AndreasHG

Much better if he stays in a Thai jail till the war is over...

In my post, I paid tribute to the cannon fodder Russia supplied in great quantities, which was key to the defeat of Napoleon and of the duo Hitler/Mussolini.

Simply put, I am not. In the West it is customary to differentiate between innovation and intellectual work. Works of authorship (music, literature, cinema - e.g. Sergei Eisenstein - painting - e.g. Wassily Kandinsky - etc.) are protected by copyrights. Innovations are protected by patents, trademarks and trade secrets. According to the US Copyright Office: "Copyright protects original works of authorship, while a patent protects inventions or discoveries. Ideas and discoveries are not protected by the copyright law, although the way in which they are expressed may be". Therefore, music and literature do not qualify as innovations.

Great insight into the deluded minds of the Russian leadership.

Pitty that Russian literature and music did not contribute to raise the mental state of millions upon millions of Russians, in Tsarist Russia, Soviet Russia and nowadays Putin's Russia. Russians to whom is impeded to participate to the wellbeing share by the rest of humanity by their own rulers.

I agree. But American scientific development went beyond military uses, and newly developed technologies, even when originally commissioned by the military, found their way to civil applications. This in Russia never happened. The only goal of scientific and technological research in Russia was (and is) to produce weapons of mass destruction. Nothing else counts.

It doesn't go both ways. Ukraine is an economically underdeveloped country striving to develop through honest, hard work, due to lack of natural resources. Russia is an underdeveloped country, despite having plentiful of natural resources, which lives from one disaster to another, nurturing the illusion of being a great world power. And this has been going on for the last 500 years at least.

I assume you grew up reading the Great Soviet Encyclopedia (GSE; Russian: Больша́я сове́тская энциклопе́дия). Unfortunately, like anything published in Soviet (and nowadays) Russia, it's full of disinformation (Russian: дезинформация). Yours is a long list leading to nothing worth noticing, really: 1. Sikorsky did not invent the helicopter (see Wikipedia for more info). And to manufacture his first helicopter he had to move to the USA. 2. Popov invented the radio only in according to the Great Soviet Encyclopedia. In the real world (see Wikipedia for more info). 3. Rocketry: Russians did not invented rocketry. They took advantage of German progresses in the field and progressed starting from there. Arms of mass destruction is where Russia excels. 4. Tanks were not invented in Russia (see Wikipedia for more info). 5. Periodic table of the elements: discussed in a previous comment (see above). 6. Nikolai Ivanovich Pirogov discovered the C vitamin only according to the Great Soviet Encyclopedia and nothing else (see Wikipedia for more info). 7. Stem Cells were not discovered nor isolated for the first time by Russians (see Wikipedia for more info). 8. Albeit the machine gun was not invented in Russia, the AK-47 is indeed a widely used assault rifle designed by the Russian Mikhail Kalashnikov. Weaponry of mass destruction is the only technological field in which Russia has ever produced anything worth noticing. 10. Tsar Bomba: another example of Russian weaponry of mass destruction. 9. Matryoshka Dolls: finally, a genuine example of Russian ingenuity and inventiveness. The only one on your list.

Rockets used to send the first dog, the first man and the first satellite in space were not a Russian invention (an evolution of German V1s and V2s). The first satellite in space is deeply connected to military applications (weapons of mass destruction), and that's the only space where Russia is, at times, competitive. The above notwithstanding, it's worth noticing that Russia launched its first telecommunication satellite for civilian (but also military) use only in 1974 (the Molniya-M1S), 10 years after the United States of America. The Periodic Table of the Elements has a complex history, but the Russian chemist Dmitri Mendeleev is credited with the definitive breakthrough.

Therefore, not even Borsch!

Rockets. Indeed: Russia sent the first dog in space, and the first man. But they perfected German V1s and V2s with the help of German scientists after WWII. But the rockets were not invented in Russia.

Rockets. Indeed: Russia sent the first dog in space, and the first man. But they perfected German V1s and V2s with the help of German scientists after WWII. But the rockets were not invented in Russia.

