Chindie Posted February 21, 2022 VT Supporter Share Posted February 21, 2022 The global chip shortage extends to all computer chips, not just cars (it's why the latest game consoles are still hard to find a year after release, for example) and has a few factors, which does include weather factors but it's not the main driver of the problem. The bigger issues are unprecedented levels of demand, Covid causing enormous production capacity issues and the US/China trade war causing trading problems. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjmooney Posted February 21, 2022 VT Supporter Share Posted February 21, 2022 2 hours ago, Awol said: So after Putin’s cameo as Blofeld in that televised national security council meeting… it looks like the route is to recognize Luhansk and Donetsk as independent states, Russian troops will then be invited in to provide security (lol) and occupy those parts of the regions still under Ukrainian control. They clash with the Ukrainian army at the line of contact (in red on map) and Putin has his casus belli to invade the remainder of Ukraine. You were right. Quote The Kremlin says President Putin has decided to recognise the independence of two breakaway areas of Ukraine controlled by Russian-backed separatists. A Kremlin statement said Putin had told the French and German leaders he intended to sign a decree recognising the Donetsk and Luhansk areas as independent states. BBC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HanoiVillan Posted February 21, 2022 Share Posted February 21, 2022 One thing that sticks out about the security council meeting, when thinking back on it, is the comparison to the 2008 Russo-Georgian war, as in: It's an interesting comparison. The positive one might take from that is that Russia did not annex the entirety of Georgia, but the probably more significant negative is that both breakaway provinces are unlikely to ever return to Georgian control, and that in their counter-attack, the Russians made sure to make it very clear they could have taken the capital if they wanted, including taking their forces pretty close to the capital and bombing some targets around the capital (eg airport, pipelines etc). One huge and obvious difference is that Ukraine is both massively larger than Georgia, and that the disputed provinces are much further from the capital. Big question, then, is if this comparison is not predictive of how the war will pan out, or if Russia is going to make the massively larger military commitment to attack deep into Ukraine proper to make clear they could take it if they wanted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Genie Posted February 21, 2022 Share Posted February 21, 2022 I learned the other day that a high end Range Rover has over 5,000 semi-conductors in it. Goes to show why the automotive industry is hit so hard by the global shortages. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LondonLax Posted February 21, 2022 Share Posted February 21, 2022 (edited) Putin is currently giving a (long and rambling) speech on how Ukraine has gone to shit since it left the Russian bosom and it now needs Russia to help set it right again. https://youtu.be/jNhh-OLzWlE Edited February 21, 2022 by LondonLax 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Awol Posted February 21, 2022 Share Posted February 21, 2022 20 minutes ago, HanoiVillan said: One huge and obvious difference is that Ukraine is both massively larger than Georgia, and that the disputed provinces are much further from the capital. Big question, then, is if this comparison is not predictive of how the war will pan out, or if Russia is going to make the massively larger military commitment to attack deep into Ukraine proper to make clear they could take it if they wanted. He doesn’t recognize Ukraine as being a proper country or legitimately existing separately from Russia. Most likely I think he’s going to play for all the marbles and reincorporation of Ukraine into the fold. Like in Belarus, they’ll be a Kremlin puppet leader but no question about who pulls the strings. 55 million Europeans back under the Russian boot, you’d have got good odds against that 10 years ago. Useful map showing the electoral distribution in 2010, the last proper nationwide election before the 2014 revolution. That’s not an unthinkable end state if Putin is goes for something less than taking the whole country over. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chindie Posted February 21, 2022 VT Supporter Share Posted February 21, 2022 Ukraine getting smaller? Whodathunkit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sharkyvilla Posted February 21, 2022 Share Posted February 21, 2022 I guess this confirms Putin has transitioned from dictator into full on despot. God knows how this will all end. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Awol Posted February 21, 2022 Share Posted February 21, 2022 There it is, getting the band back together. Confirmed recognition of Dontesk and Luhansk which is the gateway to widening the invasion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sidcow Posted February 21, 2022 VT Supporter Share Posted February 21, 2022 In absolute seriousness does anyone think Putin is going a bit nuts? If he is going a bit mentally unstable who the hell in the regime is going to stop him? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
