Marshhawk, Yes, I did see the AFR article - thanks. It seemed to be well balanced and well informed.
Apparently the Moa Bay PAL plant in Cuba has been working for 40 years - and it turned a small profit recently even when the nickel price was at rock bottom. So we have one example of a successful PAL plant.
Regarding unions in Australia - Yes, they still have a strong grip in many areas of business, government, and society as a whole. It is quite possible, for the reasons that you have stated, that the welding in the Anaconda plant may not be up to scratch. It has happened before.
Your comments regarding AIDS are interesting. My worry is that AIDS may become more communicable, while its immuno-suppressive effects remain unabated. I have had an interest in the way disease has shaped history. And I think AIDS will have an enormous effect on world history (economy, politics, military, social etc). Perhaps a greater effect than any other.
I know that several years ago the US military (I can't remember exactly who) reported that central africa would end up under Indian control - and the US foresaw Indian expansion into other areas as well. The document (which was in the public arena) identified India as a major military problem in the next 20-30 years.
Why the Pentagon (or whoever) thought that India would not also suffer badly from the AIDS "epidemic" is not clear to me. I thought that it all sounded a bit daft at the time - but, maybe the Pentagon knows something I don't. |
