By Paul Ferguson

“It was the best of times. It was the worst of times.” I just had one of the best weeks ever! And also, one of the worst. As an investor in the precious metals and junior mining stocks, it was one of those weeks that brought an unsolicited opportunity to find out what it is that you are made of, where the metals test your mettle, as it were.

By now – after so many of them – one would think that hair-raising corrections in the metals and related stocks would be handled as a matter of due course. Like half-time at a football game. A break in the action, an anticipated pause allowing those present to attend hit the hot dog stand or stretch their legs.

Instead, each of these episodes brings renewed feelings of horror, dread and the feeling that a) the correction will go on forever and b) your stocks will go to zero. Even though you know that it never does and they never do.

As an investor in start-up companies it was one of those weeks that brought the pure joy and visceral excitement that flow from a situation where a group of smart, capable and wonderful people, intersect with a tremendous business opportunity. And it’s no accident, either. I think it’s one of those “Law of Attraction” things.

Continue reading ‘Investing in Start-Up Companies’

By Michael Boldin

Around the country, twenty two states are currently considering a bill known as the “Firearms Freedom Act.” This bill declares that guns, accessories, and ammunition made within a state, sold within that state and kept in that state are not subject to federal laws or regulations under the “Interstate Commerce Clause” of the Constitution.

Montana and Tennessee passed a Firearms Freedom Act into law in 2009, and a number of states are moving that direction in the 2010 legislative session. In South Carolina, where a Firearms Freedom Act was also introduced in 2009, some representatives have taken things a step further.

Continue reading Raising The Bar For Nullification

By Anny Shaw

The last member of a 65,000-year-old tribe has died, taking one of the world’s earliest languages to the grave.

Boa Sr, who died last week aged about 85, was the last native of the Andaman Islands who was fluent in Bo.

Continue reading Last Member Of 65,000-year-old Tribe Dies, Taking One Of World’s Earliest Languages To The Grave

By Gretchen Morgenson and Louise Story

Billions of dollars were at stake when 21 executives of Goldman Sachs and the American International Group convened a conference call on Jan. 28, 2008, to try to resolve a rancorous dispute that had been escalating for months.

A.I.G. had long insured complex mortgage securities owned by Goldman and other firms against possible defaults. With the housing crisis deepening, A.I.G., once the world’s biggest insurer, had already paid Goldman $2 billion to cover losses the bank said it might suffer.

A.I.G. executives wanted some of its money back, insisting that Goldman — like a homeowner overestimating the damages in a storm to get a bigger insurance payment — had inflated the potential losses. Goldman countered that it was owed even more, while also resisting consulting with third parties to help estimate a value for the securities.

Continue reading Testy Conflict With Goldman Helped Push A.I.G. to Edge