Sanctions on Russia

wiredseal7 said:The guy asked which plane the Chinese are building and got his answer—they’re even doing the engines themselves now.
Speaking of which, the Irkut MC-21 has had to strip out all Western components due to sanctions, making it a completely independent product from the Western aviation cartel.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irkut_MC-21

If the US and China actually cut trade ties, both sides would crater—there’s just too much interdependence for decoupling to happen without causing a massive economic disaster for everyone involved. Sure, China might manage to pivot to other markets (their own, anyway), but American consumers would be left with nothing—it would be absolute chaos.

That’s why it won't happen; nobody can afford it—unless we're talking about actual war—and if that's the case, then this mythical "grand collapse of China" that American PR media blares about every week isn't even part of the equation. They still have pretty healthy economic growth, which is something we aren't seeing here in the West.

The US would love to kill two birds with one stone by taking out both Russia and China, but they seem to be hitting a wall trying to dismantle their enemies and competitors on both fronts...

That is absolutely wrong... and total nonsense.
There is no way in hell China could win an economic war against the West... not even in a fever dream. Even the most hardcore Chinese officials wouldn't claim that.
What you're saying is either pure trolling or you just don't have a clue what you're talking about (it's basically on par with that brainless "nothing is produced in the West" garbage you hear floating around that makes zero sense in reality).

quietviper0 said:Do me a favor and let the folks over at OPEC know that their entire existence is becoming obsolete...
They seem to be under the delusion that market prices are formed solely by the laws of supply and demand, and that they can just tinker with production levels once a month to control things...

But hey, if you go and explain to them that they could simply release 35% more product into the market and automatically earn 35% more money, they might actually reward you for saving them from all those tedious monthly meetings and recalculations...
Who knows, maybe you'd even snag a Nobel Prize in Economics for such a groundbreaking discovery...

Bravo, another absolute gymnast with logic.
We’re talking about one single company, based in one specific country, holding a monopoly over a specific region, producing goods for one sole customer with absolutely no physical way to ship those goods anywhere else because the infrastructure just doesn't exist. And yet, you're trying to compare that tiny scenario to the entire solar system or the scale of OPEC...

If you can't grasp a basic "for dummies" explanation or face the physical reality of the situation, I honestly don't know where you went wrong on your path toward understanding markets and Nobel prizes...

Let's try some simple logic...
If you don't deliver the gas, and you just burn it off as flare gas instead, you aren't collecting any Euros. If there's no collection, there's no profit. Is that complicated enough?

Only people living in a completely parallel reality think that you can just withhold a product and still somehow make money without anyone paying you.
Where does the cash come from?

You don't deliver the gas, you don't get the Euros, but you still turn a profit. It's pure magic... 🤦
Maybe we should just lift all sanctions then, since apparently, you make more money when you don't deliver anything and nobody pays you.

While the rest of us "fools" actually have to do work, deliver products, and collect payments just to stay afloat...
It seems we'd all be much richer if we just sat around doing nothing, delivering nothing, and receiving nothing.
Forget Nobel, you're looking at Darwin... 🤦

velvetcanyon20 said:Bravo, another absolute gymnast with logic.
We’re talking about one single company, based in one specific country, holding a monopoly over a specific region, producing goods for one sole customer with absolutely no physical way to ship those goods anywhere else because the infrastructure just doesn't exist. And yet, you're trying to compare that tiny scenario to the entire solar system or the scale of OPEC...

If you can't grasp a basic "for dummies" explanation or face the physical reality of the situation, I honestly don't know where you went wrong on your path toward understanding markets and Nobel prizes...

Let's try some simple logic...
If you don't deliver the gas, and you just burn it off as flare gas instead, you aren't collecting any Euros. If there's no collection, there's no profit. Is that complicated enough?

Only people living in a completely parallel reality think that you can just withhold a product and still somehow make money without anyone paying you.
Where does the cash come from?

You don't deliver the gas, you don't get the Euros, but you still turn a profit. It's pure magic... 🤦
Maybe we should just lift all sanctions then, since apparently, you make more money when you don't deliver anything and nobody pays you.

While the rest of us "fools" actually have to do work, deliver products, and collect payments just to stay afloat...
It seems we'd all be much richer if we just sat around doing nothing, delivering nothing, and receiving nothing.
Forget Nobel, you're looking at Darwin... 🤦

I'll try to keep this brief so I don't get too deeply tangled up in these kinds of technical analyses...

https://tradingeconomics.com/commodity/eu-natural-gas
If you set that chart to the last ten years and take a good long look, maybe you'll start to grasp what stable supply and demand actually looks like, and more importantly, what happens when they aren't stable...
If that graph doesn't make sense to you, you really probably shouldn't be weighing in on this topic...

For a bit of extra context—which you might also want to look into before jumping into these debates—I can tell you that last year, the European Union sent about 20 billion Euros worth of gas to Russia, and last year was pretty much average once you crunch all the numbers...

