• When Nirvana took to the majors, nobody expected the level of lasting success that “Nevermind” or its lead single “Smells Like Teen Spirit” would quickly attain. (Above is “Lithium,” a classic all its own.) But for many music fans, it proved an entry point — a rare underground-leaning release that rose overground — and unlike fellow flag-bearer Pearl Jam, it’s one that didn’t lose its oomph after the fact. But it caught a few folks off-guard. Former “120 Minutes” host Dave Kendall, who premiered “Smells Like Teen Spirit” on MTV, puts it as such: “I have to say, quite honestly, as soon as I heard that record and saw that video, I had no idea they were going to be as huge as they were, I was very, very impressed. I was moved but I really didn’t have any idea it would explode to the extent it did. There’s the truth.” MTV has some great features on the album that defined the network for a solid couple of years. Forget the overhype; let’s remember them for what they were: A great band in the right place at the right time. source

• It’s this shepherd’s lucky day. He’s standing on so much lithium that he could power your laptop’s battery for decades to come. He doesn’t have to herd livestock in the worst place in the world anymore. There are $1 tRILLION dollars worth of precious metals to mine for. This is big. It could change the entire war and might even be enough to defang the Taliban, if it’s handled correctly. And it could make the value of Glenn Beck’s gold tip downward. (Thank God.) Some more details on the amazing find:

• $1
  trillion the amount of money the country is currently standing on
• $12
  billion the size of Afghanistan’s gross domestic product last year

Some obvious questions

• What’s down there? Lots of stuff, including iron, copper, cobalt, gold and lithium. An internal memo says Afghanistan could be the “Saudi Arabia of lithium.” Wow, nice metaphor.
• how long will it take? It might take a few years to put together the things needed to help Afghanistan take advantage of their vast resources. And the U.S. is already there.
• Current economic driver? Opium. Lots and lots of opium. Part of the reason terrorism is so strong in the region is because so much money comes from the opium trade and narcotics trafficking.

Did Afghanistan mine before?

• This is a country that has no mining culture. They’ve had some small artisanal mines, but now there could be some very, very large mines that will require more than just a gold pan.
• United States Geological Survey geologist Jack Medlin • On the sheer lack of mining history n the country. So why wasn’t this discovered before? Well, there were hints of it in prior Soviet-era documents, but for whatever reason, the potential was overlooked. No longer. The U.S. has spent too freaking long in this country not to start mining it for what it’s worth. It’s estimated that it’s going to take decades to reach their full potential of mining. This’ll be fun to watch. It’ll make their opium crops seem like a waste of time. source