>If they are holding - why are we freaking out?

All this talk of Exxon leaving reminds me of the days when Falcon put out their first Scotia report and had to retract it because it wasn't NI51-101 compliant. So many were so sure that the next report would be much much lower...or the times leading up to getting the production license. So many were so sure that there was NO WAY that Falcon could get one without proving that the wells were economical first..or the times leading up to the JV, when so many were so sure they wouldn't be able to find a partner. We all know how all of these scenarios played out.

So will Exxon move to stage 2? I don't know, but I'm not going to worry about it. I certainly hope they do, but if they don't, well, that's life. When I buy a ticket to watch a movie, I watch the movie until the end, and that's what I plan on doing with the Falcon story. That has been my intention all along, and when I say I'm going to do something, that's exactly what I do.

I also don't believe anything, good or bad, until an official announcement is made. If Exxon made a statement that they are not going to proceed to stage 2, then I must have missed it!