and a complete abandonment of common sense, or nothing changes.

wearytrucker22 said:Germany has about 23.3 billion cubic meters (bcm) in underground storage capacity,
but they burn through roughly 95 billion cubic meters of imported gas annually—though they’ve managed to cut that by 20% down to 75 billion cubic meters lately. About 50 billion comes from the Benelux region and Norway, plus another 25 billion via ExxonMobil.
So where are the Russians? They're gone. And where are our local Russophiles now? How exactly do they plan on surviving this?

NEW YORK CITY, Oct 24 (Associated Press) - Germany, the largest economy in Europe and a historical heavy lifter when it comes to importing Russian gas, is scrambling to lock down alternative supplies now that flows from Russia have cratered following the invasion of Ukraine. Here is the breakdown of what Germany is doing:

WHERE ARE THE REPLACEMENTS COMING FROM?
Germany is pulling significantly more gas from Benelux, Norway, and France.

According to data from the EIA, Germany’s imports from Norway jumped to 37.6% in September, compared to just 19.2% during the same month last year. Meanwhile, shipments from the Netherlands climbed to 29.6% of total imports, up from 13.7%.

NEW YORK CITY, Oct 24 (Associated Press) - Germany, the largest economy in Europe and a historical heavy lifter when it comes to importing Russian gas, is scrambling to lock down alternative supplies now that flows from Russia have cratered following the invasion of Ukraine. Here is the breakdown of what Germany is doing:

WHERE ARE THE REPLACEMENTS COMING FROM?
Germany is pulling significantly more gas from Benelux, Norway, and France.

According to data from the EIA, Germany’s imports from Norway jumped to 37.6% in September, compared to just 19.2% during the same month last year. Meanwhile, shipments from the Netherlands climbed to 29.6% of total imports, up from 13.7%.

I’d say they’re going to run short on gas, but honestly, both the Russophobes and the Russophiles are going to feel the squeeze. They can just hug each other; maybe that'll keep them warm. Personally, I’m fine. Down in South Florida, we've got solar. 😉 ☕ Let their industry go bust; it’s too much of a headache anyway. Every summer it’s unbearable—you can’t even enjoy a swim in peace. Every beach is packed, paved over with concrete, trees chopped down, the whole environment trashed. Everything just reeks of cheap pizza slices and old fryer oil.

Melissa Rivera5 said:There'll be fuel available, just probably won't be Russian.

It’s a real concern for me. I filled my tank to the brim, much like how those Germans used to fill their gas tanks. 🍿

wearytrucker22 said:German gas storage facilities are sitting at 99.19% capacity, according to the latest preliminary data released last night by the European gas storage operator

And without Nord Stream or the pipeline... what on earth are those poor Russians going to do with all that gas?

Based on my own recent checks, the fuel tank in my Chevy is sitting at 99.6%. Honestly, I couldn't care less about gas prices or whether the pumps will actually have fuel available right now.🎉 🤣

brightheron64 said:I honestly can't wrap my head around this relentless urge people have to downplay China's progress...
Don't get me wrong, I'm not exactly sitting here hugging their political system, but facts are facts.

If we’re going to dismiss Chinese patents and scientific research just because someone might focus on the life cycle of silkworms or the mating habits of pandas, then we have to remember that there are plenty of doctors right here in the US who dedicated their entire careers to studying butterflies or the sexual lives of grizzlies...

The whole point of the story is how they are aggressively moving forward, effectively performing a "brain drain" on global knowledge and implementing all of it into their own economy, yet this entire debate seems to hinge solely on whether the Chinese can catch up to the West.

Just 150 years ago, things were looking pretty bleak for them; they were losing countless lives just building the transcontinental railroads, but today, the narrative has shifted quite significantly—if you just look at the development of their rail networks compared to ours in the US...

And while we're talking about steel, even Americans didn't invent modern blast furnaces, let alone the specific Siemens-Martenov method for high-quality steel; they copied that too, and we all know where it came from.

But let's pivot back to the Russians. As my colleague pointed out, 25,000 patents is practically nothing considering the sheer size and potential of a nation like that—it's nearly half of what you'd see in the Netherlands. But the most depressing part of this whole saga isn't the Chinese or the Russians; it's us, the Americans, because per capita, we are falling way below those struggling Russians who have completely botched things by trying to play both a superpower and a group of wealthy sheiks simultaneously... especially since, alongside gas and oil, they actually have decent agriculture and raw materials, which is really just the most basic way to leverage your own resources.

My dear friend, a dictatorship did far more for America than thirty years of our democracy ever could...

Look, if you're truly interested, here's just one minor detail to consider—cartography, specifically maritime mapping...

But you have to admit, we are absolute masters at mocking everything and everyone. Even twenty years ago, we used to spend all our time making fun of the Czechs.🤦

Even Saudi Arabia is finally ready for a taste of democracy. I suppose they’ll be hanging up on the President next.

Lisa Patel4 said:So, is Russia actually losing this war even though they annexed territory roughly the size of Canada? That’s basically the economic heart of Ukraine we're talking about. Just a reminder: Ukraine lost access to its ports, vital mineral resources, a massive chunk of its fertile farmland, and the entire Sea of Azov.

I'll say it again: this looks like nothing more than a Pyrrhic victory for Russia. If they don't hold everything up to the Kharkiv-Odesa line, it's a loss in my book.

For those who don't know, Stalin annexed the Baltic states after WWII. The West refused to recognize it—just like they didn't recognize the communist government in Poland—but they still cooperated with the Soviet Union whenever it was convenient.

Ultimately, the West will probably do exactly what they did after the annexation of Crimea: they'll talk a big game and criticize publicly, while quietly accepting that the territory belongs to Russia now.

