Hot off the presses: The 18th Edition Blasters’ Handbook second printing is available now exclusively at the ISEE bookstore. This second printing improves upon the more than 1,000 pages of explosives knowledge with updated content, equations and formulas.

With the blaster-in-charge as the focus, the 18th Edition Blasters’ Handbook second printing is divided into four parts, emphasizing safety, security and communication throughout the publication.

The ISEE Membership Directory and Desktop Reference is the most comprehensive who’s who publication in the explosives industry. Now you can make your company shine and target explosives industry leaders by advertising in the Membership Directory Yellow Pages.

Ads start at $125, and the deadline to reserve your space is Tuesday, March 31. For more information, contact Dede Manross at 801.942.5650 or explo@comcast.net.

It’s that time of year to apply for SEE Education Foundation Scholarships. Qualified students will be considered for an award among 26 funds. To be eligible to apply for a scholarship, you must be pursuing technical, undergraduate, graduate or doctorate degrees in fields of education related to the commercial explosives industry; and able to demonstrate financial need.

Students will be assessed on their financial need, academic and professional achievements and goals related to the industry.

Gold futures traded little changed after slumping to an 18-week low as investors exited funds backed by the metal before a Federal Reserve policy meeting.

Holdings in gold exchange-traded products fell for a 14th straight day Monday, the longest run in more than a year. Almost 90 percent of economists surveyed by Bloomberg predict Fed officials will drop a pledge to be "patient" on raising interest rates from a policy statement due at the conclusion of their gathering Wednesday.

The Colorado School of Mines and the Colorado Mining Association Education Foundation (CMAEF) are sponsoring an online course, "All About Mining," for kindergarten through 12th grade educators.

The course consists of 47 online lectures on the facets of the mining industry and is followed up by a three-day in-class orientation/material review at the Colorado School of Mines campus in Golden, Colo., and one week of field trips to underground and surface mines.

An estimated 317 million metric tons of crushed stone was produced and shipped for consumption in the United States in the fourth quarter of 2014, an increase of 9% compared with that of the same period of 2013. The estimated annual output of crushed stone produced for consumption in 2014 was 1.27 billion metric tons, an increase of 8% compared with that of 2013, according to the USGS.

The USGS also estimated U.S. output of construction sand and gravel produced and shipped for consumption in the fourth quarter of 2014 was 223 metric tons, an increase of 5% compared with that of the same period of 2013. The estimated annual output of construction sand and gravel produced for consumption in 2014 was 904 metric tons, an increase of 7% compared with that of 2013.

The NFPA 704 diamond provides a tried and true method for warning emergency responders of the hazards they could encounter during a spill or fire involving a hazardous material. It includes a simple, readily recognized system for identifying the specific hazards of a material and the severity of the hazard that would occur during an emergency response. The system addresses the health, flammability, instability, and special hazards presented from short‐term, acute exposures that could occur as a result of a fire, spill, or similar emergency.

Joy Global Inc., the world’s largest maker of underground mining machinery, said it expects to see further declines in mining-industry capital expenditure during a "challenging" 2015. Next year "will again present challenges as oversupplied commodity market dynamics play out," Chief Executive Officer Ted Doheny said in the Milwaukee-based company’s fourth-quarter earnings statement.

President Barack Obama's budget proposal includes more than $3 billion worth of tax credits and other spending to help the Appalachian region recover from the job losses and economic impact of the declining coal industry.

But the new Republican-controlled Congress appeared skeptical of the president's outreach to the heart of the nation's coal country, with Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell announcing that he would personally oversee the budget of Obama's Environmental Protection Agency.

The Ohio Drilling and Blasting Conference kicks off from 5:30-7:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 25, 2015, with a welcome reception and exhibits. On Thursday, learn about various topics such as underground blasting, waveforms, public relations, demolition blasting, current compliance issues and more. View the preliminary schedule.

Although retraining credit hours have been accepted in the past by a number of states, due to recent changes in regulations, you need to be careful and check with your state regulators to be sure you receive the proper retraining credit hours from this conference.

Register now for the 28th annual Best in the West Drill and Blast Conference held April 22-24, 2015, at the Spearfish Holiday Inn Convention Center in Spearfish, South Dakota.

The conference is an intensive three day event that brings together mining companies, drilling and blasting suppliers and government agencies. The focus is innovation, safety and government regulation.

The European Federation of Explosives Engineers (EFEE) World Conference has established itself as one of the key international explosives forums. It includes technical presentations, an industry exhibition, educational workshops, welcome drinks reception, gala dinner and a partner program. The event draws attention from explosives users, manufacturers and equipment for drilling operations as well as researchers and professionals involved in the construction and mining industry.

The conference will be from April 26-28, 2015, at the Lyon Convention Centre in Lyon, France. Early bird registration is now open. Visit the EFEE website for more information.

The blasting community in Australia through the auspices of the AusIMM, the FRAGBLAST International Organising Committee through its affiliation with the International Society of Explosives Engineers, and the National Organising Committee of FRAGBLAST 11 invite you to join professionals involved in all aspects of blasting to meet in Sydney, Australia, from August 24-26 2015, for FRAGBLAST 11, the 11th International Symposium for Rock Fragmentation by Blasting.

Join nearly 200 colleagues to learn, inspire, and share knowledge across the mining, quarrying and construction industries, all with a blasting focus. Participation by all practitioners, academics, researchers, regulators and manufacturers is encouraged to continue the tradition of creating and sharing new science and engineering in the field of blasting.

Join the Fragblast community in the outstanding harbour city of Sydney, with its natural beauty, vibrant culture and lifestyle and the relaxed, safe and friendly nature of Australians. Sydney offers so much to enjoy as an international city of renown with the backdrop of iconic buildings, our indigenous history and culture, a modern and multicultural gateway to beautiful New South Wales and the huge Australian continent with all that it has to explore and discover.

March 22-27, 2015
15th International Conference of Chief Inspectors of Explosives

March 25-26, 2015
DoubleTree by Hilton, Columbus/Worthington, Ohio

March 30 - April 1, 2015
Santiago Metropolitan Region, Chile

April 7-8, 2015
Holiday Inn Hotel & Suites Charleston West Virginia