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The oxygen locked into hematite is just as useful as the iron, because it is needed to facilitate the steel-making process. Oxygen is critical to many chemical processes which produce the products we need in our industrialised world. I agree, there's a large cost component in shipping iron ore many thousands of kilometres to furnaces in far-off countries. But those countries are prepared to pay that cost, and they often own the ore bulk carriers, as well as the iron and steel-making facilities. The simple fact remains that iron and steel-making is a business that just cannot be started from scratch without a monstrous financial investment, running into possibly multiple tens of billions of dollars, the need to find stable markets for that iron and steel, that are consistent purchasers of the product - and the end product goes into a world full of iron and steel products that are often sold cheaply. There are many "anti-dumping" legal actions against iron and steel manufacturers around the world, as the Chinese in particular, often dump iron and steel products at low prices during sales slumps, to keep their furnaces operational. They often over-produce iron and steel products. If we go into iron and steel making on a large scale, we are competing with huge global iron and steel producers in a vicious market. BHP and Rio Tinto are possibly the only corporations who could garner the huge investment backing required to indulge in large-scale iron and steel production. All businesses need to borrow money to finance big projects and you need to be able to convince lenders you can repay the borrowed money. Financiers would be reluctant to lend money to huge iron and steel manufacturing projects, as they are seen as low return. However, there is great interest in finding cheaper ways of making iron and steel, and especially "green" steel, where pollution levels from the manufacturing process are low. Iron and steel manufacturing is one of the worlds most polluting industrial production processes. To that end, there are three companies in W.A. currently either manufacturing or investing in "green" steel production on a modest scale. It appears the S.A. Govt is also intent on supporting "green" steel manufacturing in that State. https://international.austrade.gov.au/en/news-and-analysis/news/australia-forges-a-future-made-from-green-steel

No. It doesn't. There are a heap of factors that go into house prices including supply, number of tradies, planning rules, land zoning, capital gains discounts, short term holiday houses (Airbnb), etc. Again - looking for a simple solution to a complex problem.

Even if you just if you completely skip the rest, forget it all, and just think housing. That one huge thing alone SCREAMS, stop effg immigration. Not rocket science .

That only happened with the LUST batch of Robots they Made..Nev

gotta larf. Just displays the level of Amerikan ignorance for the world to see. But the world doesn't neen any more proof. of course I question 'is that pic real?' These days truth challenges irony a lot.

I was just watching Jon Stewart on the Daily Show, and it was some of the funniest stuff I've seen. Video clips from the White House Correspondents Dinner. I hope it comes on Youtube. More than half the seated people cleared from the room and a woman dressed to the nines going around the tables picking up bottles of wine. An old grey headed guy in glasses, probably in his 80's, sitting at the table eating his dinner like noting was happening. Four security people herding one gov't official off the podium. while a woman on the main floor was trying to climb the four steps to the podium in high heels, reaching out for help but being ignored.. In a later press conference an interviewer was questioning Trump about the shooter she said that in his manifesto, he had said they all had to die, liars, rapists...". Trump interrupted to say "I'm not a rapist." She said "I didn't say he was referring to you." Hilarious stuff.

Whilst it is true that green hydrogen is still in its infancy, it does not mean that it is a dead technology. Notable (and relatively successful) green hydrogen projects 🇸🇦 NEOM Green Hydrogen Project One of the world’s largest projects (over 2 GW electrolyser capacity) Backed by Air Products and ACWA Power ~90% constructed as of 2025–2026 Designed to produce hydrogen → ammonia for export 👉 Why it matters: This is one of the first projects moving from hype to bankable, near-operational scale. 🇨🇳 Chifeng Net Zero Hydrogen-Ammonia Project Developed by Envision Energy Produces ~320,000 tonnes of green ammonia per year (already operating) Powered by wind + solar 👉 Why it matters: This is one of the few large projects already running, not just planned. 🇩🇪 Bad Lauchstädt Energy Park ~30 MW electrolyser using wind power Supplies hydrogen to chemical industry (e.g. TotalEnergies) 👉 Why it matters: A good example of industrial integration, not just production. 🇮🇳 Kandla Green Hydrogen Plant Small (1–10 MW), but operational and locally used Powers buses and port infrastructure 👉 Why it matters: Shows hydrogen working in real transport and port use, not just theory. 🇨🇳 Large-scale wind-to-hydrogen hubs (Inner Mongolia) Multi-billion-dollar developments combining renewables + hydrogen China already exceeded ~220,000 tonnes/year capacity and scaling fast 👉 Why it matters: China is arguably the only place doing this at real industrial scale today. 🏭 Companies that are actually delivering projects These aren’t single projects but are consistently active (a good proxy for “success”): Fortescue Future Industries Adani Enterprises TotalEnergies Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners They’re leading global capacity build-out and investing across dozens of projects . ⚖️ Reality check (important) Even the “successful” ones share a few traits: 💸 Still expensive (often $3.5–6/kg vs cheaper fossil hydrogen) 🏗️ Heavy subsidies or government backing 📈 Success = scaling + proving viability, not big profits yet ⚡ Economics depend heavily on very cheap renewable electricity Globally, there are 500+ projects and $110B+ committed, but only a fraction are fully operational .

