Save Yourself By Saving Your Sister

Gladys and Jamie Scott are two sisters who have been in prison for the last 16 years. They were in for life sentences for an armed robbery in Mississippi. However they didn't get away with much: about $11-$200. However, there was a loophole in this life sentence. They were free if one would donate a kidney to the other. So that's what they did, Gladys Scott is donating a kidney to her sister Jamie. A couple of the victims of the armed robbery claimed it was a traumatic experience, however they were just happy they'd at least done time. Of course this freedom raises ethical and legal issues which are ultimately cancelled out by the fact that one is saving the other with her kidney.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/40963267/ns/us_news-crime_and_courts/

Honestly, one of the first things I was thinking when I heard they'd been in prison for an armed robbery for 16 years, and found out how much money they'd taken, I was a little surprised that they were given life sentences. Nobody was harmed and the money wasn't that substantial and was obviously confiscated, so I wouldn't think a life sentence is necessary. I was also surprised that such a serious sentence would be removed just like that because one is donating a kidney to the other. If I were in their situation, I would be ecstatic, especially if I were Jamie, who is not only leaving jail after being there 16 years, but also is finally getting a kidney! But I do think it's good for the state because dialysis was so expensive. And I'm sure they are completely different people now, considering what they've been through and what is yet ahead.

 The sisters wave as they leave the prison in this SUV.

 Jamie Scott, the sister receiving the kidney
Gladys Scott who is donating a kindey to her sister

Facebook IPO is Possibly on Its Way

In 2012, it looks promising that Facebook will put out an IPO (initial public offering) which also means going public. Goldman Sachs printed a 101 page memorandum for wealthy customers with a $1.5 billion Facebook offering. Facebook is an incredibly wealthy, yet private, company. Last year alone just in the first nine months it made $355 million in net income! When you look at its revenue though, it made $1.2 billion in that same time frame! However there is little detail known when it comes to how Facebook makes so much money in revenue. Also, this social networking site has posed a threat to Yahoo and Google because more people are spending their time on Facebook and searching things on Facebook instead.  Goldman customers who want to buy shares in Facebook privately, will put their money into a company called FBDC Investors LP and they have until Friday (January 7) to do so. Lastly, it's said that investors are anxious to buy shares of Facebook because it's such a popular and growing company.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/40955000/ns/business-us_business/

I think it's a great thing that Facebook is planning on putting itself out there like this, and honestly, I think it's about time. Everybody has heard of Facebook and many people use it. If it's even possible, I think it could have the potential of being one of those blue-chip stocks. I also think that this'll hurt Google and Yahoo share prices. I saw an interview with Mark Zuckerberg on TV once and it was brought up that not only are people spending more time on Facebook, but they're also doing searches in it. Like if someone wants to check out car ratings, instead of Googling it, one might just type it in the the Facebook search bar and find pages about it and see what others had to say. This made me think that investors might anticipate such a reduction in using these popular search engines and pull money out of stock there and instead invest in Facebook. I wouldn't be surprised if the price of a share of Facebook was right up there with Apple and Google and Yahoo. Then again, it could be a stretch since the article said that even though it has high value, it's "not outrageous."