As for how much we've paid Russia for gas since the invasion began (meaning within the last eight months or so), you can find all the details right here: http://www.russiafossiltracker.com/

Brenda Murphy3 said:That is absolutely wrong... and total nonsense.
There is no way in hell China could win an economic war against the West... not even in a fever dream. Even the most hardcore Chinese officials wouldn't claim that.
What you're saying is either pure trolling or you just don't have a clue what you're talking about (it's basically on par with that brainless "nothing is produced in the West" garbage you hear floating around that makes zero sense in reality).

Let’s slow down for a second.

We aren't talking about something that unfolds over years, but rather over entire generations.... There was a time when Maoist followers were obsessed with hunting sparrows, but today... just take a look at the declaration sitting on your computer screen.

And check this out:

The Biden administration is committed to upholding Presidential Proclamation 10043, which recasts Chinese graduate students in certain sensitive fields as “nontraditional spies” eager to steal American Technology and intellectual property. Many Chinese STEM students have Had difficulty getting their vis applications approved in The Wake of this proclamation. American higher education institutions, tech companies, and some politicians have lodged protests against the proclamation, arguing that it amounts to “shooting ourselves in the foot.” They also claim it is a betrayal of American national interests, since the stay rate of Chinese STEM doctoral students in the U.S in recent years is over 80%, down from a high of 90% in 2017.
https://www.sixthtone.com/news/10080...ducation-craze

By the way, who do we think is actually footing the bill for these Chinese students at top-tier universities worldwide (especially since more and more of them are heading back home)? Is it just Mom and Dad?
And of course, the Chinese authorities remain conveniently silent about it...

brightheron64 said:Let’s slow down for a second.

We aren't talking about something that unfolds over years, but rather over entire generations.... There was a time when Maoist followers were obsessed with hunting sparrows, but today... just take a look at the declaration sitting on your computer screen.

And check this out:

The Biden administration is committed to upholding Presidential Proclamation 10043, which recasts Chinese graduate students in certain sensitive fields as “nontraditional spies” eager to steal American Technology and intellectual property. Many Chinese STEM students have Had difficulty getting their vis applications approved in The Wake of this proclamation. American higher education institutions, tech companies, and some politicians have lodged protests against the proclamation, arguing that it amounts to “shooting ourselves in the foot.” They also claim it is a betrayal of American national interests, since the stay rate of Chinese STEM doctoral students in the U.S in recent years is over 80%, down from a high of 90% in 2017.
https://www.sixthtone.com/news/10080...ducation-craze

By the way, who do we think is actually footing the bill for these Chinese students at top-tier universities worldwide (especially since more and more of them are heading back home)? Is it just Mom and Dad?
And of course, the Chinese authorities remain conveniently silent about it...

You could measure it across hundreds of generations, but the outcome stays the same.

You want to know when China will actually overtake the USA in any real sense? When it becomes a democracy. The whole Chinese economic and political setup basically makes it impossible for them to ever catch up to the West, and it’s never going to happen. That is, assuming we’re measuring success by actual human standards rather than some weird obsession. I'm talking about an individual's quality of life, their economic status, and their basic freedoms. For some twisted minds, I guess North Korea is "successful" because they built a nuke. But if we start using those kinds of broken metrics, then what's even the point of discussing this?
A one-party state is never, ever going to catch up to the West. It’s just that simple.

Brenda Murphy3 said:You could measure it across hundreds of generations, but the outcome stays the same.

You want to know when China will actually overtake the USA in any real sense? When it becomes a democracy. The whole Chinese economic and political setup basically makes it impossible for them to ever catch up to the West, and it’s never going to happen. That is, assuming we’re measuring success by actual human standards rather than some weird obsession. I'm talking about an individual's quality of life, their economic status, and their basic freedoms. For some twisted minds, I guess North Korea is "successful" because they built a nuke. But if we start using those kinds of broken metrics, then what's even the point of discussing this?
A one-party state is never, ever going to catch up to the West. It’s just that simple.

Who knows? There were once supposedly invincible republics, democracies, and empires... and now they're all just dust in the wind.

Whether they eventually overtake us, I couldn't say (and I certainly don't believe I'll live to see it), but not too long ago, the gap was absolutely massive, almost indescribable... yet the reality is that the distance between them is constantly shrinking.

And speaking of democracy... comparing a one-party state to a two-party system isn't actually such a monumental leap forward. In all honesty, what matters more is who holds the reins of that one party, and I actually suspect that a truly enlightened absolutist might achieve more than a democracy that gets bogged down in endless bickering between the same old elephants and donkeys...

Sure, you can always pull North Korea out as a wildcard, but keep in mind that Saudi Arabia isn't exactly a benign dictatorship either, even if circumstances have allowed them to live in prosperity. On the other hand, in the beacon of democracy (if my memory serves me right), about 11% of the population—and as many as 17% of children—live below the poverty line, which goes to show that, from an economic standpoint, democracy itself isn't a guaranteed ticket to a happy and comfortable life.

https://www.railway.supply/en/russia...e-of-collapse/

Sanctions are starting to really bite into Russia's capacity.

