i wonder how much steel was from the world trade centers. either way it does not suprise me to see asians out whataburgering us. many of them study here and take what they learn back home. also they have access to and can improve designs that took us years and $$$ in R&D. ultimately, it is a damn shame that america is lagging. we have the resources and ingenuity to surpass this feat 100 times over but will not because oil, traffic citations, cabs, busses, and special interests would take a huge dump within the first 3 years. wow we are effed. merry jesus day.
World's longest High Speed Train Route Opens in China
by fulltimestudent 35 Replies latest social current
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mP
Good thing the US government invested trillions on Af and Iq, you could have built 100 of these trains, but instead have well exactly what ?
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Sulla
How come the left has such a woody for high-speed trains? I mean, they're cool and all and they are good over certain distances -- but y'all act like Beyonce is coming to your high school.
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kurtbethel
I take my bike to the Sprinter station in Vista, and get a $12 day pass that opens up the whole county to me. I ride the train to Oceanside, then the Coaster train to San Diego. The trolleys and busses are all covered in that price too. For $5 it leaves off the Coaster train and I can take the Sprinter, busses and Trolley for the day. Then I hop off with my bike and have the run of an area. Works great.
Most of that money and resources that is squandered on bombs and drones could be used to build infrastructure that improves the quality of life for everyone instead of a select few. It's a choice.
Okay, being a visual kind of guy, I will share this clip from the Coaster as it leaves the Sprinter in the dust.
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DATA-DOG
Is it called Leviathan?
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fulltimestudent
fakesmile- thank you for posting your opinion on this topic. May I however, comment on two points. The first, I particularly noted, was the comment wondering how much scrap steel from the twin towers may have been used in the new high speed rail lines or subways?
I do not know the answer to that, but first, I wondered if you were inferring that China had something to do with that attack. If so, I'd like to point out that there is absolutely no evidence that China supported or financed the terrorists that were involved in that attack. The usual consensus is that Al-Qaeda originated in Yemen and Saudi Arabia and is likely financed by wealthy Saudi Arabians, even though the SA government eventually took a stand against the group.
China has also suffered from Muslim terrorism, but have chosen to deal with it differently to the USA. That may be partly because China has had a long connection with Islam and perhaps 1 to 2% of Chinese are Muslims. The oldest mosque (the Huaisheng mosque in Guangzhou) in China is dated to 627 CE. The famous Tang Dynasty, (which wass not Chinese, but Central Asian) had connections with Islam almost from commencement.
So secondly, would the scrap steel from the Twin towers be important to China? No doubt, scrap steel from all over the world finishes up in Chinese steel mills, but that's because China produces a huge proportion of world steel production. In 2010 (as an example), the world produced 1.4 billion metric tonnes of steel. Of that China was the world leader in steel production producing 626 million metric tonnes of steel nearly 6 times more than Japan, who was No 2, producing 109 million metric tonnes. And, the USA was No. 3, producing 80 million metric tonnes of steel. Most of the Chinese steel was refined from iron ore the bulk of which is purchased from iron ore mines located in Australia, Africa, South America, Central Asia, India, Siberia, Mongolia and China itslef. The amount of ore mined is huge, in Australia, the Australian economy is now heavily dependent on Chinese purchases of ore.
The other point was Chinese (and other Asian) students. Yes, indeed many Asians now study in the USA and other western countries. At the University where I'm enrolled there are more than 4000 Chinese students - most studying business and accounting courses.
In today's world education is regarded as an "export" industry and there is strong competition between western nations to get these students to study in their country. Generally foreign students pay a premium to study in the country. My course study (an Arts degree) is valued at about A$10,000. A foreign student (unless on a scholarship) may pay many times more than that. So you see why universities compete for these students. And, many do stay in the country where they studied. If you read the reports of research these days, you will note that Chinese names appear more and more on the research papers.
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jgnat
I might as well throw in my hat regarding the movement of steel. I've learned a bit, being in a part of the country with high quality metallurgical coal. Coal, iron and steel are heavy. It is cheaper to move by oceangoing barge than any other transport, including train. For example, the coal we mine in Western Canada is cheaper to transport across the Pacific than to the Eastern seaboard of North America. None of our coal goes east.
I can absolutely guarantee therefore, that the steel from the twin towers was put to use in the Eastern US, or across the Atlantic to Europe or to South America.
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fulltimestudent
Thnx Jgnat, for that information. You're right, the costs involved in digging either iron ore or coal from the ground, is not the only significant cost involved. Shipping costs mean that different mining areas enjoy cost advantages in the markets cloest to them.
I turned up some scrap steel figures for the USA. In 2006 the scrap steel market was estimated to be worth 65 billion US dollars. Of that some 15.7 billion dollars worth of scrap steel was exported. Those figures indicate that scrap steel is important to US steel production, The source states that for every 3 pounds of new steel produced in the US, 2 lbs are made with scrap steel as the raw material feedstock.
So furthering the point raised by fakesmile, it is likely that most of the scrap steel from the twin towers buildings was re-used within the US market. And that most of that enormous 626 million metric tonnes of new steel produced in China in 2010 was entirely new. Hopefully, that steel will be re-cycled when its its current use (in construction or transport) comes to the end of its useful life.
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jgnat
No doubt, fulltimestudent. Steel recycles very nicely. There is only so much ore we can dig from the ground, and metals will only become more valuable. Just look at what has happened to copper. Historic Church Ornaments Stolen
