US-based photochemical recycler, Itronics, Inc (OTCBB: ITRO), said Tuesday (23 August) it launched "Inside Metals", a web portal for the precious metals market.

The company's website, http://www.insidemetals.com, reportedly offers financial, production, and ore reserve information, as well as other features on US-listed gold, silver, platinum and palladium producing companies. The website, aimed at mining investors, analysts and investors, was designed to save time and offer an in-depth resource for current information, said the editor of Inside Metals.

According to the company, the data at the website for individual companies and for all of the companies on each exchange are summarized, so comparisons can be made between financial performances, audited year end reserves, and annual production.

Could Radio One's tribute to its longest-serving DJ take in his extreme taste? John Peel became the station's conscience because he found room for music no one else would play.

There may have been no Finnish death metal, but the event somehow covered a broad expanse of the music most dear to his heart. That included the figure most closely associated with Peel, crotchety new wave icon Mark E Smith. Just as the DJ outlasted his career's natural shelf life Smith's band the Fall continue to release bile- ridden gobbets. Smith was at his dissonant best, showing the way to young pretenders he has influenced by knocking over a mike stand and spitting out chewed book lyrics.

Similarly unreconstructed were reggae veterans Misty in Roots. They retained enough fire to ensure their righteous stance still sounded relevant. In between, Laura Cantrell soothed raw nerves with her elegant if reverent take on classic country.

New Order are a band with their own tragic story. Peel was the first champion of their early incarnation Joy Division, so the shadow of its singer Ian Curtis hung heavier than usual over proceedings. They rose to the occasion with a full, albeit, short set of that line-up's classics. Bernard Sumner's dry voice was no match for Curtis's fragile passion, but the gesture was the perfect climax to a memorable evening.

LET'S SET the record straight: Not all death-metal bands sing about severed heads and disemboweled babies.

Case in point, Antagony.

Sure, the Cookie Monster vocals and thunderous blast beats may suggest an inclination toward the dark side, but the boys behind Oakland's death metal five piece are more about creating songs that reflect a beautiful darkness rather than bloody corpses.

Drawing inspiration from unconventional sources like

Beethoven and Taiko drumming, Antagony doesn't fit neatly into the confines of death metal. There are definitely death-metal overtones to the music, with seminal crust punk and grindcore acts like Grimple, El Dopa and Pig Destroyer having been influential to the sound. But what distinguishes Antagony from other East Bay metal acts is an epic heaviness.

"One time this girl came up to us and said we were heartbreaking f--ing metal," says Carlos Saldana, who juggles his duties as the band's frontman with three jobs that include Chinese food delivery, customer service and even his own pressure washing business.
It's just that type of response Antagony wants from its fans.

"You know that moment in a movie when the story, the music, just everything comes together and it hits you and it hurts. That's what we want to make people feel with our music," Saldana says.

That moment of illumination feels uncomfortably similar to a sucker punch to the gut, which is what the band intends on delivering to audiences at Saturday's show in Livermore.

No, the collective members of Antagony won't be thrusting their fists into the bellies of concertgoers; instead they'll unleash their brutal, epic death-core at their first headlining show since May.

Saturday's show is an anniversary of sorts for the band; about a year ago guitarist Kyle Anderson and bassist Christian Mitchell joined, rounding out the current lineup with drummer Justin Hughes and guitarist Nick Vasallo.

In five years, Antagony has gone through its fair share of lineup changes, having lost members to side projects like Hacksaw to the Throat and All Shall Perish, making the East Bay metal scene an inbred family of sorts.

And if the current scene is indeed a family, then Antagony are clearly the parents.

It all started in Danville in 1997 when Vasallo, Saldana and Ben Orum, now of All Shall Perish, began the thrash-grind outfit called You F--ing Hippie.

"We saw El Dopa at Gilman. They're like crusty punk with grindcore and high-pitched screaming. Since that show we wanted to go more grindcore and crust. We were into fast s-- screaming in your face kind of evil sounding -- very dark, very brutal," Saldana says.