Since they basically can't manufacture their own bearings and are totally reliant on imports from the West, these sanctions are slowly grinding their rail networks to a halt because they just can't get their hands on spare parts.

brightheron64 said:Who knows? There were once supposedly invincible republics, democracies, and empires... and now they're all just dust in the wind.

Whether they eventually overtake us, I couldn't say (and I certainly don't believe I'll live to see it), but not too long ago, the gap was absolutely massive, almost indescribable... yet the reality is that the distance between them is constantly shrinking.

And speaking of democracy... comparing a one-party state to a two-party system isn't actually such a monumental leap forward. In all honesty, what matters more is who holds the reins of that one party, and I actually suspect that a truly enlightened absolutist might achieve more than a democracy that gets bogged down in endless bickering between the same old elephants and donkeys...

Sure, you can always pull North Korea out as a wildcard, but keep in mind that Saudi Arabia isn't exactly a benign dictatorship either, even if circumstances have allowed them to live in prosperity. On the other hand, in the beacon of democracy (if my memory serves me right), about 11% of the population—and as many as 17% of children—live below the poverty line, which goes to show that, from an economic standpoint, democracy itself isn't a guaranteed ticket to a happy and comfortable life.

There is a massive difference between catching up—which mostly involves copying and stealing technology—and actually pulling ahead.

hiddeneagle98 As if I haven't heard this one before...
There is only one way to truly catch up...It really seems to boil down to nothing more than blatant copying and the outright theft of technology...And there’s also the matter of simply being outpaced...

Do you seriously still believe in that...? 🤣

Take a look at this breakdown of the top ten nations leading the pack in international patent filings through the end of 2021... It really gives you a sense of where the global innovation race is heading...

When you take a look at the global landscape of innovation, specifically when tracking the sheer volume of patent applications filed by various nations, the data tells such a fascinating story about where the future is being built... It really makes you step back and consider how much momentum is shifting between the major players on the world stage...
The sheer volume coming out of China China is staggering—we’re looking at roughly 695,400...
The United States reaches a staggering 595,700...
Japan - 502,600
South Korea - 206,780
Germany - 173,220
France - 72,800
The United Kingdom reached a total of 58,410...
Switzerland - 53,860
Sweden - 44,530 Netherlands
Sweden - 44,530 Netherlands

It’s honestly quite fascinating to look at how the landscape of global innovation is shifting right before our eyes, especially when you dive into the sheer volume of patent filings coming out of China China these days... It really makes you stop and think about where the next big technological breakthroughs will actually originate, given how rapidly their intellectual property engine seems to be accelerating...
It seems like there’s been a major shift in policy over in China, as they’ve just officially authorized... It’s truly remarkable to see that there have been over 2.53 million patents filed within just the last five years, especially when you consider they’ve maintained a steady average annual growth rate of about 13.4%....
I was just browsing through some recent population data on World Population Review, specifically looking at how different nations are trending, and it really makes you stop and think about the sheer scale of everything happening globally... It’s fascinating to see how these numbers shift over time, especially when you consider the underlying factors like birth rates and migration patterns that drive such massive changes in a country's demographic makeup... There’s something almost overwhelming about seeing it all laid out in those charts, isn't there? It paints such a vivid picture of our changing world...

It’s truly fascinating to watch how the global landscape is shifting, especially when you look at the sheer scale of innovation happening right now... It seems that China has overtaken the US as the world leader in both scientific research output and "high impact" studies, which really puts things into perspective regarding where the center of gravity for discovery might be moving... One can't help but wonder what this means for the future of American leadership in tech and medicine, as the pace of publication becomes so incredibly intense...
It is truly remarkable to consider how much the landscape of global innovation has shifted in such a short window... between 2018 and 2020 alone, China published 23.4% of all scientific papers worldwide, actually overtaking the US in that specific metric... it really makes you stop and think about where the center of gravity for discovery is moving...

It’s becoming increasingly clear that the global landscape of innovation is shifting, especially since US China Has overtaken The US as The World leader in both scientific research output and “high impact” Studies... It really makes you stop and think about where the center of gravity for discovery is moving, doesn't it? Based on a recent report released by the Ministry of Science and Technology in Japan....
According to a report released this past Tuesday by Japan’s National Institute of Standards and Technology, the landscape of global innovation is shifting quite rapidly, as it turns out that China now publishes The highest number of scientific research papers yearly , followed by The US and Germany...

