Facebook Bubble?
The deal between Internet star Facebook and Microsoft, announced on Wednesday, after several weeks of negotiation, values Palo Alto-based Facebook at $15 billion _ less than four years after 23-year-old Mark Zuckerberg started the online social networking site in his Harvard dorm room. Purchasing a 1.6 percent stake in the company for $240 million, Microsoft will assist in the company’s global reach, hoping it will payoff, big time.
It’s hard to determine what’s more surprising about Microsoft Corp.’s investment in Facebook Inc. — the appraisal that valued a 3 1/2-year-old Internet hangout at $15 billion or the rare snub of online search leader Google Inc.
According to the Associated Press, Facebook founder, Zuckerberg, 23, who has always been considered brilliant, “now looks even smarter for saying no to a $1 billion takeover offer from Yahoo Inc. last year. And Facebook now should have more than enough money to pay for its expansion until it is ready to go public.”
Zuckerberg has indicated he wants to hold off on an initial public offering for at least two more years, according to the AP. “In the meantime, Facebook hopes to become an advertising magnet by substantially increasing its current worldwide audience of nearly 50 million active users who connect with friends on the site through messaging, photo-sharing and other tools it offers.”
A great perspective on the Microsoft-Facebook deal at this week’s 5:
Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg Are Now Friends! – Facebook – Microsoft – Advertising
8 Things You Can Do With FACEBOOK
Send comments on this week’s 5 to: [email protected]
“Final Wake Up Call”
James Kanter of the International Herald Tribune writes that the United Nations issued a “major” report on Thursday citing that we’re living way beyond our means, and that if we continue we may pass the point of no return.
“Climate change, the rate of extinction of species and the challenge of feeding a growing population are among the threats putting humanity at risk,” the UN Environment Program said in its fourth Global Environmental Outlook since 1997.
According to the report, “over the past two decades the world population has increased by almost 34 percent to 6.7 billion from 5 billion; similarly, the financial wealth of the planet has soared by about a third. But the land available to each person on earth had shrunk by 2005 to 2.02 hectares, or 5 acres, from 7.91 hectares in 1900 and was projected to drop to 1.63 hectares for each person by 2050.”
The result of all this growth and unsustainable over-consumption is an increasingly stressed planet with natural disasters and environmental degradation endangering millions of humans, and animal species, according to Kanter.
Read the story and link to the report at this week’s 4:
UN issues ‘final wake-up call’ on population and environment – International Herald Tribune
Send comments on this week’s 4 to: [email protected]
Shoe Bombs…Still In
CBS News is reporting that it has obtained a joint FBI-Homeland Security bulletin that bluntly warns that terrorists are still working to use footwear as a concealment method for sneaking explosive devices past security checkpoints.
The alert follows the discovery of bomb detonators found aboard a European bus last month.
See the shoes at this week’s 3:
wcbstv.com – FBI Warns Again Of Shoe Bomb Danger
Send comments on this week’s 3 to: [email protected]
Achilles Heel?
Reuters reported this week that despite President George W. Bush’s low poll standing, the unpopularity of the Iraq war and the formidable money advantage Democrats have established over their Republican rivals, last week’s vote in a special congressional election in Massachusetts warned Democrats not to get overconfident. It was a Republican, surprisingly, who was elected in a heavily democratic district…one that had not elected a Republican in 35 years. The issue: Illegal immigration.
“There’s a real anti-incumbent, anti-Washington mood out there,” says Democratic pollster Dave Beattie. “Democrats cannot take for granted that just because voters are upset with the Republican administration it doesn’t mean they think Democrats are much better right now.”
Read the story at this week’s 2, here:
Are Democrats too confident in 2008 election race? | Politics | Reuters
Send comments on this week’s 2 to: [email protected]
The 10 Signs of Incompetence
Sound like anyone you know?
The must read of the week, here at this week’s 1:
Ten Signs of Incompetent Managers
Send comments on this week’s 1 to: [email protected]
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Slainte!