On Saturday, 28 April 2018 02:26:00 UTC-4, Chris.B wrote:
On Saturday, 28 April 2018 02:45:11 UTC+2, RichA wrote:
On Friday, 27 April 2018 12:35:00 UTC-4, Quadibloc wrote:
Since rare-earth ores are as common as dirt, the Chinese monopoly is an
artifact of their willingness to refine them cheaper than anyone else,
so it's less serious than the news stories imply.

Yes, so common the U.S. moth-balled their mines in the 1960's. Lets just say the Chinese mines are to rare-earths what Shinkolobwe was to uranium..

The perceived dangers of mining are measured by a nation's leader's respect for basic human rights. Personal profit over worker's survival usually wins. All it takes is to mentally dehumanize the workers to slave status. Slavery by proxy is as common and unforgivable as scrambling over burnt and crippled bodies to snatch the loot with our own blood-stained hands.

Time to get rid of your smartphone, you flat-screen TV, any hard drives you have, none of which can exist without rare-earths.