Bizarro World Podcast,
with Nick and Gerardo
Jan. 3, 2022
For the final podcast of 2021, Gerardo and Nick continue their annual tradition of giving awards to the management of companies they cover and own.
Best CEO and Most Disappointing stock are on the menu, among others.
A look at how the stock market, gold, commodities and cryptos ended the year.
Who owns Web3 and the metaverse?
Omicron and the CDC's waffling on the science and guidance, and what's next for the pandemic.
A look at the Ghislaine Maxwell verdict and if anyone else will be charged.
Plus: A California man was arrested trying to save America with a rifle, silencer, and hitlist from TikTok.
Table of Contents
0:00 Intro
0:51 Year-End Market Look
3:05 Cryptos and Who Owns the Metaverse
6:40 Omicron, Government Response, and Ongoing Covid Fallout
16:15 The Ghislaine Maxwell Verdict
21:38 2021 Bizarro World Awards
37:50 Tiktok Hitman Tries to Save America
Gerardo Del Real: The end of 2021, and I think I may have found the headline of the year. We're going to give out some awards today. We're going to talk police. We're going to talk Ms. Maxwell, the pimp, guilty on five of six counts. Of course, we'll get into gold, dollar, cryptos, energy, bond market, volatility. My ranting and raving. Nick's smart, intelligent takes on everything.
I am Gerardo Del Real, along with my cohost, Mr. Nick Hodge. Nick, this is episode 150 of Bizarro World, The Awards Edition. How in the heck are you, sir?
Nick Hodge: I'm doing good. You keep saying my takes are smart. I keep hoping to deliver a smart take. We'll see how it goes.
Year-End Market Look
Gerardo Del Real: Hey, let's get right into it. Gold closed the year out again ... I feel like I should have $20s and singles out at all times because it's been a bit of a tease. But it closed out pretty strong, it closed at $1,815. Silver managed to break above the $23 level. Copper looked strong at $4.37. Zinc closed the year at $1.62. The dollar closed just a tad under 96.
Thoughts on the end of the year and the price action that we saw in the commodity space?
Nick Hodge: I mean, what a fantastic year for commodities, across the board really. A bit of softness in the end of the year, as we had strength in the dollar. I think that when you pull back a little bit and pull out of the granularity of the day-to-day, you have a lot of commodities, metals -- softs and otherwise -- that are at historically elevated prices that still have significant fundamentals driving them, as far as demand is concerned. And significant supply constraints, when it comes to the reserves and the sheer amount of new mines and supply that has to come online to meet that demand.
And turning to gold, I guess. A bit of defensiveness in the market, which I was talking about last week, is continuing to develop. I was mentioning that gold was strong. We were talking about it at $1,800. And I've seen the utilities start to perk up a little bit. The stock market had an absolute monster close to the end of the year. Santa Claus came in a big way. And I think people are getting a little cautious, considering that stocks remain at all-time highs. They're interested to see how this inflation shapes up.
I'll shut my mouth at this point, but commodities look good headed into 2022. If I mention the equities for one second, they look like they want to be buoyant as well, here, in the end of the year.
Cryptos and Who Owns the Metaverse
Gerardo Del Real: Cryptos, got to get that take on cryptos. Bitcoin closed at $47,000. Eth, $3,700. I know you and I, at the very least I, believe that 2022 is going to be the year where we realize, just like the stock market, that this latest pullback was exactly just that, a pullback within a secular bull market.
Thoughts there, Nick?
Nick Hodge: No, you got it. A bright future is still ahead for cryptocurrencies. More and more people are understanding it. I've said that a lot. And it just continues to get entrenched. We're seeing more people understand the utility of it and the broad nature of it, well beyond Bitcoin and Ether now, into all sorts of coins or projects, Gerardo, as they're referred to. And the communities behind them, which is interesting because that's how you look at small stocks as well, is the people that are involved.
And now you've got this whole metaverse, which was a big theme in 2021 and isn't going away. And then Web3, which all the billionaires are arguing about, which our own Chris Curl was covering this week. So we're keeping tabs on it. It's not going away. It is, of course, a volatile space, but hodling, as they say. And you can look for crypto cycle to launch in January, come hell or high water.
Gerardo Del Real: Is Web3 the new fun thing that petty billionaires are going to argue about? We had the whole early in the year thing where everybody wanted to go to space, and everybody's building their own spaceships and taking their own cruises. And it seems like they're past that and now they're like, "Okay, Web3's the second coming of the internet." And other people are saying, "This thing's a fraud, it's not decentralized anything. It's just owned by different puppet masters," right?