There is one thing that always puzzled me about Russia and its millenary history. I cannot identify a single contribution to wellbeing, prosperity or welfare, the invention or conception of which humankind shall be grateful to Russia. To the best of my knowledge, Russia did not contribute to a single one of the great inventions or discoveries, which radically changed the humankind way of living, in the 19th, 20th and 21st century. This is particularly puzzling, because Russia pretends to be a great power. At par with the USA, China, Japan, the UK, Germany, France, etc. I look around in my home, and every single appliance I see, from the airconditioner to the washing machine, from the microwave hoven to the TV set, from the refrigerator to the dish-washing machine, from the printer to the vacuum cleaner, not a single thing was invented or conceived in Russia. I check my car and, again, nothing of it came out of Russia. Not the electronic ignition nor the injection, not the ABS nor the ASR. Not the radial tires, the stratified windscreen, the airbags and the safety belts, not the electric starter and the generator. If I look into my iPhone or my computer, the outcome is the same. No feature, technology, device incorporated into my mobile phone or laptop is the result of an original idea which came out of Russia. I know you are likely going to blame Communism (which too, by the way, was not conceived by Russians, as we will see later). However, I just read an interesting book written by Orlando Figues, "The Story of Russia". Apparently, Russia was already a miserable country under the Tzars. Despite the opulence displayed by the Russian Imperial Court and the boyards surrounding it, the comparison with Europe shows how miserable the average population living conditions in Russia were. In the early 19th century Western visitors noticed that Russians peasants were still working their land barefooted, and technically were still serfs (it is estimated that approximately 70% of the Russian population was made up of serfs when serfdom was abolished in 1861, only 4 years before slavery was abolished in the USA). And, actually, the misery of Russia started even before the Tzars. It started under the Mongols, who ruled Russia for over 200 years till the 15th century. Mongols brought Moscow to prominence, and Mongols abolished the private property of the land in Russia, introducing a form of Communism in Russia, 400 years before Karl Marx reinvented it. I acknowledge that asserting that nothing ever came out of Russia is rather inaccurate. Russia donated much of the cannon fodder that contributed to the defeat of Napoleon and of the Hitler-Mussolini duo. The AK47, a.k.a. Kalaschnikow, has been a real god-gift for self-proclaimed liberation armies and terrorists around the world, even making its way onto a national flag (the one of Mozambique). There are even rumors that Russia is the real inventor of the extermination camps, Hitler, Pol Pot, and other terrible dictators popularized. Stalin's Gulags were the model to which they took inspiration. But as of yet, besides weapons of mass destruction, serfdom, death, mourning and misery, nothing really seems to ever come out of Russia. And that might be the exact reason why all its neighboring countries prefer to look to the West for inspiration. Everyone shall be allowed to strife for a better life for their own children. What is your opinion? Can you name a single Russian innovation that is contributing to the well-being of humanity as a whole? May such a country legitimately pretend to be a great power at par, let's say, of the United States of America?

If Putin decided to retaliate with tactical battlefield nuclear weapons, then Ukraine shall immediately receive similar weapons from the West and reciprocate. I am sure this message has already been delivered to Putin. Putin has much more to lose from a nuclear war than most of us. He is used to live in multimillions mansions around Russia (like the $1 billion Italianate palace complex, located on the Black Sea coast near Gelendzhik, Krasnodar Krai, Navalny uncovered before being poisoned). He is not eager to relocate in an underground cave, where he would spend the rest of his days. An especially likely outcome, if he starts throwing nuclear bombs at the doorsteps of Russian territory, and if Ukraine answers in kind.

You're correct. But I couldn't find a satisfactory product description in the Thai Toyota webpages (at least not in the English ones).

