TNR goes to Ireland, MAI halts production, summer doldrums or recovery! MAI, TNR, CLQ, WLC, MCI, LAT, TCK

The Fisker Karma - one of the many new exciting Electric+Hybrid - lithium-ion powered sports cars that change the perception of oddly-shaped hybrid cars that majority of us has been used to from Prius Taxis, etc.

In other news - resources are coming back, US dollar is falling, when will the world wake up fully to the never-ending bad news from the US! Stick to commodities, it is the only true measure of value - especially when US has debt that is half of their annual GDP. Can you imagine saying no to inflation at that ridiculous level...

One of our favorite mining juniors here, TNR Gold Corp and its subsidiary, International Lithium Corp, has been continuously aquiring land all over the world. This time - they went to Ireland!

Vancouver B.C.: TNR Gold Corp. ("TNR" or the "Company") is pleased to announce the recent application for licences to explore the Leinster Pegmatite Belt in southeast Ireland. TNR has applied for eight licences in counties Carlow and Wicklow which cover the belt, totaling 292 km2. TNR anticipates that the application process will take 4 to 6 months to complete and upon receipt of the licences, fieldwork will commence. The areas can be seen on the following map -- http://www.tnrgoldcorp.com/i/pdf/TNR-Ireland.pdf The application for these licences initiates the Blackstairs Lithium-Tantalum Project which will focus on evaluation of the approximately nineteen pegmatites that make up the Leinster Pegmatite Belt for lithium, tantalum and related rare elements. Lithium was first located in this area during base metal exploration in the 1970s. At least three of the pegmatites were drilled in the 1970s. In 1970, a total of 885m of drilling on the Aclare pegmatite was completed. Although tantalum minerals were identified, there is no record of any analysis for elements other than lithium. To the north at Stranakelly, two holes were drilled in 1974 and returned intervals intersecting 1.4m of 2.34% Li and 5.5m of 1.6% Li. In 1976 five holes drilled at Moylisha included an intersection of 9.5m of 1.66% Li. Lithium occurs as both spodumene and lepidotlite with the latter mineral found more in the northern part of the belt. Since the lithium exploration in the 1970s attention of subsequent explorers has focused on tantalum, particularly in the southern half of the belt. In addition, anomalous values in niobium, tin and cesium have been reported. Ireland has a well established mining history and has attracted a number of major mining companies. Access to the licence area is by a network of good roads across a rural, farming area. Once the licenses are granted, TNR plans an exploration programme to confirm earlier drilling results, quantify additional rare elements in those areas and follow-up results and recommendations from earlier reconnaissance programmes. An experienced geological team source from Ireland and Canada will be ready to apply pegmatite exploration methods proven in Canada to re-evaluate the Leinster Pegmatite Belt in Ireland. Mr. John Harrop is the Company's qualified person on the project as required under NI 43-101 and has reviewed the technical information contained in this press release. ABOUT TNR TNR is a diversified metals exploration company focused on identifying new prospective projects globally and upon approval of the above licences has a total portfolio of 30 properties, of which 13 will be subject to the proposed spin-off of International Lithium Corp.. The recent acquisition of Lithium projects in Canada, USA and Ireland confirms the company's commitment to project generation, market diversity, and building shareholder value. TNR proposes to spin-out its lithium and rare metals projects into its wholly owned British Columbia subsidiary International Lithium Corp. ("Int. Lithium Corp" http://www.internationallithium.com). Upon completion of the transfer of the lithium and rare metals projects to Int. Lithium Corp., TNR intends to distribute up to 75% of the securities of Int. Lithium Corp. to TNR shareholders (the "Spin-Out Transaction"). Application will also be made to list the shares of Int. Lithium Corp. on the TSX Venture Exchange (the "Exchange"). Please see TNR's news release dated April 27, 2009 for complete details of the proposed spin-out. On behalf of the board, Gary Schellenberg President

File: http://www.tnrgoldcorp.com/i/pdf/pdf/TNR-Ireland.pdf

It may sound crazy how a junior company can acquire so many projects so fast, but I suppose it makes sense when you look at the various staffs background in geological and past successful public companies and ventures. Gary Schellenberg is also the CEO of a successful geo consulting firm - CMG. Talk about leveraging your abilities!

Few days ago I also received an email indicating TNR has made it to CBC News! Their acquisition of a past producing mine in Northwest Territories has sparked interest in the area. Keep in mind this is around Thor Lake of the famous Avalon Rare Metals (AVL:TSX)

This area is familiar to in-house expert Dr. Fred Breaks, who also discovered Avalons flagship property.

CBC Article Link: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/north/story/2009/05/05/nwt-tnr-rare-metal.html

2nd company shows interest in mining rare metals near Yellowknife

Last Updated: Tuesday, May 5, 2009 | 3:33 PM CT

CBC News

A Canadian mining exploration company has bought an old mine near Yellowknife, with plans to explore for rare, sought-after metals used in electronics and electric cars.

TNR Gold Corp. of Vancouver recently purchased the Moose 2 property 115 kilometres east-southeast of the N.W.T. capital that is known to have deposits of lithium and tantalum, among other minerals.

TNR president Gary Schellenberg told CBC News that the former mine, which was in use during the 1940s and 1950s, looks promising for lithium and tantalum — two metals, he said, that have seen their prices skyrocket recently.

"Tantalum is used in the electronics industry, and again, it's fairly rare. And of course, everybody's cellphones have a bit of tantalum in it," he said Monday.

"Lithium, of course, is getting a lot of press lately, due to the increased demand and all the talk of lithium batteries in electric cars."

Schellenberg said the company will conduct some exploration and sampling this summer in order to determine whether reopening the mine would be viable.

The Moose 2 site is not on the N.W.T.'s road system, but Schellenberg said it is accessible by boat and float plane.

TNR is the second company that has expressed interest in exploring for rare metals in the Yellowknife area.

I like the story - the group seems credible - if you takea look at CMGs client list you will find some heavy hitting clients like Serengeti Resources, Bravo Ventures, NovaGold, Barrick, New Crest Mining, etc. You wouldnt get credible groups like that using your service if A) your reputation isnt good around town and B) you dont know what you are doing.

Judging by Stockhouse comments and feedback - alot of people are waiting for the International Lithium spinoff latter part of 2009.

If you havent seen it yet, ILC website is here. Interesting investor information section for people new to lithium - I like the layout and color - very much feels like a Green Tech play! I can see this doing quite well, what does everyone else think??








On a slightly less enthuthiastic note, Miner Andes production at San Jose runs into problem and halts. I suppose this could be good for TNR - must mean MAI would need to focus on developing the massive Los Azules deposit -- when is Xstrata supposed to decide if they back in or not?

I recall 90 days from a Prelimenary Assessment, which was already filed on SEDAR late March. Does that mean we will have an answer late June 2009?

So many questions, yet so many positive signs for the tiny microcap group!!

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Onto the bigger picture, President Obama declares yesterday an official mandate for car makers to lower emissions!