Nick Hodge: Well, once you own the earth and you've traveled into the universe, then you've got to go to infinity and beyond. Which, in this case, is the metaverse. And that's what they're arguing about. Who owns it? Is it truly going to be the next iteration of the web; decentralized ownership, where you own your data and control it, secured and tracked by the blockchain?
And that's what some of them are saying. Elon and Jack Dorsey, and others, are going back and forth about exactly what you just pointed out. Do the VCs already own it because they're seeding the companies that are building it? And at the end of the day, I saw a pretty smart interview with the Google CEO. What's his name? Pichai.
Gerardo Del Real: Yeah.
Nick Hodge: And he was saying it's sort of a moot argument, it's just the next iteration of development. No one "owns it." No one, relatively, owns the internet. I mean, there's big dominating forces, sure. But all the players are going to be at the table, the FANGs and others. And so I'm not sure that arguing about who owns the metaverse is the right focus to have. The focus, for me, is of course how to profit from it.
Omicron, Government Response, and Ongoing Covid Fallout
Gerardo Del Real: You know what else isn't going away? Omicron. Omicron is not going away anytime soon, apparently. And the CDC is kind of tapped out and basically said, "Just do whatever the fuck you want." Did you see the guideline change this week? Dr. Fauci and everybody else trying to explain away why we went from 10 days of isolation to five days of isolation to, again, "Just do whatever the fuck you want," right?
Nick Hodge: I did. There's a lot of backpedaling. And we talked about when the CDC said the science was clear about not having to wear masks and then we had to wear masks again. And so they've already waffled a lot. And, of course, Omicron has brought to light a lot of things. I mean, all the vaccinated people are getting infected now. There's tapes going around of people, like Maddow ,that are recorded saying that once you get vaccinated you cannot spread the virus, you don't become a host for the virus. And that's how we're going to beat this thing. And it just turns out to be literally 100% untrue. A turning point in a couple of ways. So let me drill down on that. Let's talk about the medical side first.
Gerardo Del Real: Drill, baby drill.
Nick Hodge: Yeah. Drill, baby drill down on Omicron. And we'll get to drill results in a little bit, I'm sure. Well, everyone's getting this thing, right?
Gerardo Del Real: Yep.
Nick Hodge: I told you a couple of week ago that I had it, and would've bet that it was that variant. And so I think it's making people realize that we're going to have to live with this thing. That a lot of people are going to get it, even if you're vaccinated and boosted. And that the measures that we're taking, lockdowns and otherwise, are not futile, but haven't done much to stop the spread if everyone is getting it. And so you're seeing a lot of pushback against those things. I think the other thing it's bringing to light is that you don't die if you're vaccinated. The symptoms are much less. And we're seeing charts now about the deaths per 100,000 people since vaccines were available. And the deaths are just simply much less in the states that have a higher vaccination percentage.
And the other thing is, even if you're don't believe in vaccines, you're going to get this Omicron. And so, one way or another, people are going to get antibodies in their system. And this could help us get past it. A lot to talk about here, Gerardo. Sorry. Jump in at any time. What else?
Interesting to see that China's vaccine is not performing well against Omicron. I thought that was a bit ironic. What else? I think people are just ready to get back to it.
And then you got to turn to this whole science is clear, banning of accounts, and all that. Because it turns out that none of it was clear. A lot of the questions that were raised were valid and have turned out to be true. I saw someone say that the time from conspiracy theory to proving it true is getting shorter and shorter and shorter during COVID. And so, I guess those are my broad thoughts on Omicron. I don't continue to like the way governments are handling this, including our own. They're starting to float, this week, the idea of you can't fly if you're not vaccinated. And so, I don't like the control that they're going for with this virus. And, of course, that's what governments do. And people are starting to get more vocal about that, so that's good to see. What are your thoughts?
Gerardo Del Real: No, look, I like the push back to the information that the government releases, because anybody that knows me knows I'm skeptical of most things that the government mandates or puts out. And we should always ask the questions. And we should absolutely not be banning people from asking the questions and presenting the research, and letting people make their own minds up.
