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It's most definitely the Trump effect...
We have a heartbeat!
From CNN Money today --
Banro Corporation ("Banro" or the "Company") (NYSE MKT:BAA)(TSX:BAA) is pleased to report on the 2015 achievements of the Banro Foundation, a registered charity in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (the "DRC") which invests in education, health care and social infrastructure development and in sustainable agriculture. The Banro Foundation has completed over 70 social developments in the eastern DRC since 2005.
Sustainable Agriculture
Promoting sustainable agriculture and economic self-sufficiency is a critical task in the eastern DRC. To tackle that challenge, the Banro Foundation in 2015 shifted its primary focus to sustainable agriculture. This is being pursued mainly through the Fundi agricultural project, which is located 15 kilometres from the Company's Namoya mining project.
The Fundi project began in 2014 with the planting of 100 ha of maize and cassava. This initial crop is now being sold throughout the region in response to a local shortage of food, in particular maize. The second planting, begun in late September 2015, has seen maize, cassava and soybeans planted on 250 ha of land. The farm currently employs several people from Fundi village and neighbouring villages, and will employ many more local people as acreage grows over time.
The Fundi project has a number of goals -- to generate local employment and incomes, to provide a new food supply for the region and open new markets for locally grown produce and, perhaps most important, to serve as a model farm for people in the region and to transfer enhanced agricultural skills to local farmers. This last goal is being realized already. Banro's Namoya gold mine is currently transitioning about 600 former artisanal miners into farming livelihoods at six separate villages. These new farming communities are being assisted by the Fundi farm, through the provision of hybrid seeds, the loan of tractors for ploughing and agricultural expertise.
Related to the Fundi agricultural project, the Banro Foundation has been asked by the Maniema provincial government to rehabilitate and manage the operations of the region's only seed farm, located at Kisamaba in Maniema province. This is a major undertaking involving substantial investment and reconstruction of extensive farming and housing infrastructure and would be funded by international donors. The seed farm has the potential to play a far-reaching role in agricultural development in the region, providing much needed seeds to farmers at competitive prices throughout Maniema province and beyond. An agreement with the provincial government is currently being finalized.
Social Infrastructure Development
Since completing construction of two high schools in 2009, the Banro Foundation's top priority for many years was social infrastructure development. This included construction of 10 schools and rehabilitation of two more schools serving over 7,000 students, construction of a women's residence at the University of Kindu in Maniema province, construction of five health facilities, completion of four potable water systems serving 33,000 people and many more projects.
The Foundation continued to pursue such projects through 2015 with the construction of a rural health care centre through a contract with BCECO, a multilateral and DRC government agency. Under the same contract, the Banro Foundation will soon begin construction of a second health centre and plans to undertake multiple construction projects in Maniema province in 2016.
A further social infrastructure project underway is construction of the third stage of the Nabuntalaga market at Luhwindja, South Kivu. The first two stages of the project quickly filled to capacity and the local Banro Foundation committee, composed of local community leaders, recommended the construction of a third and final stage. Regional markets are critical to local economic development, creating a focus for the commercial exchange of goods and increasing the velocity of money in circulation.
In addition, several smaller Banro Foundation projects were maintained through the year, chief among them a series of scholarship programs for local young people which support 26 university students at four Congolese universities, five high school students at an advanced technical school in the city of Bukavu, and a post graduate student in a South African University.
Banro Employee Initiatives
Banro's employees, working on their own, also made a number of important contributions to local social development over 2015. At the Company's Twangiza gold mine in South Kivu province, employees have banded together to create "Hand of Compassion", which is dedicated to helping the poor and disadvantaged in their local area. Among many other projects, Hand of Compassion has provided major assistance to almost 100 needy families in the community, provided clothing for local primary students and organized a community football tournament to raise funds and buy livestock for a local orphanage. Employees at Banro's Namoya gold mine launched their own Hand of Compassion on December 12, with immediate plans to assist needy families over the holiday season.
One of the Company's executives in Toronto, with his wife, arranged with a Canadian NGO to ship 25,000 French-language text books to the schools which Banro Foundation has built in the eastern DRC. The books have been distributed by the Foundation and a request for a second shipment has been made. These are just two examples of the many ways in which our people personally assist local families and individuals.
