View from North America Dear Members, I trust this missive finds everybody safe and well. Polina and I have been chatting over several weeks and have come up with a…
Tom Butcher
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Graphene has been around now for some 12 years. For those in the minor metals industry, should it be seen as a friend or a foe – a substitute or complementary? This short piece will look at graphene: what it is and just some of what it does. And how it may be regarded by those involved in minor metals.
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So, summer appears finally to have come here in New York. What better prelude could we have had than the excellent International Minor Metals Conference in Toronto at the end…
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Dear Members After a really very pleasant summer here in New York, fall seems finally to have come. At least the trees on my street are shedding leaves. Or maybe…
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Dear Members Rather than dwell on just how horrible the markets have been since I last wrote you, I thought I’d have a quick look back over 2014 and see…
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Dear Members So, finally, Cruz has thrown in the towel. Kasich too. Donald Trump is now the sole candidate in the race for the Republican nomination. Or is it even…
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Dear Members Snowzilla, snowmageddon, snowpocalypse… call it what you will, we had a fair smattering of the stuff recently (together with some strong cold winds). Indeed, just over the way…
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I cannot believe that we’re just heading into the second quarter of this year. As soon as we’d celebrated the first day of spring here in New York, it dropped…
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Dear Members From feet of snow this time in January, I believe that today, Friday, we are going to have temperatures in the low 70s Fahrenheit. We may also have…
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Dear Members Well, it’s the shortest day of the year soon; winter – supposedly. But it was already some 62°F at 05.45 this morning. Another record? Let’s see how Paris…
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By Tom Butcher, Independent Consultant Dear Members I trust all of you have had excellent summers, whether away on holiday in parts far (near), or at home. We’ve had a…
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CrucibleMinor Metals and ApplicationsThe Crucible: September 2024
Nuclear Propulsion in Space
by Polina Sparks September 29, 2024View from North America Dear MMTA Members, Good afternoon from Cleveland Heights, Ohio this Labor Day. And it is quite stunning weather here: sun shining, not too hot and…
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CrucibleMinor Metals and ApplicationsThe Crucible: December 2024
Space and the Shape of Things to Come
by Polina Sparks December 19, 2024View from North America Dear Members I started to write this missive just a few days before our presidential election here in the US: Donald Trump versus Kamala Harris. As…
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View from North America Dear Members Good afternoon from Cleveland Heights, Ohio. Now back from St Andrews, Rome, London and Ipswich. Mongolia OK, surely someone must know. I am most…
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Friend-shoring? Yes, friend-shoring. Dear Members Good Morning! Another Sunday morning here in Cleveland Heights, Ohio. Rather than looking out on a world covered in snow and nippy…
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A “Pincer” Movement to Secure Supply Chains? Dear Members Good Morning! Once again, a Sunday morning here in Cleveland Heights, Ohio. The weather’s actually quite decent at the moment:…
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The US Government and Critical Materials Dear MMTA Members, Good afternoon, once again from Cleveland Heights, Ohio. And it is a stunning afternoon here: crisp, bright and with…
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What about 2024? Dear Members, With 2024 upon us, I thought I would look quickly at a couple of areas I shall be keeping an eye on in the coming…
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The DoE Delivers, Australia goes to the Middle East and Governments Look at Space Dear Members I’m just back from a monster (for me) European trip — nearly three weeks…
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Mongolia+ Dear Members, You may remember that, in my last missive, I indicated that I was off to Mongolia with my son (his graduation present). Well, 20,000 miles of international…
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CrucibleMinor Metals and ApplicationsResourcesThe Crucible: May 2024
View from North America — Beryllium in Space
by Polina Sparks May 31, 2024Dear Members, Before moving on, in my next piece, to such topics as space mining and ion propulsion drives, I thought it would be fun to take a brief…
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CrucibleThe Crucible: April 2023
View from North America: Partners or Friends?
by Polina Sparks April 21, 2023Dear Members Good Morning! Once again, a Sunday morning here in Cleveland Heights, Ohio. The weather’s actually quite decent at the moment: a bit of a change. Although we still…
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亲爱的各位会员, 一声迟到的祝福——新年快乐! 随着北美圣诞及新年假日的结束,天气也稍微暖和了一点。