It's going to be interesting to see what the geopolitical landscape, global economy and POG are like when the permit is eventually announced.  We may look back on this permit delay in retrospect (perhaps whilst holding an expensive glass of wine up to the light to evaluate its clarity) and thank our lucky stars that the permit was delayed until the U.S. invaded Pakistan....the dollar collapsed...and gold had skyrocketed to $1,500.00 + per ounce.  Of course, our greatest concern at that point (other than whether or not radioactive fallout will make the skin peel off of our bodies) will be how high the buyout bidding war will push the share price...