I think something that's kind of been lost in the last year and a half of dealing with the different variants of COVID, is a point that Joe Rogan actually made this past week when he talked about: if you're overweight, if you're obese, if you're unhealthy, COVID or not, you should be working very diligently to get your diet and your exercise and your health under control. Because, guess what everyone? This isn't going to be the last pandemic that we see in our lifetime. I think, unfortunately, we're coming into an era where we're going to see more and more of these things pop up. And for everybody that can take some extra time to exercise, to eat a little better, to cut down on some of the things that maybe aren't the healthiest for us, it's good regardless of whether we're in a pandemic or not.
So I'd say, going into the new year, I think that's something that everybody should incorporate into their lifestyle as much as possible, is just better eating, better exercise, better taking care of ourselves.
On the government end, I can't help ... the capitalist in me understands why they took the 10-day isolation quarantine recommendation down to five. If you look at the fact that airline CEOs were in the White House the week before this came down. Tinfoil hat or not, call it a conspiracy theory, I don't think they were there just to talk about business. I think they were there to talk about policy. Which, I guess, is business for them. But I got to believe that the CEOs of major airlines pitching the White House, had an effect on how the policy was framed and explained and why the backpedaling happens. But again, I haven't been happy with anything the government has done, from our justice system, criminal justice system, to the way that we've handled COVID, to the way that we've handled monetary policy, to the way that we've handled fiscal policy. I could go on and on, I have all year long. I have for the past 149 episodes. So I think, by now, people get the picture.
But I wasn't surprised that the CDC backpedaled. And I think, at the end of the day, whatever you believe about vaccinations and how effective they are or how not effective they are, you should absolutely do everything in your power to be healthier, be smarter about what you consume, exercise a little bit more; all the little things. That's going to help out in life in general, pandemic or not. Right?
Nick Hodge: No, that's it for sure. And I think that's part of a cultural shift that we're in. You know that life expectancy has been going the wrong way for the first time since World War II. And not just because of COVID, we've talked about deaths of despair and things like that.
And if you listen to demographers, like people who wrote the book, for example, The Fourth Turning, they talk about how it's not medicine that makes life expectancy go up and down. I mean, that's part of it to be sure. But it's more about individual choices that a person makes. And some of that is influenced by external factors, which is why generations have attributes that you can apply to them broadly. Think about the opioid epidemic, for example, and then how that's affected the millennial generation.
So, yes, you see it go one way, you see the life expectancy going down. And then, like a stock, it's going to reverberate the other way. And that's not going to be just because of the end of the virus, it's going to because of what you say; people taking this as a cue to live a healthier lifestyle. It's no secret that preexisting conditions, like obesity, lead to worse outcomes for COVID infections.
And so, yeah, I think it was an eyeopener for a lot of people, not just for health but for all sorts of stuff, which you just mentioned, so I won't run down the bulleted list again. And we've mentioned this too, is that COVID expedited things in a lot of ways because it shed a light on a lot of stuff, like you just mentioned, criminal justice, the financial system, et cetera, that we're still dealing with and are going to have to deal with.
But, optimistic for the culmination of this. And hopefully we're going to start looking back on this era, sooner than later.
The Ghislaine Maxwell Verdict
Gerardo Del Real: Speaking of government and criminal justice, a couple of interesting developments this week. The first one, of course, Ghislaine Maxwell. Guilty on five of six counts of basically being a pimp for Jeffrey Epstein. Good, first off. Put her under the prison. That's a nasty, nasty, nasty set of circumstances that led to the abuse of many, many, many young girls. So put her under the prison. Zero sympathy for her. Enjoy the menu, babe. It's going to be interesting to see if Prince Andrew is implicated. It's going to be interesting to see if any men are indicted and brought to justice in trial. It's interesting to me that, very quietly, very quietly, prosecutors dropped the case against the two jail guards who failed to do their job when Jeffrey Epstein allegedly killed himself. And so they made the decision, the federal prosecutors did, on December the 13th. And they just made that public today, December the 30th.
And so, again, are any men going to be held accountable for any of this? And I'm not trying to make this a feminist statement or a male versus female. It's just a trend that I can't help but ignore in this case, where Epstein allegedly killed himself; so he didn't really see judicial justice in that sense. The system clearly failed in making sure that he was brought to account, legally. And now the people that were responsible directly for that failure apparently are just being let off, case dropped.
So curious to see what comes from that. I'm curious to see if Prince Andrew is implicated because he's the one that seems to be the most exposed at the moment. And yeah, I don't know, just thinking out loud. Any men going to get indicted? Anybody else? One died, and then this lady, and that's it? On an international sex trafficking ring of minors?
