Just making the effort to get the story out.LOL, long time ago...

Just making the effort to get the story out.

LOL, long time ago First Jester CJ had two similar know-it-all mates here, First Captain Finally Dead, LOL, I told him I would outlive him, and Second Captain TD (ifykyk), forming the crew of a Ship of Fools is how I thought of them, and all three of them were uncivil megaposters who felt only they should lead the convo here.

First Captain ("Just wait for my Mild Hybrid Revolution!") thought himself the only captain, of course.

For at least ten years First Captain famously signed his every post (more than 10,000) with an insult of Jack Lifton, a lifelong proponent of the rare earths who saw the potential for Western ruin if they just abandoned the effort to the CCP, and who did a lot of heavy lifting (much with Gareth Hatch) over the decades past in the hopes that a ex-China supply would arise for the magnet metals. Dead Man not First Captain of anything now got in Jack's face on his REE-centered site and acted as usual like a rude know-it-all demanding answers to his questions (worse than CJ). He was eventually so insolent to Jack and his friends that Jack banned him permanantly from posting. Hilarious. You know who claimed it was because Jack just couldn't stand toe-to-toe with him on any REE subject because he was always sure he knew everything and Jack didn't know jack (Americanism perhaps, for being an idiot). I had a good deal of respect for Jack; he earned it the long hard way.

China has been increasing their REE monopoly since the 1980s and until today. Lynas may have broken the absolute monopoly but they have a very low market share, to say 10% is to exaggerate, and their share is decreasing not increasing as China has doubled up production at least twice since Lynas started. https://forum.rareearthexchanges.com/threads/detailed-timeline-chinas-rare-earth-restrictions-and-strategic-moves.16/

This site is immeasurably better than it was. Thankfully redeemed when First and Second Captains ran home to their mommies.
Back then, anyone who posted anything positive about EVs would be scorned by the crew of the Ship of Fools; all three of them thought EVs were "stupid", meant for ""lab rats", etc etc ad nauseum.
Anyone who posted anything positive about heavy REEs got a similar treatment.
They ruled this site by running off anyone they didn't approve of with endless derision and dismissal.

I really don't like rude people so I broke their minds using math and logic and sent them packing, but it took almost eight years. I didn't make any friends here, lol, but I had a ton of fun. I could say I sank the Ship of Fools; pathetic CJ is merely hanging on to flotsam and jetsam.

Still having fun but mostly I have moved out of the lab and into the backcountry where I do lots of hiking and backpacking and photography. I come by just for the fun of it. I still trade and hold Lynas and I am very happy we still have Amanda.

BOTTOM LINE: China still has a monopoly and it is worth trillions; a fact that I still see as very concerning.
P.S. First Jester is still hanging on, so what? Nobody listens to his 8ULL$H!T, I'll outlive him too, lol.