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Obama-proposes-first-rb-15292746.html?sec=topStories&pos=3&asset=&ccode=

It`s a step in the right direction - but is there a technology out there that people have trusted for years - a balance of lower emissions and reasonable costs!

If you asked someone to test a new technology, did you want someone who used their cars alot or someone who barely drives!

SURELY, millions of Prius Taxis around major cities for the last 5-7 years it`s been in production says something about reliability and true cost savings, no

?

Keep in mind each Electric Vehicle (EV) and Hybrid Vehicle like Prius demands a fair bit of Lithium Carbonate - a commodity that has no spot price but rather private quotes from the handful of producers around the world.

Obama takes aim at climate-warming car emissions

• On Tuesday May 19, 2009, 2:17 pm ED

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama took aim at climate-warming greenhouse gases on Tuesday and obliged the struggling auto industry to make more efficient cars by imposing tough national standards to cut emissions and increase gas mileage.

Obama said the new standards, announced at a White House ceremony attended by auto industry and union leaders, would reduce U.S. dependence on foreign oil and give five years of cost certainty to an auto industry battling to survive.

"The status quo is no longer acceptable," Obama said in an announcement that raised pressure on carmakers to transform and modernize the industry to produce more efficient vehicles.

"We have done little to increase fuel efficiency of America's cars and trucks for decades," he said, calling the standards the start of a transition to a clean energy economy.

Obama has made fighting climate change a priority for his administration, and lawmakers from his Democratic party are this week wrangling over a historic bill many hope will provide much broader guidelines for controlling greenhouse gas emissions.

Under the new vehicle standards, U.S. passenger vehicles and light trucks must average 35.5 miles per gallon (6.62 litres/100km) by 2016, which Obama said would save 1.8 billion barrels of oil over the lifetime of the program.

The Environmental Protection Agency would regulate tailpipe emissions for the first time under the standards.

The U.S. Congress does not have to approve the standards, which will be implemented through federal rules.

HIGHER PRICETAGS FOR CONSUMERS

The plan was praised by automakers and environmentalists but means higher price tags for consumers. Officials said they would recoup the money with lower fuel costs.

The new program, the administration said, will add about $600 to the price of producing a vehicle compared to current law. This requires automakers to achieve a fleet average of 35 mpg by 2020, a 40 percent increase over today's performance.

The plan could cut deeply into voracious U.S. gasoline demand, dealing another blow to a refining sector hard hit by recession and bracing for more climate legislation.

The White House announcement came as U.S. gasoline prices soared for the second week in a row, with the latest pump cost up 7 cents over the previous week to $2.31 a gallon amid signs of an easing of the recession.

Obama was flanked at the ceremony by executives from 10 automakers, labor leaders and Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm, who embraced the plan for giving the struggling industry cost certainty by setting a uniform national standard.

"At a time of historic crisis in our auto industry, this rule provides the clear certainty that will allow these companies to plan for a future in which they are building the cars of the 21st century," Obama said.

The compromise also resolves a long-running dispute between the government and California, which had been seeking a waiver from federal law to impose its own tough standards on emissions.

Obama said a series of lawsuits tied to California's efforts would be dropped. California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger attended the White House announcement in a show of support.

The proposal is aimed at cutting climate-warming carbon emissions, which would fall by 900 million metric tons or more than 30 percent over the life of the program, officials said.

(Additional reporting by John Crawley, writing by John Whitesides; Editing by David Storey)

Warren Buffet says inflation inevitable - Bullish for Gold! TNR.v, MAI.to, Los Azules, San Jose!

EDITOR: After a few entries about green energy and Lithium it's time for some good contrarian logic... thanks to your favorite value investor - Warren Buffet!

Don't forget TNR Gold has 1,000,000 ounces of Gold in Alaska with NovaGold and historic production at El Tapau... alot of things going for them!! Their Iliamna is just kilometres away from PEBBLE in Alaska!

Minera Andes also produces gold/silver @ San Jose, in addition to their fantastic Los Azules story.

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BERKSHIRE AGM

Warren Buffett's good news for gold

Alec Hogg reports from Omaha on a developing scenario ripe for another bullion boom

Author: Alec Hogg*
Posted: Monday , 04 May 2009

OMAHA -

In the 44 years he's been building a reputation as the world's savviest investor, Warren Buffett has rarely offered any good news on gold. Until now.

The two key messages he delivered to 35,000 shareholders at Berkshire Hathaway's AGM in Omaha over the weekend were inflation is coming back; and the US Dollar is headed lower. Both predictions, if fulfilled, are powerfully positive for gold.

Buffett, who has delivered compounded returns exceeding 20% a year to shareholders for more than four decades, did not mention gold by name. But that will matter little to the yellow metal's continuously growing group of supporters. They are sure to interpret this as further evidence that gold's best days lie ahead.

After dabbling in precious metals in the 1960s, Buffett ignored them until a well publicized (but poor) trade in silver between mid-1997 and early 1998. The decision to accumulate 130m ounces was based on factors specific to silver's supply and demand at the time.

Once he'd closed out the position, Buffett jokingly describing it as "the perfect trade - except that we bought too early and sold too late." Since then he has publicly and consistently shunned precious metals, mainly because he prefers assets which generate dividends.

Despite his gloomy forecasts for inflation, Buffett hasn't exactly signed up to gold-supporting groups like GATA. Rather, he suggested to Berkshire shareholders their best protection was "invest in yourself; and as a second option, buy stock in a well run company."

Buffett explained that in the wake of the global financial sector meltdown, State officials have been forced to take the world into uncharted territory. Nobody knows the exact impact of unprecedented bailout and stimulation packages.

But he is convinced of one definite consequence: "You can bet on inflation." History suggests that higher inflation is an important trigger for a rise in the gold price.

During Saturday's six hour question and answer marathon, Buffett (78) and Berkshire Hathaway's vice chairman Charlie Munger (85) once again belied their advanced years through sharp wit and focused minds. They also referred often to their view that the US Dollar is headed south - another bull factor for gold.

Buffett believes US Government Bonds are one of the poorest choices for investors today, especially non-Americans. As he put it: "Anybody who holds (US) Dollar obligations from outside this country is going to get back less in purchasing power in future."

In his view the US is following policies that are bound to have inflationary consequences. Heading these is the heavy borrowing from, especially, the Chinese to fund the bailout and stimulus packages.

Says Buffett: "It's wrong for politicians and others to keep saying they're using (US) taxpayers money. My taxes haven't gone up and neither have yours. What we are doing is borrowing from the rest of the world and building up Government debt. The classic way of reducing the impact and cost of foreign debt is by reducing the value of the dollars you're going to repay them with."

He added: "The people who are really going to pay (for the bailouts) are those who are buying fixed interest (US) Government bonds that will be worth less when they redeem them. The AIG bonuses," he quipped, "were actually paid by the Chinese."

