Market Watch

Apple Goes Solar?

The news story scorched a path through the tech-blogoshpere faster than Steve Jobs can say, “Solar powered iPhone.” In true blogosphere style, Sustainablenews.com quoted Forbes.com who excerpted TradetheNews.com who had stated that MacRumors.com wrote, “A recently published patent application discovered by MacRumors reveals that Apple is investigating the use of solar power in versions of their mobile devices.”

Read the story. Better yet, however, is that Apple (AAPL) has received two improved price targets recently, from Goldman Sachs ($220) and Merrill Lynch ($215). Presently trading around $185, it bodes well for the (possibly) soon-to-be greener-tech - behemoth.

Of course, the uptick in forecasts has little to do with green - since it’s just a patent - and everything to do with sales forecasts. After tearing up the sales charts with computer, phone, mp3 player and music sales, the company now promises to do the same with “App Store”, the only home for a wide range of third-party applications for the iPhone and iPod touch.

Poor PC.

Beware of Government, Choose Wisely Where You Invest

“These aren’t simple solutions, nor will they be easy to implement. There will be plenty of setbacks, complications, and conflicts of interest along the way. But we either rise to the challenge or go the way of the dinosaur. It’s our choice. The vise is closing.”

This bit of wisdom from the desk of Walt McLaughlin, a blogger at Burlington Free Press.
The vice is indeed closing, and around the world you see a lot of inspiring calls to action, and even a lot of honest to goodness action. On the subject of alternative energy, news stories abound…. Read the rest of this entry »

Cyanide Story (Part Two)

A Cyanide Story (Part Two): Putting the Code to the Test

Read part one of A Cyanide Story here.

By Doug Hadfield, MiningandMoney.com

Since the International Cyanide Management Code (ICMC) was ratified in 2002, just fifteen gold producers have become signatories. According to Dr Terry Mudder, who was part of the UNEP group that created the code, this number is misleading because these fifteen represent more than 50% of the global production of gold.

Cyanide Briquettes

“Most of the major gold mining companies have become signatories to the Cyanide Code and have either already or are in the process of certifying their individual operations,” Mudder told me. Read the rest of this entry »

Defending Run-of-River

Vancouver Sun received a letter from a concerned citizen yesterday, which may well reflect the concerns of a lot of people within reach of run-of-river projects.

Instead of going out on a limb myself, I’ve asked the minds at Plutonic Power Corp. (TSX: PCC) for their take. In green are excerpts from the letter to the editor:

“What kind of planning got us to go from selling a surplus of clean hydroelectric power to importing a shortfall of 18 per cent (mostly dirty) power? Are we crisis scrambling with ill-conceived projects like “run of river”?

The majority of BC’s hydroelectric assets were built in the 60s/70s and BC had a surplus of energy up until approximately 2001, which is when the province started to become a net importer of energy. Read the rest of this entry »

Cyanide Story (Part One)

Cyanide Story (Part One): Are We Doing Enough to Prevent Cyanide Spills?

By Doug Hadfield, MiningandMoney.com

It’s the stuff of legend. For many, the word “cyanide” conjures images of mass suicides, illegal fishing in the Philippines and the murder of Rasputin. Pretty nefarious stuff.

But hydrogen cyanide is a valuable and arguably indispensable industrial chemical, particularly in gold mining.

Cyanide Briquettes

Some 13% of all man-made cyanide is used to assist in removing gold and silver from low-grade ore; the rest is used to manufacture a wide range of products, from cosmetics to fire retardant and much else besides. Read the rest of this entry »

Next entries »