2015 Awards for Social Performance
In addition to the above, Barno through its mining and exploration activities makes substantial contributions to economic improvement in the DRC. In October, 2015 these contributions were formally recognized with the award of "Best Performer in Social Investment" at the DRC Mining Industry Awards event held on October 15, 2015 in Kinshasa, DRC. The Company's founder, Arnold T. Kondrat, was also nominated in the category of Lifetime Achievement Award.
The Company's contributions to economic development in the eastern DRC provinces of South Kivu and Maniema, where its two gold mines and exploration projects are located, are far-reaching. They include the creation of thousands of capacity-building jobs throughout the region; the construction of significant infrastructure, including the rebuilding of over 500 kilometres of public roads and 90 bridges and stream-crossings; the nurturing on a major scale of local businesses and supply chains; the promotion of alternative and sustainable livelihoods for people living near its operations and more.
This was the second award Banro received in the DRC in 2015. In May, the Company's subsidiaries in South Kivu province were recognized as the Best Employer in South Kivu for job creation and for the quality of wages and benefits paid to employees. In making the award, union spokespersons also referred to Banro's contribution to the fight against youth unemployment and its role in generating employment through the use of local contractors and service providers.
Banro Corporation is a Canadian gold mining company focused on production from the Twangiza mine, which began commercial production September 1, 2012, and completion of its second gold mine at Namoya located approximately 200 kilometres southwest of the Twangiza gold mine. The Company's longer term objectives include the development of two additional major, wholly-owned gold projects, Lugushwa and Kamituga. The four projects, each of which has a mining license, are located along the 210 kilometre long Twangiza-Namoya gold belt in the South Kivu and Maniema provinces of the DRC. All business activities are followed in a socially and environmentally responsible manner.
http://money.cnn.com/news/newsfeeds/articles/marketwire/1235940.htm
There is money to be made here in the short term. The stock is currently being played. You just have to watch your money closely. Recent Investors are looking for a bounce from an FDA approval. A sell off likely to occur after the bounce.
Long term the company might recover. An R/S will help the company maintain it's listing on Nasdaq and attract larger investors. R/S can help but only if the corporate leadership changes it's behavior and learns how to effectively run a company. Otherwise, if there is no market confidence in the corporate governance, investors will pay the price of a R/S. Just my opinion.
Voting is now until 11:59PM Dec 7. Not sure how many Warrants outstanding. Company has good products just terrible corporate leadership, especially the CFO. And they used toxic financing which is why they are in this predicament.
I think they DO want an RS. I got two emails from the company to remind me to vote Yes. And if they do file bankruptcy it will most likely be Chapter 11. The stock is being played right now imo.
Don't bet the farm on this company. Play it while it's hot but watch your money. The CEO is threatening bankruptcy if the RS is not approved by shareholders. The Warrants are weighing heavily on the company.
Replacing CEO and other corporate officers would work to drive up PPS. There is not much trust in the corporate governance.
Whoops from Roy Jacobs not Ron Jacobs
Response from the lawyer, Ron Jacobs... Corporate changes...
Dear XXXX, we are looking to file a Derivative action against the management for causing the stock price to collapse.
The goal is to get the Company to make corporate changes to improve its financial expertise so this debacle does not happen again, not to put the Company out of business.
Please advise when you purchased your shares and if you still hold.
Please also send me your telephone number.
We are working on a Complaint which I can share with you when completed.
Let me know if you are interested.
Best regards, Roy Jacobs.
Looking good!
Partnerships prove powerful for Dr Pepper Snapple
10/26/2015 - by Monica Watrous
Third-party brands, including Bai and Fiji, helped drive growth for Dr Pepper Snapple during the recent quarter.
PLANO, TEXAS — Partnerships are becoming a more powerful growth engine for Dr Pepper Snapple Group, Inc. The Plano-based company benefitted in the recent quarter as the distributor of such brands as Bai juice drinks and Fiji water.
“We look to these kinds of companies to actually contribute very much to our innovation,” said Marty Ellen, chief financial officer, during an Oct. 22 earnings call with financial analysts. “And we take the view that probably the next level of breakthrough innovation may not come from inside the company but will come from passionate entrepreneurs who see the opportunities as we all see them in terms of where the consumer is going but can have an environment that can nurture and breed these kinds of brands from really nothing into something over time. Of course, they need a distribution partner, and that’s where we come in.”
Partnering with Dr Pepper Snapple Group is an attractive solution for startup beverage brands, said Larry Young, president and chief executive officer.