Any one can employ a lot of workers, but when they want to change the rules to Make MORE Money for themselves, I say NO. At 38 BILLION She's rich enough already. She's bought. into Newspapers to get Influence, and Immensely funded campaigns. "Lord" Monkton was her trusted advisor. There's nothing New Here.. Gina has an Overdeveloped sense of Entitlement . Lang Hancock Couldn't stand her and he's her Father. Nev

Yes, her various businesses keep a lot of people employed, makes her rich and helps the country's exports, so everyone's happy. Her wealth also buys her a lot of political influence and whether or not that's a good thing depends on whether you agree with her political views. She's too much like Trump in my opinion.

I'm sure you were, but if you just read this sentence "...when I was a cop and was depositing seized drug money at my local bank" It gives a different impression...

The construction of a wind turbine blade is extremely complex, and no doubt very costly. They don't lend themselves to re-usability very readily. Fibreglass is their major constituent. It seem to be the height of stupidity to just bury them.

Stopping immigration completely will not make the housing problem go away. Stopping huge investments in our housing by overseas investors such as the Chinese will go some way to help the housing problem. There are serious numbers of houses owned by Chinese investors that are purposely kept empty, because of the Chinese attitude towards property investing. This has to stop. Plus, all investors must be made to produce proof of the origins of their money in line with AUSTRAC reporting. As it is, real estate agents, solicitors and others in the real estate industry are not obliged to report people purchasing properties with suitcases full of cash money. It is legend here on the West Coast that Chinese buyers turn up to real estate agencies with suitcases full of cash, to prove they have the money and don't need to finance the property. This is a glaring hole in our control of legal money origins.

About the "attempted assassination". The fellow who was involved in the incident recently has been charged with attempting to assassinate Trump, and others. Once again I come to the conclusion that US law is foolish. Just think about it. Trump was well away from the the likely entrances to the room and there were lots of people between those entrances and Trump. The fellow no doubt had the intention to harm Trump, but hardly a viable opportunity, given the layout of the site and the presence of armed security people. In my mind alledging an offence of "attempting" in this case is akin to charging someone with a thought crime. But we are talking about Yanks here, so anything goes. As an aside, I'd like to know what firearm fired the bullet that hit the security guard. The guard survived the hit due to a bullet resistant vest, so I reckon that the firearm was a handgun, not a rifle that the fellow was supposed to have fired. All I can say is that the incident was a missed opportunity. OH! There's a knock at my door. Must be the AFP acting on behalf of the CIA.

Like all 'end of use' engineering stories....... I'm still waiting to hear all about the grand innovative car tyre recycling plan. or the grand plastics recycling plan......... or the innovative nuclear waste recycling plan. We hoomin beans are not very innovative when we finish playing with our toys.

I didn't watch it, but read the fact checking of it. What an example of terrible journalism. Unsurprising though given the presenter previously worked for Shell.

Kimmel, Stewart, Myers and Colbert are about the only sane voices on US tv.

She HAS never Been an "Elected" politician. She just BUYs them. This "She Employs a Lot of People" doesn't make her an angel. Currently she HAS to . She's also on record saying 2$/ day is about right for Workers She will replace them with robots without any concern for her Workers Just like Big Clive did when he closed a Nickel Mine without paying workers their entitlements, which the Gov't of the day Picked up. . She is Australia's Richest Person and already has her reward. "It's ONLY Dirt Before WE dig it up". Well it's Part of Australia's Wealth and is FINITE and Australia should get it's share. Nev

She employs a lot of workers - that's a good idea isn't it?

