Scott, congratulations on your word usage. Shows how much I know, I thought amalgam had something to do with teeth-fillings.

Webster thought the same thing.
amal'gam
Pronunciation: &-'mal-g&m
Function: noun
1 : an alloy of mercury with another metal that is solid or liquid at room temperature according to the proportion of mercury present and is used especially in making tooth cements
2 : a mixture of different elements