We should not laugh about colostomy bags as there is a reasonable chance of being hooked up to one at some point. Good news then that medical products company ConvaTec (CTEC) notes that at its 'R&D centre in North Wales, scientists and technicians show off a better lubricated catheter; a tighter sealant for an “ostomy” bag used to collect colostomy waste; and an agent that, when applied to an infected wound, changes colour according to the severity of infection to allow more rapid treatment'.

Julie Meyer MBE is being pursued by a string of former employees and trade contractors who are demanding that her Maltese holding company pays tens if not hundreds of thousands of Euros of unpaid bills stretching back many many months. Yet apparently all is well and Ariadne is hugely profitable. So says Meyer.. I say BULLSHIT! Fake News!

Mayan Energy (MYN) has not had a placing since it raised £2 million gross at 0.6p in mid November. Circa £1.5 million of that went out of the door at once on commission and an acquisition so the tank must be running kind of dry by now. Hence Align being paid to initiate (bullish) research and seven ramptastic releases in less than three months. Today's is shocking and Nomad Roland "Fatty" Cornish, London's most useless Corporate adviser, should be hung drawn and quartered for signing off on it.

I reviewed Footasylum (FOOT) on its November AIM listing being followed with a director buy announcement, concluding cautiously with the shares then at 209.5p. They would go on to commence 2018 at more than 250p, but are currently back to just over 200p…

Hello, Shares Lovelies. It’s time to revisit a favourite penny share of mine. Though it’s not exactly repaid my loyalty in the last year. Nevertheless, I feel that, given its potential and support in 40 countries, the present lowly share price is unfair.

Naturally your dream St Valentine's date is a foul mouth Essex girl from the West Ham Ladies team isn't it?  A brief reflection on how they got on against Mark Slater's girls at the weekend. Then it is onto Amur (AMC) and why I just don't like it. I comment on Nighthawk (HAWK), Galliford Try (GFRD), Servision (SEV) and then someone else who won;t be getting 12 red roses from me today. Just more grief.

A Trading and Strategy Progress Update announcement from tool, equipment hire and related services group HSS Hire (HSS) includes that “since HSS last updated the market on 29th November 2017, trading has been positive with the group maintaining solid momentum. The board is pleased to reaffirm that full year performance is in line with guidance given in August, of H2 adjusted EBITA of between £8m and £11m”. The shares have responded currently 3% higher to 25p – though I note this compares to more than 80p at the start of 2017 and 210p on February 2015 IPO!...

An ex employee of Ariadne Capital, terming him self John Galt after the Ayn Rand character has already exposed the truth behind the myth that is First Tuesday. In his second post on LinkedIn he now exposed the series of scandals and lawsuits that have marked the career of Julie Meyer MBE of Ariadne.  His punishment, someone complained and his account has been suspended. Luckily I copied the posting before that happened and so since I really am a free speech supporting libertarian unlike some folks I could mention...

Previously writing, at the end of 2017, on HaloSource (HALO) it was a trading warning before a latest bailout from Woodford & co even approved. Today sees a further 2018 announcement from the company…

Warren Buffett always tells us that his intended investment holding period is forever, that he buys stocks he would be happy to hold if the market closed down for five years. I guess, then, if you’re  Warren Buffett then the market travails of the last few days won’t bother you. If you’re not Mr Buffett I offer a few thoughts.

When Julie Meyer's Ariadne Capital Limited went bust just before Christmas among those owed millions of pounds were 13 employees and nine former employees. Thanks to Julie's habit of not paying staff and contractors on time, employee turnover has always been high. But Julie is keen that folks do not talk about their experiences and up to sixty ( yes SIXTY) ex staff and contractors face huge penalties if they break Non Disclosure Agreements (NDAs) they were forced to sign. Now one has bitten back, writing to investors on Ariadne Capital Limited as he wants to tell them what really happened.

Time for an update on the tussle surrounding one of the UK's last industrial behemoths. Regular readers will recall I got a bit lucky with one of my tips of the year a month or so ago as GKN (GKN) picked up a bid from business takeover specialist Melrose (MRO). I guess it was inevitable that a newly appointed CEO - albeit one who is pushing close to a classic retirement age - who got the job to help turn the struggling business around would agitate rather than roll over. At the turn of the month GKN was minded to tell its shareholders that:

When SOCO International (SIA) announced a possible merger the market seemed to take the news well, but ever since then the share price has been on the slide and it looks like this could be a good buying opportunity.

Creative media agency and audio-visual systems company MediaZest (MDZ) “is pleased to announce that it has conditionally raised £70,000 (before expenses) through a placing… at a price of 0.15p per ordinary share”. Hmmm, a ‘keep the lights on’ placing then?...

Cybersecurity group Intercede (IGP) has announced a New Contract Award, which it emphasises “is a strategically important project that exploits many of the new technologies Intercede has developed over the last two years”...

Hello, Share Springers. I’m guessing most of us are film fans. Though maybe more of us rely on our big screens at home rather than trogging round to the cinema. It’s this change of many a lifestyle that has hitherto put me off investing in cinema chains. But there is one that seems worthy of our attention now.

Today's bearcast is again recorded with a snoring Joshua but luckily my bad language did not wake him although it is still a bit distracting having an audience. On the agenda:  Mosman Oil & Gas (MSMN), Amur Minerals (AMC), UK Oil & Gas (UKOG), Reach4Entertainment (R4E) - shares in which  I own though I feel well abused for being so loyal - and finally Servision (SEV) where I told y'all but of course the Bulletin Board Morons knew better. They always do.

Spoken word audio on-demand platform company Audioboom (BOOM) has announced a proposed $185 million reverse acquisition of USA-headquartered online audio industry technology provider Triton Digital, Inc. – this following shares in Audioboom having risen from 3.34p to above 3.6p yesterday (hmmm!)…

Itaconix (ITX) states it uses a “proprietary process with break-through economics to produce unique or enhanced ingredients for the homecare, personal care and industrial markets”. ‘Break-through economics’ hey, let’s take a look at its trading update for the 2017 calendar year – with the shares currently ‘breaking-through’ an 18% decline on the back of it…

Whilst fat bastard Malcolm Graham Wood is paid to ramp shares in Frontera Resources (FRR) by making claims that cannot be verified, the City's No 1 oil analyst Zac "the Knife" Phillips is impartial and, to say the least, not impressed. In his email to clients today the SP Angel guru opines: