The company is the second largest producer of commercial silica, which is a sand-like substance used in fracking as well as glass making and chemical manufacturing.

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Concrete clad and perennially crowded, Bondi's well-trodden stretch of sand presents a broad slice of modern Sydney life, from the weather-beaten lap swimmers at the Icebergs sea pool, to the Negroni-swilling regulars at North Bondi Italian.

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Some companies that have chosen to draw lines in the sand have reported extremely positive bottom-line impact as well as a long-term deterrent to frivolous lawsuits.

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More than 10 drillers have already received Department of Environmental Protection permission to use mine discharges for fracking, a technique in which millions of gallons of water, along with chemical additives and sand, are pumped down a well to break apart gas-bearing shale deposits.

WSJ: Pa. pushes drillers to frack with coal mine water

Wal-Mart is well positioned to take advantage of the improving economy sand uptick in consumer spending more than Best Buy is.

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Greed served him well up to a point - fashioning a manufacturing giant from the very sand that lay beneath his family farm.

BBC: Sean Quinn's jailing reminiscent of Greek tragedy

The 400, 000-acre Ocala National Forest is a tangle of springs, sand-pine scrub and subtropical forest that is home to raccoons, flying squirrels, otters and black bears, as well as many species of bird.

BBC: Mini guide to natural Florida