I look forward to the day when this thread can be merged with the "well known celebrities who have passed away" thread. But in related news - now Gina thinks that immigrants social media should be screened. Wonder where she got that idea? https://www.theguardian.com/business/2026/apr/27/gina-rinehart-immigrant-social-media-screening-anzac-day-sydney-opera-house-ntwnfb

OME, in the interest of fact hunting I asked A.I. and the answer to your question is ....... "The price of tea in China varies widely based on factors like quality and type, with average prices around $10 for 250g of tea, while high-quality varieties can cost significantly more, even up to $1,000 for 500g." So there!

Just watched this video, from a reasonably reliable commentator. In it the presenter indicates that questions are being asked about the level of security at the location. Before anything happened, people were commenting that it wasn't as tight as would normally be expected. A theory being proposed is that the incident was a set up to bolster Trump's popularity rating which at the moment is the lowest of any President since Carter. It is also reported in the video that earlier in the night, the husband of Leavitt advised a well-known reporter to be careful. That could have been out of context with eventual events as any right wing reporter could become a target at some time. Like anything surrounding Trump, the reason for this incident might be real or might be an example of fake news, this time gnerated by the Administration. Oh I wish that Trump would go. I'd really like to get back to important things, like the price of tea in China.

This probably isn't relevant to this thread

It’s reported that he had a pump action shotgun, a handgun and three knives. The ballroom is on the second level basement. He only got onto the first basement level before being stopped by security, so he was never going to get very far with the weapons he had. The real security issue is that he got as far as he did. Also, that the first, second, fourth and fifth people directly in line to replace the president were in the same room.

Only in Russia... https://united24media.com/latest-news/russian-forces-shoot-down-own-drones-then-claim-them-as-trophies-18273

But how does a seller deposit hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash into a bank account. Here in NSW deposits of $10,000+ in cash must be documented. I remember having to do so when I was a cop and was depositing seized drug money at my local bank into the holding account that the police had.

We had our local show this weekend. I got the chance to speak to representatives of the mob which is in the process of gaining approval for an eighty-tower windfarm within 20 kms of my place. Eighty towers seems like a big crowd, but when I was shown to proposed location of each tower, I saw that they were separated from each other by close on a kilometre. My first thought when I heard of the proposal was that teh towers would be visible from the Newell Highway which is located to the east of the proposed area. I learned that the closest tower woulod be about 5 kms from the highway, with a line of low "hills" between them. So that's no longer a concern to me. I think I've whinged before that around here it can be pretty windy, nd said that it would be ideal for a wind farm. Seems I'm right in some ways and mistaken in others. I experience wind as air movement within about 10 metres of the ground surface. That air movement is very turbulent compared to air movement 100 metres above ground where the turbine blades are. That turbulence, caused by the moving air particles colliding withthe ground and trees and ricocheting into air particles higher up. These collisions rob the air particles of energy due to loss of momentum. If the air movement is free of the turbulence, then there is more energy for the collision between the moving air and the turbine blades. That's why the towers are so high. I was also told that studies locally have shown that the most consistent air movement begins at these heights after sunset and stay pretty good until just before dawn. That means the turbines are best able to produce electricity at night in complement to solar panels. That sounds good. What about the effects on farm incomes? The builders don't resume the land they need like the government does when it wants to build roads etc. It seems that the land is rented from the landholders at a rate determined by the generating capacity of the turbine. An example was that of a property with two towers on it. Based on the generating capacity of the intended turbines, renting the land for two towers would return $100,000 p.a. CPI-indexed for a contract period of thirty years. That's got to provide a degree of stabilisation of farm income. I bet any landowner would love to get that sort of money, especially in the present circumstance when it looks like a drought is on the way. Why does it take so long to get a windfarm up an running. Would you beleive that it is in part due to the very people who pursue a renewable world? One of the environmental reports required deals with the effect of the turbines on bats and birds. Getting the data required a study lasting two years. Then there are the Native Heritage studies and gaining clearances from the local indigenous community. Then there are the geo-technical studies, planning permissions yadda yadda. We should consider the economic benefits. It is said that the workforce required to create the windfarm complex is about 500 persons. These people will be newcomers who will have to be fed, housed and entertained for several years. Already the local Council has allocated an area for an accommodation camp. Someone has to build it. An extra 500 people will hopefully boost local trade, although the proximity of the City of Dubbo, about 30 minutes' drive away might not do good for my town. Still, it's money coming into the district. In my opinion, there is nothing wrong with this project. Really, it is going to be 'out of sight, out of mind' to teh majority of the population. And kn owing what I know about smart crows and blind bats, I don't envisage too many mid-air collsions with revolving turbine blades.