It’s worth noting that this article is already over two months old, so some of the details might feel a little dated by now...
It’s honestly a bit staggering when you sit down to look at the sheer scale of what’s happening in the global scientific community lately... I was just reading through some data regarding how much research is being pumped out worldwide, and the shift is nothing short of massive. It turns out that China has overtaken the US as the world leader in both scientific research output and "high impact" studies, which is a monumental pivot from where things stood just a few years ago. Specifically, between 2018 and 2020, China published 23.4% of the world's scientific papers, an incredible surge that really changes the landscape of global innovation... When you look at the current hierarchy, the numbers tell a very clear story: China now publishes the highest number of scientific research papers yearly, followed by the US and Germany. It makes you wonder about the long-term implications for technological sovereignty and how this concentration of intellectual capital might reshape international relations over the next decade... It’s one of those shifts that feels quiet on the surface, but underneath, the entire foundation of global progress is being recalibrated...

brightheron64 said:

hiddeneagle98 As if I haven't heard this one before...
There is only one way to truly catch up...It really seems to boil down to nothing more than blatant copying and the outright theft of technology...And there’s also the matter of simply being outpaced...

Do you seriously still believe in that...? 🤣

Take a look at this breakdown of the top ten nations leading the pack in international patent filings through the end of 2021... It really gives you a sense of where the global innovation race is heading...

When you take a look at the global landscape of innovation, specifically when tracking the sheer volume of patent applications filed by various nations, the data tells such a fascinating story about where the future is being built... It really makes you step back and consider how much momentum is shifting between the major players on the world stage...
The sheer volume coming out of China China is staggering—we’re looking at roughly 695,400...
The United States reaches a staggering 595,700...
Japan - 502,600
South Korea - 206,780
Germany - 173,220
France - 72,800
The United Kingdom reached a total of 58,410...
Switzerland - 53,860
Sweden - 44,530 Netherlands
Sweden - 44,530 Netherlands

It’s honestly quite fascinating to look at how the landscape of global innovation is shifting right before our eyes, especially when you dive into the sheer volume of patent filings coming out of China China these days... It really makes you stop and think about where the next big technological breakthroughs will actually originate, given how rapidly their intellectual property engine seems to be accelerating...
It seems like there’s been a major shift in policy over in China, as they’ve just officially authorized... It’s truly remarkable to see that there have been over 2.53 million patents filed within just the last five years, especially when you consider they’ve maintained a steady average annual growth rate of about 13.4%....
I was just browsing through some recent population data on World Population Review, specifically looking at how different nations are trending, and it really makes you stop and think about the sheer scale of everything happening globally... It’s fascinating to see how these numbers shift over time, especially when you consider the underlying factors like birth rates and migration patterns that drive such massive changes in a country's demographic makeup... There’s something almost overwhelming about seeing it all laid out in those charts, isn't there? It paints such a vivid picture of our changing world...

It’s truly fascinating to watch how the global landscape is shifting, especially when you look at the sheer scale of innovation happening right now... It seems that China has overtaken the US as the world leader in both scientific research output and "high impact" studies, which really puts things into perspective regarding where the center of gravity for discovery might be moving... One can't help but wonder what this means for the future of American leadership in tech and medicine, as the pace of publication becomes so incredibly intense...
It is truly remarkable to consider how much the landscape of global innovation has shifted in such a short window... between 2018 and 2020 alone, China published 23.4% of all scientific papers worldwide, actually overtaking the US in that specific metric... it really makes you stop and think about where the center of gravity for discovery is moving...

It’s becoming increasingly clear that the global landscape of innovation is shifting, especially since US China Has overtaken The US as The World leader in both scientific research output and “high impact” Studies... It really makes you stop and think about where the center of gravity for discovery is moving, doesn't it? Based on a recent report released by the Ministry of Science and Technology in Japan....
According to a report released this past Tuesday by Japan’s National Institute of Standards and Technology, the landscape of global innovation is shifting quite rapidly, as it turns out that China now publishes The highest number of scientific research papers yearly , followed by The US and Germany...

It’s worth noting that this article is already over two months old, so some of the details might feel a little dated by now...
It’s honestly a bit staggering when you sit down to look at the sheer scale of what’s happening in the global scientific community lately... I was just reading through some data regarding how much research is being pumped out worldwide, and the shift is nothing short of massive. It turns out that China has overtaken the US as the world leader in both scientific research output and "high impact" studies, which is a monumental pivot from where things stood just a few years ago. Specifically, between 2018 and 2020, China published 23.4% of the world's scientific papers, an incredible surge that really changes the landscape of global innovation... When you look at the current hierarchy, the numbers tell a very clear story: China now publishes the highest number of scientific research papers yearly, followed by the US and Germany. It makes you wonder about the long-term implications for technological sovereignty and how this concentration of intellectual capital might reshape international relations over the next decade... It’s one of those shifts that feels quiet on the surface, but underneath, the entire foundation of global progress is being recalibrated...

Can they even handle 3nm or 5nm lithography? In what specific sector are Chinese patents actually beating the West?

I’m not so sure you can just copy everyone else and suddenly become the world's strongest economy.. 🤷

brightheron64 said:

hiddeneagle98 As if I haven't heard this one before...
There is only one way to truly catch up...It really seems to boil down to nothing more than blatant copying and the outright theft of technology...And there’s also the matter of simply being outpaced...

Do you seriously still believe in that...? 🤣

Take a look at this breakdown of the top ten nations leading the pack in international patent filings through the end of 2021... It really gives you a sense of where the global innovation race is heading...