While warning that shareholders should expect to see "plenty of inflation", Buffett said there was no need to despair: "The best protection against inflation is your own earning power. If you are the best at what you do, you will get your share of the national pie no matter what inflation does. The second best protection is owning a wonderful business that does not need capital. With these guidelines, I'd say invest in yourself. It's always been the best investment you could make." - alec@moneyweb.co.za

* Alec Hogg is Mineweb's editor in chief. This is his fourth successive "pilgrimage" to the Berkshire Hathaway annual general meeting.

Lithium Everywhere - Spinoff Plans + Adding Shareholder value!? TNR.V, CLQ.V, WLC.V, MCI.v, CZX.V

It's a nice feeling being right sometimes.

As expected, Western Lithium was unable to finance at a fairly high price of $0.70/share. They have since adjusted back down to $0.50 and is aiming for an ambitious $5 million cash (ie. 10 million shares). They do have a well known management team - I'd keep watch on that group, estimate price should easily be $1+ if summer is set for a slight recovery in markets.

Mountain Capital - has historical brine resource in stable Alberta but seemed heavily promotional - I tend to be more skeptical of those. If you're lucky get in early and get out when it runs - these likely won't be the groups with multimillion buyouts from majors, but you could still get 40-50% gain... in a good market. It is currently trading at $0.075, down from its $0.15 a mere week ago, I suspect it may drop closer to $0.06.

I couldn't find much on the management team's past successes (and failures) so I'll leave it for investor's own due dilligence. Word of cautions - seems like Cloudbreak Resources is run by the same group - it's struggling a bit at the moment - make your own judgement about if that's an indication re: MCI... some of the investor comments on SH are pretty vicious, take both sides (buy/sell) with a grain of salt.

Canada Lithium seems to be speeding aheah with their Feasibility scheduled for 2009 - I'm anxious to see how they fare in lithium carbonate production from their Quebec mine. Their tout has been updated to 20,000 tonnes production - no time frame given. Trading ranges around $0.13-0.17 - easy potential run to $0.25, CEO Judy Baker has signed some credible group of experts onto the board.

Finally, TNR Gold Corp - remember we recommended a buy here along with CLQ a few weeks back?

Turns out they acquired a property next to the only lithium brine producer curently in North America.

The project is in Nevada : perfect for brine processing.

For everyone who's confused - lithium is usually mined as a byproduct. Brines however, is essentially dissolved lithium - meaning a simple process of evaporation is generally all that you need to extract the lithium. No messy underground mines, dangerous mine shafts, transporting huge rock wastes!

So why doesn't everyone just find brines then?

Well, it's also not that easy. The world's biggest brine resource is well, in Bolivia. And Bolivia hasn't been very cooperative lately about foreign investment going in and taking their resources - you get the idea?

That means as the world need more and more compact cell phones, lithium-battery-powered Hybrid Cars, glass products, etc, lithium demand is starting to overtake the large amount of lithium supplies... it makes sense! For such a versatile rare metal that's so infused in our daily lives, surely the prices should be going up now that even President Obama's touting energy conservation?

Don't worry, it is!

TNR Gold and Rodinia both respectively announced property in the area and has seen at least 70-100% gain in their starting share price. Why I like these two is because they are still diversified if you take away the lithium. Rodinia stands on its own Uranium property, while TNR has the mammoth Los Azules copper project (11.2 billion lb - $0.85/lb production cost that's awaiting feasibility report) and a controversial David-Goliath fighting with Xstrata over this back-in. Not to mention joint ventures with likes of Suramina (Lundin), La Mancha Resources, & NovaGold.

It's very rare seeing a junior with such low market cap that's able to strike deal with so many company. Last I checked they also have a deal with Barrick and BHP Billiton in Alaska..!! Check their page for more details. Not being a one-trick pony is huge - not to mention their management must have massive connections to swing so many deals!!

Since our last coverage of TNR / Rodinia area - this lithium Nevada thing has taken off.

Rodinia announced the property acquisition and action plan on it April 1st, 2009.

Rodinia closes Clayton Valley lithium property deal

2009-04-01 15:56 ET - News Release

Mr. Donald Morrison reports

RODINIA CLOSES TRANSACTION TO ACQUIRE 100% INTEREST IN NEVADA PROPERTY ADJACENT TO THE ONLY LITHIUM PRODUCER IN THE U.S.

Rodinia Minerals Inc. and its Wyoming subsidiary, Donnybrook Platinum Resources Inc., have closed the transaction with GeoXplor Corp. in respect of 250 unpatented mining claims located in the Clayton Valley, Esmeralda county, Nevada.

Clayton Valley is home to the only lithium producer in the United States. This plant extracts lithium from brines pumped from aquifiers below the valley and has been in production since 1967. The plant is designed to produce 1.2 million kilograms of lithium per year and to date has produced an estimated 50 million kilograms of lithium. Rodinia Minerals' property is adjacent to this production facility.

After receiving TSX Venture Exchange acceptance, the company has issued the first tranche of shares due to GeoXplor as part of the agreement, being 500,000 common shares, which are subject to a four-month hold period expiring on July 24, 2009. The agreement with GeoXplor gives Rodinia Minerals and Donnybrook the option to acquire a 100-per-cent interest in the property, subject to a 3-per-cent royalty in respect of lithium carbonate production and all other ores or minerals mined or extracted from the property. The option is exercisable by paying GeoXplor a total $322,000 (U.S.) over four years of which $25,000 (U.S.) has been paid to date; issuing to GeoXplor a total of 2.5 million shares of Rodinia Minerals, as to 500,000 shares on regulatory approval (issued) and 500,000 shares each year thereafter for four years, and incurring expenditures on exploration of the property of not less than a total of $2-million (U.S.) over four years. Rodinia Minerals may, at any time, accelerate any of the cash payments, share issuances or expenditures and can satisfy the expenditures requirement by delivering a prefeasibility study. The royalty can be bought down at any time upon payment of $1-million (U.S.) for each 1 per cent of the royalty. The agreement also provides that if, at any time, a positive feasibility study in respect of the property is delivered, or Rodinia Minerals and Donnybrook dispose of their interest in the property in any way, GeoXplor will be paid $2-million (U.S.) in cash, or, at the election of GeoXplor, in that number of shares of Rodinia Minerals as have a total value of $2-million (U.S.) determined on the basis of the closing market price per share of Rodinia Minerals' shares on the day preceding GeoXplor's election.

RM jumped almost 300% to $0.40 at one point on this spectacular acquisition. This next one though - we saw coming... even as we speak today there was another acquisition by this aggressive group.

TNR Gold stakes Fish Lake Valley in Nevada

2009-04-16 18:33 ET - News Release

Mr. Gary Schellenberg reports

TNR GOLD ACQUIRES NEVADA LITHIUM BRINE PROPERTIES

Following TNR Gold Corp.'s philosophy of generating quality projects and its recent entry into lithium and rare metals, the company is acquiring, by staking, the 640-acre Fish Lake Valley property in Nevada.

TNR Gold believes Fish Lake Valley has geological features similar to those which have acted as a trap for lithium brines in Clayton Valley. Chemetall-Foote Corp.'s Silver Peak operation, located in Clayton Valley 34 kilometres east of the property, is the only lithium brine producer in North America and has been in production since 1966.

