i'm starting to re-think my approach. i used to look for companies that had real assets that could become mines. but then when i got lucky and found something like aurelian or mag silver, it would get bought out before it could reach its potential.

One thing I'm curious about, which I've noticed since we formed this group. Most people here seem to be exclusively mining investors. I'm not. I look for whatever is trending, try to get a handle, and if it makes sense, invest. That's how I came into mining. It seemed to be working, so I investigated.

So my question for anyone who cares to respond is this:

What's the attraction, now that the bloom is off the rose? I look at all the potential pitfalls, and I've certainly experienced most of them these past 2 years, and I ask myself, is it really worth it? Is the lure of bagging an Aurelian so strong as to overcome all the negatives, because let's face it, when you've got something like an Aurelian, aren't you more likely to have it stolen from you than to reap the full benefit? And aren't the odds of finding one, let alone two or three Aurelians in one's lifetime far outweighed by the losses incurred on the other dogs you might buy in that quest (and let's face it - there's an awful lot of dogs in mining).

I'm just curious. Mining seems to hold some kind of attraction that negates all other factors, including fraud, insider trading, manipulation, lack of regulation and so forth. Certainly other markets suffer this as well, but not to the same degree. Apart from all the above issues, it's an old rule of thumb that leadership changes from one bull to the next. Mining stocks led the last bull, so on top of all the other factors, you have that reality to contend with as well.

Am I wrong here? Am I missing something? I've changed horses a few times over the years - small cap, large cap, tech, mining, energy, whatever was working at the time. Is there some secret formula I'm not aware of that makes it worthwhile to stick with mining through thick and thin? If so, I don't see it. Not saying it isn't there - just that I'm having trouble making the case for myself.

ebear