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Orinda Area News

Where are Facebook friends? Stock sinks on 2nd day

Facebook's stock is sinking nearly 7 percent, falling below the $38 IPO price, in the social network's second day of trading as a public company Monday.

Investors and technology industry watchers are closely tracking the Menlo Park, Calif., company's shares. The world's largest social network was one of the most anticipated initial public stock offerings ever, and now serves as a bellwether for other social media companies.

Facebook's market debut Friday suffered some hiccups, with trading on the Nasdaq delayed for a half hour and issues with traders' orders.

The stock closed Friday just 23 cents above where it priced Thursday night, when many investors had hoped for a big first-day pop.

Facebook Inc.'s stock is down $2.62 to $35.61 on Monday.

_{Mon, 21 May 2012 08:00:32 -0700}

Four arrested after man's beating at Dodger Stadium

A driver was beaten in the Dodger Stadium parking lot after a weekend game and four people were arrested on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon, police said Monday.

The driver, a man in his 20s, was in stable condition with scrapes and cuts to his face and his injuries are not life-threatening, Sgt. David Armas said. His name was not released.

The man was involved in a minor collision with another driver as he was leaving the stadium parking lot, and three men from another car also got involved, Armas said.

"They basically held the victim down while the original suspect kicked and hit him about the head and face area while he was on the ground," Armas said.

The violence comes after a Giants fan was severely injured in a beating during last year's opening game. Bryan Stow was left brain damaged during a confrontation in the parking lot, and stadium officials had promised to increase security after the attack.

Armas said Dodgers security staff and uniformed off-duty Los Angeles police were at the stadium Sunday and responded quickly.

The four men involved in the latest attack, all in their 20s, were arrested on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon because the victim was kicked, Armas said. One of them suffered bumps and scrapes to his face, "probably as a result of the victim defending himself," Armas said.

A woman in the victim's car who was eight months pregnant was not hurt but she was examined at a hospital as a precaution, he said.

Armas said the suspects did not appear to have any street gang affiliations.

"It was just a minor fender bender that just got totally out of hand," he said.

_{Mon, 21 May 2012 07:56:51 -0700}

Northern Californians watch the ring of fire eclipse

Millions in Asia and the western United States including the Bay Area watched as a rare "ring of fire" eclipse crossed their skies early Sunday evening.

The annular eclipse, in which the moon passes in front of the sun leaving only a golden ring around its edges, was visible to wide areas across Asia early Monday. It then moved across the Pacific and was also seen in parts of the western United States Sunday afternoon.

Viewing parties were held in Reno, Oakland and elsewhere. In some parts of the U.S., special camera filters for taking photographs have been sold out for weeks in anticipation of the big event.

People from Colorado, Oklahoma and as far away as Canada traveled to Albuquerque to enjoy one of the best vantage points at the Petroglyph National Monument, home to one of the largest petroglyph sites in North America.

Members of the crowd smiled and cheered and children yelled with excitement as the moon crossed the sun and the blazing halo of light began to form.

"That's got to be the prettiest thing I've ever seen," said Brent Veltri of Salida, Colo.

Albuquerque city officials had urged residents to go to organized events or watch one of the many live webcasts to avoid damaging their eyes.

The eclipse cannot be viewed with the naked eye or even sunglasses. And solar glasses, which make the sun look like a huge orange disc, are a rare commodity in communities along the eclipse's path.

In Japan, "eclipse tours" were arranged at schools and parks, on pleasure boats and even private airplanes. Similar events were held in China and Taiwan as well, with skywatchers warned to protect their eyes.

The eclipse was broadcast live on TV in Tokyo, where such an eclipse hasn't been visible since 1839. Japanese TV crews watched from the top of Mount Fuji and even staked out a zoo south of Tokyo to capture the reaction of the chimpanzees — who didn't seem to notice.

A light rain fell on Tokyo as the eclipse began, but the clouds thinned as it reached its peak, providing near perfect conditions.

"It was a very mysterious sight," said Kaori Sasaki, who joined a crowd in downtown Tokyo to watch event. "I've never seen anything like it."

At the Taipei Astronomical Museum in Taiwan, the spectacle emerged from dark clouds for only about 30 seconds. But the view was nearly perfect against Manila's orange skies.

"It's amazing. We do this for the awe (and) it has not disappointed. I am awed, literally floored," said astronomical hobbyist Garry Andreassen, whose long camera lenses were lined up with those of about 10 other gazers in a downtown Manila park.

Hong Kong skywatchers weren't so lucky.

Several hundred people gathered along the Kowloon waterfront on Hong Kong's famed Victoria Harbor, most of them students or commuters on their way to work. The eclipse was already underway as the sun began to rise, but heavy clouds obstructed the view.

The eclipse will follow a narrow 8,500-mile path for 3 1/2 hours. The ring phenomenon will last about five minutes, depending on location. People outside the narrow band for prime viewing will see a partial eclipse.

"Ring of Fire" eclipses are not as dramatic as a total eclipse, when the disk of the sun is entirely blocked by the moon. The moon is too far from Earth and appears too small in the sky to blot out the sun completely.

Doctors and education officials have warned of eye injuries from improper viewing. Before the event started, Japan's Education Minister Hirofumi Hirano demonstrated how to use eclipse glasses in a televised news conference.

Police also cautioned against traffic accidents — warning drivers to keep their eyes on the road.

_{Sun, 20 May 2012 20:59:28 -0700}

News Source: MedleyStory More Local News Stories