United States Geological Survey sampling at Fish Lake Valley in 1976 found lithium brines on surface. One of these samples, located on TNR Gold property, contained 200 parts per million lithium. This falls within the range of concentrations reported to be used for production ponds at Chemetall-Foote's plant in Clayton Valley. To date, Chemetall-Foote's Silver Peak operation is estimated to have produced 234,000 tonnes of lithium carbonate at a rate of approximately 5,700 tonnes per year.

The presence of lithium-bearing surface brines shows that modern Fish Lake Valley has geological and climatic conditions where lithium brine can form. At Clayton Valley drilling conducted by the United States Geological Survey and Chemetall-Foote has shown that as climatic conditions went through cycles, successive layers of lithium-bearing evaporite were deposited.

During 1979, the United States Geological Survey conducted drilling operations in Fish Lake Valley as part of a lithium study. One of those holes, located on TNR Gold property, returned 21 parts per million lithium in water at 16.8 metres depth. This level of lithium in water is anomalous and similar to those found in Clayton Valley in proximity to subsurface brines.

John Harrop is the company's qualified person on the project as required under National Instrument 43-101, and he has reviewed the technical information contained in this press release.

TNR jumped 200% since our last feature blog for various TSX lithium juniors. I'll cover their most interesting press release from this week tomorrow.

TNR arranges spin-out of lithium, rare metals projects

2009-04-27 10:17 ET - News Release

Mr. Gary Schellenberg reports

TNR GOLD ANNOUNCES PROPOSED SPIN-OUT OF LITHIUM AND RARE METALS ASSETS

TNR Gold Corp. intends to spin out its lithium and rare metals projects into a newly incorporated, wholly owned British Columbia subsidiary of TNR Gold, International Lithium Corp. Upon completion of the transfer of the lithium and rare metals projects to International Lithium, TNR intends to distribute up to 75 per cent of the securities of International Lithium to TNR shareholders. Application will also be made to list the shares of International Lithium on the TSX Venture Exchange.

It is anticipated that the spin-out transaction will be completed pursuant to a plan of arrangement and will be subject to exchange, regulatory, court and shareholder approval, by not less than two-thirds of the votes cast at a special meeting of TNR shareholders which will be called to approve the spin-out transaction. Full details of the proposed spin-out transaction will be included in the information circulate to be sent to TNR shareholders in connection with the special meeting to be held in summer 2009, but it is anticipated that TNR shareholders of record will be entitled to receive one share and one full tradable warrant of International Lithium for every four shares of TNR held as of the as-yet-determined record date. The warrant will be exercisable at a price equal to a 50-per-cent premium to the company's listing price for a two-year period. In conjunction with the listing of the shares of International Lithium, TNR intends to complete an equity financing on terms to be determined, subject to regulatory approval.

Further details regarding the spin-out transaction, the proposed timing thereof and any proposed financing, will be released in the upcoming months.

TNR believes this corporate holding structure will deliver further shareholder value as International Lithium will be focused on increasing critical mass through acquisitions of high-potential lithium and rare metal projects globally. Current shareholders will continue to benefit from the group's ability to identify and add value to early stage projects for joint venture model, while enjoying the growth of the new subsidiary and the market's newfound appreciation for efficient lithium energy innovations. "With a subsidiary that is marketed as a focused and dominant player in the growing lithium and rare metals explorer realm, we believe it will provide the necessary visibility and efficiency that potential joint venture partners are looking for," states president and chief executive officer Gary Schellenberg.

TNR has reserved the domain name. The site will be linked to the current TNR website and feature property information, lithium industry articles, and relevant technical information. The site is currently in the process of being designed and constructed.

Completion of the spin-out transaction is subject to a number of conditions, including regulatory approval, shareholder approvals and approval of the British Columbia Supreme Court. There can be no assurance that the transaction will be completed as proposed or at all. Investors are cautioned that, except as disclosed in the information circular to be prepared in connection with the spin-out transaction, any information released or received with respect to the spinoff may not be accurate or complete and should not be relied upon. Trading in the securities of exploration and development stage resource companies should be considered highly speculative.

Lithium in Spotlight so is WLC, TNR, CLQ - Info on Lithium Expert Fred Breaks (AVL, Houston Lake, RES)

More and more, the world is realizing the need for a cleaner and more efficient energy solution.

When the powerhouse China steps into the arena, we will see alot more juniors jumping into the foray with their early stage properties. Whether or not those properties have merit is another question though!

Since our last lithium corporation coverage article March 18:


MCI has fallen off from $0.13 to around $0.08-0.09 range
Updates: They seem to have acquired a property with Zimtu group.

Not sure how MCI plans on funding this exploration project however, they seem to have a tendency to drop projects and jumped in/out several other commodities without much progress - Potash, Gold, etc.

Mountain Capital, Zimtu Capital property agreement 2009-04-07 16:31 ET - Property Agreement The TSX Venture Exchange has accepted for filing an property acquisition agreement dated Feb. 26, 2009, between Mountain Capital Inc., Zimtu Capital Corp., a TSX Venture Exchange-listed company, and 877384 Alberta Ltd. (Debbie Dahrouge), whereby the company will acquire a 100-per-cent interest in 41 metallic and industrial minerals permits, which consist of three separate properties located west to northwest of Edmonton, Alta. Total consideration consists of $90,000 in cash payments, 1.2 million shares of the company and 1.2 million share purchase warrants exercisable at 25 cents for two years, all payable and issuable within five days of exchange acceptance. In addition, there is a 3-per-cent net smelter return and a 5-per-cent gross overriding royalty on the gross production of diamonds. The company may, at any time, purchase 1 per cent of the net smelter return for $1-million in order to reduce the total net smelter return to 2 per cent. There is no buyback clause relating to the gross overriding royalty. There is a finder's fee of $8,400 cash and 67,200 shares payable to Richard Macey.

Last I checked they had $460K term deposit and $23K cash from SEDAR quarterly filings, can they afford to do much more with the acquisition? Zimtu is affiliated with Commerce Resources (CCE.v) - fair guess it is the same Dahrouge associated with VP Jodi Dahrouge, no? Makes you wonder why CCE doesn't keep it for itself for a mere $90K, CCE has $2 million+ in the bank.
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TNR GOLD CORP (TNR:TSX) - risen up to $0.07 from $0.05 - moving gradually up?
This group surprisingly was able to appoint Rare Element Resources' and Avalon Venture's flagship project founder - Dr. Fred Breaks.

Quick GOOGLE Search of F.Break's background will reveal this as very positive news - to have someone of that merit guide and review TNR's moves is a tremendous accomplishment. May see more market appreciation or even investors from RES / AVL jumping on board TNR. This guy has found some of the largest pegmatite type rare earth / lithium deposits in Canada. Houston Lake Mining's Pakeagama Lake property mineralization was also discovered by Dr Breaks it seems (link here).

