You probably recall I wrote at some length about the letter from former Orange 21 CEO Mark Simo to the Orange board of directors requesting/recommending strongly talks between Orange and No Fear, of which Mr. Simo is the CEO and 37% shareholder, about a merger between the two. Orange said, “No thanks.” Read more here.

I imagined you noticed recently that the retailer, No Fear, proposed a merger to the board of directors of Orange 21 (Spy Optics). Orange announced November 5th that they were not considering it. We’ll see what, if anything happens next. But in the meantime, I think it’s instructive to review a little of the history and relationships that exist between Orange 21 and No Fear. And there may be a lesson for companies battling to manage through the recession.

K-FIVE got a little glimpse of Hollywood this Saturday when Christopher “BIG BLACK” Boykin showed up to hang with his fans here in Encinitas.