“A lot of these young entrepreneurs aren’t really ready to sell their business, and they want to see them built,” Mr. Young said. “They think it’s a home run when they get into our system because we’ve got guys that are the ‘scrappy’ out there on the street. We are used to working with a lot of smaller brands and how to fight for space and where to merchandise it.
“So the only other option is really to go through some beer distributors, which become very disjointed and dysfunctional on trying to do a national program. They can go with us, and we can (get them) a Target, a Kroger, or Wal-Mart and pretty well have guaranteed distribution across the country.”
For Dr Pepper Snapple, these distribution agreements provide opportunities to keep pace with consumer trends.
“We spent a lot of time this year interviewing some 35,000 consumers on their last beverage occasion and what drove them emotionally and functionally so we can try to understand where all of our brands play,” Mr. Ellen said. “And there’s white space on what we call that demand map, and that white space can be filled, and much of it more likely will be filled maybe by us partnering with other people than trying to invent a new brand. It’s hard to nurture that inside a larger company.”
Growth from allied brands helped boost financial results for Dr Pepper Snapple in the third quarter ended Sept. 30. The company had net income of $202 million, equal to $1.06 per share on the common stock, up 7% from $188 million, or 97c per share, for the year-ago period. Net sales rose 3% to $1,630 million from prior-year sales of $1,583 million. Results included a 3% increase in sales volumes, favorable product and package mix and price increases that were partially offset by unfavorable foreign currency translation and higher discounts related to food service fountain drinks.
Dr Pepper and Diet Dr Pepper
Dr Pepper sales were flat this quarter, while Diet Dr Pepper declined 4%.
For the quarter, bottler case sales volume increased 2%. Carbonated soft drink volume climbed 2%, led by growth in Peñafiel sparkling mineral water, Schweppes, Canada Dry and Squirt, which offset declines or flat results for Dr Pepper, Crush, 7Up, Sunkist and A&W root beer. Diet Dr Pepper declined 4%, which Mr. Young said tracked ahead of overall diet category performance. Non-carbonated beverage volume grew 4%, driven by growth in Bai, Fiji, Clamato and Snapple.
“We’ve got the Dr Pepper back up to flat,” Mr. Young said. “We’ve got our Diet Dr Pepper that is outperforming the category. We’re having closing distribution and availability voids out there. We have great allied partners. So it’s a combination of several different factors in there that are all hitting perfect for us right now.”
For the full year, the company now expects net sales to increase approximately 2%. Foreign currency translation is expected to negatively affect sales by 2%. Based on strong year-to-date performance, the company now projects total company sales volume for the full year to increase about 1%, reflecting growth in non-carbonated beverages and flat performance for carbonated soft drinks.
http://www.foodbusinessnews.net/articles/news_home/Financial-Performance/2015/10/Partnerships_prove_powerful_fo.aspx?ID=%7B09F74E4C-FE6B-43EB-8BB7-E1E40AFFEEEB%7D&cck=1
Q3 2015 Financial Results Conference Call Information
Banro will host a conference call at 11:00AM EST on November 12, 2015. Please use the following dial in numbers:
Q3 2015 Financial Results Conference Call Information
Toll Free (North America): +1 877-291-4570 Conf ID: 78819755
Toronto Local & International: +1 647-788-4919 Conf ID 78819755
Q3 2015 Financial Results Conference Call REPLAY
Toll Free Replay Call (North America): +1 800-585-8367 Conf ID: 78819755
Toronto Local & International: +1 416-621-4642 Conf ID: 78819755
http://www.benzinga.com/pressreleases/15/11/m5974734/banro-announces-q3-2015-financial-results-q3-2015-ebitda-of-20-3-millio
Western media has always been critical of foreign mining operations in Africa. This report is no surprise.
WSJ Video Report - Troubles at Banro Gold Mine in Eastern Congo
http://www.wsj.com/video/troubles-at-banro-gold-mine-in-eastern-congo/E4FEF093-7C42-46E8-A4E8-AF546D91C472.html
Indicators were indeed in favor of a reversal
This is near the 52 week low and oversold. With FDA approval coming and customers being added at an increased rate, even with a coming RS, this should rise. Imo.
