Weekend Open Thread

Trending on the radio waves today:

Facebook went public today on the NYStockmarket. The stock opened at 11:30 a.m. at $42.05, but soon dipped to $38.01. It briefly traded as high as $45 and by noon was at $40.40. It fluttered throughout the afternoon and hugged the $38 mark for much of the final hour, before closing at $38.23. The 421 million shares that were sold fetched $16 billion and represented 15 percent of the company's stock. Facebook got $7 billion, and the early investors $9 billion. The other 85 percent of Facebook's stock is owned by Zuckerberg and other Facebook executives, employees and early investors. In comparison, Google offered just 7.2 percent of its stock when it went public in 2004. Its stock rose 18 percent on day one. (We are confident that sometimes -poster Tommy008 made a killing today.)

Bill Radke introduced the morning news today in rhyme:

"John Edwards' life? A big disaster.
Ads about Obama's pastor.

Last Dance for Donna Summer.
Bad Girl's gone and that's a bummer
Dim All the Lights - we loved you, Donna.
Trayvon Martin smoked marijuana.

Postal Service makes a cut.
Skechers shoes don't shape your butt

Baby names: Michael's fadin'.
Now it's Braden, Aiden, Jayden.
Girls are Mia, also Leah.
Goodbye Britney, hi Sophia.

Most new babies aren't born white.
Women might be allowed to fight.

Facebook's giant IPO --
Is it worth it? I don't know.
It's how Linda stays in touch.
Me and Tangney, not so much.

Tom is watching flicks today --
Film Fest finally underway.
Looking forward to his reviews.
This is Seattle's Morning News."

 Speaking of birth rates, for the first time, there are more black, Hispanic and other minority babies being born in the United States than white babies, according to government data released on Thursday that confirm a long-growing trend.

U.S. Census Bureau data show the United States is on its way to becoming "majority minority," with almost half of all young children currently from minority groups, including Hispanic, black and Asian.

Time Magazine this week featured a cover photo of an attractive young mother nursing her young son. Controversy broke out over the fact that the son was about 3 years old and was standing on a chair to reach his lunch. The headline read "Are you Mom Enough?" and arguments erupted on the radio waves over whether or not the boy was too old to still be nursing. (Personally, when our offspring grew teeth, the deal was off.)

Enjoy your weekend!

Comments

[sparky]

"Mitt Romney once lost $2 billion. Then he found it in another pair of pants."
---David Letterman

[Puget Sound Blathers on Facebook]

Maybe T008 will weigh in, but this article on Facebook Fizzle was interesting.

"This time the expected frenzy didn’t materialize. What accounts for the disappointing showing? A few things come to mind. Among the downsides of becoming a public company is that your dirty laundry gets a public airing. In the run-up to the IPO, Facebook’s linens were out on the clothesline for all to see.

There was broad coverage of the company’s slowing growth, and its difficulty in placing advertising on mobile devices, through which more than half its users access the website. It didn’t help that General Motors announced just days before the offering date that it was withdrawing all its paid advertising from Facebook out of doubts that the site is an effective advertising medium.

Wall Street prognosticators dismissed some negative leading indicators for the Facebook IPO, including news that institutional insiders such as Goldman Sachs had increased the number of shares they would sell into the IPO, and that allocations of shares to brokerages to push to their clients were also increased at the last minute. Normally, these are signs that interest is lagging, but many on the street figured that the public excitement would prevail.

Facebook may yet be overpriced. Morgan Stanley and its fellow underwriters of the IPO undoubtedly spent millions of dollars, maybe hundreds of millions, propping up the stock Friday so it wouldn’t fall below the $38 offering price, as that would have been a huge embarrassment. No one knows how long they’d continue to do so.

Additionally, in about a week the shares become eligible for short-selling, which could place more pressure on the price. A few months from now, insiders prohibited from selling their own share will have the green light, and millions more shares will enter the marketplace. The question in coming weeks may no longer be how high Facebook can soar, but how low can it go?"

