I mentioned this a few days ago .. and I'll repeat much of it ...

This delay excuse was so poor and rushed it was an obvious tact to stall. I mean, come on ... it gave little detail and just seemed to be tossed at us for lack of something better to say.

And because they rushed it ... in such an unprepared and uncharacteristic fashion, they bungled it badly ... I'm sure Teck was behind it and Elmer was in unfamiliar territory .. and just following orders.

He comes across to me as a straight shooter ... and a good ol' boy .. and I'm sure he was way out of his comfort zone in dropping that bomb on us in such fashion.

This is all about a bigger picture going on behind the scenes. Teck and CUU are comparing notes, negotiating, and getting all the ducks in a row before a major announcement .. aka, halt.

Other players may be part of this. A spinco could be as well.

This is a complicated resource, and a slow process to put a value on it and come up with an appropriate buyout ... its been going on for months but rest assured that Teck backs in for the full monty ... come on ... like someone said here earlier in a good analogy... would you trade a couple of dimes for a shiny new five dollar bill?

Clearly, Teck is privy to everything we have. They are now checking all the data, and are getting a handle on everything before an offer is presented. I believe this is why Jim Gray is involved .. at Tecks insistence ... to clarify and simplify things ... to ensure they get everything right.

Why? Because this is more complex and it is bigger than first thought.

This stretches out far beyond first indexed parameters ... and will be a new mining district in due time.

As Vette pointed out ... Teck won't wait for the fs ... I agree.

And they have lots to do to earn their share. CUU is in a very good position indeed.

And yes, for sure, and as pointed out above, the TT delay excuse is a smokescreen coordinated between Teck and CUU to buy more time to get everything added up, figured out, and settled.

It all makes sense to me given the mickey mouse way (for lack of a more poignant way to put it) the delay was written up and delivered to us.

Buyouts often happen out of the blue with nary a peep.

That silence is critical, and often that silence or lack of communication is mistaken for poor public relations and / or lack of transparency.

Many cases in point have been cited here.

During the lull, share price gets driven down out of investor boredom, and manipulation by those higher powers in tune with the big picture ... the end result.

One day ... any day hereafter, you can open up your screen and see those 'trading halted' words in red on your CUU window.

When that happens ... and it will ... I hope you have as many shares as you can possibly afford.