When you take a look at the global landscape of innovation, specifically when tracking the sheer volume of patent applications filed by various nations, the data tells such a fascinating story about where the future is being built... It really makes you step back and consider how much momentum is shifting between the major players on the world stage...
The sheer volume coming out of China China is staggering—we’re looking at roughly 695,400...
The United States reaches a staggering 595,700...
Japan - 502,600
South Korea - 206,780
Germany - 173,220
France - 72,800
The United Kingdom reached a total of 58,410...
Switzerland - 53,860
Sweden - 44,530 Netherlands
Sweden - 44,530 Netherlands

It’s honestly quite fascinating to look at how the landscape of global innovation is shifting right before our eyes, especially when you dive into the sheer volume of patent filings coming out of China China these days... It really makes you stop and think about where the next big technological breakthroughs will actually originate, given how rapidly their intellectual property engine seems to be accelerating...
It seems like there’s been a major shift in policy over in China, as they’ve just officially authorized... It’s truly remarkable to see that there have been over 2.53 million patents filed within just the last five years, especially when you consider they’ve maintained a steady average annual growth rate of about 13.4%....
I was just browsing through some recent population data on World Population Review, specifically looking at how different nations are trending, and it really makes you stop and think about the sheer scale of everything happening globally... It’s fascinating to see how these numbers shift over time, especially when you consider the underlying factors like birth rates and migration patterns that drive such massive changes in a country's demographic makeup... There’s something almost overwhelming about seeing it all laid out in those charts, isn't there? It paints such a vivid picture of our changing world...

It’s truly fascinating to watch how the global landscape is shifting, especially when you look at the sheer scale of innovation happening right now... It seems that China has overtaken the US as the world leader in both scientific research output and "high impact" studies, which really puts things into perspective regarding where the center of gravity for discovery might be moving... One can't help but wonder what this means for the future of American leadership in tech and medicine, as the pace of publication becomes so incredibly intense...
It is truly remarkable to consider how much the landscape of global innovation has shifted in such a short window... between 2018 and 2020 alone, China published 23.4% of all scientific papers worldwide, actually overtaking the US in that specific metric... it really makes you stop and think about where the center of gravity for discovery is moving...

It’s becoming increasingly clear that the global landscape of innovation is shifting, especially since US China Has overtaken The US as The World leader in both scientific research output and “high impact” Studies... It really makes you stop and think about where the center of gravity for discovery is moving, doesn't it? Based on a recent report released by the Ministry of Science and Technology in Japan....
According to a report released this past Tuesday by Japan’s National Institute of Standards and Technology, the landscape of global innovation is shifting quite rapidly, as it turns out that China now publishes The highest number of scientific research papers yearly , followed by The US and Germany...

It’s worth noting that this article is already over two months old, so some of the details might feel a little dated by now...
It’s honestly a bit staggering when you sit down to look at the sheer scale of what’s happening in the global scientific community lately... I was just reading through some data regarding how much research is being pumped out worldwide, and the shift is nothing short of massive. It turns out that China has overtaken the US as the world leader in both scientific research output and "high impact" studies, which is a monumental pivot from where things stood just a few years ago. Specifically, between 2018 and 2020, China published 23.4% of the world's scientific papers, an incredible surge that really changes the landscape of global innovation... When you look at the current hierarchy, the numbers tell a very clear story: China now publishes the highest number of scientific research papers yearly, followed by the US and Germany. It makes you wonder about the long-term implications for technological sovereignty and how this concentration of intellectual capital might reshape international relations over the next decade... It’s one of those shifts that feels quiet on the surface, but underneath, the entire foundation of global progress is being recalibrated...

It always comes back to this: quality versus quantity. You can churn out a mountain of work, but if there’s no substance behind it, what are you actually achieving? It’s like the difference between a factory pumping out cheap, disposable plastic trinkets and a master craftsman building something meant to last a lifetime. One looks impressive on a spreadsheet because the numbers are huge, but the other actually carries weight in the real world. People get so caught up in hitting those massive volume targets that they completely lose sight of whether the end product actually matters.

Is there actually a leaderboard for tech theft out there? I mean, if we’re tracking who’s really playing dirty when it comes to intellectual property, does a definitive ranking even exist? It feels like every time you turn around, some massive corporation or state actor is getting caught red-handed lifting proprietary blueprints or software code, yet nobody ever seems to put all those incidents into one organized scoreboard to show who the real champions of industrial espionage are.

Christian Torres3 said:Can they even handle 3nm or 5nm lithography? In what specific sector are Chinese patents actually beating the West?

If you want a bit of perspective, this was essentially the vision of progress back in China about sixty years ago:

During that era, "backyard furnaces" were these small, makeshift smelting units used by people across the country during the Great Leap Forward (1958-1962). They were set up in fields and residential yards all over the nation to try and hit those ambitious targets of the Great Leap Forward—specifically the goal to make China the world's largest steel producer. In reality, though, most of those little setups could only manage to produce low-grade pig iron...