[Puget Sound Blathers]

Oooooh. Looks Like Darcy Burner has made the local Dem Power Structure Angry.

"Against Democratic party's wishes, Darcy Burner files for special election
Posted by Jim Brunner

Updated at 8:10 p.m. to correct Brian Sullivan's status on the Snohomish County Council

Flouting the wishes of the state Democratic Party, Democrat Darcy Burner will run in the special election to fill the final month of the seat vacated by former U.S. Rep. Jay Inslee this year.

Burner had already announced she was running in the regular election for the redrawn 1st Congressional District -- a race that has drawn several rivals on the Democratic side.

But Burner is the first of the 1st Congressional District's Democratic candidates to file in the special election too. In a statement, Burner said she was running to protect Social Security and Medicare from cuts by a Republican "caucus of bullies" led by House Speaker John Boehner.

Burner's move was criticized by state Democratic Party Chairman Dwight Pelz, who had tried to negotiate a truce to keep the 1st District candidates out of the special election.

"I am very disappointed that Darcy Burner chose to put her own perceived self interest ahead of that of the public by breaking ranks and filing in both races. I understand that the others will have no choice but to do the same," Pelz said.

Burner's move will undoubtedly force her Democratic rivals to follow suit.

Indeed, Sandeep Kaushik, a consultant for former Microsoft executive Suzan DelBene, confirmed she will also file for the special election given Burner's action.

Former state lawmaker Laura Ruderman also announced her plan to file following Burner's announcement. (A spokeswoman said that -- contrary to assertions by Democratic leaders -- Ruderman had never agreed to stay out of the special election.)

Other Democrats in the 1st District race are state Sen. Steve Hobbs and businessman Darshan Rauniyar.

Officals with the state Democratic Party had sought to broker a deal whereby those candidates would all agree not to run in the special election.

Instead, party officials hoped to unite behind former Snohomish County Council member Brian Sullivan, who filed for the special election earlier this week.

The confusing dual election for the 1st District were created by Inslee's resignation to concentrate on his gubernatorial campaign.

Most attention has focused on the regular election to replace Inslee for a full two-year term in Congress. That election will be decided by voters in the redrawn 1st District, which runs from north of Seattle to the Canadian border.

But a special election will be held simultaneously to fill the final month of Inslee's term. That election will be decided by voters under the old 1st District boundaries."

[Reverend B.T. "Tommy" Beamer (Tommy008's uncle)]

Just talked to my nephew Tommy008 on the phone from Europe. I'm living in the main house on the property here on Queen Anne, instead of the guest house, while he's away for a couple of weeks on business. None of your beeswax what the business is. Puget, I talked to him about the Facebook IPO, and he said predicitons of the stock price's demise next week are premature. It will be propped up by Morgan Stanley at 38 dollars at least until Wednesday, maybe through Friday. Glitches and problems friday prevented many people from buying, he says, so he expects it may very well go up on monday and tuesday into the 40's.

[Puget Sound Blathers]

not too worry, Rev B.T. T008's private business is something I don't want to pry into at all.

thank you for the insights on the Facebook situation.

[Reverend B.T. "Tommy" Beamer (Tommy008's uncle)]

Tommy008 just called back, about a half hour ago, from Europe, well, France if you must know. He wanted to add one thing about Facebbok. He's been following the FB stock board comments on Yahoo Finance and is appalled at all the anti-semitic and racist comments over the weekend, aimed at Zuckerberg and his Chinese-American bride Priscilla Chan. He said "Uncle Tommy, did you ever wonder who that 90% of all people who invest money in individual stocks are, the 90% that always lose money, year after year? Well these are those people." Also he said those Winklevoss Twins shold quit whining on 60 Minutes, take their 60 million the judge generously gave them in their lawsuit against Facebook, and get their own startup going. He said he doesnt think Zuckerberg stole really all that much from them, or else the judgement would have been much , much higher, in the high hundreds of millions, or even billions. My nephew is much too busy to post on the Blather these days, but he does call me when out of town and discuss things here at the house when he's back home.

