Topic: California

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Facebook IPO: Six key dates in its debacle

Facebook's first week as a publicly traded company will go down as a terribly botched corporate launch, perhaps one of the worst in recent history for such a highly visible entity. Eight days ago, it was the tech world's most highly anticipated initial public offering in eight years. Now, the social media company faces mounting legal woes and serves as an embarrassing example of how not to run an IPO. Despite rising insider pessimism about its growth prospects, Facebook kept boosting its asking price and the number of shares it would sell. The result: billions of dollars in losses; investigations by two congressional committees, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), an industry watchdog, and the state of Massachusetts; at least 13 class-action lawsuits; and thousands of resentful shareholders who days later still were unsure how many Facebook shares they had or at what price. Here are six key dates in Facebook's unfolding IPO disaster.
Spurs and Thunder star in NBA’s Western Conference Finals: 10 extra dimensions

The clash of the Spurs and Thunder in the NBA’s Western Conference finals may fly a bit under the national radar when it opens Sunday. Here are 10 factors that make this showdown intriguing.
Major gay marriage cases in federal court and where they stand

Battles over same-sex marriage have been raging in the federal courts for several years. Two could reach the US Supreme Court within a year: one challenging California's ban on gay marriage under Proposition 8, and the other seeking to invalidate the federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA). Here are the cases to follow.
Commencement season: Speakers share inspiration, insight, and advice with college grads

It’s college graduation season and the strains of “Pomp and Circumstance,” which began in late April, will be heard at commencement ceremonies until mid-June. Many more speeches have yet to be given that impart the usual pearls of wisdom and advice on pursuing dreams, being daring, and contributing to society. Here’s a sampling of excerpts from speeches given to graduates around the country.
Andy Cohen: 7 stories from his new book

In his new memoir 'Most Talkative,' the Bravo executive and host recounts everything from high school to crazy experiences on his talk show.

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The Vote
White House Correspondents' Dinner: Who's coming?

Kim Kardashian and Lindsay Lohan are the latest celebs to emerge on the list for Washington's annual 'nerd prom,' the White House Correspondents' Dinner. Here's a list of other names.
GOP, Democrats make student loans an election-year issue

Both parties are advancing plans to address mounting student loan debt while disparaging the approach of their opponents.
Edwards trial: aide spent hush money on himself

Andrew Young admitted under cross-examination that he spent much of the million dollars in campaign funds diverted to John Edwards' mistress to build himself a new house.
Saga of California's Salton Sea: a tragic chapter ahead?

Some worry that a water-diversion deal, sending farm irrigation water to sprawling San Diego, will spell doom for the Salton Sea – and exposure to toxins for humans and wildlife. Others say protections are in place to ensure that can't happen.
Teasing out the truth about wool and data

A verb with ancient roots turns out to be surprisingly useful to refer to making sense of tangled masses of information.
Fungus kills frogs by dehydration

Research shows that the chytrid fungus, which has drastically reduced global frog populations, kills by disrupting the amphibians' electrolyte balance.
Octomom gets her home examined by social services after complaint

Octomom is back in the news: The California woman with 14 children was visited by social services after a complaint about squalor in her home.
California fireball produces jackpot for meteorite hunters (+video)

Meteorite hunter finds pieces of a mini-bus sized meteor that lit up in the skies above California and Nevada this week. More pieces of the meteor are expected to be found as hunters scour the area.
Mad Cow just one food safety risk

Experts say bacterial contamination like E. Coli poses a much greater threat of food-borne illness.
Edwards aide testifies boss seemed nervous, erratic

Andrew Young continued his testimony Wednesday, saying he was shocked when the candidate denied knowing about the payoffs at the center of the trial.
Arizona immigration: Justices seem open to law

Today's questioning before the Supreme Court suggested the controversial Arizona law may be upheld.
Progress Watch
US air pollution hits 10-year low, report finds

A report by the American Lung Association finds that air pollution has fallen to its lowest levels since the group began collecting data in 2000. The ALA credits the Clean Air Act.
Senate staves off postal Armageddon with USPS reform bill

Postal bill averts 3,700 post-office closings for at least two years, but fails to address deeper, structural problems in how the postal service manages a vast operation, rivaled only by Wal-Mart in total employment.
Mad cow: US 'confident' beef is safe, food-safety experts aren't sure

This week's incident of 'mad cow' disease presents no threat to human health, USDA officials say. But it does put a spotlight on beef safety practices, including how many cattle are inspected.
Spectacular photos capture the bizarre workings of Saturn's F ring (+video)

NASA's Cassini spacecraft has captured detailed images of the intricate workings of Saturn's F ring. It appears to be more dynamic than was previously thought.
Modern Parenthood
Teens drinking hand sanitizer – though underage drinking is down

Teens drinking hand sanitizer to get drunk is a new trend noticed by California authorities. While overall underage drinking has been going down in the past decade, 72 percent of teens who do report having had an alcoholic drink apparently were able to get it without resorting to the gooey gel. 
Supreme Court takes up controversial Arizona immigration law

It was unclear what the court would do with other aspects of the law that have been put on hold by lower federal courts.
Student loans: As debts hit $1 trillion mark, protesters plan Occupy-type events

Student loan activists in New York and some 20 other cities are gathering Wednesday, when student debt is expected to cross the trillion-dollar threshold. Among their student loan proposals: The federal government should cover all higher-education costs.
Cage-free promise on Burger King pork, eggs by 2017

Cage-free promise: Burger King has pledged that all of its pork and eggs will come from cage-free chickens and pigs within the next five years. The Burger King cage-free promise marks a huge step in the shift toward more humane treatment of livestock.
Mad cow disease: Big deal abroad. US? Not so much. (+video)

Mad cow disease has hit the US only four times since regulators took steps to control it 15 years ago. Although the latest announcement of mad cow disease may alarm American consumers, the biggest reaction may come from nations that decide to ban US beef.
Progress Watch
Fatal accident rate for US children and teens plunges since 2000

Nationwide, the rate of unintentional deaths for children and teenagers fell 30 percent between 2000 and 2009, a recent report finds. Biggest reason: fewer fatalities per capita due to auto accidents.
Stir It Up!
Minted pesto and cooking with Mom

Special family connections happen in the tiny space of a kitchen.
Home prices: New numbers raise hopes they're finally starting to stabilize

Declines in home prices may be slowing, according to one report, while another has found the first year-on-year increase in prices since July 2007.
Iran's cyber prowess: Could it really have cracked drone codes?

Iran claims it hacked into the data banks of a captured CIA stealth drone. US officials dismiss it as 'bluster,' but aviation and cyber experts say it's possible.
Illegal immigration slows almost to a standstill

The number of illegal immigrants from Mexico, the largest source of migrants, has dropped by the largest margin since the Great Depression.