- Who wants Skype? If everyone can’t agree on who gets it, then it’s either time to cut it in half and give a piece to the two interested parties or else, sit down at the freaking negotiating table and figure this mess out. Right now, both Google and Facebook are rumored to be in the battle for either a joint venture (no, Willie Nelson, not that type of joint venture) with Skype or an outright acquisition. Any deal is said to be worth some $3 to 4 billion and Skype is also in the midst of seeking an initial public offering, which could raise up to $1 billion for the company. The IPO is expected to take place sometime in the second half of the year, but it is unclear whether a deal with either potential suitor could change those plans. One way or the other, Skype is bound to infuse some much-needed cash into its operation. However, a joint venture or buyout would provide the company with a guaranteed influx of cash, whereas an IPO would be subject to the erratic nature of the stock market. Skype is also expected to analyze the performance of other companies attempting to go public in the next few months and use that information to help make a decision on its future. This isn't the first time Skype has been down this financial road, as eBay acquired the company in 2005 for $2.6 billion and planned to integrate the service into its auction and PayPal businesses. That plan never came to fruition and in 2009, eBay sold off 65 percent of its stake for $1.9 billion. Now, the rest of Skype is on the block and Facebook CEO Mark Zurckerberg is said to be heading up internal discussions about a potential buyout. Google’s early talks with Skype have reportedly been more joint venture-oriented, a plan Facebook is believed to be amenable to as well. A potential bidding war between two of the biggest giants in the tech world could be the best possible option for Skype and drive the ol’ asking price up even higher. Maybe this time, the buyer will actually end up using what it paid such a handsome rate for, eh eBay……….
- It all comes around eventually. The United States and its electoral system took so much flack for W. thieving the 2000 presidential election from verified inventor of the Internet Al Gore by buying, er, um, winning a court battle in Florida, but it turns out that America isn't the only place where the supposed will of the people can be changed by The Man. Welcome to the club, Ivory Coast, where Wednesday the Ivory Coast Constitutional Council ratified the results of a presidential election showing that Alassane Ouattara won, reversing an earlier decision to reject them. A court’s initial rejection of the electoral commission’s results from the November 2010 poll were the spark that ignited a four-plus-month power struggle between Ouattara and incumbent leader Laurent Gbagbo that led to thousands of deaths and displaced more than a million people. Perhaps the violent struggle could have been avoided if the court had made this decision in the first place, but credit to the council for getting it right. Constitutional Council president Paul Yao N’Dre said the organization now accepts Ouattara as the election’s rightful winner. “The Constitutional Council . . . proclaims Alassane Ouattara president, takes note of decisions made by [him] and declares them all valid,” Mr N’Dre announced. “The Constitutional Council invites the president, Alassane Ouattara, to take an oath in front of an official audience as soon as possible. All decisions contrary to this one are null and void.” Those had to be tough words for N’Dre, a staunch Gbagbo ally, to say. He had rejected electoral commission results showing Ouattara won with an eight-point margin, upholding Mr Gbagbo’s complaint that the vote was unfair. Wiping out more than half a million votes sounds decidedly W.-esque, but in fact an Ivorian court made that decision by erasing more than half a million votes in Ouattara strongholds to declare Gbagbo winner in December. Oddly enough, that decision was widely condemned around the world and from the United Nations. A bloody struggle ensued between Ouattara’s forces and Gbagbo’s supporters, raging on until Gbagbo was captured last month. Gbagbo remains in captivity in the pro-Ouattara north awaiting trial for alleged crimes during the struggle and made the oh, so noble gesture last week of asking his supporters to put aside their political squabbles and help restore the economy. Following his magnanimous proclamation, N’Dre later met Ouattara at his temporary base in a nearby hotel and came out of the meeting saying Ouattara would take the presidential oath in front of the council on Friday. Here’s hoping this election reversal of fortune works out better for you than it did for the United States, Ivory Coast…………
- Ballsy play, Johnny Depp, ballsy play. Waltzing into Oprah’s own house and ripping her gimmick from her on national television takes stones. When one is the star of a forthcoming blockbuster film, perhaps taking such a gamble isn't as much of a risk as it might seem. Depp appeared Thursday on "The Oprah Winfrey Show" and out-Oprahed Oprah, giving everyone in attendance free passes to see "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides.” The film will be released on May 20 and Depp is making the rounds promoting the film, hence his sitdown with Oprah. It was Winfrey’s final Harpo Hookup show as her syndicated talk show winds down and she takes the final steps of her transition to running her new OWN network full-time. Depp was in a good mood on the show and spoke positively about the experience of making “On Stranger Tides” and the possibility of the series continuing. "This is the fourth one," he said with a laugh, "so I can keep going." The latest “Pirates” film sees Depp up with Penélope Cruz on the search for the Fountain of Youth. His Captain Jack Sparrow character is forced to work with old enemies and tackle other assorted challenges in yet another quest to recapture the Black Pearl and bring back his beloved crew. In addition to pimping his new project, Depp also joked about the challenge of getting himself into the role of Jack Sparrow. "It boils down to story, script and filmmaker," Depp said of future “Pirates” films. "It's not something where I would say, 'Let's shoot it next month to get it out by Christmas 2012.' We should hold off for a bit. They should be special, just like they are special to me." The studio has definitely been hitting it hard in promoting the film, as a new clip following Captain Jack on a daring escape hit Yahoo! on Monday and MTV news had a still image from the movie showing Captain Jack sailing some dangerous seas. Still, nothing trumps going on Oprah’s show and ripping her own gimmick……….
