What remains suspect to me, as Trueheart ceaselessly reminds us, is the oft repeated October 25 start date for mining Escala. Now, one month later, we have yet to hear why that specific date was assigned and not achieved. I'd like to chalk this up to, "Gentlemen, what we have here is a failure to communicate." But aren't we/you expecting better of Mr. Petty?

Is there ANYONE who holds a shred of hope/faith for this company? If so, why?

What I don't understand is why President's letters would fix on a certain date, repeatedly so, only to let it slide without notice. If he was just trying to scam us, why the detail? Why not slightly more vague promises? Or was this part of the masterminded scheme to drive it up, get what's possible and then drive down before the holidays when it's evidently acceptable for executives to heartlessly disappear without notice?

What happened to the posters who cheered it, like imajen and vozmil? Could vozmil have been a paid plant? If so, he did a very good job of it. Retro was clearly a pumper. But the other two actually sounded knowledgeable to some extent.

I mean, if this is truly a piece of shit, why are any of us hanging on at this point? For them to pull more temporary, but whoops, ill-fated tricks out of their hats?

Having trouble navigating Franklin's web site (under construction). Could someone please post the newsletter? Thank you.

I'm grateful, ever so grateful. With the stock market tanking and the writers in lock-down in Hollywood, I'm having to go into my savings and investments just to get by now. FMNJ has been such a drain. That said, it couldn't turn around at a sweeter time. Maybe I'll have enough money to get through the holidays after all. I'm keeping all fingers and toes crossed!

Since I see non-action as almost inevitable (we are, after all, looking down the barrel of the rainy season, and we all know how that went down nearly a year ago), I would like to know exactly how you intend to be all over their arses like a rabid pb, and how we fellow investors may assist in a pack attack.

True - I don't follow this board religiously, but I am a FMNJ shareholder, and I do check in from time to time. And I gotta tell you, your posts never cease to put me in stitches. You gotta stick around -- despite your contrarian views -- just for the comic relief.

$$$$ - You really need to get past this notion that True is masquerading under different aliases. Can't you see by now that he has a distinctive style to his writing -- erudite, clever and witty? Favor, stop with the accusations that he is posturing as any of the other gnomes on this board. It doesn't speak well for your own powers of observation.

We stockholders are financing the start-up operation of a company that will hopefully pay off big in the future. Big gamble. All pks are.

Thanks to you, and to NYB for giving me your input regarding the FMNJ sale of gold blocks.

Does anyone attempt to hold FMNJ accountable to these claims? I mean, the claims FMNJ has made about its now shelved business plans. Did they ever issue a release stating they were abandoning the gold bars plan and why? On a positive note, right you are that the share price will undoubtedly rise, if for the simple reason they've been mucking around down there for so long now that inevitably, one of FMNJ's pipe dreams will lead to some sort of action. With luck, profitable action.

No, maybe this was before my time? I think I would have remembered it otherwise. That's quite an unusual claim.

It's funny, because I couldn't finish reading Die's post either. When a poster resorts to name calling, I hit delete.

Tony, you are right about the bull---- PRs. I can't wait for Franklin to actualize any one of their PRs, if for nothing else to stop hearing your tiresome rants.

Any bets on how many PRs we get until one announces something being actually done, for real??!!

I have been observing the Trueheart bashing on this board for the last few days, and I would have to side with those few investors who actually appreciate Trueheart's contrarian view. I, too, wondered what happened to that missed October/November deadline and consider a press release issued more than two months late with the excuse of weather to be a feeble attempt at investor relations. While I can accept weather/political/beauracratic/whatever delays, we, as investors, should have been apprised two months ago, not this week. Something is amiss with FMNJ's PR efforts.

A press release stating they missed their deadline and explaining WHY they missed the deadline would most likely appease everyone. Delays and setbacks are to be expected in any business operation, and most especially in places like Bolivia. What I don't understand is why they aren't keeping their investors more informed, for the good and the bad. The fact that they haven't shared what's going on behind the scenes is making everyone nervous.

Does anyone know the significance of post #11804: FMNJ has failed the Spam and Scam Sniff test?

