Stub-Bonus Bananas - June 29, 2012

Happy Friday, folks. I've got a fresh batch of Stub-Bonus Bananas for everyone to digest. Obviously, the biggest story of the week was the Supreme Court's ruling on Obamacare, but that's not the only thing worth reading about.

Without further ado, here are some links to help get you through your Friday morning...

Supreme Court Upholds the Healthcare Law – Mandate Included (NY Times) - Not exactly news, but it’d be a little silly to leave the biggest story of the week out of the Stub-Bonus. For some healthy debate, head over to Monkeying Around.

The Coming War for Resources (The Guardian) - A little doom and gloom to tie in with my blog post from last week. It’s a pretty interesting take on China’s approach to a world of dwindling resources. Worth a read if you’ve got some time and are interested in the subject matter.

Things Aren’t Looking too Hot for RIM These Days (Bloomberg) - RIM’s exceedingly poor performance in the face of brutal competition is leading some to call for a change of strategy, with some shareholders seeking a breakup or a merger. There was a great thread about potential strategies for RIM on WSO a couple months back, maybe they’ll heed some of our advice. Side note, has anyone here ever met anyone that owns a PlayBook? I don’t think I’ve ever seen one outside of a Best Buy.

Casualties of the Recession – Accidental Entrepreneurs (CS Monitor) - A lack of jobs has led a lot of people to start their own businesses in order to get by. It’s not as glamorous as it might sound – a good chunk of these entrepreneurs are struggling to get by and not for lack of effort. I always find it interesting to read these stories on entrepreneurship since we’re too often hammered over the head with tales of Silicon Valley startups and big money exits.

All-Time Highs for Corporate Profits…and All-Time Lows for Employee Wages (Business Insider) - With the help of Adam Smith, Henry Blodget argues that the disparity between profits and wages is a sign of long-term decline for the US economy. Ignore some of the hyperbole and he makes some good points. Is the only goal for corporations to increase shareholder value? Wouldn’t an additional focus on better wages for employees counter-intuitively improve shareholder value over the long-haul?

For the Film Buffs Out There – a Unique Analysis of Two of Stanley Kubrick’s Best Films - Kubrick fans, check out this guy’s website for some really thought provoking analysis of his films. I’m not sure that I agree with all of his conclusions, but he’s definitely changed the way I look at both The Shining and 2001: A Space Odyssey.

Video Clip of the Week - Dr. Michael Burry's Speech to UCLA Graduates

When the entitled elect themselves, the party accelerates, the brutal hangover is inevitable. Californians, and indeed all Americans, ought to take note.

Dissolve the government and appoint this man Philosopher King.

Enjoy the weekend, everyone.