Based on this initial field work, Dr Fred Breaks of the OGS conducted three weeks of detailed mapping and sampling in 1998. Dr. Breaks identified a strongly zoned, complex petalite subtype pegmatite. The combination of size, accessibility and the presence of both geochemical indicators and rare metal ore minerals, provide the Property with high potential for economic rare metal mineralization

Channel sampling of the 13 metre wide Northern Wall Zone of the Pakeagama Lake pegmatite returned 344 g/t tantalum oxide, 0.90 percent rubidium oxide, 1776 g/t cesium oxide, 68.9 g/t tin, 131.9 g/t niobium oxide, 1.34 percent lithium oxide, 25.9 g/t thallium, and 42.2 g/t gallium over a true width of 11 metres. The Pakeagama Lake Northern Wall Zone channel sample results compare favourably to Sons of Gwalia Limited’s Wodgina mine which is located in Western Australia. The Wodgina mine is a world-class tantalum-only producer containing 27 million tonnes averaging 420 g/t tantalum oxide.

Some objective links from around the web & Ontario Government (Geological Survey) about Fred Breaks:

Rare Element Pegmatites - North-Central Ontario - AVL Calculated Resources Estimate 2001 - 800,000 tonnes averaging 0.032 wt% Tantalum, 340,000 tonnes averaging 0.037 wt% Ta2O5 and 2.29 wt% Cs2O
http://www.mndm.gov.on.ca/mines/ogs/Posters/NWMMS_2005/Breaks_NNW_2005.pdf

Separation Lake and surrounding area has in recent years emerged as, if not the most, certainly among the most, important host to rare-element pegmatites in Ontario. The Separation Rapids pegmatite field (Figure 1), located where the English River forest access road crosses the English River near Separation Rapids, was first discovered in the 1993 field season by Fred Breaks of the Ontario Geological Survey (OGS).

http://goliath.ecnext.com/coms2/gi_0199-5903678/Agreement-Reached-to-Retire-Advance.html
However, it wasn't until the 1998 work by Dr. Fred Breaks of the OGS that the full implications of the discovery were realized. The Pakeagama Rare Metals pegmatite was the recent subject of a two year collaboration between Dr. Breaks of the OGS and Dr. Andy Tindle of The Open University in the United Kingdom. Their extensive documentation of the pegmatite depicted the second largest, complex type, petalite sub-type pegmatite in Ontario with highly anomalous to economically significant values of tantalum, cesium, rubidium, lithium, beryllium, niobium, tin, gallium, germanium and thallium.

http://www.mndm.gov.on.ca/mines/ogs/Posters/NWMMS_2005/Hall_NW_2005.pdf

http://mgmudrey.brinkster.net/Compressed/ILSG%2048%20Kenora%20field%20guide.CV.pdf

http://emg.geoscienceworld.org/cgi/content/abstract/14/1-4/1

_______________

CLQ hanging around $0.15 - no significant newsflow - behind the scenes development I suppose?

WLC spiked up from $0.52 to $0.75 last week along banking optimism in the US tapering off to $0.67 today - in process of arranging $4.03 million financing and has a new IR firm. This is a solid group with capital and high profile industry connections (CEO used to run Jinshan Mining) - I fully expect TNR, CLQ, and WLC to be the ones to aim for if lithium starts getting more attention (and it has). Keeping in mind they'll likely want related parties to be supporting stocks lately so it hangs around $0.80 so there is a slight premium for the warrants! Good to buy on a drop to $0.60 as I expect it to bounce back to around $0.70 for PP appearance's sake.

Western Lithium arranges $4.03-million financing

2009-04-07 08:57 ET - News Release

Ms. Cindy Burnett reports

WESTERN LITHIUM ANNOUNCES $4 MILLION BROKERED PRIVATE PLACEMENT

Western Lithium Canada Corp. will be proceeding with a brokered private placement to raise $4.03-million by issuing up to 6.2 million units at a price of 65 cents per unit, plus an overallotment option of up to $1.04-million.

Each unit will comprise one common share and one-half of a common share purchase warrant. Each whole warrant will entitle the holder to purchase an additional common share for a period of 12 months at a price of 80 cents.

Western Lithium Canada Corp Symbol WLC Shares Issued 51,220,000 Close 2009-04-06 C$ 0.69 Recent Sedar Documents Western Lithium arranges $4.03-million financing 2009-04-07 08:57 ET - News Release Ms. Cindy Burnett reports WESTERN LITHIUM ANNOUNCES $4 MILLION BROKERED PRIVATE PLACEMENT Western Lithium Canada Corp. will be proceeding with a brokered private placement to raise $4.03-million by issuing up to 6.2 million units at a price of 65 cents per unit, plus an overallotment option of up to $1.04-million. Each unit will comprise one common share and one-half of a common share purchase warrant. Each whole warrant will entitle the holder to purchase an additional common share for a period of 12 months at a price of 80 cents. The company has engaged Haywood Securities Inc. to act as agent for the offering, and has agreed to pay Haywood a cash commission equal to 6 per cent of the gross proceeds of the private placement. The company will also issue to Haywood that number of agent's warrants as is equal to 6 per cent of the number of units sold. Each agent's warrant will entitle Haywood to purchase one common share for a price of 70 cents for a period of 12 months. All of the securities issued pursuant to the private placement will be subject to a hold period expiring four months and a day after the closing date. The closing of the sale of the units is expected to occur on or about April 30, 2009, and is subject to the approval of the TSX Venture Exchange. Proceeds of the private placement will be used to finance continuing engineering and development studies for the company's lithium project in Nevada, including additional drilling of the lithium deposit to conform to National Instrument 43-101 requirements. Proceeds will also go toward general corporate purposes. We seek Safe Harbor.

Will be interesting to see them drilling in Nevada for Lithim though!! That area is famed for easy-production of lithium brine (liquid form)!!

____________________________________________

China Vies to Be World’s Leader in Electric Cars

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/02/business/global/02electric.html?_r=1&em

TIANJIN, China — Chinese leaders have adopted a plan aimed at turning the country into one of the leading producers of hybrid and all-electric vehicles within three years, and making it the world leader in electric cars and buses after that.

The goal, which radiates from the very top of the Chinese government, suggests that Detroit’s Big Three, already struggling to stay alive, will face even stiffer foreign competition on the next field of automotive technology than they do today.

“China is well positioned to lead in this,” said David Tulauskas, director of China government policy at General Motors.

To some extent, China is making a virtue of a liability. It is behind the United States, Japan and other countries when it comes to making gas-powered vehicles, but by skipping the current technology, China hopes to get a jump on the next.

Japan is the market leader in hybrids today, which run on both electricity and gasoline, with cars like the Toyota Prius and Honda Insight. The United States has been a laggard in alternative vehicles. G.M.’s plug-in hybrid Chevrolet Volt is scheduled to go on sale next year, and will be assembled in Michigan using rechargeable batteries imported from LG in South Korea.