[OneWhoKnows]

OMG, is he calling from the hotel room or pool-side. Spelling glitches mus be a family trait. Think I'll run right out and buy a few thousand shares NOT!

[mw]

Ha ha hah, FB is a piece of shit stock. Just look at all the previous hype over AOL and Yahoo.

[KS blathers the bitter truth]

Yes, looks like FB as a stock is looking like another of the growing list of Obaminations. Following in the footsteps of AOL back in the late 90's during and after the dot bomb aka the bursting of the dot.com bubble.

[Preston]

Ridiculous segue if there ever was one, KS

[Walt]

So KS what do you think about the news that Zuckerberg complained about "violation of privacy" regarding the media coverage of his wedding.

[KS blathers the bitter truth]

No humor - A thought-provoking segue, Preston...

It comes with the territory when you have the fame like Zuck does. So should he sue the media for that, Walt ?

[Rat_Bastard]

Jessica Gottesman???
Is she really gone?
Looked here, but didn't see anything.
(Sorry if I missed it)

Found something elsewhere:
http://boards.radio-info.com/smf/index.php?topic=211633.0

I've noticed her being absent from Dori's show and couldn't be happier.
I would turn her off on a regular basis.
Just couldn't stand the phoney, sultry whispering.

[Reverend B.T. "Tommy" Beamer (Tommy008's uncle)]

i am also overjoyed that The Whispere has departed....i'm not as anti-Dori as my nephew Tommy008 is, so i still continue to listen...the nephew finally reached the point where he can't listen anymore..speaking of nephew T008, he called very early this morning from Monaco , around 6 am, because he knows im up by then, to talk about a few things. He's been listening to Leykis'es internet radio show. He's serving judgement until a few more months generally likes what he's been hearing but did not like the day when Tom and Dino and Gary laughed there aeese off while playing the 911 call from the NYC old woman, the chimp owner, as the chimp was ripping the face off of her old biddy girlfriend, in a horrific attack.

[Reverend B.T. "Tommy" Beamer (Tommy008's uncle)]

He thought that was in very poor taste.

[Walt]

Irony escapes you, huh, KS?

[KS blathers the bitter truth]

Just calling your bluff, Walt.

[Walt]

What was I bluffing about? Specifically, that is.

[KS blathers the bitter truth]

Zuckerberg complained about "violation of privacy" regarding the media coverage of his wedding.

Posted by: Walt | May 22, 2012 at 08:04 PM

"So should he sue the media for that, Walt ?"

It's self-explanatory. All you have to do is answer the question - no trick to it.

[Puget Sound Blathers]

That's the 'tell' in this, KS.

Walt can't answer the question.

[Walt]

PS doesn't know either, which is unexpected hilarity.
Ok I will explain it to you. People who use Facebook are always complaining about the various violations of privacy that come with the territory if you use Facebook. None of your comments or pictures are really private, and Facebook has been caught using images overseas on billboards. And don't get me started on how advertisers are mining the gold field for potential customers.
Facebook refuses to stop collecting data.
So, along comes Mr.Zuckerburg's wedding and he complains to the media about how HIS privacy has been violated.
Like I said earlier, irony goes right over your head. Neither of you were able to actually answer. LMAO.

[KS blathers the bitter truth]

The hypocrisy and narcissism of Zuckerburg is understood.

[Puget Sound Blathers]

yes, i'm surprised that poor walt doesn't get it.

[Truth-seeker]

"Poor Walt" - more personal attacks, PS? At least KS responds with integrity and relevance.

[Clearwater]

why is this puget guy obsessed with others???

[Puget Sound Blathers]

At least KS responds with integrity and relevance.

Posted by: Truth-seeker | May 25, 2012 at 09:00 PM

Glad to see that you and I share the same opinion of KS.