Skip navigation


Funny Business


Current DateTime: 02:38:12 25 May 2012
LinksList Documentid: 31388234
Expiration DateTime: 5/25/2012 2:39:14 PM
  •  
    Friday, 25 May 2012 3:02 PM ET

    Getty Images
    A sign with the 'like' symbol stands in front of the Facebook headquarters in Menlo Park, California.

    Some people may not "like" the way the Facebook IPO has gone, but don't tell the singers around the world you’ve gathered to say "Thank you" to the social networking giant.

    Thanks for what?

    For bringing us all together on one platform where all of our data can be harvested!

    However, this song is not a parody.

    This is an actual tribute to Facebook.  » Read More

  •  
    Tuesday, 22 May 2012 6:22 PM ET

    BLACKMAIL YOURSELF!

    Stephen Marks | The Images Bank | Getty Images

    Why do some people excel in public venues like school or work but sometimes fail in private ventures like losing weight or saving money?

    They lack peer pressure in their private lives.

    That's the theory of Aherk!, which claims that being in the public eye serves as a valuable motivator. You work harder when everyone’s watching. It’s like "The Hunger Games"…without the mass slaughter of children.

     » Read More

  •  
    Wednesday, 16 May 2012 1:10 PM ET

    Los Angeles, California
    AP
    Does Facebook have the power to rid LA of smog? Jane thinks it just might.

    Have you heard that Facebook is going public with an IPO this week? It's going to do great things for all people.

    It will make everything better, especially in California.

    The latest state finance projections estimate that Facebook's IPO will add $14 billion to personal incomes in California just this year. That's up from $12 billion earlier this week. The IPO will account for 20 percent of all income growth in the state this year, and nearly one percent of all income, period.

    The California Legislative Analyst's Office predicts shares will price at $38 and rise to $45 "in six months." Over the next few years, total IPO-related personal income and capital gains taxes will reach $2.4 billion without a proposed tax hike, $2.9 billion if voters give the tax hike a "like" in November.

     » Read More

  •  
    Tuesday, 15 May 2012 4:29 PM ET

    In the budget revision released this week by California Governor Jerry Brown, there was only one thing to “like”—Facebook.
    Facebook
    Tony Avelar | Bloomberg | Getty Images

    "The biggest change in the California outlook stems from incorporating assumptions about the impact of the initial public offering of Facebook stock,” reads the Governor’s report. “It may turn out to be one of the largest initial public offerings in U.S. history and far larger than all of the recent offerings in the internet sector."

    How large?

    "The Facebook IPO could result in about $12 billion of additional income for California residents in the latter half of 2012."

    Twelve. Billion. Dollars. Really?

    The state income taxes on that alone would top $1.2 billion, enough to fill 7.5 percent of the current $16 billion deficit.

    We called the Governor's office to see how it came up with that $12 billion number.

     » Read More

  •  
    Friday, 11 May 2012 12:39 PM ET

    College graduation time! Congratulations on working so hard to earn that degree in architecture. Welcome to McDonald's.

    According to Georgetown University, architecture majors have a much higher unemployment rate than other recent grads—a whopping 13.9 percent.

    The study came out a few months ago, and it seems like a good time to go through the numbers, as parents across America prepare themselves to be bombarded by pleas from graduating progeny to move home because, “It’s so haaaaard to find a job.”  » Read MoreGeorgetown says recent graduates with the best chances of getting jobs have degrees in healthcare and education, with an average jobless rate of 5.4 percent. That's nearly three points lower than the rate for grads with degrees in computers and math.

  •  
    Thursday, 10 May 2012 11:44 AM ET

    Fuse | Getty Images

    Just sent dirty pictures of yourself to someone who's not your wife? Need to get rid of them quickly? There's an app for that.

    Snapchat lets you control how long your sexts last before disappearing.