China’s intention, in addition to creating a world-leading industry that will produce jobs and exports, is to reduce urban pollution and decrease its dependence on oil, which comes from the Mideast and travels over sea routes controlled by the United States Navy.

But electric vehicles may do little to clear the country’s smog-darkened sky or curb its rapidly rising emissions of global warming gases. China gets three-fourths of its electricity from coal, which produces more soot and more greenhouse gases than other fuels.

A report by McKinsey & Company last autumn estimated that replacing a gasoline-powered car with a similar-size electric car in China would reduce greenhouse emissions by only 19 percent. It would reduce urban pollution, however, by shifting the source of smog from car exhaust pipes to power plants, which are often located outside cities.

Beyond manufacturing, subsidies of up to $8,800 are being offered to taxi fleets and local government agencies in 13 Chinese cities for each hybrid or all-electric vehicle they purchase. The state electricity grid has been ordered to set up electric car charging stations in Beijing, Shanghai and Tianjin.

______________________________________

Taken from Forbes last year
http://www.forbes.com/forbes/2008/1124/034.html

The lithium bonanza may just be starting. Lithium-ion batteries are integral to the automobile industry's plans to wean itself off fossil fuels. The hotly anticipated Chevrolet Volt, a plug-in hybrid car slated to debut in 2010, will use a lithium-ion battery alongside a 1.4-liter gas engine. Mercedes plans to roll out a hybrid version of its S-Class sedan in 2009 and will similarly rely on lithium-ion technology to produce superior mileage. Nissan (nasdaq: NSANY - news - people ) is working with NEC to mass-produce lithium-ion batteries for hybrids, in hopes of churning out 65,000 per year by 2010.

Since a vehicle battery requires a hundred times as much lithium carbonate as its laptop equivalent, the green-car revolution could make lithium one of the planet's most strategic commodities. The rush is on to find and develop new sources of it, a race that has mining companies scouring the globe's remotest corners, from the high-altitude deserts of Chile and Bolivia to the wilds of northern Tibet. The prospectors seem undeterred by the possibility that lithium's automotive heyday could be cut short by the cost and complexity of lithium-ion batteries. They prefer instead to focus on optimistic forecasts. Kevin McCarthy, a commodity chemicals analyst at Bank of America (nyse: BAC - news - people ), sees the potential for double-digit annual sales growth for lithium carbonate at least through 2012.

Such rosy short-term predictions have investors swooning over Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile S.A., or SQM, the Chilean fertilizer and mining company that produces nearly a third of the world's lithium carbonate and whose leather-skinned employees brave the Salar de Atacama for the sake of gadget lovers. In the past three years the Big Board-traded shares of SQM have climbed from $11 to $22. In the first six months of 2008 SQM reported a profit of $191 million, up 103% from a year earlier, on sales of $787 million, up 41%.

d

Commodity of the future - Lithium? CLQ.v, WLC.v, MCI.v, TNR.v and more!?

Seems like junior miner TNR Gold Corp has been making alot of waves lately - getting on front page of retail investor central Stockhouse yesterday with their big announcement - acquisition of Lithium projects in ... Canada.

Hopefully that should mean alot more easier financing (read: flow through!) in this climate - lithium has been mentioned under people's breaths the last few months - even the likes of Warren Buffet, Doug Casey, and various writers have jumped on board.

As far as my limited market knowledge has told me, there's only 3 other TSX juniors that's announced lithium property acquisitions recently... let's compare some success factors that determine if a company makes a run or not!

1) Property Merit
2) Leadership
3) Network, other JV's, other companies involved?

Let's compare quickly.
TNR Gold Corp
Other than properties in Argentina and Alaska, seems like junir miner TNR has expanded into the wave of exciting green energy plays - lithium!
Management and leadership: Gary Schellenberg - quick Google reveals he is well known around industry. Bought out by De Beers in one previous deal Winspear Resources for $300+ million. Possibly other successes, but that's not a bad track record to have!
Also runs Coast Mountain Geological - group that consults for TSX miners around Vancouver, Bravo Ventures Group (BVG), Serengeti Resources (SIR), Barrick, NewCrest, and more (check CMG site) - very similar to Equity Engineering, SGS Lakefield, etc.

Bio here: Mr. Schellenberg has been managing and financing public and private resource based companies for the past 20 years. This experience provides the Company with leadership and well defined corporate goals.
Looks like he is a geologist with B.Sc. Geo background - reassuring thought that it's not some broker who cannot tell rock formation from non-sense that geologist is telling you! Good to see few of his clients have done quite well last few years especially Bravo! Fund manager John Lee from Mau Capital was very bullish on Serengeti (SIR.v) awhile ago as well.
Other properties? 2 Lithium properties in Ontario - famous for pegmatite and rare earth elements area. Sounds like some historic drilling had good grades, very promising. Would've been nicer with resource but it's a great start!
Los Azules - OH MY! This is quite the interesting project...Minera Andes 43-101 resource 11.2 billion pounds copper + 23 year mine life @ $0.85/lb production cost!!
Shotgun - 1 million ounces of gold
El Salto - large porphyry copper system in San Juan w/ perfect infrastructures!
El Tapau - Good copper grades 0.5% not to mention 1g/t grade Gold!
Batidero - Tenke / Paul Connibear / Lundin Group
Iliamna - next Pebble? - BHP Billiton transferred to TNR (always nice to get properties from majors!) --> lotsa point on network and

Suffice to say - we like the company. Competent management, good network, lots of institutional investors and big financial backers.

Mountain Capital (MCI.v)
In a hierarchy of legitimacy - MCI takes last place, easily. Their webpage does not even have any map or much details so far --> says Alberta Research Council indicated 2.8 billion lbs of Lithium?? New page seems to be up finally - at least there's a bit more property details and management info! Thin team and running low on cash...$200K and

We found out about the project through spam-blast from infamous Vancouver tech-guru Mr. R. Szeto's KREW Communications IR e-mail-blast-follow-up-call firm. . Not surprisingly the lack of news fell short and the pump is gone shortly after few weeks ago. It's now flat back to high single digits. Will it come back up with more oooomph next round of boiler room?

First the layoff of directors late 2008 ---> next repricing of 700,000 options to $0.05.
Next comes hiring of promo firm PaRaDox from Quebec... sounds very typical of an overly-promotional TSX firms. This is one strike.

Who's at helm - Blair Naughty - largely unknown name in junior mining it seems - quick Google test doesn't come up with much - from profile sounds like another broker-turned-opportunity-miner? I don't claim to be a geologist but I imagine things sell easier than the management group at least has a Geo degree or a P.Geo on hand?

Other properties of merit - Worst yet, other property was...Potash. Did someone miss the Raytec and fertilizer pump of 2008 summer? Seems like they have dropped those projects already, when will they drop lithium? No other mentions of their past BC Gold property - this group seems to treat lithium like a fad more than anything else ---> PASS!!

Canada Lithium (CLQ)

Formerly Black Pearl Mining - what happened there? Name change, dump rest of properties and promote new commodity for 2009?