Nick Hodge: I mean, like I say about the conspiracies playing out. I mean, curious timing with the Christmas verdict and then the New Year's release of the jailer's info that you just mentioned. And curious that the prosecutors, when interviewing the witnesses about the high profile people at the parties, never asked for any names. Who were these high profile associates and friends that were at these parties? They're just "high profile associates"? And so it's clear as day that lots of folks that are deep-pocketed and well-connected don't want this to go any further. And that was clear back in the Florida case that got squashed, right?
Gerardo Del Real: Hmm.
Nick Hodge: And so the only way that you're going to get real justice ... well, maybe not even real justice, but confirmation, is if Ms. Maxwell decides to talk. Her body language didn't seem like she wanted to. She was calm and collected, poured herself a glass of water after the verdict was read. And conferred with her lawyer, made sure she could get a booster shot and then walked away. And so, is she going to sing? I don't know. Does she contemplate that being a death sentence, versus 65 years, or whatever it is? I'm not sure. I think the world knows who is involved in this. And I think that it's also one of the reasons there's so much room for ... Well, first of all, that there's so much angst, I think, among the populace. It's not just the virus. It's that, on a deeper level, you're being told things and told that you can't question it, when the very guidance and people who are telling you the things that you're not allowed to question you know are involved in things like international child sex rings that are being covered up.
And so it's tough to take that seriously when you're a citizen. And so the problem is, what's the escape mechanism, right?
Gerardo Del Real: Hmm.
Nick Hodge: And so that's when you talk about all these larger themes, decentralization, the metaverse, and stuff like that, otherwise it gets kind of bleak. Because, what, is the global reset just going to be here and that's going to be that? Anyway, yeah, we'll see what Ms. Maxwell is going to do. But certainly not a lot of effort from your good old government to get to the true root of the matter here.
2021 Bizarro World Awards
Gerardo Del Real: Interesting stuff, for sure. Let's get into some awards Nick, it's your end. Beginning of the new year here for people, once they listen to this. Let's dive right into it. Let's go with CEO of the year. You want to start off?
Nick Hodge: Oh, man. I need to look at my notes, and I don't know what I did with them. But no, I know who the answer is, at least as I thought about it. But first, some caveats. I am in no way qualified to give out these awards, first of all.
Gerardo Del Real: Same. Same. Made all this shit up, everyone.
Nick Hodge: Second of all, I'm going from a relatively small nexus because I'm looking primarily at things that I own. And so I don't intend to exclude anybody or anything like that. So, anyway, it is what it is. And then, lastly, I'm sure there'll be multiple answers and weasels as they call them out. So, with that, what did you ask me? Who is the CEO of the year? Well-
Gerardo Del Real: Your CEO of the year. Yes, sir.
Nick Hodge: I'm going to give you an executive, I guess. I wasn't sure how to quantify this, because do you look at execution? Or do you look at stock price performance? Or do you look at value unlocking, or whatever it is? And so I decided to look at price performance. Whose company, or companies, had good years, given the current conditions? And Warwick Smith is who came to mind. And he's not necessarily a CEO of multiple companies, but he is management and/or board of a few, including American Pacific (CSE: USGD)(OTC: USGDF), and, at least in the backroom sort of way, Silver Hammer (CSE: HAMR)(OTC: HAMRF). Both of which have done fantastic if you look at an American Pacific chart or a Silver Hammer chart.
Gerardo Del Real: Yes, they have.
Nick Hodge: And it's not necessarily because of just the rocks or just the execution, it's a combination of all that; capital markets, marketing, and stuff like that. And so, anyway, Warwick was the one who floated to the top for me.
Gerardo Del Real: I like it. I got to go with Kutcho Copper (TSX-V: KC)(OTC: KCCFF) CEO, Vince Sorace. This is a guy who has ... I mean, if you want to talk execution, he has delivered a new feasibility study with great numbers, he's bought back the royalty and terminated the offtake on that project, he raised millions of dollars for the project. I could go on and on. But the year that Vince had, compared to the year that Vince had last year when I couldn't convince anyone to buy the stock at 13, 14, 15 cents... because we all knew it was a great project and we all knew he would be busy negotiating, the market simply wasn't there for him. But he took what was a very, very, very tough situation and turned it around. And look, took that stock from 13, 14, 15 cents, to a high of C$1.14. And I actually believe 2022 is the year that we see Kutcho Copper taken out. And it wouldn't surprise me to see a $2.50, $3.00 price tag on that 83 cent stock right now. So mine will be Vince Sorace, kudos to him.
