(Updated with information on Facebook's potential IPO in April 2012). Remember back just a few short years ago when the ultimate goal of a start-up in Silicon Valley was to either get bought out (by a public company) or to go public? The first internet bubble saw companies like Amazon and eBay make their debuts, but it also relegated other companies to the history books: iWon.com, pets.com, and Startups.com. As a result of new regulations and laws (a major piece being the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002), an Initial Public Offering may not be the glamorous exit strategy it once was. A perfect example most of us have experience with? Facebook.

I just wanted to take a moment to wish a Merry Christmas to all of our Christian readers out there (happy holidays to the rest of you, of course!) from us here at DQYDJ.

Ever known someone who you really wondered how they got the job he or she had? You know the type, someone who is incredibly qualified on paper yet just couldn't seem to back up their pedigree on the spot. Someone who just made you wonder... how did this happen? As you have now guessed... this article is about academic integrity.

No matter how you add it up, women have been the victims of workplace discrimination, settling for mere fractions of men’s pay, for centuries. They’ve been told that their experience levels and educations were inferior, that their families needed them at home, and that there were no long-term opportunities for female career progress. But here, in the year 2010, women have disproven those so-called facts and shattered the glass ceiling.
From earning just 59% of what men earned 40 years ago, women have started to reverse the gender gap: some earn up to 120% of the average man’s wage. Sure, there are specifics to address and the majority to consider, but it’s still an incredible feat for the number of years that have passed. (a guest post by Maria Rainier)

Haven't done one of these in a long time, but we here at DQYDJ should probably get back into the swing of things on the carnival front!

It's been a while since we've checked in on inflation expectations in the market for treasury bonds ant T-Bills. However, with recent expansionary programs everywhere like, such as the program lovingly named Quantitative Easing 2.0. Let's look at inflation expectations before, during rumors, and after the announcement (today...) buffered around the reports of US Fed Quantitative Easing.

It's often mentioned that bringing lunch to work is one way to economize on our normal routines. Simply making a great amount of your food at home, especially when it comes to how you eat during the work day, is worth some huge amount of money annually which if only a person could find the motivation they would be marginally rich. Is that the truth? Probably not, but we here at DQYDJ want to tackle this conundrum for you anyway. Let's assume you're in and out of the workplace in a whopping 40 years and play with some numbers!

What did we learn? What surprised us? Well, the Republican wave was a real phenomenon, as we saw yesterday. CNN is projecting at this hour Republicans having 243 seats in the House of Representatives, vs. 192 Democratic seats (64 flips from Republican to Democratic). The Senate is too close to call in Alaska, Colorado, and Washington. Alaska's Senator will caucus Republican whether Joe Miller or Lisa Murkowski wins. Assuming the Democratic Senate candidate in Washington or Colorado wins, Democrats will hold 52 seats in the Senate.

We figured we'd weigh in before the elections, just to get some of the estimates from various spots on paper as to what happens in the upcoming elections. The Senate is currently composed of 57 Democratic Party, 2 Independents caucusing with the Democratic Party, and 41 Republican Party Members. The House of Representatives is composed of 255 members of the Democratic Party, and 178 Republican Party Members. Republicans need to gain 10 seats to control the Senate, and the Vice President breaks ties in the chamber. Republicans need to gain 39 seats to control the House of Representatives.

The number to keep your eye on, obviously is a $200,000 annual salary if you're single and a $250,000 combined salary if you're married. These, as you likely know, are the lines in the sand drawn by the current administration to determine who is 'rich' and who isn't. Does the electorate agree? For the most part. A Marist poll showed that 55% of Americans believe that a household income over $250,000 means you are wealthy, while 45% disagreed.