It is surprising how many people still believe the unscrupulous Toyota dealers' claim that the Fortuner has nothing to do with the humbler Hilux. Actually, the Fortuner is still based on the Hilux chassis (see the Fortuner wikipedia page Toyota Fortuner - Wikipedia). According to Toyota the two vehicles share also the very same engine (2GD-FTV (High) / 4 cyl 16 valve DOHC VN Turbo Intercooler), the same transmission (4WD with Differential Lock,6 speed Automatic with Sequential Shift & Paddle Shift), same front suspension geometry (Double wishbone with coil spring and torsion bar), etc. Does this mean the Fortuner is a bad vehicle? Not at all. It is designed to meet a set of specific needs, and it is good at that.

The Toyota Fortuner and the Corolla Cross are two very different vehicles. The Fortuner is built on the Hilux pick-up truck chassis. It's a body-on-frame design which makes it suitable for heavy duty use (off-roading, carrying heavy loads, towing, etc.). This comes at the expenses of fuel efficiency, road handling, comfort and safety. Average mileage per liter of (diesel) fuel is approximately 8 to 9 km/l in urban cycle and 10 to 11 km/l on expressway (13 km/l the estimated fuel consumption by Toyota Australia Specs & Dimensions | Fortuner GX, GXL, Crusade | Toyota Australia). The Corolla Cross is a unibody vehicle and is more suitable for an urban environment such as the one found in Bangkok. It is a nimbler, more efficient vehicle with a mileage of approximately 19 km/l in urban cycle and 16 km/l on expressway, for the Hybrid HEV models, the drivetrain of which is optimized for urban use (24 km/l the estimated fuel consumption by Toyota Australia Specs & Dimensions | Corolla Cross GX, GXL & More | Toyota Australia).

Bad marketing is not good for business. The guy is already on his way back to Chipotle, where nobody cares if he commutes by airplane, helicopter or by SpaceX.

Most of the muslims living in the Middle East don't follow the Sharia and have a relaxed approach to religion. It's when they emigrate that things change drastically. Most of the mosques in the west promote a fundamentalist interpretation of Islam. Radicalizing muslims exposed to western cultures in Western countries, is instrumental to keep a tight control upon them, preventing them from adopting too much of the Western way of life, or from ending attending the Friday prayers at the mosque or, and this is the worst of all posible sins in the muslim world, commit apostasy by converting to another religion. It's the culture of "them against us" that they promote. No matter how many deaths this causes. Coming from Western mindsets, we take it for granted that radicalism is a free choice of the Muslims who live next to us. In reality, radicalism is imposed on them by the imams and by those who financially support the mosques, in the hope of obtaining some kind of eternal recognition from the Almighty.

Charities spreading disinformation, hatred and religious intolerance, leading to more deaths and pain. Their imams should be expelled and stripped of their British nationality, if granted after they immigrated to the UK.

Too few information to understand how this scheme may work. Australia has a GST tourist refund policy in place (approximately 9% of the price paid). But the phones may also be used or, most likely, stolen. If the latter case is true, then well-deserved jail time for the Aussi-Canadian felon.

It is also possible that the distillery does not discard all of the methanol, to maximize production volume and profits. Or that the distillation process is so rudimentary that methanol is still present in the finished product in significant volume. I never drink long drinks or cocktails in Thailand, unless I am in a very reputable and trustworthy establishment (i.e. international hotel). I always wonder what those bottles of Johnny Walker and Absolute Vodka, on display on the carts of street bars or gogo bars, actually contain.

The result of gerrymandering, which is radicalizing politics to the point that it does not represent the bulk of the American people, but only the extremists on both the left and the right.

In Spain is perfectly legal for a foreigner to buy a business and work in it, especially if the foreigner is a citizen of the European Union and does not need any work permit to be legally entitled to work in the country (the same applies to Greece, of course, and any other EU country). In Thailand, certain businesses and jobs are legally exclusively reserved to Thais, and foreigners are only allowed to put their money in them and act as minority shareholders. Thai laws are outdated and intended to protect the local elites (the middle class and the poorest Thais would only benefit from more foreign investments and employers' competition). They end up attracting unscrupulous businessmen, who are more than willing to breach the law, and can't care less abot local employment laws, taxes, health and safety regulations, etc. It is much worse than zero-dollar tourism. It is net-negative-dollar tourism.