You can"t be sirius ? Sirius is up 75% in 2010 ! ( SIRI ) $$

This was a top penny stock to buy ..@ http://madmoneyfund.blogspot.com/2009/12/top-penny-stocks-for-2010.html
is the 4th best-performing stock year-to-date in this segment of the market. It has risen 75.00% since the beginning of this year. Its price percentage change is 556.25% for the last 52 weeks. After languishing in near-penny-stock territory for the last year, Sirius XM Radio stock hit the dollar menu on Wednesday, topping out at $1.05 a share. Investors who bought their stock a year ago when it sold for less than 20 cents are probably cheering. Sirius hasn’t seen the plus size of one buck since September of 2008.
The prevailing opinion on Wall Street seems to be that investors think Sirius XM has finally gotten its financial affairs in order, along with adding a net of 257,000 listeners–more than expected–in the fourth quarter of 2009.
There also seems to be a growing confidence that, despite all the recent hoopla, Howard Stern will sign a new contract with Sirius. I don’t really understand how that’s a strong sign of strength for Sirius, although I guess it can be seen as a indicator of stability. If Sirius has to cough up another $300 million to keep Stern I really wonder if it will really be worth it. Even given Stern’s recent headlines over his claimed invitation to join American Idol, I doubt he has the magnetism to draw a significant number of new listeners. At best, Sirius can hope to hold onto the current crop of die-hard Stern fans.
But, then again, getting the stock price over $1 is only a relative achievement. Although the increase will likely help the company avoid a reverse stock split. Sirius’ viability will depend on how costly it is to retain Stern and how well it can continue to add listeners, despite very few new receivers being announced at last month’s CES.

Marriott International Reports Fourth Quarter Results !

Marriott International Reports Fourth Quarter Results



February 11, 2010



The following information was released to the media today







Marriott International today reported fourth quarter and full year 2009 results.



FOURTH QUARTER 2009 RESULTS



Fourth quarter 2009 adjusted income from continuing operations attributable to Marriott totaled $118 million, a 2 percent decline over the year-ago quarter, and adjusted diluted earnings per share (“EPS”) from continuing operations attributable to Marriott shareholders totaled $0.32, down 3 percent. On October 8, 2009, the company forecasted fourth quarter adjusted diluted EPS of $0.20 to $0.23.



Reported income from continuing operations attributable to Marriott was $106 million in the fourth quarter of 2009 compared to a reported loss from continuing operations attributable to Marriott of $10 million in the year-ago quarter. Reported diluted EPS from continuing operations attributable to Marriott shareholders was $0.28 in the fourth quarter of 2009 compared to reported diluted losses per share from continuing operations attributable to Marriott shareholders of $0.03 in the fourth quarter of 2008.



Adjusted results for the 2009 fourth quarter exclude $19 million pretax ($12 million after-tax and $0.03 per diluted share) of restructuring costs and other charges. Restructuring charges totaled $7 million pretax and included severance and facilities exit costs. Other charges totaled $12 million pretax and primarily included $11 million of charges against lodging assets and $3 million of reserves for Timeshare contract cancellations, offset by the $2 million favorable impact of the revaluation of Timeshare note residuals. Of the total restructuring costs and other charges in the fourth quarter, cash payments are expected to be $6 million. See the table on page A-15 of the accompanying schedules for the detail of these charges and their placement on the Consolidated Statements of Income.



Adjusted results for the 2008 fourth quarter exclude $192 million pretax ($124 million after-tax and $0.35 per diluted share) of restructuring costs and other charges, $152 million of which were non-cash, as well as $7 million of charges ($0.02 per diluted share) in the provision for income taxes.



J.W. Marriott, Jr., chairman and chief executive officer of Marriott International, said, “While the global business climate remained difficult, fourth quarter results exceeded our expectations. We grew our system, reduced total debt, and continued to improve efficiencies worldwide.



“In the fourth quarter, leisure travelers responded to aggressive marketing campaigns and special offers and, even adjusting for easier year-over-year comparisons, business travel showed signs of improvement, particularly in international markets. With solid cost controls, we translated the stronger-than-expected occupancy to better-than-expected incentive fee revenue. Demand for timeshare intervals improved modestly from third quarter levels which, combined with a successful note sale and reductions in investment spending, allowed the timeshare business to generate over $150 million of cash flow after investing activities for full year 2009.



