Rocket Ranch enjoyed a bountiful and blessed spring. Plenty of rain, the creeks and wells are chock full, the lush of tall green grass embraces us. Our herd's have fattened up in the pastures. We've been able to raise up a good looking line of blue-ribbon cattle, and new calves in the herds.
From where I sit, high in the saddle, them calves are mostly runts. I don't see any blue-ribbon prospects in any of the herds.
If anything, we try to give 'em two years to grow for slaughter. Still, any good cattleman worth his salt has to stick to his hunches, and his guns. Some here just ain't gonna produce anything more valuable than manure. They can't make the cattle drive, they won't make it through a winter, and frankly they ain't worth the grass they chew in a season. So listen up boys.
We'll be rounding em up this Summer. Givin'em a long hard look. We'll bring in the Vet who'll be sticking 'em with needles, and puttin his arm up their ass for a good feel. The mutes, the weak and the sickly won't be rejoining the herds. We'll have to put 'em down. It's heartbreakin sometimes, but God forbid they spread some infirmity, mount one of the prize cows, or eat us out of house and home. Like Diamonds, OfficeFab, and Mebelrama, if they ain't healthy, or productive, cull 'em. Unless'n they been on the KHAST feed & steroids, cause those we've got to keep going.
We're a damn ranchin outfit. This ain't no freaking pettin zoo or Disney movie. Don't wanna hear any stories, gimme a lean productive herd. Gimme meat for slaughter, gimme milkers, gimme breeders, or better yet - gimme investment grade blue ribbon winners. We need a learn herd by Fall. We ain't been quick enough to make the cuts in the past. If it don't look good, put it down. If the Vet's report don't look good, put it down. Some of these year-old's have gotten too damn fat. Take 'em off the grain trough, and give 'em a good whipping to wake 'em up. They're gonna have to get off the feed and start pullin their own grass. Toughen 'em up. See they get it, and quick. Tell their handler's they'll be splittin firewood with their foreheads if they can't get the job done and quick. It's Chop, chop, one way or another.
Put them damn fiddles down, and enough with the 2-Step-Jig. Hootenanny's over. Think Spring's gonna last forever? Then you're not any smarter than one of them four-legged runts. Say "hello" to Summer. Next stop's Winter. We won't be balin any more hay. So, best be countin the feed, and sharpenin the axe.
Truth is boys, we're hemmed in. Sure there's room in Latam, & Afrika, With the Swede's holding half the pie, plus an option to take-it-all, what's the sense in busting our asses? Sure, we struck a good deal with them - maybe too good. We took some huge pots awayat the table. What everyone's forgottin, we were givin something away every time.
We still have a good stake on Asia fringe, but you know that ground's been slippery as hell, and a damn hard climb. You damn well know that Taobao's got a good mind to overrun us. SouthAsia's hard going. Russia's failed us before. The Middle East, tough to tell.
We've gotten as good a run as anyone could'a this past year. But, lookin at the Bain map, there's no place left to go. We'd never get a footing on Amazon's turf. Alibaba lands to the north are even worse -Taobao won't stop with our land, he wants our scalps.
Less'n we hit the forecast numbers square, there's only one thing left. We still got one card up our sleeve. So it seems we'd better be makin ready to play it. I'm talkin the Wild-card, the Ace, the Joker, yes the Borse card. That makes this Summer's cut damn important. We can't show up at the Borse with our tail between our legs, or with any weak stock. We'd get bushwhacked for sure.
So boys, truth is, we may not have time to wait. You think we can withstand a hard winter, a dry season? Let's cull the herd, crack the whips, and keep a sharp eye on those yearlings.
Keep movin', movin', movin'
Though they're disapprovin'
Keep them doggies movin', rawhide
Don't try to understand 'em
Just rope, throw an' brand 'em
Soon we'll be livin' high an' wide
Update 27JUL2013. Looking through notes to the Kinnevik financial statements, yes Rocket accounts for 90%+ of investments booked in 2012 and beyond. What many seem to miss here, but the auditors will not:
Concentration risk. Is there too much invested in Rocket? In terms of overall investment, and or proportion to income; as well as assessment of Rocket's default risk.
Rocket investments intensify geo-political risk exposure on top of Millicom.
Kinnevik has apparently devalued all the Rocket holdings 2012, with the sole exception of Zalando.
The September 2016 Option to Buy 100% of AIH & LIH via Millicom (Kinnevik's major invested partner).
Kinnevik and Millicom must maintain their auditors unqualified opinion to their financial statements. Expect Kinnevik to be increasingly sensitive about Rocket hitting the numbers, and keeping valuations buoyant. Don't expect to see more 8 to 9-figure announcements aside from puts and options being exercised.
A move to the Borse may more to do with Kinnevik's auditors than Rocket's world domination.