Nick Hodge: Good stuff. That company might come up again.
Gerardo Del Real: There you go.
Gerardo Del Real: You mentioned caveats. By the way, everybody, there are no real awards. Don't expect anything in the mail. So not only is there no criteria, there actually isn't an award. So, Vince, if you're listening, it's not coming buddy. But I'll buy you a drink the next time I see you.
Nick Hodge: It's in the metaverse.
Gerardo Del Real: It's in the metaverse. We're going to keep it in the metaverse for you.
Gerardo Del Real: Let's go with comeback stock of the year. Yeah, comeback stock of the year. And, again, it's all subjective. We're making this up. So you base it on whatever you feel like basing it on. And I'll tell you what I based it on on my end of it, Nick.
Nick Hodge: Well, I'll give you two. But the first one is Kutcho Copper, and you already mentioned it. And I thought about Vince for the previous award too. But, look, I mean, the shares bottomed out right in the early part of the year. If I had to bring up a chart, like you say, I recommending it down around 20 or 20-some cents. And then literally starting 2021 at the 24, 25 cent level and running to over C$1.00, after a bit of a rough patch for a year or two. So able to get the feasibility done, take care of the royalty, start looking towards financing, and then getting this thing taken care of. So a turnaround in that respect.
And then to step away from the resources for a bit, I was looking at VSBLTY (CSE: VSBY)(OTC: VSBGF) because that had a really rough go of it as well. And it's one I've mentioned on this podcast a couple of times. So was able to secure a couple of good deals, distributing their facial recognition technology with InBev (NYSE: BUD), essentially an international beer distributor. And so shares were as low as 43 cents this summer, and then ran to C$2.00 by fall. And so that's a bit of a turnaround there.
Gerardo Del Real: Little bit. I'm going to go with Uranium Energy Corp (NYSE: UEC). Again, a stock that, a little over a year ago, I couldn't convince people to pay 53, 54 cents for it. And it ran as high as $5.79 this year. So we joked last year that IR person of the year could be Amir Adnani any year. But listen, jokes aside, he has executed for shareholders brilliantly. And the turnaround for UEC, obviously, obviously, a part of that is due to better sentiment in the uranium space. But, again, be absolutely clear, him and that team positioned shareholders to enjoy those types of gains, tenfold gains, from the lows during that bear market. And so, the execution has been brilliant during the bear market. There's few things as fun as seeing Amir get a bull market, whether it's in gold or uranium, because he knows how to unlock shareholder value. And I'm looking forward to seeing him work here the next few years. So my comeback stock of the year has to be UEC.
Nick Hodge: That's a good one.
Gerardo Del Real: All right. Let's get onto one that is actually a ... it's a dichotomy for me. It's one of my favorite stocks, but it was also my most disappointing stock of the year. Can you guess what it is, Nick? And it didn't have a bad year, I just think it should be so much higher so I was disappointed.
Nick Hodge: Oh. Magna Gold (TSX-V: MGR)(OTC: MGLQF) then, probably.
Gerardo Del Real: You got it. You know me. Absolutely. All Arturo Bonillas, the CEO, did was everything he said he was going to do. He brought in new assets, he started drilling those out. We're expecting drill results soon. He took the San Francisco mine, bought it for $6, $7 million. Turned it around. Is producing 50 to 60,000 ounces a year. It's going to generate over $50 to $60 million in free cash flow next year. He's got a PEA coming on, another project.
And here we are. If I pull a chart up of Magna Gold. If I do a one year chart, we're actually lower than we were a year ago, with a market cap sub C$70 million. So it's an opportunity for me to buy, and it's an opportunity for you all to buy. Because, again, if $1,800 gold is the new floor, Magna is going to be extremely profitable for a long time. And, again, do not underestimate Mr. Bonillas' ability to bring in other assets and/or expand the underground potential of the San Francisco mine.
But I have to say, for me, it is the most disappointing stock of the year because I think it should trade at multiples of where it sits today. I think it should be a $2 to $3 stock.
Nick Hodge: No, I have to agree with you. And yes, with gold improving here, we'll see, obviously, improving financials from the company. He's done a fantastic job turning the mine around. So, yeah, an improved macro picture would certainly, I think, help that stock.
Gerardo Del Real: Agreed. Agreed. Nick?