Insiders buy as Banro shares bounce
Today we visit Banro Corp. which has recently crossed above its 20-day and 50-day moving averages. It is attempting to overtake its 200-day, but to get there it may well need the price of gold to co-operate. Some insiders have been buying, willing to bet that gold and the company have put their worst days behind. So far this month, director Maurice Colson has acquired 100,000 common shares while executive vice-president Arnold Kondrat has bought 90,000 shares. Banro’s third-quarter combined gold production from Twangiza and Namoya was 46,981 ounces.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/globe-investor/investment-ideas/insiders-buy-as-banro-shares-bounce/article26959640/?service=mobile
BYU researchers fighting back against 'superbugs'
By Daphne Chen, Deseret News
PROVO — Four BYU researchers from three disciplines are teaming up to develop a one-hour diagnostic test for antibiotic-resistant bacteria.
BYU is one of nine institutions across the country receiving a five-year, $5.4 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to tackle the problem.
"We kind of asked the community to jump pretty high for this one," said Alec Ritchie, a program officer with the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, a branch of the NIH.
Every year, more than 2 million people in the U.S. get antibiotic-resistant infections, also called “nightmare bacteria” or “superbugs”, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Of those, approximately 23,000 people die as a result.
Overuse of antibiotics has led to some of these bacteria becoming immune even to the most powerful antibiotics. It currently takes labs up to three days to identify the bacteria and the correct antibiotic to use — time that could mean the difference between life and death, said Ritchie.
Aaron Hawkins, an electrical and computer engineering professor and the lead investigator on the project, said his team's approach is to develop a tool so sensitive that it can detect even miniscule amounts of bacterial DNA.
"We tend to want to put everything onto a chip, so that's what I will try to do," joked Hawkins, who comes from the semiconductor industry. "My graduate students will build structures on the silicon that try to mimic what we would do in a larger lab in smaller volumes."
And by smaller, he means much smaller. Hawkins is talking femtoliters of blood (there's micro-, there's nano-, there's pico- and then, finally, there's femtoliters.)
This technology is so new that it doesn't even have a name yet, Hawkins said. Some are calling it optofluidics or biophotonics.
Hawkins teamed up with three co-investigators at BYU, including Rich Robison, a microbiology professor, William Pitts, a chemical engineering professor and Adam Woolley, also a chemical engineering professor.
They also are teaming with Salt Lake City-based biomedical company Great Basin Scientific, because the NIH is asking the researchers to make a product that works not only in theory but that can go straight to hospitals and clinics.
The research
First, Pitts and Robison are going to develop a way to purify blood samples to capture just the bacteria, removing the red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets.
Woolley will develop the middle step: breaking apart the bacteria to release the DNA — sometimes only 10 to 100 copies per milliliter of blood — and attach molecules that will glow when hit with a laser.
Hawkins is going to create a chip that has light-carrying capabilities, using the same techniques people use to make computer circuits. These microstructures, or "waveguides," will move light around as efficiently as possible to make the DNA glow.
The scientists at Great Basin will come in at the end to help the researchers adapt the product to Great Basin's existing technology. The idea is that the chip will eventually be fitted onto a plastic cartridge a little smaller than a hand that slides into a processor-sized machine, which will mix, stir, pump and detect the DNA.
Based on the fluorescent signal that the DNA gives off, doctors would be able to tell not only what kind of bacteria it is but also what antibiotics it's resistant to.
The whole process, from blood draw to results, could take less than an hour.
Will it work?
Ritchie said the project is ambitious; the majority of research projects funded by the NIH never make it to market.
"It's tough to say, but I'd be really happy even if one of these in, say, 10 years [made it]", Ritchie said.
That’s why this grant emphasizes not just the lab research but also getting a beneficial product into the market, he said.
Of the nine grants, three went to private companies. And the six academic institutions — among them Johns Hopkins University, MIT and the University of California, Berkeley — were required to have a corporate partner.
"The academic environments, they have great ideas, they have strong microbiology, they can have strong engineering, they can have strong clinical expertise, they have the idea or they might have the patent," Ritchie said. But they need an industrial partner to "bring it home."
It's not a “typical route" for the NIH, Woolley said, but it’s one that could bring the public and private sectors together in a powerful way.
"It's definitely an ambitious project, but the funding goes through early 2020,” Woolley said. “The hope is by the end of that we'll have something that could really make a difference in treating a really important medical problem."
http://desne.ws/Z7IVkK
Short Interest update. Banro was the recipient of a significant drop in short interest in September. As of September 30th, there was short interest totalling 179,880 shares, a drop of 76.1% from the September 15th total of 753,878 shares, Marketbeat.com reports. Based on an average daily volume of 832,388 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 0.2 days. Approximately 0.1% of the company’s stock are sold short.
