The Dark Side of the Looking Glass

Sanity Check ^ | 2004-2005 | Dr. Patrick M. Byrne

[MineralMan]

From Wikipedia, something on the "national media attention" on Byrne:

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Media attention
Since Byrne launched Overstock.com in 1999, he and his company have garnered attention from numerous national media outlets. Among them are the Wall Street Journal, ABC News with Peter Jennings, Fortune, CBS Marketwatch, and Business Week, among others, and is a frequent guest on Bloomberg TV, CNBC, and Fox News shows (such as Cavuto and Kudlow & Cramer). In 2002, Byrne was named to Business Week’s list of the 25 most influential people in e-Business: the magazine cited survival strength and vision as qualities that qualified Byrne for the list. In 2003 Ernst & Young awarded Byrne an “Entrepreneur of the Year” award in the category of Lifetime Achievement.

More recently, however, he has received critical treatment in the press, largely because of his allegations conerning an alleged naked short-selling conspiracy. He is also criticized for his often sharp attacks on stock research analysts critical of his company, his lawsuit, and his sometimes personal attacks on individual members of the press.

Byrne has asserted that he is under attacks from "dishonest" members of the press, and has singled out journalists at Marketwatch.com, Dow Jones News Service and the New York Post. He has alleged that one reporter is "crooked," and that another receives payments from hedge funds via an ATM.

Byrne's allegations, which his critics deride as bizarre and patently false, have drawn sharp criticism from media outlets as diverse as the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Fortune and the New York Post.

In a column in the New York Times in March 2006, journalist Joseph Nocera condemned Byrne's attacks on analysts and the press as a "campaign of menace."

[Hostage]

Nope, don't own any related stock and don't intend to.

But I can tell you that my colleagues and I have discussed for a longtime the issues in these markets and I found the presentation to be rational BEFORE knowing it was Patrick Bryne.

And Patrick Byrne is not a nutjob but rather someone who has made himself a crusade, not unlike Newt Gingrich or Michael Crichton or thousands of others.

The point is the presentation is good. And it is factual. No one can argue with that.

As for you and others that would turn your mind off because you googled Patrick Byrne and found some crank that doesn't like his style, well what do you call George W. Bush when you Google his name and find a million people think it's all his fault for everything? But I digress.

Try reading/listening to the original link without all the BS thrown up on this thread.

[Al Gator]

Sorry man, I'm stuck on post #59. Yinz can all bugger off.

[MineralMan]

OK, then. Here's a link to a story on Byrne, with further links at the bottom of that story. The picture it paints is of a nutcase, just as I said. Read it, if you dare.

Before I bother with any presentation of any importance, I first examine its source. In this case, the examination leads to unmistakable conclusions.

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/12/03/overstock_issues/page3.html

[pabianice]

Wait, wait; don't tell me! Your book -- for $ 24.95 -- will educate me about it, right?

[taxed2death]

...just an interesting link. Take it for what it is.

[taxed2death]

....just thought I'd bring a little comic relief to this gloomy thread.

[true_blue_texican]

Hey!! my beeber cost more than that!!

[true_blue_texican]

I'm all for "naked" ... I just don't think that "short" should apply here.

[gondramB]

Overstock.com's chart could be an inkblot

One man sees a massive conspiracy against him that caused his stock to plummet while someone else might see a stock returning to its natural level after an excessive run upward.

A third, more short term minded observer might see a stock drifting down as its Chairman becomes increasingly distracted. - Its all a matter of perspective.

[gondramB]

>>It's all about the 'O'.<<

Brilliant fricking advertising. There were even news stories about whether the commercials were so successful it distracted from the business.

[Ron/GA]

Hostage,

If you stay on this thread and try to respond to these folks, you will get just get frustrated and discouraged. You will not get an intelligent debate. They will just pick you to death. So leave it... the torch is thrown.

You did good, you got your message out. I watched the entire presentation and I'm sure others did as well. Google will pick it up and increase the coverage.

Take the rest of the night off and have a beer, content in the knowlege that thousands have seen your message and understand.

[bruinbirdman]

"Again, a nutcase."

This reminds me of gold bugs who insist the world economy will collapse if people don't buy gold and nations don't return to the gold standard.

Then they post all the URL's of golden nutcases who have a hastily created website to give some (non)credibility to their theories. If you would just buy gold, the price will go up, and they will be satisfied.

Perhaps what we have here is some short seller who took a bath and blames the transfer company for making .000000004% on the float. Well, that's why their computers go 15 digits to the right of the decimal point, because a trillion dollars has 13 digits.

My suggestion, if someone is so dissatisfied, sue 'em.

yitbos