...the reason Mungall's expertise was no longer required next door at Noront was that it wasn't so much that they wanted to understand the underlying geology on their own property and advance their discoveries so much as it was to understand the geology of all their neighbors, and therefore, to know who to try "consolidate" first.

FWR has had their nose to the grindstone with their exploration program, while in contrast, even with all the high-priced talent next door, nothing much has really progressed since RN's departure. A revolving door of fat cats, and a lot of posturing.

Seems the game is such: players like BMK sew up large tracts of land and do...nothing.

Oh sure, when it comes time to a proxy battle they'll cast their votes to the hedge funds, but it's a waiting game for them.They know sooner or later the magnitude of the discoveries made by others through expedient and costly drill programs will boost their own SP in time for the buy-out at the end.

When you consider the amount of companies in the RoF associated with the various claims, what have they done? Sure, there's some small outfits here and there drilling and coming up with VMS hits and such, but really, who is doing all the heavy lifting? Other than what NOT has already accomplished, it seems the only other companies getting results are FWR/SPQ/KWG.

Now, before anyone gets bent out of shape, I'm not saying these other plays don't have the potential to host magnificent finds, like FNC, PRB, etc. It's just that, well, they don't seem to even be trying. Not yet, anyhow.

That puzzles me a bit, and I think back to when what's-his-face from TME was promised a place on the BOD at NOT. Makes me wonder how many of these other plays are doing nothing because it seems safer that way, or are they getting their marching orders from the powers that be?

It would seem the smaller outfits are also paralyzed by fear and greed; they are afraid if they spend their precious capital on drilling and prove up a find, they may be ripe for takeover. If they spend money on drilling and miss, they risk a punishing of the SP, further dilution through PP's to raise more money to try again, and again, perhaps a takeover attempt by someone with more drilling expertise who would know EXACTLY where the best chance of success with the drill would be.

In a nutshell, this appears to be the game. Get others to spend all the money exploring, downplay their discoveries, then make an predatory bid for them. Why waste money on drills and drillers? Spend it instead on trips to SA, lawyers, hostile bids, a forum goon squad, etc. Heaven forbid actually getting any dirt under your pedigreed fingernails.

And all this garbage being spouted by our newly arrived posters of a sense of doom, and finality is hogwash. Don't fall for it, it's a parlour trick, a weak form of mind control they're trying to pull. They quote things from the past to bolster their argument that they are all-powerful, and have accomplished things in the past, and by this same token that they will continue to exercise absolute control in the future. I think their knees might be knocking when they think of the 400 assays in FWR's arsenal. The fear they try to exert may just vanish like mist in the hot morning sun, and their spell will be broken.

I have not been afforded the luxury of a glimpse into the future, so I can't say for certain if there will be consolidation or not somewhere down the line. But I do know I balk when given the hard sell, and when someone WANTS me to be afraid, I have to wonder what their agenda is. In my life, I have discovered that the biggest bullies are also the biggest cowards; it's all a bluff, a bluster, a desperate attempt to disguise any weakness. And I'm observing a lot of bullying going on...as I'm sure the rest of you are.

That's my weekend rant, and my feeble attempts to piece together what's going on.

Keep the faith.