Who's at helm CEO - Judy Baker
"Judy Baker, MBA has been President of Canada Lithium Corp. since September 27, 2007. Ms. Baker has fourteen years of experience in the mining and mineral exploration sector including equity analysis, fund management, exploration services and mining company experience. He served as Vice President, Business Development & Investor Relations of Nevsun Resources Ltd. Ms. Baker served as President of Southeast Asia Mining Corp. from February 5, 2008 to May 25, 2008 and served ... as its Consultant. Her prior experience includes Institutional Sales, Toll Cross Securities, Toronto, North American Business Manager, Quantec Geoscience, Toronto, and Resource Analyst, US Global Investors, San Antonio, Texas. She has been a Director of Canada Lithium Corp. since September 27, 2007 and Absolut Resources Corp. since June 26, 2006. Ms. Baker has an MBA from University of Western Ontario, and an Honours B.Sc. in Geological Engineering, Mineral Resources Exploration from Queen's University."
It's difficult finding fault on the academic excellence and history of this group's leadership, Ivey's a great school and seems like she went to a top engineering school for Exploration Geology. Curiously seems like she's done more analytical jobs like CFA's instead of field exploration work. Regardless I'm sure having been through so many different aspects of the business (buy/sell/exploration/brokerage) she might have a decent network of contacts.

Let's move onto the news flow and properties...Quebec Lithium previous operating mine..

"Quebec Lithium is a system of underground spodumene-rich dikes. The mine
was operated under the former Quebec Lithium Corporation as an underground
mine, surface concentration plant and refinery from 1955 to 1965, to produce
ceramic grade and chemical grade spodumene concentrates, lithium carbonate, lithium hydroxide monohydrate as well as a small quantity of lithium chloride and
feldspar. When mining operations were suspended, the proven ore reserve was stated to
be 15,612,300 tonnes at a grade of 1.14% Li2O calculated down to the 150 metre level in the proven, probable and possible categories. The reserve was
calculated using an 85% recovery rate and a 7% dilution factor. Over a period of
10 years of operation, the ore hoisted from underground works averaged a grade
of 1.25% of LiO2 against the composed 1.13%, derived from geological sections"
*Historical Reserves

Lets' be honest here, that property sounds reasonable! BLK's Other property includes a gold deposit @ Tully with 43-101 report. No major joint ventures and major investor group from sounds of it. I'd say this company sounds decent - if claims hold true and they could begin production? Note however it did take 10 years for them to define resource @ Tully... need a faster acting group!

Hold~

Western Lithium Corp (WLC)

A shell spin out from Western Uranium - this is the highest share price of the group at $0.55+.

Lotsa cash at $5 million, let's take a look at management.

Leadership
Mr. Chmelauskas was most recently President and CEO of Jinshan Gold Mines, Inc. In this position he successfully managed and led the company during all phases of the commissioning of one of China’s largest open pit gold mines. In addition to his considerable experience in the exploration, development, and mining industry, Jay has held key positions with companies in the chemical manufacturing industry, including Lead Analyst with Methanex Corporation where he was involved with a $250 million chemical plant expansion in Chile. His experience in both the chemical and mining industries is well suited to lead Western Lithium forward during the near term phases of development, product marketing and production.

Mr. Chmelauskas has a Bachelor of Applied Science in Geological Engineering, University of British Columbia and a Master of Business Administration, Queen’s University.

____
Jinshan has done a great job with properties in China - but I find it funny that Mr. Chmelauskas left Jinshan in the terrible month of October 2008. I guess leaving a company at its lowest stock price in years is an acceptable thing to do, provided it's better for your career to jump ship?

Optics are terrible about the timing, that's for sure! Will he leave Western Lithium if the money runs out??
Property at question - Chevron Resources began exploration for uranium in Nevada in the McDermitt Caldera area in 1975. In September 1977, the U.S. Geological Survey alerted Chevron to the presence of anomalous concentrations of lithium associated with volcaniclastic moat sediments within the caldera. Based on the information from the USGS, Chevron analyzed drill cuttings from rotary percussion drill holes drilled in 1977 in the moat sediments for lithium. One hundred and forty feet of hole number MJB-7-4 averaged 0.278% Li; eighty five feet of MJB-7-5 averaged 0.236% Li. These results confirmed the presence of significant lithium hosted by a massive, green claystone within the moat sediment section.

Reasonable sounding property - not that spectacular of result, however! Seems like they dropped all their other plays too? I'd put this slightly behind Canada Lithium. I have to say though the cash reserve is attractive!!

Hold~

Recessino to end in 2009! MAI.to, WLC.v

Helicopter Mr. Bernanke comes through for the market - 5 days of rally on the DOW/US markets - was the story all of last week, can it last? Would this end the commodity boom as we know it?

Of course not! If anything a slight recover will only make people realize that more money should be needed to access basic raw materials!
___

Depression Fears Subside on Bernanke Remarks, Rally in Stocks

March 16 (Bloomberg) -- The longest winning streak in U.S. stocks since November and reassuring comments from Federal Reserve Chairman Ben S. Bernanke are soothing concern that the U.S. is headed for its first depression in seven decades.

“The financial meltdown and accompanying depression scenario has been taken off the table,” said Jack Ablin, chief investment officer at Chicago-based Harris Private Bank, which oversees $60 billion. “The heart of the problem is the banking system, and news coming out of that sector suggests that we may have turned a corner.”

Banks from Citigroup Inc. and Bank of America Corp. to Barclays Plc indicated in the past week that earnings have been rising since the start of the year, and government data showed U.S. retail sales may be stabilizing after a six-month rout. With officials working on details of their bank-rescue plan, Bernanke said in an interview with CBS television’s 60 Minutes that the main risk is a shortage of political will to complete the task.

It will likely take some time before the worst is past for the U.S. job market, and bank losses on investments including commercial property and leveraged loans are still likely to rise, analysts said. Bernanke said last week it’s “well within the realm of possibility” that the unemployment rate will exceed 10 percent, a level unseen since 1983.

The Treasury this week intends to provide more information about a $1 trillion plan to remove distressed mortgage assets from banks’ balance sheets. The Fed also is scheduled this week to start the first phase of a $1 trillion program to revive the market for securities backed by consumer and business loans.

‘Mind Boggling’

Combining those two initiatives with the $787 billion fiscal stimulus, the magnitude of U.S. monetary and fiscal actions and their likely effects as they ripple through the economy are “mind-boggling,” said Gabriel Borenstein, managing director of global fixed income in New York at Jesup & Lamont Securities, a brokerage and investment banking firm.

The efforts “will not fail,” predicted Borenstein, who in June 2005 correctly forecast a “serious recession” ahead. “If that doesn’t work we’re going to turn into the Gobi Desert,” Borenstein said today.

The Standard & Poor’s 500 Stock Index gained 1.5 percent to 767.87 as of 12:23 p.m. in New York, boosting its advance over five trading days to 13.5 percent. The index hasn’t risen for five straight sessions since November.