Nick Hodge: I mean, I could give you a few. Midas, or Perpetua (TSX: PPTA)(TSX: PPTA), obviously highly, highly disappointing, didn't get the permits. It went from, I think, something like CA$14 down to CA$4. Let me pull up the chart, just to be right. Yeah, that's about right. Low of CA$5, not CA$4, but yep, from CA$14 earlier this year. And so that's probably the most disappointing one, I guess, for me. That was a long waiting period for a let down, to be extended again. And then not just the permitting, but Mr. Paulson coming in and deciding to flex amid a divorce, I don't think helped the company one bit. And then of course the management shakeup was disappointing for me, because it's people that you grow accustomed to and that you grow to like in this business. So that was pretty disappointing for me.
Gerardo Del Real: Yeah, I have to agree. I mean, we're long-term supporters of the stock. And yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, that would be a close number two for me. I don't think it's a coincidence that once Mr. Quin stepped down ... and kudos to Laurel Sayer, who's current CEO. She was there while Stephen was there. But I think Stephen navigated the capital markets and the development of that project beautifully during very tough times. And it was absolutely disappointing to me, as a shareholder, to see the exit and the restructuring, as the Paulson Group called it, of the management team. Again, that is no shade to Ms. Sayer, who I'm a fan of and I think is doing a great job in her own respects. And I think she's the right person for the project right now. But I think there has been a failure to communicate that story better during the quiet time. I think it's only been focused on the environmental side of it; which I completely understand because they're going through permitting. But I think people have forgotten that this is nearly a 7 million ounce high margin deposit, or deposits, the Stibnite Project, that likely has over 10, and some people speculate maybe up to 20 million ounces, on the property. Because if you've been there ... and Nick and I have ... you can clearly see where you're probably going to find another couple of million ounces on trend, on the other side of that mountain there. So yeah, Perpetua, formerly Midas, yeah, disappointing for sure.
Nick Hodge: What's next?
Gerardo Del Real: Best IR person.
Nick Hodge: It's Amir Adnani, all the time.
Gerardo Del Real: Amir, it is.
Nick Hodge: I mean, for me, yeah. I mean, four companies. You could give him the CEO award too. But it's really investor relations and corporate development, I guess I would tack on there. I mean, spinning out two companies from his original two this year, now having uranium royalty and gold royalty and communicating that not just to the market, but marketing folks like us and other mouthpieces, and doing so effectively. And not just to the market via interviews, but updating on an individual basis. So he gets the award from me.
Gerardo Del Real: I like it. I'm going to go with you as well. Amir, your three awards are in the metaverse. We'll hold them for you.
Nick Hodge: There you go.
Gerardo Del Real: Top stock for 2022. The criteria here, Nick, is not execution, the stock that will go up the most, percentage-wise, in 2022. One or two.
Nick Hodge: The stock that will go up the most, percentage-wise, in 2022, is ... I feel like I need a drum roll. Oh God, it's so tough. Palamina (TSX-V: PA)(OTC: PLMNF).
Gerardo Del Real: That's interesting. All right, for those not familiar, Palamina is a Peruvian explorer, Peru-based explorer, with multiple district scale projects. Assays are pending. We expect those in January or February. It recently completed a drill program, hence the reason that assays are pending. It's drilling a project in Peru that is very perspective for near surface oxide potential. Very unexplored area.
And, again, like Amir, Andrew did a brilliant job ... Andrew Thomson, the CEO ... of supporting his stock and positioning shareholders well for 2022, by consolidating these district-scale projects for now, with exposure to a fifth. And so, yeah, no, I like that one.
My pick is actually a Peru explorer as well, it's going to be Hannan Metals (TSX-V: HAN)(OTC: HANNF).
Nick Hodge: Sure.
Gerardo Del Real: I think, look, I wrote it to subscribers here a few days ago. I think Hannan not only has the potential to provide tenfold returns, it might be one of those that provides twentyfold returns in 2022.
Gerardo Del Real: And I know that's a hell of a prediction, and a great way to make a fool of myself if it doesn't work out. But, look, they have a basin-scale project that unfortunately wasn't allowed to be drilled this year because of all the delays with COVID. But what it did allow the company to do was go out there and do some very diligent fieldwork across this basin. It secured a $35 million joint venture with JOGMEC. That $35 million joint venture, spread out over five years ... we're in year or two now ... is basically just a third of the landholdings; Hannan being a top 10 landholder in Peru. So two-thirds of that basin is all Hannan's. And so, yeah, I think Hannan is going to have itself a hell of a 2022. I am excited to see drills turning in the second quarter, hopefully, of 2022. So Hannan Metals is my top stock for 2022.