In 1999 the trio decided to get more serious. The group changed its name to Antagony, went for an even heavier sound and endured a series of lineup changes. A few demos later, the band self-released its latest effort, "Rebirth," which includes the 11-minute title track that garnered the band the title of "epic f--ing metal."

What's next for the band that's reached epic status without the help of a record label? That remains to be seen. Right now Antagony's main concern is delivering a one-two punch of death- metal lurch and spastic hardcore frenzy to an audience of kung fu fighters and head-banging maniacs.

Finns poured into the streets last week to fete their monster victory in the Eurovision Song Contest, and Finland's president congratulated latex-masked hard rockers Lordi for breaking the country's losing streak.

After 40 years of trying and eight last-place finishes, Finland finally won the melody contest in Athens with the death-metal band's unconventional piece "Hard Rock Hallelujah."

Since March, when Lordi won the competition for the Finnish entry, many in this highly self-conscious nation feared the metal band would damage the country's reputation.

Lordi's apocalyptic piece was heatedly debated on radio and TV shows, and the exploits of the band, which performs in costume and does not reveal its members' names, regularly hit tabloid headlines.

In his Sunday sermon, Archbishop Christodoulos of the Greek Orthodox Church asked, "Who would have expected that the first prize could have gone to those who showed up [looking] like monsters, like Satans? Is this art?"

Traditionally, barns were wooden structures used to house the various animals and supplies needed to run a farm. Now, however, more and more people are choosing to use metal barns instead of those made of wood. There are several advantages to using a metal barn as opposed to a wooden one, some of which are outlined below.

First, metal buildings have proven to be quite cost-effective. There are several reason for this, the main one being the lack of maintenance needed to keep the structure in good working order. They are also cheaper to build, as steel is the least expensive method for erecting such a structure. They are also not susceptible to pests such as termites so this also cuts down on the potential cost of the upkeep as well.

Another benefit of using a metal structure for a barn as opposed to one made of wood is that they are able to better withstand fire, rain, snow, and natural disasters such as earthquakes. This can be especially important if you live in an area where these are or could be common occurrences.

Another advantage is the lower cost when adding space. Over time, you may decide you want to expand your barn, either to house more animals, or hold more equipment. If you choose a metal structure, you will be able to do so easily at a great rate. The construction is also much simpler, and takes considerably less time than adding onto a wooden barn.

Metal barns are also easy to accessorize as needed. For example, you may choose to add more windows to your structure, or to add heating and air conditioning. You will be able to do so quickly and easily, and will enjoy many of the same benefits by doing so that you would with a traditional wooden barn. Your options are endless.

When you begin looking for a company from which to purchase your barn, be sure you have researched your needs and have based them on your available budget. That way, you will be able to ask the right questions, and find a company that will provide you with a structure that will really work for you. Remember, the more you know, the better off you'll be in the long run. Find out what has worked for other people so that you can get an idea of what might fit your needs. Be sure you are constructing a barn that will last, while also leaving room for any expansion or updates you may need in the future.

Metallica was formed on October 1981 in Los Angeles by drummer Lars Ulrich and James Hetfield, vocals and guitarist, after placing classified ads on The Recycler.

From the ad they recruited Ron McGovney as bassist, but were unable to find a fulltime lead guitarist, which resulted in a number of guitarists like Brad Parker, Jeff Warner and Lloyd Grant.

The band name Metallica came from an idea by a promoter of the San Francisco metal scene named Ron Quintana. When Quintana asked Lars Ulrich to examine a list of names for his new magazine promoting British and U.S. metal bands, Ulrich picked Metal Mania for Quintana`s magazine and used Metallica for his band.

In 1983, Metallica recorded its first album entitled Kill Em All at Rochester, New York. Although the album did not produce them instant success, it did gave them exposure and a growing number of fans in the underground scene.