Haaa was it ever. Only trouble is for such a gun mad bloody country as l say still none of them for some weird reason can hit the broad side of a house anyway, boggles the mind. Let alone a big old overweight fart like Chump. Also boggles the mind that someone like the man /person, Chump is, is somehow still kicken n place like the US, yet innocent and good people cop it everyday.

So what you are saying is that is acceptable for people to come from overseas and have riots in the streets of Australia because of some past disagreements on the other side of the world. I don't!

Nah I just Like to Talk FACTS with thinking people. Politics is often Fact free and a dangerous subject anytime in Most Places..I've had an interest in it from about the AGE of 11 (Because it is SO important to get it right) so I'm a bit unusual in that respect. . Nev

It's probably FAKE pic. Most of this sort of thing is NOW, Nev

Are you referring to unsolicited phone calls? I totally agree. They are an insult to our intelligence. But we cannot blame the politicians for it, no matter what political party is in power. Further, I cannot stand the businesses that persist in using foreign call centres. Or A.I. voice prompts. But I still cannot blame politicians for such business decisions that create poor customer service (even the big profitable banks are often guilty of it).

I know they were late, but over 100 years late?

Hmm, I'm not sure about that. The Sahara has shrunk by about 8% in the last 20 years due to increased rainfall and greening programmes. In Asia jungles and rainforests have mainly been lost to plantations of oil palms, a lot of that is used to produce biofuel to replace fossil fuels. In South America it is agricultural expansion, logging practices, infrastructure development, and illegal mining. In Australia in the last decade, clearing for wind farms has had a significant impact.

Saying that sort of thing is a bit disrespectful don't you think? Does it advance the argument at all? IMHO Marty is one of the Last people I would accuse of living UNDER a rock. Perhaps one could ask Honestly what other Places are doing it a whole lot Better? I went across Melbourne's North east suburbs this Morning Laden trucks are everywhere. Fuel is at all Petrol stations at lower Prices than they were. No crime or Violence No rude or Bad driving. STOP Bl@@dy Whinging and get on with your Lives and be thankful Perfection is an illusion. Stop dummy spitting Over the Lib/ Nats self imposed failures. They got what they deserved. Time to rebuild and stop throwing blame around. The only Poll that counts IS on election day. We have FAIR elections although the Media is all one way, bar a few small and struggling notables. I don't want to Be anywhere BUT HERE. All things considered. Nev

Lift your game. You don't contribute much other than to have a go at people you don't agree with.. I have been browsing through this site and it's amazing how many times you have had a go at people. I thought I was special . apparently not.

It's been a long time between posts. My main shed renovations are at the stage of a much needed clean out, so I'm getting to the point of sorting some stored flight gear and moving on superflous multiples and unwanted items. I've decided to gift these helmets to a couple of collectors I'm associated with, one in France and the other in Greece. They're extra to my requirements and are better off where they're appreciated instead of a life in storage. I got them from a lady in Vinnytsia about twelve years ago, and realising how rare they were, I bought all of them, hence the extras. At first glance, they look much like the garden variety Soviet leather flight helmet, but these are different externally and internally and were only made in small numbers. In the years since I obtained these helmets I've only ever seen one for sale. They're rare but not valuable as in worth heaps of money. They were manufactured at Rostikinsky in NW Moscow where all the standard leather helmets were made, but the big difference is the use of the same noise cancelling headsets that the cloth ground crew helmets use. These use the glycerine filled earpads and the larger Ukrainian made speakers. The speakers are only different from standard in physical size; they still have the same 1500 ohm resistance. There's no literature or documentation on them, so I can only assume they were designed to try for noise reduction in certain helicopters, possibly the larger Mi-6 and Mi-26. Having said that, I reckon they'd go ok in the screaming Il-76 transport. The low bypass Soloviev D-30 turbofans on them are deafening. I have two of each of these helmet types spare, so will be sending what you see here to each of the collectors overseas (minus the foam heads).

But should state governments be putting money into it? They are funding a hydrogen department as well as putting money into the plant as well as having a HV switchyard built.(Nice and shiny as it glitters in the sun)

Marty you watch too much Jimmy Kimmel . Then again I do suppose you vote Democrat (Labor or Green)