Wait, how does China even factor into this? Can someone catch me up?

Where does Russia stand when it comes to patents?

brightheron64 said:If you want a bit of perspective, this was essentially the vision of progress back in China about sixty years ago:

During that era, "backyard furnaces" were these small, makeshift smelting units used by people across the country during the Great Leap Forward (1958-1962). They were set up in fields and residential yards all over the nation to try and hit those ambitious targets of the Great Leap Forward—specifically the goal to make China the world's largest steel producer. In reality, though, most of those little setups could only manage to produce low-grade pig iron...

Modern blast furnaces weren't some sudden invention; they just grabbed the tech from the West. Quantity doesn't equal quality.

analogbear5 said:Wait, how does China even factor into this? Can someone catch me up?

Where does Russia stand when it comes to patents?

Russia has 24,000 patents.

hollowdriver13 said:https://www.railway.supply/en/russia...e-of-collapse/

Sanctions are starting to really bite into Russia's capacity.

Since they basically can't manufacture their own bearings and are totally reliant on imports from the West, these sanctions are slowly grinding their rail networks to a halt because they just can't get their hands on spare parts.

It claims nicely that Russians have started producing them—or rather, estimates suggest they’ll cover just under 50% of demand. It wouldn't be hard to conclude they'll cover everything by next year.
Eight years ago, people were screaming about a Russian collapse due to the sanctions back then. Instead, they went from net importers to the world's biggest agricultural exporters, stabilized their financial sector, and beefed up industry. Sure, they hit bumps in the road during those first few months, but long-term? This isn't an issue. As I said back in 2014, this topic comes up constantly, yet we see that a collapse is nowhere in sight.

Brenda Murphy3 said:You could measure it across hundreds of generations, but the outcome stays the same.

You want to know when China will actually overtake the USA in any real sense? When it becomes a democracy. The whole Chinese economic and political setup basically makes it impossible for them to ever catch up to the West, and it’s never going to happen. That is, assuming we’re measuring success by actual human standards rather than some weird obsession. I'm talking about an individual's quality of life, their economic status, and their basic freedoms. For some twisted minds, I guess North Korea is "successful" because they built a nuke. But if we start using those kinds of broken metrics, then what's even the point of discussing this?
A one-party state is never, ever going to catch up to the West. It’s just that simple.

Having just been in Abu Dhabi (not my first time), I can tell you this thesis is nonsense. For a capable person, the quality of life here is better than in any European country. That goes for individual economic status; you only need to look at whether Europeans are heading to the UAE or vice versa to see the truth.
More importantly, this desert nation covers all its vital needs, from energy requirements to full food production. I can't think of a single European country that manages that. Except maybe Russia.

I don't value the "freedom" to choose between the Republican Party and the Democratic Party—leftists versus rightists—all that much.
Here, the state functions like a CEO running a private firm, unlike your typical European bureaucrats who seem intent on shooting themselves in the foot. There's a very simple reason why the country works better and why China gets closer to the West every year. You just have to watch how the gap constantly shrinks.

America is one of the safest countries in the world, but compared to this monarchy, it looks like the Wild West.

steelfox98 said:It claims nicely that Russians have started producing them—or rather, estimates suggest they’ll cover just under 50% of demand. It wouldn't be hard to conclude they'll cover everything by next year.
Eight years ago, people were screaming about a Russian collapse due to the sanctions back then. Instead, they went from net importers to the world's biggest agricultural exporters, stabilized their financial sector, and beefed up industry. Sure, they hit bumps in the road during those first few months, but long-term? This isn't an issue. As I said back in 2014, this topic comes up constantly, yet we see that a collapse is nowhere in sight.

Having just been in Abu Dhabi (not my first time), I can tell you this thesis is nonsense. For a capable person, the quality of life here is better than in any European country. That goes for individual economic status; you only need to look at whether Europeans are heading to the UAE or vice versa to see the truth.
More importantly, this desert nation covers all its vital needs, from energy requirements to full food production. I can't think of a single European country that manages that. Except maybe Russia.

I don't value the "freedom" to choose between the Republican Party and the Democratic Party—leftists versus rightists—all that much.
Here, the state functions like a CEO running a private firm, unlike your typical European bureaucrats who seem intent on shooting themselves in the foot. There's a very simple reason why the country works better and why China gets closer to the West every year. You just have to watch how the gap constantly shrinks.

America is one of the safest countries in the world, but compared to this monarchy, it looks like the Wild West.

Back in 2013, Russia’s GDP per capita was sitting at around $16,000. Then 2014 rolls around, sanctions get slapped on because of the aggression, and by 2020, that GDP had slumped down to about $10,000. It’s a pretty straightforward decline once you look at the timeline.
I was digging through some World Bank data earlier, specifically looking at the indicators for Russia, and man, things are looking pretty wild. It’s one of those deep dives that really makes you step back and look at the bigger picture.
How exactly do you account for that?
Everything just suddenly started blooming right after the sanctions hit. Yeah, sure. As if.

steelfox98 said:It claims nicely that Russians have started producing them—or rather, estimates suggest they’ll cover just under 50% of demand. It wouldn't be hard to conclude they'll cover everything by next year.
Eight years ago, people were screaming about a Russian collapse due to the sanctions back then. Instead, they went from net importers to the world's biggest agricultural exporters, stabilized their financial sector, and beefed up industry. Sure, they hit bumps in the road during those first few months, but long-term? This isn't an issue. As I said back in 2014, this topic comes up constantly, yet we see that a collapse is nowhere in sight.

