After reading with horror the case of the California couple accused of torture and child endangerment, I knew it would only be a matter of time.Attention would soon turn away from the atrocities David and Louise Turpin allegedly committed against their own children. It would turn toward blanket policies that restrict innocent people in an attempt to legislate away evil.In this case, the focus is o...Read More

As members of the metals industry, including the London Metal Exchange, brokers, traders, producers, consumers, banks and warehouse companies, prepare to gather for LME Asia Week in Hong Kong from Monday May 14, Metal Bulletin reviews the likely topics of discussion.Opening up China's markets China has been opening up its economy and markets recently. In May, China allowed foreign investors to tra...Read More

Could the massive failure of the Puerto Rican government-run energy grid be a blessing in disguise? It has the potential to set Puerto Rico on a course of self-sufficiency and individual empowerment for decades to come.Many Puerto Ricans are still without power from the large-scale grid failure after Hurricane Maria last fall. Some are not expected to be reconnected to the grid until April or May....Read More

Chinese export volumes of unwrought aluminium and aluminium products increased 51.9% year on year, but slipped slightly compared with March, according to preliminary Chinese customs data released on Tuesday May 8.China exported 451,000 tonnes of aluminium products, a 51.9% increase or 154,000 tonnes up from 297,000 tonnes exported in April 2017, but a drop of 1,000 tonnes or 0.2% from March 2018 e...Read More

I’m sorry for cursing, but I have to be frank. Most people just don’t do the required work to get what they want. They may work hard in other areas, usually to someone else’s benefit. But the timing just never seems right to do the work to make the changes they want in their own lives.This is a story of two people who did, and are still doing, the hard work. This is the story of...Read More

Students plan to walk out of schools to protest gun violence. They say they won’t return until lawmakers do something to address school shootings.The students should walk out and never return. Being sitting ducks for gun violence is one reason, but it is far from the only one.1. Students Are Left DefenselessIt’s not just crazy gunmen students are left defenseless against. Some schools...Read More

Listen to or Download the podcast on Sovereignman.comOn the morning of May 18, 1927 in Bath Township, Michigan, a 55-year old municipal worker named Andrew Kehoe used a timed detonator to set off a bomb he had planted at the local school.Kehoe was Treasurer of the School Board, so he had unfettered access to the school.According to friends and neighbors, he was having personal issues with his wife...Read More

Concern started to spread in the global steel markets this week that trade with Iran is at risk since US President Donald Trump announced on May 8 that his country will withdraw from the nuclear-power deal with the Middle Eastern state.In response, the UK, Germany and France called on the US not to take any steps which would be detrimental to other countries which would like the agreement to remai...Read More

Via Sovereignman.comIf you've been following much international news, you've probably heard that, after literally years of scandal, abuse, and incompetence, South Africa's president Jacob Zuma was finally forced to resign last week.This is a big deal for South Africa.The country has been suffering for nearly a decade under Zuma's corruption.And people are certainly hoping that the new President, C...Read More

Metal Bulletin reviews the major stories that have affected the steel market over the past week.Spot iron ore prices strengthened on Friday after increases in the steel and futures markets, reaching values of more than $67 per tonne.BHP expects suppliers of high-quality steelmaking raw materials to benefit from the increase in Chinese steel capacity utilization rates and margins following the coun...Read More

It was legal to carry weed in his car when he was in Washington state.But now he was in Indiana, pulled over for a broken headlight. The cop didn’t smell anything suspicious, nor did he suspect the driver of being impaired. But he did ask some questions.And that is where the driver screwed up. It is hard in the moment. An intimidating person with a gun is interrogating you. But you have got...Read More

Russian steelmaker Magnitogorsk Iron & Steel Works (MMK) showed a 5.4% quarter-on-quarter decline in earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (Ebitda) for the first quarter of 2018 due to higher key raw material costs, the company said in its recent financial report.In January-March, the company's Ebitda was $560 million, compared with $592 million in the fourth quarter of 20...Read More

Political retribution for free speech is not a conspiracy theory. It happened. The IRS targeted people who donated to nonprofits for limited government causes.So you can understand why certain donors to non-profits want to keep their identities hidden. A non-profit sued the state of New York arguing that regulations requiring non-profits to disclose their donors create a “climate of fearR...Read More

Earnings at Brazil-based Votorantim's long steel division, which comprises assets in Argentina and Colombia, increased by 2% year-on-year in the first quarter of 2018, with growth in revenues mostly offset by higher costs.Adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (Ebitda) came to 45 million Reais ($12.59 million) in January-March, against 44 million Reais a year befor...Read More

I’m not judging, I do the same thing. Being attracted to negative news is ingrained into the psyche.Biologically speaking, it is a trait that makes you aware of danger, and therefore more likely to avoid it. But in the modern world, the negative headlines don’t help us avoid danger.In fact, the depressing news drags us into the biggest danger in the modern world.Listening to the “...Read More

Earnings at ArcelorMittal's Brazilian unit increased by 50.41% year-on-year in the first quarter of 2018, amid stronger steel demand and higher prices.ArcelorMittal Brasil's earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (Ebitda) came to $370 million in the first quarter, up from $246 million in the corresponding period in 2017, the company said on Friday May 11.The growth was due...Read More

There's a vast world outside of the U.S. waiting for you to discover it. You know that but aren't sure about leaving what's familiar to you.There are many ways you can get around the overreaching laws and regulations, the political manipulation, and the social pressure. You can change your domestic lifestyle, work toward a freer life in the U.S.But if you have the itch to go global, there are near...Read More

Indian local secondary steel billet prices have fallen by at least 800 rupees per tonne in the current week even as buyers await further corrections to the prices of semi-finished products.Metal Bulletin's price assessment for domestic secondary billet in India, mainly produced via the induction furnace route, was 34,800-35,000 rupees ($517-520) per tonne ex-mill on Friday May 11. This was down by...Read More

It is taken as a fact that Medicaid helps in the fight against opioid addiction.A recent Senate committee report pointed out that prominent publications like the New York Times say:Public appreciation for the program [Medicaid] has steadily increased as people come to understand its importance in the health care system, including its central role in combating the opioid epidemic.This “fact&#...Read More

When tragedy strikes it is understandable that people get emotional. But they often forget that the media knows how to pull the heartstrings for nefarious reasons. If a media campaign looks coordinated, it probably is. We should never let the emotions they trigger override our logic, and threaten our safety.And we shouldn’t let whole groups be punished for the crimes of individuals. Nothing...Read More