desensitized43 Posted February 21, 2022 Share Posted February 21, 2022 21 minutes ago, sidcow said: In absolute seriousness does anyone think Putin is going a bit nuts? If he is going a bit mentally unstable who the hell in the regime is going to stop him? You do think this is all looking a bit 1939 here. Mentally unstable despot claiming lands of his neighbours because there happen to be people there who speak the same language or because he has a historic right to them. I don’t think anyone would argue the world was wrong to go to war in 1939 to stop Hitler. How much land are we willing to let him take before we have to take action? His language today about some of the other former soviet republics of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania are very concerning. It doesn’t sound like he plans to stop at Ukraine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
magnkarl Posted February 21, 2022 Share Posted February 21, 2022 I don’t think Xi is going to be too pleased with this. China has said they don’t want war. Putin has gone mad. Time to arm Ukraine so well that Russia will bleed to death if they do invade. The only way Putin goes away is if he loses his army and support. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sidcow Posted February 21, 2022 VT Supporter Share Posted February 21, 2022 Time for somebody at the KGB or whatever its called these days to slip a bit of polonium into his food to reign in the monster methinks. I've not seen his news conference but from reports I've seen some of his ministers were not too enthusiastic looking. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Awol Posted February 21, 2022 Share Posted February 21, 2022 9 minutes ago, sidcow said: Time for somebody at the KGB or whatever its called these days to slip a bit of polonium into his food to reign in the monster methinks. I've not seen his news conference but from reports I've seen some of his ministers were not too enthusiastic looking. The head of the SVR (successor to the KGB) looked like he was filling his pants as Putin harangued him. They all did really. Some time ago Putin banned criticism of Stalin and also started talking up the pre-Bolshevik Russian Empire. I think he genuinely sees himself as a new Tsar, and more importantly the blokes around him are behaving like he is. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
villarule123 Posted February 21, 2022 VT Supporter Share Posted February 21, 2022 Looks like they're moving in right now. Yikes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Genie Posted February 21, 2022 Share Posted February 21, 2022 6 minutes ago, villarule123 said: Looks like they're moving in right now. Yikes Where is this reported? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Awol Posted February 21, 2022 Share Posted February 21, 2022 3 hours ago, bickster said: It's all down to a particular control chip used in cars, there is a global shortage and it's nothing to do with China 1/3rd of these chips used in cars worldwide are made in one Factory in Japan, it had a huge fire In the US, Samsung and others have manufacturing facilities in Texas. there was a huge storm last winter than knocked out those facilities for a while Taiwan, suffered a big drought and they need lots of water on the manufacturing process That's what has caused the new car shortage, not even COVID related (COVID did have an effect but not as much as the above) Fun fact: The US semiconductor industry imports 90% of its high-grade neon supplies from Ukraine. Oops. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
foreveryoung Posted February 21, 2022 Share Posted February 21, 2022 2 hours ago, Genie said: I learned the other day that a high end Range Rover has over 5,000 semi-conductors in it. Goes to show why the automotive industry is hit so hard by the global shortages. 8500 in a new Mercedes S Class I had a diesel GLC (company car), as I couldn't can't get a EQC Electric Mercedes till at least December, due to parts shortage 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheAuthority Posted February 21, 2022 VT Supporter Share Posted February 21, 2022 3 hours ago, Chindie said: The global chip shortage extends to all computer chips, not just cars (it's why the latest game consoles are still hard to find a year after release, for example) and has a few factors, which does include weather factors but it's not the main driver of the problem. The bigger issues are unprecedented levels of demand, Covid causing enormous production capacity issues and the US/China trade war causing trading problems. Yup. 9 month - 12 month wait on kitchen appliances over here. It's crippling the US new housing market they just can't build anything, let alone build fast enough for peoples needs. Existing home prices are going through the roof (25% year on year) It's unsustainable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Awol Posted February 21, 2022 Share Posted February 21, 2022 31 minutes ago, villarule123 said: Looks like they're moving in right now. Yikes Right you are. For "peacekeeping operations" read "invasion." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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