    Think of it as a new age, pervy version of the self-destructing tapes Jim Phelps played on "Mission Impossible" (kids, IMDB that, it was a great show).  » Read More

  •  
    Wednesday, 9 May 2012 10:01 AM ET

    Peter Dazeley | Photographer's Choice | Getty Images
    Dude, did your mother write that sign?

    Remember when we were young, a million years ago, and we couldn't wait to leave home and strike out on our own?

    Two things have changed.

    Our children can't find jobs.

    Our children can find jobs, but they don’t like them.

    My daughter is about to graduate college and is in the midst of applying for full-time work. I'm not worried. She's worked since high school, and she actually juggled two jobs plus internships and a full class load this final year. The idea of living at home repulses her because of my cooking and her father's rules, both great incentives to finding her own way in the world.

    The good news is that more than half of recent college graduates say they have full-time jobs, according to Adecco's 2012 Graduation Survey.

    Still, about that same number claims parents are covering some of their living expenses, things like cell phone bills, internet access, food, and health coverage. Two percent of these college grads say their parents are footing their entire living expenses. That's one in 50 kids (I think the real number is higher based on personal observation).

    Some parents are not content to help pay the bills. They’re going to great lengths to help Junior get a job.  » Read More

  •  
    Tuesday, 8 May 2012 2:21 PM ET

    Some videos to lighten up your Tuesday, videos that'll make you laugh, make you cry, leave you puzzled.

    FIRST...LAUGH

    Is that a weather forecast or are you just happy to see me? Be careful how you draw those weather maps. In the funny business of local news, there's been a flurry of anatomically correct weather forecasts hitting the country in the last few years. In this video, the weatherman finally understands what's wrong with his picture.

    That does not happen in this second weather report from KLST in San Angelo, Texas. As the caption on Youtube says, "I guess Mexico had it coming."

    NEXT, SCRATCH YOUR HEAD

     » Read More

  •  
    1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 of 22Next » | Last »
     


MOST SHARED


Current DateTime: 02:37:30 25 May 2012
LinksList Documentid: 31330905
Expiration DateTime: 5/25/2012 2:39:45 PM


ABOUT FUNNY BUSINESS

If it was up to Jane Wells, she’d spend her entire day combing Mother Earth for stories and observations just for this blog. She has more fun writing Funny Business than anything else she does... professionally, that is. Funny business is whatever Jane considers hilarious, strange, fishy, or ridiculous, which pretty much covers everything on Wall Street. It is her hope this blog makes you smile, even when the news is grim. After all, it's only money.

BIO

Jane Wells is currently a CNBC business news reporter, based in Los Angeles, covering the defense and technology industries and writes the CNBC.com blog Funny Business. Wells joined CNBC in 1996, providing special coverage of the O.J. Simpson civil case. Read her full bio here.


Current DateTime: 02:37:30 25 May 2012
LinksList Documentid: 23279725
Expiration DateTime: 5/25/2012 2:39:25 PM

JANE WELLS' FAVORITE LINKS


Current DateTime: 02:38:28 25 May 2012
LinksList Documentid: 31388239

RSS FEED

» Help

Current DateTime: 02:37:31 25 May 2012
LinksList Documentid: 31388237
Expiration DateTime: 5/25/2012 2:39:17 PM



Current DateTime: 05:24:27 25 May 2012
LinksList Documentid: 29778428

Current DateTime: 01:29:29 25 May 2012
LinksList Documentid: 29779196

Current DateTime: 12:59:34 25 May 2012
LinksList Documentid: 29779197

Current DateTime: 08:53:35 25 May 2012
LinksList Documentid: 29779199
CNBCCNBC
About CNBC  |  Site Map  |  Video Reprints   |  Advertise  |  Help  |  Contact
Privacy Policy  |     |  Terms of Service  |  Independent Programming Report
  Data is a real-time snapshot  *Data is delayed at least 15 minutes
Global Business and Financial News, Stock Quotes, and Market Data and Analysis

© 2012 CNBC LLC.  All Rights Reserved.
A Division of NBCUniversal
Thomson ReutersThomson Reuters