After a year, Metallica released a major hit song Ride the Lightning, which features a more introspective, slower and newer style. Although this song became an instant success, some fans were discouraged and accused Metallica of selling out.

After the release of Ride the Lightning, major labels wanted Metallica. However, the band chose Elektra and released Master of Puppets in 1986. Although Metallica failed to release any single for the 1986 album, it was still regarded as the album that gave way to their success breakthrough.

When Metallica was invited to open for Ozzy Osbourne, their album climbed up to Billboard Top Album Chart #29. Until today, many people still consider Master of Puppets as the greatest heavy metal album of all time.

When Cliff Burton was killed by a freak accident in 1986 at a European show, Metallica discontinued playing for a while until they decided that Burton would have wanted them to continue their music. A few weeks after Burton`s funeral, with plenty of auditions to replace Burton, Metallica finally decided on picking Jason Newsted.

...And Justice for All was the first album where Newsted played bass. With much controversy, it was released in 1988. The following year, Metallica 1988 album was nominated for its first Grammy. Unfortunately, Jethro Tull`s Crest of a Knave won the award.

Three years later, the band won a Grammy for Enter Sandman from Metallica`s 1991 self-titled album, also known as The Black Album. It instantly became a hit and became the band`s most popular song to date.

When Metallica entered the mainstream in 1991, they were able to sell over ten million albums in U.S. alone. It was in 1996 that Metallica switched to alternative rock for their Load album. Unfortunately, many fans were discouraged of the sudden change in music style.

In 1992`s Reload, Metallica produced a major comeback as a metal group and their worldwide fans hailed their return. Their success continued throughout the end of 1990s. However, in 2001, Jason Newsted left the band for personal reasons while James Hetfield stayed in rehab for a couple of months.

In 2002, Lars Ulrich, the now sober James Hetfield, Kirk Hammett and their long-time producer Bob Rock who replaced Newsted continued in creating Metallica`s 11th album entitled St. Anger, which produced a more mature, honest and heavy sound that fans worldwide continue to love.

As the name suggests a Metal Detector is a kind of instrument, which is used to detect metal with the help of electromagnetic induction. It helps in the detection of land mines, weapons like knives or guns at airports, in treasure hunting or in archeology. It can also be helpful in detecting foreign bodies in food.

Construction industries find it useful in detecting steel reinforcing bars present in concretes, pipes, or wires in walls and floors. It can sense any electrically conductive piece of metal. Metal detectors came into being around the end of the 19th century.

Metal detectors have many applications. In archeology metal detectors are of good help. But in some countries like France and Sweden law prohibits metal detectors, but with special permission it can be used. In spite of all these restrictions the contribution of metal detectors in this area cannot be denied. A good example is the utilization of these detectors to inspect wide areas like sites of battlefields, where the only remains could be the surface, scattered with metal objects.

Some times people use consumer metal detectors to find coins on the beach as their hobby. Generally in the following types of hobbyist activities metal detectors are used.

Coin Shooting, searching for coins, mainly old coins.
Prospecting, searching for precious metals like gold or silver
Relic Hunting, searching for any thing that has any historical significance, like weapons.
Treasure Hunting, searching for hidden items.

For security purpose metal detector are of great help. In airports this is used in great extent as it helps to detect any dangerous items carried by passengers that can cause harm to others, especially weapons,

One should know the right procedure of using a metal detector. Here are certain vital steps for using a metal detector:

The very first thing, that is needed to take care of is tuning. This means the detector must be adjusted so that it can recognize the ground as a channel for the targets to be inside. Sometimes however the devise posses a self tuning trait installed. After this one is ready to go for the search of the targets, coins, treasure or anything. The placement of the loop is also very important. To get the best functioning it should be held at arms length along with the loop and it should be barely above the ground and the loop must always be in motion for best result. While searching with the detector one should move at a slow pace.