Short Decrease for September
Banro (NYSE:BAA) was the target of a significant decrease in short interest during the month of September. As of September 15th, there was short interest totalling 753,878 shares, a decrease of 60.2% from the August 31st total of 1,892,278 shares, MarketBeat reports. Based on an average daily volume of 640,243 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 1.2 days. Approximately 0.3% of the company’s stock are short sold.
Saw this in an email and thought I'd share.
It is incorporated in Nevada
http://nvsos.gov/sosentitysearch/CorpDetails.aspx?lx8nvq=vV6cbvUb5XlwIiTXwgODhg%253d%253d
Incestigation sounds quite perverse. I think this must be a Freudian slip. Yikes!
We've only just begun :)
I agree with all of your points. The DD is out there for those who care to take the time.
If you listened to the meeting, at the beginning they said this change did not pertain to the current applicant. They stated that this bylaw was for future applicants. Go back and listen when it is posted in the Lakeshore Archive if you have any concerns.
Basically, how the new bylaws would apply to CEN Biotech (FITX) is that it would not allow for expansion on the current property. Any expansion in Lakeshore would have to be done in an Industrial zoned area. That being said, I would imagine Tecumseh will most likely be looked at for future growth. I believe that CEN has had enough of dealing with the Town of Lakeshore.
Give me a break! If there was no inspection, they could not, would not, release to the public documentation stating that there was one. Your statement is false.
Just sharing some insight. Take from it what you will, or don't.
Think vertical!
Images from Illumitex were on display at the Open House.
http://www.illumitex.com/illumitex-advantages-cannabis-cultivation/
http://vimeo.com/m/31257744
I was just curious. Not knocking Supreme. I'm done criticizing other companies. It doesn't do any of us any good. I don't doubt that Supreme will be growing at some point. HC is a headache.
You have to be careful of these NIMBY's. They get all worked up over things. FITX has a few disgruntled neighbors, but luckily they live on Agriculturally zoned property. They did cause delays though with the town. I think they were looking for a payout.
FYI - there appears to be some shady business going down with some traders actively manipulating stocks. Been hearing things. Keep your eyes and ears open. I know you're Long here just thought I'd give you the heads up.
Except for the fact that CEN Biotech's facilities are NOT next to residential properties. All surrounding properties are Agriculturally Zoned. This is a non-issue here.
So the issue was the facility was next to residentially zoned properties?
Interesting stuff considering a couple of images of the Grow Pods on display at the FITX Open House --
http://www.ledgrowlightsdepot.com/blogs/blog/16820675-grow-test-illumitex-horticulture-lights-vs-hps-with-pictures
http://www.illumitex.com/utilities-struggle-control-appetites-energy-hungry-marijuana-industry/
I told you this was a great stock to Short. So far so good on my bet. How low does it go???
American Investors of FITX are investing in an American company that has a subsidiary in Canada. The capital does not cross the border from company to investor.
Far different from investing in a Canadian company. Any money made by CEN Biotech will go through FITX and will be subjected to American tax laws and will be well documented. The beauty of FITX!
In Canada, medical marijuana is legal and considered a medicine. There are many Pharmaceutical companies that manufacture and sell drugs around the world that are not approved for sale in the U.S. It is because MJ is classified as a schedule 1 drug in the U.S. that the DEA shows concerns. However, the DEA has been forced to turn a blind eye to both Colorado and Washington State businesses respecting State laws. And there has been a lot of investment in both of those states. I would expect that they would be forced to comply with a sovereign nation's laws as well, whether they like it or not.
Anyway, I think Bitcoins are a more likely target of money launderers than a legal drug of a developed nation with stringently enforced laws.
Well, first you need the money to able to finish securing your facilities as well as bringing everything up to the new HC building requirements. Only after finishing security and other environmental factors, can you request HC come inspect your facility for Licensure.
The time frame on just getting an inspection done by HC is months and months. And then after that you have to wait for the License to be issued notwithstanding any fixes that need to be made. So there's a few more months.
It's going to be a while before Supreme gets a License. They need to get that Greenhouse fixed up first. How long is that going to take?