Things from my Google Reader: Jun-11 Edition

Hopefully, Our Man will have more productive things to say in the upcoming weeks but until then…here’s some things from my google reader!  As usual, I’ve put the finance ones at the top and the non-finance (more interesting?) ones at the bottom.

- Ireland’s Future Depends on Breaking Free From Bailout

In 2006, Professor Morgan Kelly wrote a paper entitled “On the Likely Extent of Falls in Irish House Prices” and was largely mocked for this and his various other articles in 2007 calling the rise in Irish house prices a bubble.  Here’s his op-ed in the Irish Times, about what Ireland should do to get itself back on somewhat firmer footing.  (Irish Times)

- The Brain Behind Teledyne, A Great American Capitalist

Our Man is heading on vacation at the end of the month, and top of the list of his vacation reading is a book/biography on Henry Singleton.  Singleton was one of the great modern capitalists, who build Teledyne Corporation from a firm with <$2mn revenues into a multi-billion dollar conglomerate in the 1960’s.  And all this while never taking an option grant!  It’s a sign of the decline in American corporate management that a mere12years after his death nobody knows his name!  (New York Observer)

- Somali Pirates’ Rich Returns

In these missives from his google reader, Our Man has mentioned the Somali pirates before.  As more information about their structure comes out the more it seems to look like a business rather than some rag-tag bunch of fisherman.  As the tagline to the article says; “Imagine if you could invest $100,000 to control a $200 million asset for three months and sell it back to the owners for $10 million—tax-free. That's the Somali pirate way.”  (Business Week)

- Cracking the Autism Code

As you know, Our Man is an investor in one of John Hussman’s funds (HSTRX) and has long been a reader of his weekly market commentary.  However, what you may not know is that after Dr. Hussman’s son was diagnosed with autism, he started researching it…and this year, together with others, published a paper (in Molecular Autism) that experts say has helped advance the field.  (Fortune Magazine)

- How Carrots Became the New Junk Food

Imagine you had a very healthy food product that had a long-life and was tasty; pretty good, right?  Sadly not!  Instead, in phase one, you want make your product accessible by cutting it up into smaller pieces, with a shorter shelf-life, and giving it a cool name…like “baby carrots”.  Then, in phase two, to guarantee them life in the snack drawer you want to start thinking about cutting them into cool shapes, put them in fancy packaging, and maybe even try infusing some different flavours!  Just remember when you buy your first packet of potato-chip packaged cheese-infused carrots that you heard it here first!  (Fast Company Magazines)

- AFC Wimbledon celebrate phenomenal rise

We’re back, baby!  And even Britain’s best investigative sports journalist thinks you should care!

Nine years ago, Our Man’s hometown football club were stolen in the only (to date failed) attempt at franchising in English football.  Thankfully, football in England is at least a true meritocracy and the Wimbledon fans (including Our Man) were able to form their own club and start at the very bottom of the English amateur football structure.  Fast forward nine years and AFC Wimbledon have fought their way up through the amateur ranks, and with last week’s penalty-shoot out victory over Luton return to the professional leagues (the equivalent of moving up to single A, for you baseball fans).  Just 3 more promotions and we’re back in the EPL with the big boys, and who knows maybe there will be another 1988 Cup Final (when Wimbledon beat Liverpool 1-0 to win the English FA Cup) victory -  a win so famous, the BBC made a documentary about it - to celebrate (The Guardian)