“We are pleased that we remain an investment grade company. For the full year, we reduced investment spending by two-thirds and we were able to lower total debt by nearly $800 million.



“We opened over 38,000 rooms during 2009 and we’re thrilled to have two new exciting brands, EDITION and the Autograph Collection, opening their first hotels in 2010 with more expected to come. Our global development pipeline totals nearly 100,000 rooms. Our efforts have positioned us quite well for future earnings growth.”



Revenue per available room (REVPAR) for the company’s worldwide comparable company-operated properties declined 12.2 percent (12.4 percent using constant dollars) in the 2009 fourth quarter and REVPAR for the company’s worldwide comparable systemwide properties declined 12.3 percent (12.5 percent using constant dollars).



Outside North America, the fourth quarter included the months from September to December in both years. International comparable company-operated REVPAR declined 11.1 percent (11.7 percent using constant dollars), including an 11.6 percent decline in average daily rate (12.2 percent using constant dollars) in the fourth quarter of 2009.



In North America, comparable company-operated REVPAR declined 13.1 percent in the fourth quarter of 2009. REVPAR at the company’s comparable company-operated North American full-service and luxury hotels (including Marriott Hotels & Resorts, The Ritz-Carlton and Renaissance Hotels & Resorts) was down 11.8 percent with an 11.0 percent decline in average daily rate.



Marriott’s 2009 fiscal year ended on January 1, 2010 and included 52 weeks compared to 53 weeks in fiscal 2008. Similarly, the fourth quarter ended on January 1, 2010 and included 16 weeks compared to 17 weeks in the 2008 fiscal quarter. Key lodging statistics are included in the schedules accompanying the press release beginning on page A-7. While fiscal fourth quarter REVPAR statistics for North America are included, they are not comparable due to differences in the length and seasonality of the reporting periods. As a result, the company has also provided North American and worldwide REVPAR statistics adjusted for the shift in the fiscal calendar.



On a calendar quarter basis, which includes the months of October, November and December, North American comparable company-operated REVPAR declined 10.7 percent while worldwide comparable company-operated REVPAR declined 10.1 percent (10.8 percent using constant dollars).



Marriott added 65 new properties (10,626 rooms) to its worldwide lodging portfolio in the 2009 fourth quarter, including 45 limited-service hotels in North America. Seven properties (1,635 rooms) exited the system during the quarter. Rooms converted from competitor hotels accounted for nearly 18 percent of gross room additions during the quarter. At year-end, the company’s lodging group encompassed 3,420 properties and timeshare resorts for a total of over 595,000 rooms.



The company’s worldwide pipeline of hotels under construction, awaiting conversion or approved for development totaled nearly 100,000 rooms at year-end. Nearly 35 percent of these development pipeline rooms are Marriott, Ritz-Carlton, Renaissance, EDITION or Autograph rooms, of which nearly 75 percent are located outside North America.



Reported results for the 2009 fourth quarter, the adjusted results and the associated reconciliations are shown on pages A-1, A-13, A-15, and A-19 of the accompanying schedules. The following paragraphs reflect adjusted results where indicated.



MARRIOTT REVENUES totaled approximately $3.4 billion in the 2009 fourth quarter compared to $3.8 billion for the fourth quarter of 2008. Base management and franchise fees declined 12 percent to $282 million reflecting lower REVPAR, offset in part by fees from new hotels. Fourth quarter incentive management fees declined 28 percent to $59 million. The percentage of company-managed hotels earning incentive management fees decreased to 22 percent in the 2009 fourth quarter compared to 39 percent in the year-ago quarter. Approximately 70 percent of incentive management fees came from hotels outside North America in the 2009 quarter compared to 55 percent in the 2008 quarter.



Worldwide comparable company-operated house profit margins declined 260 basis points in the fourth quarter reflecting the weak REVPAR environment, offset in part by significant cost reductions from productivity improvements, lower management wages and procurement savings through volume discounts and compliance. House profit margins for comparable company-operated properties outside North America declined 100 basis points and North American comparable company-operated house profit margins declined 360 basis points from the year-ago quarter.



Owned, leased, corporate housing and other revenue, net of direct expenses, declined $23 million in the 2009 fourth quarter, to $22 million, primarily reflecting the impact of lower operating results in owned and leased hotels and lower termination fees and other income, partially offset by an increase in branding fee revenue.