Having just been in Abu Dhabi (not my first time), I can tell you this thesis is nonsense. For a capable person, the quality of life here is better than in any European country. That goes for individual economic status; you only need to look at whether Europeans are heading to the UAE or vice versa to see the truth.
More importantly, this desert nation covers all its vital needs, from energy requirements to full food production. I can't think of a single European country that manages that. Except maybe Russia.

I don't value the "freedom" to choose between the Republican Party and the Democratic Party—leftists versus rightists—all that much.
Here, the state functions like a CEO running a private firm, unlike your typical European bureaucrats who seem intent on shooting themselves in the foot. There's a very simple reason why the country works better and why China gets closer to the West every year. You just have to watch how the gap constantly shrinks.

America is one of the safest countries in the world, but compared to this monarchy, it looks like the Wild West.

It doesn't say they've actually started producing; it says if Russian "manufacturers" can manage to assemble what they already have sitting in warehouses from Western components, then MAYBE they might be able to deliver 95k bearings. Meanwhile, the Russian railways are still facing a deficit of 100k bearings, and then you've got the specialized lubricants and seals that aren't even produced in Russia or the CIS region at all.

If you honestly believe that bearing production is something the Russians can just organize from scratch to normal production levels in a single year, then you should also believe me when I say I have a beach house in Florida right on the coast that I'll sell you for cheap. ☕

I’d highly recommend you try visiting an SKF production facility sometime just to see what modern bearing manufacturing actually looks like (for instance, SKF used to import ball components from Sweden to their factory in Russia because they couldn't make them there).
A little side note regarding China: their CNC machines still aren't quite good enough to handle precise ball grinding on ball valves during maintenance, which is why they still have to order machinery from the Netherlands and Germany.

Abu Dhabi is beautiful if you stay within that narrow "razzle-dazzle" business center bubble built specifically for the Westerner. I’d suggest taking a trip about 50 miles37 miles outside that circle—maybe even stay overnight somewhere out there—and then come back and tell me all about how it's "better and safer than the EU."

brightheron64 said:Who knows? There were once supposedly invincible republics, democracies, and empires... and now they're all just dust in the wind.

Whether they eventually overtake us, I couldn't say (and I certainly don't believe I'll live to see it), but not too long ago, the gap was absolutely massive, almost indescribable... yet the reality is that the distance between them is constantly shrinking.

And speaking of democracy... comparing a one-party state to a two-party system isn't actually such a monumental leap forward. In all honesty, what matters more is who holds the reins of that one party, and I actually suspect that a truly enlightened absolutist might achieve more than a democracy that gets bogged down in endless bickering between the same old elephants and donkeys...

Sure, you can always pull North Korea out as a wildcard, but keep in mind that Saudi Arabia isn't exactly a benign dictatorship either, even if circumstances have allowed them to live in prosperity. On the other hand, in the beacon of democracy (if my memory serves me right), about 11% of the population—and as many as 17% of children—live below the poverty line, which goes to show that, from an economic standpoint, democracy itself isn't a guaranteed ticket to a happy and comfortable life.

Of course... nothing lasts forever, and nothing stays the same. But let’s be real for a second: some social systems just plain work better than others. They provide a higher quality of life, period. It’s a constant. Always has been, always will be.

brightheron64 said:Who knows? There were once supposedly invincible republics, democracies, and empires... and now they're all just dust in the wind.

Whether they eventually overtake us, I couldn't say (and I certainly don't believe I'll live to see it), but not too long ago, the gap was absolutely massive, almost indescribable... yet the reality is that the distance between them is constantly shrinking.

And speaking of democracy... comparing a one-party state to a two-party system isn't actually such a monumental leap forward. In all honesty, what matters more is who holds the reins of that one party, and I actually suspect that a truly enlightened absolutist might achieve more than a democracy that gets bogged down in endless bickering between the same old elephants and donkeys...

Sure, you can always pull North Korea out as a wildcard, but keep in mind that Saudi Arabia isn't exactly a benign dictatorship either, even if circumstances have allowed them to live in prosperity. On the other hand, in the beacon of democracy (if my memory serves me right), about 11% of the population—and as many as 17% of children—live below the poverty line, which goes to show that, from an economic standpoint, democracy itself isn't a guaranteed ticket to a happy and comfortable life.