It seems Ukrainians haven't learned much from history. The English threw the Czech Republic to Hitler without a second thought, and Churchill certainly didn't hesitate to hand all of Poland over to Stalin at Yalta.

Let’s be realistic—what can the West actually do? They slapped sanctions on Russia, armed Ukraine, and isolated Russia. That’s the extent of it. If the Russians are strong enough to annex parts of Ukraine, you can howl at the Moon all you want.

Kate Cook27 said:Is Belarus getting pulled into this fight too?

http://www.twitter.com/PavelLatushka...Czma2UkN0rAAAA

Our sources report: #Lukashenko agreed to deploy 120K soldiers during November-February. Belarus undertakes to supply 100K mobilized soldiers in addition. Lukashenko is preparing for a full-scale war. The West must issue an ultimatum he cannot refuse.

So—Russian troops moving into Belarus, plus local mobilization on top of that? It sounds like Lukashenko gave the green light, probably during a meeting in Sochi. Are we looking at a new push toward Kyiv?? 😁 Or maybe Kharkiv?

I don't buy it. Not unless he’s sitting on some intel we haven't seen yet.

Melissa Rivera5 said:Because look, once you start drafting old guys and handing out rusted-out gear, you're pretty much defining desperation. The guy invaded UA thinking he’d just roll into Kyiv in three days—they even had some parade tank at the start, which was wild. Then all this circus started, and honestly, after more than half a year, they haven't even managed to take all of the Donbas. On top of that, the sanctions are hitting hard and their military looks like it's about to fall apart. Putin can hallucinate whatever he wants regarding how great or important he is, but let's be real—the only thing stopping them from literally tearing him apart is the nuclear deterrent. That's just the reality of it.

And what do you think? Is it really such a struggle to snap a photo of some rusty AK-47 and an old man in Ukrainian fatigues? Or a crowd of people fleeing Ukraine? You see them everywhere across America, and I can only imagine how many there are in places like Poland or Germany. It’s just as likely that Russian media is drumming up their own narrative about the Ukrainian exodus.

Besides, that figure of 300,000 is probably a lie; the number of mobilized troops could be much higher.

analogbear5 said:The mobilization itself is just a desperate move. Whether or not he actually believes it’ll turn the tide—that's irrelevant.

How is that a desperate move? If the other side has already mobilized everyone who can walk or crawl, what choice do you have left?

He probably knows his troops aren't elite, but let's be real—it's not like these Ukrainian conscripts are some kind of Navy SEALs either.

crimsoncyclist71 said:We can speculate all we want, but no serious military analysis gives them any real chance.

How so? Go watch some Russian news channels and try to find a single Russian colonel or general who actually believes Ukrainians have a shot.🕺

Michael Davis9 said:I) Putin launched his invasion of Ukraine without having enough force to guarantee a win, yet he brought just enough to keep Ukrainians fighting with everything they had out of pure survival instinct. At one point, Kyiv was under serious threat, Kherson had fallen, and cities like Chernihiv and Sumy were completely surrounded—it was incredibly intense.
Then, after seven months of seeing his primary forces largely decimated and watching the Ukrainians successfully build a winning military, he finally resorted to a mass mobilization.
If he had hit Ukraine with 600,000 troops right at the start, he might not have conquered the whole country, but he likely would have seized the entire eastern side of the Dnieper.
What we’re seeing now is essentially just throwing artillery fodder against highly trained, deeply motivated Ukrainians, which is going to have a negligible impact on the actual outcome of the war.

II) It’s also worth noting that he didn't shut off the pipelines supplying the European Union immediately; instead, he waited six months, gradually turning down the flow before ultimately destroying the pipeline altogether. But most of Europe had already prepared for winter—it's that classic case of "too little, too late" policy-making.

III) And finally, if he goes ahead and annexes these few regions, he’ll actually be doing the Ukrainians a massive favor. By putting Crimea, Kherson, and these newly annexed areas all on the same legal footing, he removes any distinction when Ukrainians eventually liberate parts of Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, or Crimea. For the Ukrainians themselves, there isn't much difference, but this way, even the Chinese will see that the Russians don't actually care about losing their own territory.

It’s honestly hard to imagine Putin playing his hand any better against Ukraine.

I find that hard to swallow. I refuse to believe the Russians are so reckless that they’d just sit by and watch their own soil slip away. Sure, they might be the only ones who think that land belongs to them, but from tomorrow onward, it’s officially Russian Federation territory. There are really only two ways to look at this:

1. They honestly believe this latest wave of mobilization will be enough to hold the line.
2. They have a nuclear ace up their sleeve.

There isn't a third option. And it’s not just the Chinese waiting in line for a piece of the pie; the Russian Federation is a "federation" made up of God knows what and whomever. My guess? Plenty of those republics wouldn't mind breaking away from Moscow in a heartbeat.

wanderingdriver68 said:

MOSCOW (AP) — The Kremlin says that The four regions of Ukraine that held referendums on joining Russia will be incorporated into The country on Friday.

So, I guess we get to watch the whole circus unfold tomorrow.

Anyone with half a brain cell saw this coming from Putin. It’s hardly a shocker. Honestly, I'm just surprised it took them seven months; I expected this move much sooner. He probably intended to swallow all of Ukraine in one go, but clearly, the plan hit a snag somewhere along the way. 🤣

Look, if we're talking about Russian territory being shelled by everything Ukraine has to throw at it, then declaring war on Ukraine becomes the logical next step. ☕ I’m bracing for increased missile strikes across the rest of Ukraine—assuming they haven't emptied their warehouses yet—and more threats leveled at the West regarding the use of nuclear weapons.