Daily Digest 4/2 - Using 3D Printers To Restore Coral, Reuse Your Tea Bags

Economy

Scientist 'Muzzling' To Be Investigated By Federal Information Watchdog (westcoastjan)

The complaint "alleges that the right of access to information under the act is impeded by government policies, practices or guidelines that restrict or prohibit government scientists from speaking with the media and the Canadian public," Legault's office responded, saying it "falls with the scope" of the legislative mandate.

Silver – Keep It Simple! (GE Christenson)

Graph 2 shows annual silver and crude prices smoothed with a centered five period moving average. This removes much of the “noise” in the price data and shows longer term trends better. Note that the price of silver actually reached about $50 per ounce in early 1980, but the average daily price in 1980 was only $16.39; the smoothed daily average was about $11.

The Great Disconnect Between Paper & Physical Silver (Taki T.)

This article proves how paper silver (i.e. silver futures market) has been able to cap the silver price despite exceptional strength in the physical silver market. The first quarter of 2013 revealed this great disconnect based on publicly available data. Besides, silver expert Ted Butler calculates an historic concentration of short positions by JP Morgan allowing the bank to control the silver price.

William Shakespeare: Study sheds light on Bard as food hoarder (westcoastjan)

She said the poet and playwright's role as a grain hoarder during food shortages in the late 16th and early 17th Centuries were something that people had largely forgotten about him.

Over a 15-year period, Shakespeare bought and stored grain, malt and barley for resale at inflated prices to his neighbours and local tradesmen.

India Taxes: Rich Disappear This Time Of Year (westcoastjan)

The reality is simple: "There are very few people who are paying taxes," said Sonu Iyer, a tax expert at Ernst & Young in New Delhi. And tax dodging is everywhere. "It's rampant — rampant."

Retired bureaucrats land lucrative part-time jobs at federal school (westcoastjan)

The school was created in 2004 to improve the expertise of Canada’s public service with courses on topics such as leadership development, management skills and employee engagement. An external review slammed its contracting practices last fall, and it is now operating under the watchful eye of the Harper government, which is seeking better services at a lower price as it looks to trim government spending.

Environment

On the Montana Range, Efforts to Restore Bison Meet Resistance (jdargis)

For the last 15 years, environmentalists and Indian tribes have worked to restore herds of American bison to portions of their former home here. But that effort has not gone over well with some in this state, which is now dominated by cattle that eat the rich grasses that the bison once consumed. This time around, the undeclared competition for rangeland is playing out in courts, the State Capitol and the news media.

Reuse Your Tea Bags! (westcoastjan)

Got tired eyes, bruises, or sunburn? Bee stings or mosquito bites? Did your child just get a shot at the doctor’s but the free lollipop wasn’t consolation enough? Apply a cool, moist tea bag to these kinds of affected areas on the skin to get soothing relief and quicker healing.

Using 3D Printers To Restore Coral (westcoastjan)

Sustainable Oceans International (SOI) is developing concrete units that mimic the rocks found in coral reefs. They'll be placed in damaged areas to provide a home for fish and coral and serve as a starting point for a new reef to develop.

In the past, artificial reefs were created by pouring concrete into a mould -- "but this method lacked the complexity of caves, connecting tunnels and the appearance of a natural reef," SOI said in a statement.

Exxon Mobil Oil Spill Turns Residential Roads into Rivers of Oil (James S.)

The spill comes just days after a train accident in Minnesota saw 15,000 gallons of oil spilled.

Exxon has estimated that a total of 80,000 gallons escaped during the 45 minutes that it took for the leak to be detected and then stopped.

Mislabelled fish slip into Europe's menus (westcoastjan)

Take a British national dish, for example: fish and chips. It is often thought to be the epitome of Britishness - "as British as fish and chips", the saying goes.

But scientific testing reveals that the traditional cod or haddock and chips is often something else entirely. Research reveals that 7% of cod and haddock - the deep-fried staples of British fish and chips - actually turn out to be cheaper fish substituted to cut costs.

Gold & Silver

Click to read the Gold & Silver Digest: 4/1/13

Provided daily by the Peak Prosperity Gold & Silver Group

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