World is running out of tungsten?

Ignoramus32673 · 2012-03-15T03:49:41+00:00

Guest post written by Pierre Monet Pierre Monet is CEO of Malaga Inc., a Montreal-based mining company with operations in Peru. Last month, Warren Buffett and Berkshire H...

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Ed Huntress 14 years ago

What are you now, a lawyer? d8-)

Let's stroke your accusation of "ego" some more. It's all a matter of which journalistic culture one comes from. This is the one I come from:

"The National Magazine Awards" "The National Magazine Awards have been presented each year since

1966. In the first four years single awards were given to Look (1966), Life (1967), Newsweek (1968) and American Machinist (1969)."

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How do you think a trade magazine won the national award against that kind of company? By being dead serious about professionalism: relentless about research, and fanatical about accuracy. If that's the way you were taught, you're likely to carry it with you.

Malcolm Forbes ran a diferent kind of magazine. In those days, it was the British tabloid of business journalism -- provocative, contrarion headlines and melodramatic stories. I firmly believe that Malcorm would have run spread pages of naked breasts ("Secretaries to the Masters of the Universe") if he thought it would hype circulation. It was hugely successful. So is Drudge. So is Rupert Murdoch.

It's not fair to assume that Forbes today is what it was in 1974, but the memories about where that culture came from sticks with you. TIME wasn't much better, at least in their coverage of industry. They didn't take it seriously. We did. And their reporters knew it.

So I'm skeptical about Forbes stories. They may have it exactly right, but I wouldn't hang my hat on it until I fact-checked it myself.

There are only a few of us still working who remember who was who and what they did. The great editors and writers from _AM_ -- Colvin, Stanley, and Ashburn -- and how they established an admirable culture of quality are nearly forgotten.

I don't forget. And I try to keep the attitude and approach alive. Call it ego if you will.

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Richard 14 years ago

While I sometimes enjoy a cute turn of phrase, it's hard to respect a man who talks too much.

I'll pass on the ego justification from way back. Right now you rate somewhere between Plimpton and Gunner...

1: George Plimpton .......................... : 224 2: RD Sandman ........... : 189 3: "Scout" ...... : 123 4: Ed Huntress .................... : 77 5: Gunner Asch ....................... : 75 6: Peter Franks ............................. : 63 7: snipped-for-privacy@dudu.org............................................ : 52 8: jk .............................. : 49 9: Too_Many_Tools ................ : 48 10: Hawke ..................... : 47 11: "Stormin Mormon" ..... : 45 12: Josh .................................. : 38 13: "Wild_Bill" ................. : 36 14: BeamMeUpScotty 35 15: Gray Guest .................. : 34 16: "ClintWarwick" ..................... : 33 17: Jeff M ............................. : 31 18: JohnJohnsn ........................ : 31 19: "Michael A. Terrell" ........ : 21 20: LURKER ................................. : 20

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Ed Huntress 14 years ago

' I don't really talk much. I just type. d8-)

Carry on as you were, Richard.

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Joe 14 years ago

Oh, good, does this mean I should start looking for a buyer for the ~500 lbs of pure W that I have?

Joe

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John B. 14 years ago

"Admirable culture of quality"? Why Sir! You must be referring to Fox News that paragon of news services ?-)

-- Cheers,

John B.

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Ed Huntress 14 years ago

"We throw it at the wall. You decide if it sticks." -- Roger Ailes?

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Ignoramus21579 14 years ago

Not really, you can just sell it to me.

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Richard 14 years ago

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Looks like $35 per kilo, bit strangely, sponge and powder forms may be worth more?

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bobm46 14 years ago

I think your "talk too much" list is somewhat misleading. The total amount of posts by Ed and Gunner include a lot of on topic posts about metalworking.

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Richard 14 years ago

You are correct, of course. They do. But then there is a lot of pontificating in there too. (not that I can claim total innocence)

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jk 14 years ago

Perhaps they just look at what had been done with oil, and said, "Hey we can play that game too". jk

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Jim Wilkins 14 years ago

How does this differ from the old print media?

jsw

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Ed Huntress 14 years ago

It doesn't. To a degree, it's a return to identity politics, like we had before the 1940s.

The difference is that we've transitioned from a period of economic levelling, national communication of similar information, and a centering of politics that allowed compromise. We're in a period of isolation and ideological hardening of the arteries.

If you take a long historical view, this is more what the country was like before we had instant, nationwide communication. We're becoming tribal.

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Joe 14 years ago

OK, Iggy, can you come somewhat close to the $35/kilo Richard mentioned?

I wonder what shipping would cost, but then my neighbor has a shipping broker I might be able to tap into.

Joe

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Joe 14 years ago

Thanks, Richard. Where did you get your figures? I've been looking for quite a while and can't find squat online when it comes to tungsten. That makes me rather at the mercy of the few dealers around here who will even take it.

Joe

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Richard 14 years ago

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Googled "spot price tungsten" and read a few.

That $35 came from this one...

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(Sorry, I usually try to post my kinks)

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Joe 14 years ago

Thanks again!

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notanyspam 14 years ago

I can;t believe someone would take thee time to put a list together over this

and really I can not believe I responded to it.

you can tell I sit waiting here for a few

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Przemek Klosowski 14 years ago

Check Norilsk in Siberia/Russia. It's similar latitude to Alaskan North Slope, but it's an industrial city with population of 100,000 and a mile- wide, half-mile deep hole in the ground, whereas people commute to the Slope oilfields by flying in and out. Norilsk also apparently holds the record for most polluted city in the world. Russians are tough people.

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