It all started shrinking right when China decided to adopt that whole Western model once their economy actually hit its stride—and let’s be honest, they adopted the absolute worst version of it. It makes total sense that the gap is closing fast at first because the disparity was just massive to begin with... but now? This convergence has slowed down exactly how you'd expect. When you're starting from zero, any tiny little movement feels like a huge percentage jump, but as you go higher, catching up becomes an uphill battle. It’s just basic math, people. If someone is pulling in $100k gross and gets a 5% raise, they’re looking at an extra $5k in their pocket. But if someone is sitting at $15,000, they’d need something like a 35% bump just to keep pace, let alone actually close the distance. It's simple arithmetic, really.

brightheron64 said:Who knows? There were once supposedly invincible republics, democracies, and empires... and now they're all just dust in the wind.

Whether they eventually overtake us, I couldn't say (and I certainly don't believe I'll live to see it), but not too long ago, the gap was absolutely massive, almost indescribable... yet the reality is that the distance between them is constantly shrinking.

And speaking of democracy... comparing a one-party state to a two-party system isn't actually such a monumental leap forward. In all honesty, what matters more is who holds the reins of that one party, and I actually suspect that a truly enlightened absolutist might achieve more than a democracy that gets bogged down in endless bickering between the same old elephants and donkeys...

Sure, you can always pull North Korea out as a wildcard, but keep in mind that Saudi Arabia isn't exactly a benign dictatorship either, even if circumstances have allowed them to live in prosperity. On the other hand, in the beacon of democracy (if my memory serves me right), about 11% of the population—and as many as 17% of children—live below the poverty line, which goes to show that, from an economic standpoint, democracy itself isn't a guaranteed ticket to a happy and comfortable life.

It’s just not happening... it never was, and it never will be. Honestly, I think you're missing the entire point of why Western democracies consistently outperform one-party systems, autocracies, or straight-up dictatorships. Look, sure, a country where one single person calls all the shots can pull off some quick wins early on. That’s mainly because they don't have to deal with actual laws or red tape—it’s just "do this" or "don't do that," plain and simple. But that's a sucker's game. Very quickly, that whole system loses its steam, and the entire nation ends up held hostage by that exact style of decision-making. It’s a pattern we've seen play out a million times before.
Ever stop and wonder why you can name every single dictator on the planet—I mean, sure, everyone knows Putin, Lukashenko, Maduro, and Erdogan—but if someone asked you who actually runs Switzerland or heads up the government in Sweden, Norway, Australia, Portugal, or Denmark, you’d be totally lost? It’s kind of wild when you think about it. We spend all this mental energy tracking these absolute tyrants, yet we have zero clue who’s steering the ships in countries that are actually successful, stable, and objectively better at running things. It’s like we're hardwired to obsess over the chaos while ignoring the people actually making life work.
Look, you don't get it, and honestly, it doesn't even matter. It’s irrelevant because all these countries have more or less independent institutions that actually do their jobs regardless of who happens to be sitting in the Oval Office or the PM's chair. It's the exact same setup here in the States. We have a massive web of agencies and institutions that function on their own, and frankly, it makes zero difference whether we have a Democrat or a Republican leading the charge. The President of the USA doesn't have some unlimited, unchecked power to just do whatever they want—you can't compare that to someone like Putin. That's why your comparison between the US and a one-party system or a dictatorship is totally off base. It's a massive distinction and a huge step forward, which is the complete opposite of what you're claiming. At the end of the day, the strength of any democratic nation isn't about which specific politician is currently in power; it's about how robust and independent its institutions are.

brightheron64 said:Who knows? There were once supposedly invincible republics, democracies, and empires... and now they're all just dust in the wind.

Whether they eventually overtake us, I couldn't say (and I certainly don't believe I'll live to see it), but not too long ago, the gap was absolutely massive, almost indescribable... yet the reality is that the distance between them is constantly shrinking.

And speaking of democracy... comparing a one-party state to a two-party system isn't actually such a monumental leap forward. In all honesty, what matters more is who holds the reins of that one party, and I actually suspect that a truly enlightened absolutist might achieve more than a democracy that gets bogged down in endless bickering between the same old elephants and donkeys...

Sure, you can always pull North Korea out as a wildcard, but keep in mind that Saudi Arabia isn't exactly a benign dictatorship either, even if circumstances have allowed them to live in prosperity. On the other hand, in the beacon of democracy (if my memory serves me right), about 11% of the population—and as many as 17% of children—live below the poverty line, which goes to show that, from an economic standpoint, democracy itself isn't a guaranteed ticket to a happy and comfortable life.

Look, nothing in life is a 100% guarantee, but one system gives you a million times more chances at a decent life than the other... and we've been seeing that play out in real time for decades. And regarding this whole "poverty line" argument—I don't know the exact stats off the top of my head, but honestly, you're just playing with numbers here. Do you even know what the poverty threshold is in the US for a family of four? It's almost $30,000 a year. Anything under that gets lumped into "poverty." Go ahead, try applying that same logic to any one-party state or dictatorship... then come back and tell me how it went.
The US has a massive pile of problems, no doubt about it... that’s a fact... but there is absolutely no comparison when you put us up against China, Russia, and those other total disasters...