Recession End

Bernanke reiterated in the interview that, should the government succeed in calming financial markets, the recession will probably end this year and the economy will expand in 2010. “Green shoots” are appearing in some markets aided by the Fed, and there has been “some improvement” in banks, he said.

The S&P Financials Index has soared 41 percent in six sessions as sentiment shifted on the outlook for the industry. At the same time, Fed officials have repeatedly voiced concern this year that losses will increase as commercial-property values decline.

Borrowers unable to pay their debts are also causing record losses for so-called collateralized loan obligations, a type of debt that packages loans that are below investment grade and slices them into securities of varying risk and return.

The S&P/LSTA U.S. Leveraged Loan 100 Index fell to 62.1 cents on the dollar at the end of last week from 100.3 cents in June 2007. The decline contributed to the $1.2 trillion of losses and writedowns by global financial institutions since the start of 2007.

‘Some Patience’

“Recovery is not going to happen until the financial markets and the banks are stabilized,” and the government’s plan is “going to take some patience. It’s going to take some support,” Bernanke said.

Bernanke’s comments signal he is prepared for criticism from lawmakers over any request for more aid to beleaguered financial companies, including additions to the $700 billion Troubled Asset Relief Program. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner said this month the U.S. bank-rescue plan may need another infusion of taxpayer money.

Senator Jim Bunning, a Kentucky Republican, voiced the skepticism of some lawmakers by telling Fed Vice Chairman Donald Kohn at a March 5 hearing that should regulators request “more money for more banks and more corporations” they “will get the biggest ‘No.’”

Bernanke said the October law creating the TARP prevented a possible “global financial meltdown” and that he told a skeptical congressman at the time that businesses in his district would begin suffering losses without decisive congressional action. He didn’t identify the lawmaker.

“We’ve averted” the risk of a depression, Bernanke said. “Now the problem is to get the thing working properly again.”

_________________________

Minera Andes had a nice jump today - then again who wouldn't after paying off $17 million dollars worth of loans on Mr. Goldcorp's private placement fund?

MINERA ANDES PAYS OFF OUTSTANDING MACQUARIE LOAN OF US$17.5 MILLION

Minera Andes Inc. has repaid in full the corporation's indebtedness to Macquarie Bank Ltd. of Australia. The total indebtedness was $17.5-million (U.S.), which consisted of a loan of $7.5-million (U.S.) due on or about March 7, 2009, and a loan of $10-million (U.S.) due in September, 2009. The corporation no longer has any bank debt.

With the repayment of the indebtedness to Macquarie and the payment of $11.3-million to satisfy the cash call made in respect of the corporation's 49-per-cent interest in the producing San Jose gold/silver mine operated by Minera Santa Cruz SA, the corporation has met its current financial obligations.

As previously reported in Stockwatch on Jan. 16, 2009, San Jose is forecast to produce approximately 7.5 million ounces of silver and 95,000 ounces of gold in 2009.

Allen V. Ambrose, president and chief executive officer of Minera Andes, said: "We are pleased to report that, with the completion of the private placements of $40-million from Rob McEwen, we have paid off our bank debt and cleaned up our balance sheet. With the company's financial condition improved, management will be able to focus on increasing shareholder value by increasing its exploration drilling activities on its high-potential 100-per-cent-owned prospects in the San Cruz province of southern Argentina."

The moneys for the payment of the cash call and repayment of the indebtedness to Macquarie were obtained by private placements with Mr. McEwen, a director of Minera Andes and the company's largest shareholder. Mr. McEwen purchased 40 million shares of Minera Andes for $40-million ($1 per share). The details of the private placements with Mr. McEwen have been the subject of previous Minera Andes news releases reported in Stockwatch on Feb. 9, 2006, Feb. 18, 2009, Feb. 19, 2009, Feb. 25, 2009, and Feb. 26, 2009.

Here are some trading ideas... Gold, TNR, MAI, WCL, Lithium, Green Energy, Uranium...

Fresh off the plane from a quick round at PDAC - I immediately knew what the investing world is going to look like in 2009 - resources & resources.

Keep in mind this is one of the world's largest gathering of resource/mining companies in the world - Rio Tinto, Goldcorp, Yamana, TECK Cominco, VALE, Inco, you name it - they will have a presence there.

Companies filled to the brim with cash and trading below cash values are all hunting for deals and properties with reserves - people were open minded about so-called pounds-in-the-ground. 

The cash we all know and currency system is rapidly failing us and the smart miners are once again ahead of the curve.

Let's take a quick glance at Gold today (see above) - up $30/ounce. Reason? Very simple: GM below $2 and bankrupcy fears - and Citibank is in danger of being delisted from NYSE - it dropped below $1 today. 

Stocks tumble as investors worry about banks, GM

Stocks resume steep slide as brief optimism fades amid lack of positive news

NEW YORK (AP) -- Investors fled Wall Street as fear grew about the stability of the nation's largest banks and worries mounted about General Motors Corp.

The major market indicators resumed their slide Thursday after a one-day rally, falling to levels not seen in more than a decade as investors contended with more disheartening economic data, new concerns about the stability of GM and ongoing uncertainty about the financial system. The Dow Jones industrial average fell more than 250 points, and the big indexes were all down more than 3 percent.

Stocks fell across the board, with the beleaguere banking sector posting some of the steepest losses. Shares of Citigroup Inc., still shaky despite receiving billions in government aid, at times sank below $1. General Motors, meanwhile, dropped below $2 as it warned of possible bankruptcy.

The market is also extremely anxious ahead of Friday's February Labor Department report that is likely to show the loss of hundreds of thousands of jobs. Even some positive news, including some better-than-expected retail sales and factory orders, was not enough to stoke investor confidence.

The reports failed to show a significant improvement and so the market gave back its big gain from Wednesday, said Doreen Mogavero, president of brokerage Mogavero, Lee & Co.

"The economic data is still obviously a huge worry," she said. "I don't think anyone thinks we're in the clear because the market was up yesterday."

But beyond the bad economic data, investors who had placed their hopes in the Obama administration to pull the country out of recession are worried that Washington's efforts will fall short.

"Everyone knows that the economy is bad, so I don't think that's the problem here," said Eric Ross, director of U.S. research at brokerage Canaccord Adams. "The government clearly doesn't have a solution."

TNR Gold Corp announced excellent overall update plans and things look bright for creative juniors - now is definitely survival of the fittest. 

Goldcorp's McEwan puts up more money for Minera Andes, closing rest of the $40 million private placement at $1/share now (instead of initial $0.33) - MAI jumps. 

I think there's a strong possibility he will find out more about junior miner TNR GOLD CORP and acquire it for a tidy $5 million or so, would be interesting if majority shareholder group in TNR will allow that to happen?? 

After all, 1/8 of $497 million NPV is not bad for a company trading at 77 million shares outstanding at $0.06 - that's only a mere $4.62 million market cap! We haven't even factored the rest of the Alaskan projects into account and El Salto/Tapau , etc!

________________

The Hunt for Green and Sustainable Energy

TBA