Word: metallers
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Dates: during 2000-2009
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Beneath its distinctive decor, the conspicuous helmet was a cap of riveted metal leaves, weighing up to 11 lbs. and meant to protect a man's skull against sword and club. But was ever a martial object more drenched in symbolic fancy? The helmet had to convey no meaning to the warlord's troops except its own singularity. It was the exact reverse of a "uniform"; it was a portable spectacle. Its shape was not determined by the kind of functional rules that governed the making of a samurai's main emblem, the katana or long sword, whose basic form...
...malleable metal that has been considered versatile enough for the coffins of kings in the 17th century and for cola cans in the 20th, is now in trouble in the marketplace. Trading in the commodity has been suspended on the London Metal Exchange since Oct. 24, and it remained unclear last week just when the buying and selling of tin will resume. Says Jacques Lion, chairman of the London Metal Exchange: "The global tin industry is in complete disarray." Some members of the 108-year-old exchange are suggesting that the time may have come for closing the London...
...short of cash to finance its operation. While most commodity markets are vulnerable to volatile price swings, tin prices have been controlled by the London-based I.T.C. The cartel attempted to fix both the world supply and the price of tin, measures once considered beneficial to consumers of the metal as well as producers. It assigned production quotas to members and then bought up surplus tin whenever international prices fell below a certain level. The surplus metal was then gradually sold off during times of greater demand, when prices were higher. The cartel does not include all nations that mine...
...There's a swagger among miners from Mount Isa to Perth, and it's largely thanks to China. Last year, exports to the country soared: nickel by 88%, coal 72%, copper 35%. No longer do miners feel outdated and outsmarted by the dotcom people. China's growing metal consumption is pushing up prices across the board, giving companies the upside they need to commit to exploration and mining projects. Comalco, owned by Rio Tinto, recently commissioned an alumina refinery at Gladstone in central Queensland, the first plant of its kind to be built in the world for 20 years...
...percussionists accompany the dancers in several pieces, but left to themselves, they innovatively connect their instrumental specialties to city life. During their solo number, they sit at a long table set with metal bowls, plates, drinking glasses, dining hall trays, whisks, and even a cheese grater. They play this tableware with drumsticks, utensils, and their hands, creating a varied and loud beat while pretending to be at a restaurant. When dancers dressed as waitresses clear their places, grabbing the “instruments” away, the drummers just pound on the tables. Although the idea may seem reminiscent...