Has anyone considered that maybe some people dumped their FMNJ losses to claim against other stock profits for tax purposes? This is very common end-of-year practice.

True -- You funny. Thanks for the levity.

It seems that delray regularly reacts to counterpoints with foul language. He did it to me, as well, when I agreed with an opinion that there were many serious failings with FMNJ. I follow this board because I am a shareolder. However, out of all my holdings, no question about it, this one is a stinker.

I for one appreciate your perspective and think it has much merit, especially in light of the fact that so many other metal stocks are zooming up.

I've tried many. Prefer Ameritrade, too.

I wholeheartedly agree, trueheart. Why hold a stock for such a long time, waiting for it to turn a profit, when there are so many others that can produce immediate and handsome returns? I wait patiently for news to bolster this stock, but if I were a client (and as an owner of the company, I kind of am), I'd want to know why a deadline were being delayed and what the new projected start date is. In the meantime, we're supposed to ferret out on our own, international news stories of FMNJ's activities in Bolivia, with no interpretation of the significance of such news stories from company management. Getting antsy.

Let me know what you do with gm, if you decide to proceed.

Americano & Silverbars- I suppose you never REALLY know until the proverbial sh__ hits the fan. However, Goldmoney claims to own as much silver as you buy, that your dollar is entirely backed with the physical. Thus far, I have had no problem spinning off bits and chunks of my original investment for going price of silver. Americano, perhaps you are old skool silver investment and Goldmoney is new skool investment? Nothing wrong with physical ownership. Just that Goldmoney's approach is a heckuva lot more convenient.

Also, silverbars, through Goldmoney, you can choose to have the silver physically delivered to you if you invest in a certain minimum -- I think it's 10K for 1 bar. However, I choose to simply sell off little chunks at a time, using Goldmoney as a sort of bank backed by silver. They keep the equivalent of your greenbacks in actual physical silver in lock-down storage on some British island (I forgot the name of it). I remember when I first made my investment having the crazy thought of a terrorist bombing the facility where they keep the silver.

Yes, I do. I keep a wad a dough invested in silver with goldmoney, and they are very reliable, upfront and trustworthy. It is true, they do not charge on the sale. But they get you good on the buy...upwards of 5%, maybe even more, depending on the number of shares you purchase. I made the mistake of selling silver I had purchased through Goldmoney once when silver dipped, thinking I'd buy back on the low end, as if it were a stock. Man, was I shocked when I saw what Goldmoney took out on the buy-back. Don't remember the exact percent, except that it was somewhere around 5%ish. So be aware of this going into a purchase, and understand that this investment is something you probably want to hang onto, and definitely not sell with the intent to buy back at a lower price, unless it goes a heck of a lot lower. And I'm just not that good of a prognosticator, ya know? FYI, they are very prompt and thorough in answering emails with any questions you have.

Totally agree, Trueheart. Nonetheless, I do believe that Forbes' edit would strongly imply that top financial gurus have more faith in gold that in the greenback. Period.

Trueheart - Even Steve Forbes in the Editor-in-Chief's column in this month's issue of Forbes, echoes NYBob's points about gold. In his edit titled, "Powerful Antiterror Weapon--Unused," the first line reads:
"WE HAVE A POWERFUL WEAPON WE COULD WIELD AGAINST Islamic fanaticism but won't: gold."
Comparing graphs, Forbes makes a case for when the dollar was fixed to gold between the 40s and '71, the price of oil barely fluctuated. "And look what has happened since. In the late 1960s we began printing too many greenbacks, which resulted in inflation, sending commodities, including oil, upward. Before this inflationary era was ended by Ronald Reagan, the cost of oil had risen tenfold.
The volatility in the value of the dollar has led to volatility in the oil market. The result has been a boom-bust cycle that has been disruptive - and now politically costly.
The history is instructive: The dollar's formal tie to gold was severed in 1971, and since then we've fluctuated between period of strength and weakness....
Cutting the dollar-gold connection has played hob with the economy in other ways. The resulting turmoil in commodity markets led to a number of hedge funds to speculate widely. There will be more debacles like the now notorious Amaranth Advisors before this inflation unwinds...Most economists were taught that gold is irrelevant and that is somehow caused and deepened the Great Depression. Gold had nothing to do with that catastrophe. It came about because of hideous tariffs and tax-policy errors. for 4,000 years gold has been the Polaris of price stability. But don't look to fed Chairman Bernanke, Treasury Chief Paulson or any other policymaker to reestablish the long-cut link between the greenback and gold. Instead, we will for a while longer subsidize terrorists with billions of dollars, thereby prolonging the war and unnecessarily giving up innocent lives."