Nick Hodge: It was short on the list as well. There's a number of stocks we could mention here. But we won't, for subscribers' sake. But, yeah, I think it's going to be a good year for Hannan as well.
Tiktok Hitman Tries to Save America
Gerardo Del Real: Agreed. I'm excited for 2022, everyone. I think whether it's lithium, or uranium, or copper, or gold, and even silver; gold's bipolar side piece, I think we're in for a hell of a 2022. Nick, I think I found the headline of the year, on the last podcast that we're doing here in 2021.
Nick Hodge: Let me have it.
Gerardo Del Real: Man allegedly planned to attack White House with an AR-15 and a hit list from TikTok.
Nick Hodge: How did he get the hit list?
Gerardo Del Real: From TikTok. A California man was arrested in Iowa. He wasn't playing, by the way. He had an assault rifle and a vest, and body armor last week. And told investigators he was putting together a list of evil individuals he wanted to kill. The list included former presidents Barrack Obama, Bill Clinton, Dr. Fauci, and Facebook CEO, Mark Zuckerberg. The gentleman, 25 years old, left his home near Sacramento around December 18th. He was pulled over three days later in Iowa, 26 hours and more than 1700 miles away, for driving aggressively, weaving in and out of traffic, and speeding on an interstate.
And so when they pulled him over, he allegedly told officers that he was going to DC to take pictures of the White House and that he was traveling to see things because it is unknown how long he has here on Earth. He then voiced his disapproval for government due to the sex abuse of children, some of which has occurred by President Joe Biden, according to this guy. When they searched his car they found an AR-15, they found loaded magazines, they found boxes of ammunition. And not just one vest, he had several items of body armor and medical kits, just in case. He went on, during the interview, to say that he was told by God to combat the evil demons in the White House and that it was necessary for him to kill those people in positions of power.
So that is a hell of a headline. And I thought it really encapsulated just what a fucking bizarro year 2021 was. It's, I think, a great way to end it. Any thoughts there, Nick? Anything else you want to get off your chest?
Nick Hodge: I mean, I can sort of see where he's coming from in some respects. I'm not advocating for driving across the country with an assault rifle with a hit list from TikTok.
Gerardo Del Real: Oh shit.
Nick Hodge: I mean, we were just talking about no accountability and no justice for our leaders, and they're lying to us. And so I'm not surprised that some people out there want to take matters into their own hands. I mean, he specifically mentioned child sexual abuse. I mean, you know?
Gerardo Del Real: Do you want to see what his notes on his Notes app were?
Nick Hodge: Sure.
Gerardo Del Real: Do you want me to tell him to you? So every morning I wake up, I make my list out. Or I usually have it written out the night before, what I want to get done the next day and start checking things off. So here is his list. Rifle pickup, check. Silencer order, check. This next one is my favorite one. Save USA. That one was pending.
Nick Hodge: All you need's a rifle and a silencer.
Gerardo Del Real: You can save America. He said he could follow-
Nick Hodge: I don't think you can just get a silencer either. I mean, maybe he ordered it. But you can't just ... I mean, that's a wait thing.
Gerardo Del Real: Oh God, he compiled the hit list using 100 videos downloaded from TikTok. And then he also had a drawing of the White House grounds, along with what he viewed as a weak spot in the White House's security. Then he told the Secret Service agents, Nick, that if he was released he would continue driving towards the White House to execute the plan. I kind of like this guy. Anyhow, I hope he gets the help that he needs.
2021 was a hell of a year, everybody. I wish everybody nothing but the best in 2022. Thank you all for listening. Thank you for all the comments and suggestions. That's all I got. Nick, anything else on your end?
Nick Hodge: No. Ready to get into next year, for sure. I hope everyone has a safe and happy New Year and is ready to get back into it in a big way.
Gerardo Del Real: Well, let's get it. I'm Gerardo Del Real, along with my cohost, Mr. Nick Hodge. This was episode 150 of Bizarro World. CEOs and IR people, your prizes will be in the metaverse. Say bye, Nick.
Nick Hodge: See you.
Gerardo Del Real: End quote.
This transcript is unedited. Please excuse grammatical errors and run-on sentences.