I have the same qualifications. The B.Sc. means Bachelor of Science, and the B.E. is a separate degree, a Bachelor of Engineering. In my case, my science degree major was in pharmacology, whereas my engineering degree was in chemical engineering.

Out of curiosity, what sort of arrogance make you think that you know the GP's qualifications better than (s)he does? Just because certain qualifications might not be possible in the US system doesn't mean that they don't occur elsewhere.

Relocate a plant because houses were built nearby? It would be far cheaper to relocate all the houses.

Ammonium nitrate is initially produced as an aqueous solution, and the water is then boiled off using carefully designed heat exchangers. The problem is that the resulting pure AN liquid will freeze if the temperature drops below ~170C but it decomposes increasing rapidly once the temperature rises above 200C, lower if the pH is too high or sensitising agents such as chlorides (salt) or oils are present. Decomposition can result in detonation when the AN is confined, and it's a significant hazard concern when designing or operating an ammonium nitrate plant or even just a large storage facility.

I think you may have misread; left hand clutch is still standard. Foot pedals have moved from side to side over the years though.

Definitely not for modern motorcycles - left is always clutch and right is (front) brake. There are some obscure exceptions, such as some prewar bikes.

Now we can be at war with Eastasia and allied to Eastasia at the same time!

That level of service is normal on long haul flights, even in business. I have to travel between Australia and Europe regularly, and the attendant always memorises my name, takes my order at the start of the flight and ensures that my drink is topped up until I say stop.

Flying with Qatar it's even possible to make the whole journey without seeing an economy class passenger.

Over 80% of Australia's population live on the east coast, where the direct flights to NZ leave from (citation). The GP might seems to be one of the ~4 million people who doesn't, in which case he has a choice of a direct flight to Melbourne or Canberra or two flights to NZ.

To give the non-Aussies here some background on the costs skiiers in Australia face: lift passes are about $85 / day / person (for a 7 day pass), mountain access fees are about $40 / car / day, and cheap non-lodge accommodation for 4 (in a single bedroom apartment) is about $3500. Add to that food costs of say $40 / person / day, transport to and from the mountain and equipment hire, and it's easy to see how a week skiing costs the GP and his family $10k for a week, especially if they prefer the kids in a separate room.

Skiing is a very posh sport in Australia, and so the prices for everything snow related reflect that.

Diesel has a higher energy density and is cheaper to produce on a total life cycle cost basis (it requires less treatment to get high quality diesel).

However, those costs include construction of the refinery. Once the units are built to crack the crude and achieve today's relatively high octane ratings, the CAPEX is spent and profit is maximized by selling as much product as possible. The balance between diesel and gasoline is determined during design of the refinery, by selection of catalysts and treatment technologies.

Until a few years ago, gasoline was expected to be the dominant fuel in passenger vehicles for the US. Therefore, billions of dollars have been invested in upgrading refineries to maximize gasoline production.

It will take years to modify the US refineries to significantly reweight their product mix towards diesel. Some minor changes can be achieved by modifying process parameters like reactor operating pressures and temperatures, but these have most likely already been done as the popularity of diesel passenger cars has increased.

The figure is relative to the overall salary they would get if they'd started working straight after finishing high school. That means that the difference reduces to about $50,000 per year, and the high school graduate has a 4-5 year head start (I'm not sure how long a engineering degree takes in the states).

Also, the short version of the article didn't state whether it is before tax income or after tax income. I know that income tax rates are lower in the US, but at higher income levels the higher tax brackets take a considerable portion of an individual's take-home pay.

No.

OPEC sets a total production quota, with the goal of maximising production without depressing prices. The overall quota then gets divided up between the individual member states, based on the size of their reserves. This has led to a situation where it is advantageous for countries to overstate their reserves, as that allows them to increase production (and profits) without a corresponding decrease in the oil price.

As this has been going on for a few decades, we've now got to a point where it is impossible to say even approximately how large the reserves of the OPEC countries are.

That's perfectly normal in Australia. For specialty items (such as watches or cameras), US MSRP is often less than half of the Australian price (in US dollars). As we're talking high markup, low manufacturing cost (relative to purchase price) goods, it's to be expected that the manufacturers will try to optimise pricing for each local market to maximise profit.

Exactly. You can't wear a burqa in public, but in your own home? Absolutely.

Fines will be sent out as soon as they identify the culprits.

If you're a process (chemical), reservoir or mechanical engineer and have 10+ years experience, you'll earn almost double that is lovely locations like Baghdad, Basra, Port Harcourt and Lagos.

To be honest, you can earn 200k working as an engineer almost anywhere in the developing world provided you go there on an expatriate package. A lucky few get sent to first world locations on this type of arrangement, but they don't end up with as much money to take home and the end of their assignment (higher costs of living).

The only pitfall is that you may end up with some very complicated tax arrangements when you get back home, depending on the tax laws of your home country. It is common for expatriate staff to be paid in a third low tax country, and then the challenge is getting the money back to your future home.

Hasselblad recently brought out a digital camera back for their old film cameras, which is compatible with all their V-system cameras, which they made from 1957. They include software which corrects for lens errors for every lens they've ever made.