Best Entrepreneur Ever

I was reading a story about Iraqi insurgents, and how they often wear ski masks to avoid identification. This made me wonder, who was the genius entrepreneur who decided to sell ski masks in the desert? Man, talk about your “outside the box” thinking. Be honest, how many of you, at the start of the Iraq war, thought “They’re going to need a lot of ski gear”?

Any time there’s some huge disaster, my first thought is “How could I make a fortune off of this?” It’s more of a thought-hobby than a financial strategy. I just like thinking about it.

[At this point, about 30% of my readers are considering leaving a comment about buying land 100 miles inland and waiting for global warming to turn it into beachfront property. I’m saying it first so you don’t have to.]

I’d love to see a web site that tells you what companies to invest in depending on what events you believe will happen in the future. The web site would provide an ever-growing list of potential future happenings matched with companies that would prosper in those events. I’d enjoy watching the news a lot more if I had money riding on every sort of outcome.

For example, I’d like to know which companies will prosper when Mitt Romney becomes president. We usually elect the tall guy with the best hair regardless of his experience or policies. No one ever went broke underestimating the thoughtfulness of the American public. I’d like to put some money on that.

I also think the Iraqi civil war will be resolved relatively quickly once America pulls its forces back to protected bases. I make this prediction because the common wisdom is exactly the opposite. When was the last time the majority of Americans predicted world events correctly?

If you ask me whether the stock price of some particular company will increase faster than the S&P 500, my answer is always “Uh. . . beats the shit out of me.” But if you ask me whether my fellow Americans will make uninformed and irrational decisions, I’m willing to put some money behind that.

Comments

[fast size]

Three phrases should be among the most common in our daily usage. They are: Thank you, I am grateful and I appreciate.

[fast size]

Three phrases should be among the most common in our daily usage. They are: Thank you, I am grateful and I appreciate.

[Bruce]

I know that these comments are really mostly supposed to be humorous, but Slate has actually done a video explaining where they get the ski masks from. It does seem that Mr. Adams asked the question here first, before they answered.

Go to: http://www.slatev.com/index.html and click on "Explainer: Militant Ski Masks" and you will see a video that explains it.

If you don't (or can't for some reason) want to view it, the short answer is that there are a number of stores there that sell ski masks, as well as shirts and bandannas with Hamas and other organization symbols on them.

[Bruce]

I know that these comments are really mostly supposed to be humorous, but Slate has actually done a video explaining where they get the ski masks from. It does seem that Mr. Adams asked the question here first, before they answered.

Go to: http://www.slatev.com/index.html and click on "Explainer: Militant Ski Masks" and you will see a video that explains it.

If you don't (or can't for some reason) want to view it, the short answer is that there are a number of stores there that sell ski masks, as well as shirts and bandannas with Hamas and other organizations symbols on them.

[Brian Schwab]

Sadly enough, the only honest person with the best views cant win.
We'll miss you, again Ron Paul

[Ellendra]

Here's an investment: syrups. Honeybees are vanishing, some areas report 80% losses. I personally just lost 50% of my bee colonies. Even if they do recover, honey will be scarce over the next few years, as will a lot of fruits. Companies making maple or corn syrups will see an increase in demand. It will be more significant with the maple syrups, as that's closer to honey in the way its used.

-Ellendra

[jy]

Yeah something like the 'Prediction Market' for events in fincance would be fun.
http://strategypage.com/prediction_market/default.asp

[Moi]

Somebody might have said this, but i'm too lazy to read all the comments.

sand - sand storm - ski mask.

[Paul C]

"Easy light, flamable flags, maybe with a safety pole/handle. I constantly see protesters on the TV news trying to burn American and British flags, either without much success or else the opposite, they burst into flames nearly catching the protester."

We don't have the same hangup (as Americans do re the S&S) about people who don't like Britain burning our flag. It keeps 'em peaceably occupied, rather they burn the flag than start lobbing petrol bombs at British Toms in Basra.

But we think there's nothing wrong in selling the buggers Union Jacks that have been pre-saturated in something odour-free but EXTREMELY inflammable, so they're as likely to set light to themselves and each other the moment Mohammed flicks his fag lighter.

Given the cheeky buggers are burning the British flag on British streets, we see nothing wrong in selling them napalm-impregnated versions...

[TallDave]

I also think the Iraqi civil war will be resolved relatively quickly once America pulls its forces back to protected bases.

Actually that was tried twice before and things immediately got worse.

But hey, maybe third time's the charm.

