Fly-In Mining Camps

Written by Jack Caldwell on July 3rd, 2009

The one-hour flight is old-fashioned: they serve you a full meal there and back even though there is only one class.  They even provide knives and forks that would never get through security at the airport.  You climb into the plane through the back door as the front half of the plane is equipment for the mine.  [...]

Chinalco: Shining Knight on Red Dragon may yet save mining

Written by Jack Caldwell on June 29th, 2009

As an investor in mining, can you make money following the trail of western companies flirting with the Chinese & Chinalco?   First it was Rio Tinto whose top brass saw the Chinese as a possible saviour from BHP.  Now we have Anglo America demurely fluttering eyelids at the Chinese Mining Dragon as a possible saviour [...]

Mining Opera for Professional Engineering

Written by Jack Caldwell on June 27th, 2009

The good seldom succeed in opera.  They are generally undone by the evil and wicked who sing tuneful arias.  Thinks but of Tosca and Butterfly.
Aggripina is such an opera: it is one of Handel’s “soap opera” operas.  Three randy males are in love with Poppaea: Claudius Ceasar, Nero who becomes Caesar, and the true love Otho.  Aggripina [...]

Mining What’s In a Name?

Written by Jack Caldwell on June 26th, 2009

“That which we call a rose would smell as sweet by any other name.”  Maybe.  This could have been said by either Romeo or Juliet as they contemplated their lover’s surname, the name of a sworn family enemy. 
I have been called many names, not always sweet.  Cranky, curmudgeon, churl, are but some.  Job titles have [...]

Supreme Court rules tailings are fill and lacustrine disposal is legal

Written by Jack Caldwell on June 25th, 2009

For miners today’s ruling by the US Supreme Court is probably the most significant of the year. I refer to the ruling in Coeur Alaska v. Southeast Alaska Conservation Council.  The details are readily available at this link.  It boils down to the simple fact that tailings are fill and their discharge into waters of [...]

Why do we need professional mining engineers?

Written by Jack Caldwell on June 24th, 2009

Just had a drink in the local pub and a heated discussion of the need for professional registration by mining engineers.  I am sure I lost a good part of the argument, so to update myself I took a look at the SME publication Study Guide for the Professional Registration of Mining/Mineral Engineers.  
As background and by [...]