Commerce's goal is to become the world's leading source of high-quality tantalum and niobium. The next phase of development involves permitting, and an environmental study conducted by Gartner Lee, a top environmental consulting firm.

The social responsibility and environmental impact of miners and mining are the populist themes of the day in Ecuador as the Correa administration and newly elected members of a National Constituent Assembly begin what is likely to be a long and drawn out effort to rewrite the country’s constitution and mining legislation.

With oil prices over $80 per barrel, storm activity in the Gulf of Mexico and a cold winter predicted ahead elsewhere, not to mention worldwide demand for crude oil poised to rise again during the fourth quarter of 2007, now is a great time to be an oil and gas junior.

It looks as if Grenville Gold (TSX.V:GVG) has all the ingredients needed for success at its Silveria project in Peru. The company recently released a 43-101 report on Silveria which outlines its exploration and development plan for a potential silver-zinc-lead-copper resource. In addition to its three Peruvian properties, the company has a property in Ecuador which has a history of artisanal gold mining.

Since historic times, the clarity and value of rubies have been praised in works of literature- from the Bible to the Metaphysical Poets. Now investors are discovering a modern-day version of these same qualities as True North Gems (TSX.V:TGX) enters a new chapter in the saga of its Fiskenaesset Ruby Project in Greenland.

As signs of a split corporate personality start to appear, Tribune Uranium Corp. (TSX.V: TCB) is looking to cure the condition by spinning off its non-core assets, including giving shareholders an unanticipated dividend.

To look at Golden Reign’s (TSXV: GRR) stock chart, the company looks like either a bargain or a wash out: It was trading at $0.40 at the end of 2006. Since that time, shares in GRR have taken a hammering down to $0.15 per share. To me, this usually indicates a company mismanaged, but occasionally it indicates something much juicier – an overlooked, value-priced junior.

RocketInfo is a search technology company in the spirit of Google and Yahoo!, but with a new approach to the delivery of results, news and business information.

Montello Resources Ltd. (TSX.V:MEO) is one of only a handful of oil & gas companies to commence a multi-million dollar oil and gas exploration program in the technically challenging Appalachians Mountains and Foothills. The upstart company from Calgary, Alberta, recently won over government approval besides local resident support to earn a shot at re-drilling two of the most exciting oil prospects that the State of Tennessee has seen in decades.

A major gold discovery zone brought Rainy River to the forefront of the junior exploration scene last January, which raised the company stock price from $2.87 to $4.85 in less than a week.

Kootenay Gold (TSX.V:KTN) is a company with a sound strategy for dirt, explosives and gold. Notice how the company describes its approach: To create generative exploration discoveries, establish junior venture partnerships and acquire advanced stage projects.

A grassroots company no longer, porphyry deposits have encouraged Yale Resources Ltd. (TSX.V:YLL) to expand its La Verde land package in Mexico by 400 hectares. Often a holy grail for explorers, porphyry deposits – all the way from Alaska to Chile – make for great exploration targets. They are typically low grade, promise immense tonnages and create your “As Seen on Google Earth”, open-pit mines.