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Gold/Mining/Energy : Silver prices -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: LoneClone who wrote (7710)	4/27/2007 3:05:59 PM
From: Davy Crockett	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 8010

Kool! It has been known for a long time that Silver has very unique properties, including being a bactericidal inorganic agent. IMHO, when the rest of the world catches on, we will be laughing all the way to the bank. Oops! I forgot Silver is money <hehehe>

To: LoneClone who wrote (7710)	5/10/2007 10:01:16 PM
From: NYBob1	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 8010

Visit of the Silver Mines of Potosi - by Susan - youtube.com Visite de Potosi (Bolivie) et de sa mine d'argent, In der Silberminen von Potosi (Bolivia) , Potosi (Bolivia), las minas de plata Potosí is a city, the capital of the department of Potosí in Bolivia. It is at an altitude of 3967 meters and has about 115,000 inhabitants. It is claimed to be the highest city in the world. It lies beneath the Cerro Rico ("Rich mountain"), a mountain of silver ore, which has always dominated the city. youtube.com Founded 1546 as a mining town, it soon produced fabulous wealth, becoming the largest city in the Americas (except for Mexico City) with a population exceeding 200,000 people. youtube.com In Spanish there is still a saying "vale un Potosí" meaning "worth a fortune" and, for Europeans, "Perú"—Bolivia was part of the Viceroyalty of Perú and was known as Alto Perú before becoming independent— was a mythical land of riches. Potosí is the only American city mentioned in Miguel de Cervantes's famous novel satirizing chivalry, Don Quixote, with clear reference to its riches. It is from Potosí that most of the Spanish silver came. Indian labour, forced by Francisco de Toledo, Count of Oropesa through the traditional Incan mita institution of contributed labor, came to die by the thousands, not simply from exposure and brutal labor, but by mercury poisoning: in the paved patio the silver-ore, having been crushed to powder by hydraulic machinery, was cold-mixed with mercury and trodden to an amalgam by the native workers with their bare feet. [1] The mercury was then driven off by heating, producing deadly vapors. After 1800 the silver and tin the main products - This eventually led to a slow economic decline. Still, the mountain continues to be mined for silver to this day. Due to poor worker conditions (lack of protective equipment from the constant inhalation of dust), the miners still have a short life expectancy with most of them contracting silicosis and dying around 40 years of age. It is estimated that, in the past years of Incan labour, roughly 8 million indians died "eaten" by the Rich Hill. During the War of Independence (1809--1825, see History of Bolivia) Potosi frequently passed between the control of Royalist and Patriot forces. Major blunders by the First Argentine Auxiliary Army (under the command of Juan José Castelli) led to an increased sense that independence was needed and fostered resentment towards Argentina. During that occupation there was anarchy and martial excess, and Potosi became unfriendly to the point where it could not be defended. When the second auxiliary army arrived it was received well, and the commander, Manuel Belgrano did much to heal the past wounds inflicted by the tyrannical minded Castelli. When that army was forced to retreat, Belgrano took the calculated decision to blow up the Casa de Moneda. Since the locals refused to evacuate this explosion would have resulted in many casualties, but by then the fuse was already lit. Disaster was averted not by the Argentinians who at that time were fleeing, but by locals who put the fuse out. In one stroke the good feelings Belgrano delicately built were destroyed. Two more expeditions from Argentina would seize Potosi. investorshub.com investorshub.com