Summary of significant accounting policies

12 Months Ended

Jan. 31, 2012

Summary of significant accounting policies [Text Block]

NOTE 2 – Summary of significant accounting policies

The summary of significant accounting policies presented below is designed to assist in understanding the Company\'s consolidated financial statements. Such consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes are the representations of the Company’s management, who is responsible for their integrity and objectivity. These accounting policies conform to accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America in all material respects, and have been consistently applied in preparing the accompanying consolidated financial statements. The significant accounting policies adopted by the Company are as follows:

Use of estimates
The preparation of financial statements in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States of America requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amount of assets and liabilities and the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amount of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from those estimates.

The valuation of stock-based compensation, classification and valuation of common stock purchase warrants, classification and value of embedded conversion options, value of beneficial conversion features, valuation allowance on deferred tax assets, the determination of useful lives and recoverability of depreciable assets, accruals, and contingencies are significant estimates made by management. It is at least reasonably possible that a change in these estimates may occur in the near term.

Principles of consolidation
The consolidated financial statements include the accounts of the Company and its wholly-owned subsidiaries, Big Chunk and Redwall, from the dates of acquisition, February 5, 2004 and August 31, 2007, respectively. All significant intercompany accounts and transactions have been eliminated upon consolidation.

Cash and cash equivalents
We consider cash held at banks and all highly liquid investments with original maturities of three months or less to be cash and cash equivalents. We maintain our cash in bank deposit accounts which, for periods of time, may exceed federally insured limits. At January 31, 2012 and 2011, we had cash in bank deposit accounts that exceeded federally insured limits of $0 and $751,000, respectively.

Mineral claim costs
We account for costs incurred to acquire, maintain and explore mineral properties as a charge to expense in the period incurred until the time that a proven mineral resource is established, at which point development of the mineral property would be capitalized. Currently, we do not have any proven mineral resources on any of our mineral properties.

Property and equipment
Property and equipment is stated at cost. We capitalize all purchased equipment over $500 with a useful life of more than one year. Depreciation is calculated using the straight line method over the estimated useful lives of the assets. Leasehold improvements are stated at cost and are amortized over their estimated useful lives or the lease term, whichever is shorter. Maintenance and repairs are expensed as incurred while betterments or renewals are capitalized. Property and equipment is reviewed periodically for impairment. The estimated useful lives range from 3 to 7 years.

Convertible promissory notes
We report convertible promissory notes as liabilities at their carrying value less unamortized discounts, which approximates fair value. We bifurcate conversion options and detachable common stock purchase warrants and report them as liabilities at fair value at each reporting period when required in accordance with the applicable accounting guidance. When convertible promissory notes are converted into shares of our common stock in accordance with the debt’s terms, no gain or loss is recognized. We account for inducements to convert as an expense in the period incurred, included in debt conversion expense.

Common stock purchase warrants
We report common stock purchase warrants as equity unless a condition exists which requires reporting as a derivative liability at fair market value. For common stock purchase warrants reported as a derivative liability, as well as new and modified warrants reported as equity, we utilize the Black-Scholes valuation method in order to estimate fair value.

Environmental expenditures
Our operations have been and may in the future be affected from time to time in varying degree by changes in environmental regulations, including those for future removal and site restoration costs. The likelihood of new regulations and their overall effect upon us are not predictable. We provide for any reclamation costs in accordance with the accounting standards codification section 410-30. It is management’s opinion that we are not currently exposed to significant environmental and reclamation liabilities and have recorded no reserve for environmental and reclamation expenditures at January 31, 2012 and 2011.

Fair Value of Financial Assets and Liabilities
The Company measures and discloses certain financial assets and liabilities at fair value. Authoritative guidance defines fair value as the exchange price that would be received for an asset or paid to transfer a liability (an exit price) in the principal or most advantageous market for the asset or liability in an orderly transaction between market participants on the measurement date. Authoritative guidance also establishes a fair value hierarchy which requires an entity to maximize the use of observable inputs and minimize the use of unobservable inputs when measuring fair value. The standard describes three levels of inputs that may be used to measure fair value:

Level 1 -	Quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities.
Level 2 -	Observable inputs other than Level 1 prices such as quoted prices for similar assets or liabilities; quoted prices in markets that are not active; or other inputs that are observable or can be corroborated by observable market data for substantially the full term of the assets or liabilities.
Level 3 -	Unobservable inputs that are supported by little or no market activity and that are significant to the fair value of the assets or liabilities.

Income taxes
Income taxes are recorded using the asset and liability method. Under the asset and liability method, tax assets and liabilities are recognized for the tax consequences attributable to differences between financial statement carrying amounts of existing assets and liabilities and their respective tax bases. Future tax assets and liabilities are measured using the enacted tax rates expected to apply when the asset is realized or the liability settled. The effect on future tax assets and liabilities of a change in tax rates is recognized in income in the period that enactment occurs. To the extent that the Company does not consider it more likely than not that a future tax asset will be recovered, it provides a valuation allowance against the excess. Interest and penalties associated with unrecognized tax benefits, if any, are classified as additional income taxes in the statement of operations. With few exceptions, we are no longer subject to U.S. federal, state and local examinations by tax authorities for years before 2009.

Net loss per share
Basic net loss per share is computed by dividing net loss attributable to common shareholders by the weighted average number of shares of common stock outstanding during the period. The calculation of basic loss per share gives retroactive effect to an eight for one forward stock split on January 6, 2004 which resulted in 20,000,000 common shares outstanding. The calculation of basic loss per share gives retroactive effect to a one for four reverse stock split on September 1, 2009 which resulted in 67,261,764 common shares outstanding. Diluted net loss per share takes into consideration shares of common stock outstanding (computed under basic loss per share) and potentially dilutive shares of common stock that are not anti-dilutive.

Net loss per share – continued
At January 31, 2012 and 2011, there were 187,086,566 and 204,639,535 potentially dilutive instruments outstanding, respectively. Additionally, at January 31, 2012 and 2011 if settlement of the Convertible Promissory Notes were completed by the issuance of common shares there would be 168,133,677 and 83,846,926 additional shares, respectively. These instruments were not included in the determination of diluted loss per share as their effect was anti-dilutive.

Recently issued accounting standards
In May 2011, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update 2011-04 (“ASU 2011-04”) to achieve common fair value measurement and disclosure requirements in US GAAP and IFRS. This guidance is effective for interim and annual periods beginning after December 15, 2011. This guidance did not have a material impact on our financial position and results of operations.