- So much for one caring citizen trying to a) have some harmless fun or b) rectify a problem local powers that be were too busy or indifferent to address. When a busy New Haven, Conn. street proved too dangerous for pedestrians to cross safely and local authorities refused to rectify the problem, one bold soul stepped up with a can of spray paint (or 12) and did their job for them by painting a technically unofficial crosswalk at the intersection of Whitney and Audubon. Locals had asked city officials for a blinking light, crosswalk, red light, slow sign for children or adults crossing and been turned down each time, leaving the common man to fix the problem. However, it appears the only thing the city of New Haven dislikes more than fixing problems that could kill its citizens is one of those citizens fixing the problem on his or her own. Alderman John Elicker called the unofficial crosswalk “not the best way to approach the problem,” even though he admitted the intersection is “problematic” and needs to be addressed. "It's one of the busiest intersections in the city both for pedestrians and vehicles. Right now it's a two block expanse where there's no crosswalk, there's no safe way for people to cross the street," Elicker said. The latter portion of that statement would suggest necessitated gratitude if someone provided a safe way to cross the street, yet the city has spat in the face of this anonymous problem-solver by covering up the self-created crosswalk. "A simple crosswalk would not be suited for this location," said James Travers, New Haven interim transportation director. Hey Jimbo, if you want that interim tag removed from your freaking title, then you had better come up with a superior solution to this dilemma because right now, you’re part of the problem and not the solution. Still, the only person in power who cares enough to even lie about having a potential solution in the works is Travers, who claimed he has been talking to the city's engineer about a solution since before the now-covered crosswalk was painted. “I think in this particular intersection we have the opportunity to do something here that not only increases pedestrian mobility but decreases the speed of vehicles," Travers lied. To quote Ron Burgundy, Jim Bob, I don’t believe you…………
- Hines Ward probably should have seen it coming. He was pulled over and briefly detained by police in North Hollywood early Thursday morning in the classic case of DWADWTDLSC case. What does that stand for, you ask? Driving While A Dancing With the D-List Stars contestant, of course. Everyone knows that when you make a freaking spectacle of yourself by appearing on reality dancing show, you’re essentially inviting the cops to pull you over at will and harass you even if you’ve done nothing wrong. And so Ward was briefly detained at gunpoint Thursday in a supposed mix-up over a reported stolen car. He was released without being arrested, police said, and wasn’t exactly chatty when asked about the incident. "There's not a story. It was a misunderstanding and the police apologized to me. I didn't get arrested. I don't have a reaction to a non story," he wrote in a text message to a reporter. According to police, Ward and a female friend were stopped in her car at about 1:30 a.m. in North Hollywood because she had reported the car stolen on April 19. The two had just left a North Hollywood restaurant before being pulled over, officer Sara Faden said. Ward was ordered out of the car at gunpoint by officers, who cuffed him and questioned both of them before releasing the two after the woman was able to prove the car was hers, Sgt. Maria Morrison said. "She had gone somewhere, misparked it, reported it stolen and found it later" but failed to cancel the police report, Morrison said. Right, because we all forget where we parked our car, search for it for a few minutes and then say, “F*ck it, I’m reporting it stolen just in case and if I find it later, sweet!” Ward was described as cooperative while he was detained, one might guess due to his knowledge that a reality dancing show contestant tooling around a neighborhood like North Hollywood in a certain type of luxury car is really asking for it…………
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