[brian]

sieve

you are right of course.

we now need to declare a war on terriorists knitters

we will be tough on terrorist knitters
and tough on the causes of terrorist knitting.

[julie c]

Peter, no, tall and bald does not count. Tall and good hair. You must have both.

[sieve]

I think there are terrorists knitters out there making the ski masks.

[bb]

I know, I can create a world wide hystria about some phantom weather phenominon, let's see it's been a little warmer the last few years, how about "Global Warming". I might even put out a psuedo-documentary showing what the worst case of "Global Warming" would be, you know to stoke the fire. Then, I will create an on-line company selling, wait for it ... "Carbon Credits". People will buy them like crazy. I can tell them every "Carbon Credit" they buy will save a tree or plant a new one.

It will be great, I just hope my friend Al doesn't beat me to the punch.

[Ace]

Ironically, the terrorists wearing ski masks probably got the idea from the Great Satan's propaganda machine, Hollywood.

[Peter]

Last time the US predicted something correctly? Well the CIA was spot on about Israel in 1967. They predicted that if Israel made the first strike, they'd win in about a week, while if the Arabs made the first strike, Israel would win in about two weeks. That's one of many reasons the US didn't offer to aid Israel in that war. Ironically, the CIA either grossly underestimated America's capability in Vietnam, or politicians/higher-ups ignored reasonable estimations.

[Simon Jester]

(Hmmm... does a short guy with good hair trump a tall guy with no hair, or vice versa? I thought I read that Fred Thompson is 6'6" tall.)

Entrepreneurial genius awards should also go to whoever decided to sell Israeli, US and other western flags in the middle East. A constant supply for burning must cause a high turnover of stock...

[Adam]

[At this point, about 30% of my readers are considering leaving a comment about buying land 100 miles inland and waiting for global warming to turn it into beachfront property. I’m saying it first so you don’t have to.]

Think outside the box man! Buy some real-estate in the middle of the ocean. That's a double whammy -

Win one - our world leaders over-play the climate change card, and cause massive ice-bergs to form at the poles, lowering world sea-levels. You now own beachfront property.

Win two - our world leaders are moronic weasels, and continue pumping out more and more carbon. Never mind melting the ice-caps, they start evaporating the oceans. You now own beachfront property.

Better yet, start selling ocean-property. I don't think anyone else owns the oceans! Massive untapped market yadda yadda yadda ka-ching!

[vishalrix]

I guess some pessimistic entrepreneur planned, when Saddam was in power, to make some moolah in an ensuing nuclear winter.

[Anush]

You can already make some wagers of this kind by trading futures. Some "exotic" options are offered. For example, you can bet on box office return here:
https://www.intrade.com/aav2/trading/tradingHTML.jsp?evID=71090&eventSelect=71090&updateList=true&showExpired=false

Or when Osama Bin Laden will be captured:
https://www.intrade.com/aav2/trading/tradingHTML.jsp?evID=71090&eventSelect=71090&updateList=true&showExpired=false#

Anush
http://www.amorphism.net

[Mojave Joe]

Ski masks in the desert?

Yes. People who live there stay for the winters, y'know. Winters get cold, especially at night. All it takes is waking one morning in the desert, seeing your breath steam and the ground hard with frost, then you will never again make the mistake of thinking deserts are like they are portrayed on TV.

[Rex Little]

I've read that hundreds of years ago during one of Earth's warmer phases, there were dairy farms in Greenland. You could buy up that land and start a dairy farm after global warming does its work.

Unless we're actually headed for an ice age instead. Wasn't many years ago that the usual pack of doomsayers were screaming about that.

BTW, I wouldn't put any money on Romney's prospects unless he switches parties. If in 2008 the Republicans nominate the Risen Christ and the Democrats run Donald Duck, look for tail feathers in the Oval Office in '09.

[Joy Forever]

Which reminds me, during the hue and cry regarding the Danish cartoonist's depiction of Mohammed, some Muslims in Hyderabad, India (I stayed there at the time) went berserk one fine day and decided to burn Danish flags. Similar incidents occurred all over the world. Now I don't even know what the Danish flag looks like, far less where it can be obtained. So someone must have had the proper business sense to make those flags and sell them to the right people!

[Stomper]

Actuslly, the desert gets really, really cold at night. It would not surprise me if many Iraquis already had ski masks. In fact, ease of access to ski masks is surely a factor in their popularity.

Nevertheless, your proposed website sounds interesting, and ther premise is sound. You just needed a better example.

--Stomper

[robert b]

When the debates get ugly someone is bound to ask about how he feels about the Mormons being officially racist until 1978.