Whonose: Thank you for the suggestion. I'll check it out. At the moment, it feels like all my non-real estate investments are sinking ships. I wish I could liquidate them all, if only I could do so without absorbing losses.

This is a thoroughly depressing post. One hardly knows where to turn in this time of economic uncertainty. NY Bob, you would say, Gold, Gold, Gold! But ALL assets in gold? What about an excellent long-term piece of real estate that has seen outstanding appreciation and returns in a hot market? Are times upcoming so dire that even the best investment ever made -- real estate -- should be liquidated? And then where to park all the cash? Gold again? What about silver? Is it on par with gold, or is gold preferable? Other commodities, perhaps? What about quick turn around trading in stocks on an uptick?

What really hurts me in the pit of my stomach is the calamity our children are inheriting and the burdens they will undoubtedly have to bear.

This is a great strategy. Thanks for the idea. Frankly, I'm tired of spending time hunting for investments in whatever cash I can stow away every month, and like the idea of simply parking it in silver, instead of a stock or a bank. I use James Turk's Gold Money site for buying and selling silver. It seems reliable and responsible. Holdings are supposedly silver. Has anybody heard anything negative about his Gold Money operation? If so, I'd sure like to know about it.

Shout out thanks to FA, NYB, Silver Bars, and all who take the time to post detailed and informative info on all things relating to FMNJ. I am a busy mom who doesn't have the time to do all the research myself, so I truly appreciate your sharing and enjoy reading and learning from the posts on this board.

BRAVO!

Perhaps pdvsa is partially behind the mysterious $320 mil capital?

This is hilarious. How about a reality tv concept where all said investors find themselves finally meeting face-to-face, in person, after having set their personalities and agenda online for so long, now forced to interact as a group on a real-life fact-finding mission to impoverished Bolivia in order to ascertain the "realities" of the company they've invested so much in, and, oh, what drama would ensue!

At any rate, does anyone happen to know how large Jaime's staff is? His hands are more than full, what with mining, broadband, gas, humanitarian efforts, to name but a few endeavors. That's a tremendous amount to juggle at once. The success of any growing biz largely depends on the talents of the people the top dog surrounds himself with and delegates to.

This is exactly the news I've been waiting for. And I've been waiting for it to appear from south of the border, not north. Based on these news reports, I'm snatching up a few more shares. And, once word is out, I'm sure many others will be thinking along these lines and adding to their portfolio. PPS almost surely will spike up soon. Thanks for keeping on top of this over the weekend, Goldman.

Who is Darwin Hurtado, as referenced in the article you just posted. Do you know?

Syracuse, I just realized you sent me another chock-full of info note...privately. I'm new to this game -- as you know -- and haven't invested in a "privileged" account that enables me to do the same. Or else I would send this back to you privately, with another round of many thanks. With regards to FMNJ -- my first-ever pink investment -- all I can say is, I'm really, REALLY glad I have WAY more invested in a more "institutional" mining stock (GLG). It moves more inline with the market and on a much more predictable scale. With this, I can sleep at night. But by way of introduction to my first pink stock, I find this board to be -- I think someone said it best -- better than a soap opera and a never-ending source of amusement and information. Thanks for adding to the stew.

FYA, FMNJ Bullish, et al: A good debate is healthy, informative and appreciated. FYA: BRING IT ON!

Syr - I just started digging into one of the sites you mentioned on yesterday's post -- Peter Leeds. VERY informative. Can't thank you enough, for the info and the kind words of encouragement. I guess this would be the first step in doing DD...understand the game you're playing and how to play it. Eh?

Oh my goodness. What a wealth of information! I'm sure not only will I benefit from this, but also all the other novice penny stockers stalking this board. Many thanks!