Lincoln National

Shares of Lincoln National Corp. (LNC) rose Tuesday after the life insurer and retirement program provider reported better-than-expected earnings.

Shares of Lincoln recently rose $1.32, or 5.7%, to $24.84, leading life insurance stocks, and in contrast to other insurers that reported earnings Monday. Shares of Hartford Financial Services Group (HIG) fell 2.3% to $22.93 recently while Principal Financial Group Inc. (PFG) fell 2.1% to $21.73.

For Lincoln, it was “another strong and relatively clean quarter,” which beat analyst expectations for the third consecutive time, said Jeffrey Schuman of Keefe, Bruyette & Woods in a Tuesday note.

“Unusuals” such as positive deferred amortization charges, favorable influence from tax and expense “true ups” and favorable alternative investment income helped boost Lincoln’s operating earnings, said UBS Investment Research analyst Andrew Kligerman.

The higher earnings were driven by Lincoln’s annuities segment, “which reported a lower-than-expected expense ratio” and a lower effective tax rate, said Edward Shields, of Sandler O’Neill & Partners, in a Tuesday note.

read full article: Lincoln National Shares Up As Earnings Beat Expecations
online.wsj.com

Pulte Homes

Feb. 9 (Bloomberg) — Pulte Homes Inc. reported its 13th consecutive net loss today on a fourth-quarter impairment charge of $563 million related to buying rival Centex Corp.

The net loss in the fourth quarter narrowed to $116.9 million, or 31 cents a share, from $338.2 million, or $1.33, a year earlier, the Bloomfield Hills, Michigan-based company said today in a statement. The average estimate of eight analysts in a Bloomberg survey was for a loss of 24 cents a share.

Fourth-quarter results included an $800 million gain from a change in U.S. law allowing companies to reclaim some of the taxes paid during the five-year housing boom. The change pushed builders including D.R. Horton Inc. and Lennar Corp. to profitability for the first time since the 2006 and 2007 fiscal years. It wasn’t enough to offset Pulte’s $925 million in charges, including one for impairment of so-called “goodwill” related to buying Centex.

read full article: Pulte Homes Reports 13th Straight Loss on Writedowns (Update2)
businessweek.com

brooklyn decker

Looking sexier than ever, Brooklyn Decker has made the honor of cover girl on the famous Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue.

After 5 years of hard work for the magazine, the 22 year-old model is so excited for the opportunity. “It’s shocking and a dream come true!” said Decker about making the cover.
Also new to her are the many interviews. “I’ve never been on one! I’m kind of freaking out,” she said before appearing on The Late Show with David Letterman Monday. “I’ve done news shows, but I’ve never done a big talk show.”

read full article: Brooklyn Decker: Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Sexy
celebrity-gossip.net/

McDonald

OAK BROOK, Ill. (AP) — McDonald’s, the world’s largest fast-food chain, said Tuesday that a crucial measure of sales rose 2.6 percent in January, as strong overseas sales more than offset a decline in the United States.
Sales in stores open at least 13 months fell 0.7 percent in the United States and rose 4.3 percent in Europe, Asia-Pacific, Middle East and Africa.

The figure is considered a critical indicator of a restaurant chain’s health because it excludes the effects of new restaurants and restaurant closings.

Total sales rose 9.1 percent, including an 0.1 percent decline in the United States, a 6.7 percent rise in Europe and a 7.2 percent increase in the rest of the world.

McDonald’s has generally fared well in the recession as customers turned to it for cheap meals, but it has started to feel the pinch more acutely in recent months. Still, it has outperformed most of its rivals, who have increasingly been pushing value menus and discounts of their own.

read full article: Overseas Sales Give McDonald’s a Lift in January
nytimes.com

miss me yet billboard

It is not an Internet photoshop trick, it is the real deal. A billboard popped up along I-35 near Wyoming, MN, with a huge photo of former President George W. Bush and this question: “Miss Me Yet?” Now the hunt is on to find out who paid for the billboard ad.

Maybe it one of the millions of people who are disappointed with President Obama and not to impressed by his “hopey-changey” campaign promises. The speculation continues as to who has a wit and a sense of humor to do such an act. As Powerline adds, it is a questioned being pondered by more and more Americans every day.

read full article: George W. Bush, Miss Me Yet Billboard … Hope & Change, eh?
scaredmonkeys.com

sleeping beauty syndrome

When 15-year-old Louisa Ball takes a nap, she doesn’t mess around. She sleeps for days on end, and no amount of shaking or prodding can fully wake her up.

The British girl has a rare condition called Sleeping Beauty Sickness, but there’s no Prince Charming on the way to rescue her. Doctors don’t know what causes it or how to cure it — only that it strikes teenagers and goes away by itself after eight to 12 years.

read full article: Rare illness turns girl, 15, into ‘sleeping beauty’
today.msnbc.msn.com

valdayx-wide-community

Ford is so proud of its role in a new star-filled movie that it sponsored the splashy Hollywood premiere. All the celebrities were photographed in front of the Ford logo promoting its “Warriors in Pink” campaign against breast cancer.
The movie Valentine’s Day, opening this week in time for you-know-what, features Jamie Foxx, Jessica Alba, Jennifer Garner, Taylor Lautner, Shirley MacLaine and a bevy of other stars. And there’s one bit player — Ford’s Transit Connect delivery truck.

In the movie, it plays the role of a pink flower delivery truck and is driven by Ashton Kutcher. The Transit Connect sort of catches you by surprise since it’s such a contrast to the other vehicles in the movie, like what appear to be old Chevy Astro vans.

read full article; Ford sponsors Valentine’s Day movie premiere
content.usatoday.com

sarah palin hand notes

Former Alaska Governor and Fox News Analyst Sarah Palin appeared before the National Tea Party Movement Convention in Nashville, February 6th, and gave a speech she was paid over $100,000 for. To effectively deliver the oratory, Former Governor Palin used what were once called “crib notes” scribbled in the palm of her left hand. Thus, Sarah Palin used her hand as part of the job she was hired to do for the Tea Party Movement.

The finding, noted in several blogs, took the Internet by storm on Monday. Sarah Palin wrote the words “Energy”, “Tax” and “Lift American Spirits” in that order in her left hand’s palm.

sarah palin hand notes

read full article: Sarah Palin gives hand job to Tea Party Movement

sfgate.com

Federal Government Closed Tuesday

All D.C.-area federal agencies were closed Monday after the snowstorm last weekend. Shutting down the federal government costs $100 million a day in lost productivity.
Washington

Talk about a budget freeze: The storm they call “Snowmageddon” has halted the federal government in its tracks.
With roads inside the Beltway impassable, and trains and buses running a minimum schedule, and schools closed, and crowds having snowball fights in Dupont Circle, and yeti wandering K Street (we made up that last one), all D.C.-area federal agencies were closed Monday. They might close Tuesday, as well.

There’s another storm due Tuesday night, so it is possible that the government shutdown will last until the D.C. government unveils its secret snow-removal strategy, otherwise known as “spring.”

But closing down the federal government costs $100 million a day in lost productivity. Why can’t bureaucrats, you know, telecommute? Like everybody else does in this Era of the iPhone.

read full article: Federal government closes: Why can’t they all work from home?
csmonitor.com

The Boeing 747-8 is scheduled to be in the air until 4:22pm, when it will land back at Paine Field (and I will be there to take video/pictures).

read full article: Video and Pictures of Boeing 747-8 First Flight
blog.seattlepi.com