A vocal investor in Yahoo Inc (YHOO.O) and Viacom Inc (VIAB.O) is calling for the boards of both companies to seek outside investments from strategic partners in the vein of legendary investor Warren Buffett to help boost the value of their stocks.
In an article reviewed by Reuters that is to be published on the Internet on Thursday [url=http://www.cheapjerseysbills.com/john-miller-jersey/]John Miller Bills Jersey[/url] , New York-based SpringOwl Asset Management managing director Eric Jackson said Yahoo and Viacom would benefit from outside investment, and pointed to Goldman Sachs Group Inc's (GS.N) weathering the financial crisis after taking on a $5 billion investment from Warren Buffett in 2008.
SpringOwl holds undisclosed stakes in Yahoo and Viacom.
"Although some shareholders of both Yahoo and Viacom think that a simple sale or break-up of both companies is the best way to create value for shareholders, we believe that both companies could benefit from their own version of the "Buffett Convert," Jackson said.
Jackson said that while the stakes of investors would be diluted if an outside investor stepped in, "they would still be better off because their shares would likely get re-rated upwards substantially with this new partner sitting around the board table."
Yahoo and Viacom declined to comment.
Both Yahoo and Viacom have become targets of activist shareholders.
Yahoo has been under pressure to separate its Asian assets and auction off its core business. Its shares have fallen about 40 percent over the last year.
Viacom is the subject of a lawsuit claiming that its executive chairman, Sumner Redstone [url=http://www.cheapjerseysbills.com/shaq-lawson-jersey/]Shaq Lawson Bills Jersey[/url] , is incapacitated.
According to Jackson, Yahoo should turn to Liberty Media Corp (LMCA.O), whose chairman John Malone is a whiz at finding tax efficiencies, or telecommunications companies Verizon (VZ.N) or AT&T (T.N), which could also bring traffic to Yahoo's properties.
For Viacom, it could benefit from investment and insight from China's Alibaba (BABA.N) [url=http://www.cheapjerseysbills.com/dion-dawkins-jersey/]Dion Dawkins Bills Jersey[/url] , Amazon (AMZN.O) or AMC Entertainment holdings, he said. Jackson has previously suggested that Viacom consider a merger with AMC.
Jackson added that Paramount, the movie studio owned by Viacom, could become more valuable to investors if Amazon, Alibaba, Apple or Google invested.
Sophie rides a donkey cart at the Flaming Mountains in Xinjiang Photo: Courtesy of New World Press
Sophie visits Jiayu Pass in Gansu Province Photo: Courtesy of New World Press
Jack (left) and Sophie Chen Photo: Courtesy of New World Press
Sophie poses with a terracotta soldier in Xi'an. Photo: Courtesy of New World Press
That she was following in the footsteps of the Monkey King was all Sophie Chen could think about when she kicked off her bike tour along the Silk Road with her family in the summer of 2009. Only 6 years old at the time [url=http://www.cheapjerseysbills.com/zay-jones-jersey/]Zay Jones Bills Jersey[/url] , Sophie saw the character of the Monkey King in the classic Chinese novel Journey to the West as her hero.
"That summer was a turning point for her because after that she was going to start school. So we decided to give her a special experience," Sophie's father, Jack Chen, told the Global Times on Tuesday.
"She was crazy about Journey to the West at the time, so we decided to give her the chance to follow in the footsteps of Xuanzang by biking along the Silk Road."
The character of Xuanzang from the novel is actually based on a real historic figure from the Tang Dynasty (618-907) who set off on a pilgrimage to India in order to bring back Buddhist scriptures.
"My parents told me if I reached our destination, I would get to see the Monkey King [url=http://www.cheapjerseysbills.com/tredavious-white-jersey/]Tre'Davious White Bills Jersey[/url] ," Sophie recalled.
Starting from Xi'an, capital of Northwest China's Shaanxi Province, Sophie spent 76 days biking roughly 2,100 kilometers to Turpan in Northwest China's Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, in the process becoming the youngest cycler to ever challenge that particular route along the Silk Road.
A year later, her parents published a record of Sophie's journey [url=http://www.cheapjerseysbills.com/kyle-williams-jersey/]Kyle Williams Bills Jersey[/url] , with pictures, in Taiwan. The English version of this book, titled Biking the Silk Road: Six-year-old Sophie's Fantasy Tour, was published by the New World Press in January.
Chasing her hero
Both Jack and his wife Wu Cuei-hua are enthusiasts of self-guided tours. They run a café in Taoyuan, Taiwan. Before their Silk Road tour, they had already taken Sophie on several short trips [url=http://www.cheapjerseysbills.com/lesean-mccoy-jersey/]LeSean McCoy Bills Jersey[/url] , such as to South China's Guangdong and Guangxi provinces.
One time while visiting Southwest China's Yunnan Province, Sophie happened to catch an episode from the TV adaptation of Journey to the West on the TV in their hotel room. The first time the young girl had come into contact with this type of fantasy story, the then 4-year-old Sophie was immediately fascinated.
"I knew that most of the scenes in the show were shot along the Silk Road, so I made the decision to take her there. Unlike our previous trips, this would be the longest tour she had ever taken and the first time she would do it on a bike," Jack said.
An experienced cyclist who has broken several cycling records [url=http://www.cheapjerseysbills.com/tremaine-edmunds-jersey/]Tremaine Edmunds Bills Jersey[/url] , Jack completed a 400-day bike journey around the world in 1999.
However, the journey along the Silk Road would be the first time that he had gone on such a long bike trip with his daughter. According to Jack, since one of the main goals behind the trip was education, he wanted to stay for a while at each stop along the way to Urimuqi so that Sophie would have the opportunity to interact with locals and get to know the culture.
Although Jack and his wife had ridden along the Silk Road four times previously, he said the trip with his daughter allowed them to see the ancient trade route through a child's eyes.
"I thought that the two humps of a camel looked like the 'M' at McDonald's
and that the Yellow River looked like milk tea. There was also a big hole with
paintings made by giants,"
Sophie [url=http://www.cheapjerseysbills.com/josh-allen-jersey/]Josh Allen Bills
Jersey[/url] , now 14, told the Global Times, noting that she later found out
. [url=http://www.ezekielelliottshop.com/]Ezekiel Elliott
Jersey[/url] [url=http://www.drewbreesjersey.com/]Drew Brees
Jersey[/url] [url=http://www.davidjohnsonjersey.com/]David Johnson
Jersey[/url] [url=http://www.dallasgoedertjersey.com/]Dallas Goedert
Jersey[/url] [url=http://www.bradleychubbjersey.com/]Bradley Chubb Youth
Jersey[/url] [url=http://www.amaricooperjersey.com/]Amari Cooper Youth
Jersey[/url] [url=http://www.alexsmithjersey.com/]Alex Smith Youth
Jersey[/url] [url=http://www.adamthielenjersey.com/]Adam Thielen Youth
Jersey[/url] [url=http://www.aaronrodgersshop.com/]Aaron Rodgers Youth
Jersey[/url] [url=http://www.vonmillerjerseys.com/]Von Miller Kids
Jersey[/url]