Fourth quarter adjusted Timeshare segment contract sales declined 7 percent to $203 million excluding a $28 million allowance for fractional and residential contract cancellations recorded in the quarter. In the prior year’s quarter, adjusted Timeshare segment contract sales totaled $218 million excluding a $115 million allowance for contract cancellations.



In the fourth quarter, adjusted timeshare sales and services revenue declined 3 percent to $375 million and, net of expenses, totaled $72 million for the quarter, a $62 million increase from the 2008 adjusted fourth quarter. Development revenue, net of expense, benefited from higher closing efficiency and cost savings. Financing revenue, net of expense, increased largely as a result of a $38 million note sale gain recorded in the fourth quarter of 2009, compared to the absence of a note sale in the fourth quarter of 2008, and cost savings, partially offset by lower interest income.



Adjusted Timeshare segment results, which includes Timeshare sales and services revenue, net of direct expenses, as well as base management fees, equity earnings, gains and other income, noncontrolling interest and general, administrative and other expenses associated with the timeshare business, totaled $62 million in the 2009 fourth quarter compared to a loss of $2 million in the prior year quarter.



ADJUSTED GENERAL, ADMINISTRATIVE and OTHER expenses for the 2009 fourth quarter declined 13 percent to $207 million, compared to $238 million in the year-ago quarter. The 2009 fourth quarter benefited from cost savings throughout the organization, as well as $3 million in foreign exchange gains and the $3 million reversal of a loan loss reserve partially offset by $12 million of accruals and reserves related to the performance of 12 hotels and $8 million of lower capitalized development costs. The 2009 quarter also included a $21 million unfavorable impact associated with deferred compensation compared to the 2008 quarter (offset by a similar decrease in the provision for taxes). Excluding the impact of deferred compensation, adjusted general administrative and other expenses declined 20 percent in the fourth quarter, as shown on page A-19 of the accompanying schedules.



GAINS AND OTHER INCOME totaled $4 million and included a $3 million gain on the sale of investments and $1 million of net gains on the sale of real estate. The prior year’s fourth quarter adjusted gains and other income totaled $28 million and included a $28 million gain on the extinguishment of debt and $7 million of gains on the sale of real estate offset by a $4 million loss on the sale of an investment and $3 million unfavorable impact of preferred returns from joint venture investments and other income.



INTEREST EXPENSE decreased $16 million in the fourth quarter primarily due to lower interest rates and lower debt balances.



ADJUSTED EQUITY IN (LOSSES) EARNINGS totaled a $10 million loss in the quarter compared to $5 million in earnings in the year-ago quarter. The $15 million decline reflected lower operating results in two joint ventures.



ADJUSTED INCOME TAXES

The adjusted provision for taxes in the fourth quarter of 2009 reflected a $21 million favorable impact associated with deferred compensation (offset by a similar unfavorable impact in general, administrative and other expenses) compared with the 2008 fourth quarter.



FULL YEAR 2009 RESULTS



For the full year 2009, adjusted income from continuing operations attributable to Marriott totaled $342 million, a decline of 38 percent, and adjusted diluted EPS from continuing operations attributable to Marriott shareholders was $0.93, a decline of 38 percent.



The reported loss from continuing operations attributable to Marriott was $346 million for full year 2009 compared to reported income from continuing operations attributable to Marriott of $359 million a year ago. Reported diluted losses per share from continuing operations attributable to Marriott was $0.97 for 2009 compared to reported diluted EPS from continuing operations attributable to Marriott of $0.97 for 2008.



Adjusted income from continuing operations attributable to Marriott and adjusted diluted EPS from continuing operations attributable to Marriott shareholders for 2009 exclude the $213 million pretax ($130 million after-tax and $0.37 per diluted share) restructuring costs and other charges, $182 million of which were non-cash, as well as $752 million pretax ($502 million after-tax and $1.41 per diluted share) of primarily non-cash Timeshare impairment charges. See the table on pages A-15 and A-16 of the accompanying schedules for the detail of these charges and their placement on the Consolidated Statements of Income. Adjusted results for full year 2009 also exclude the $56 million ($0.16 per diluted share) impact of non-cash charges in the provision for income taxes.



Adjusted income from continuing operations attributable to Marriott and adjusted diluted EPS from continuing operations attributable to Marriott shareholders for 2008 exclude the $192 million pretax ($124 million after-tax and $0.33 per diluted share) restructuring costs and other charges. Adjusted results for full year 2008 also exclude the $72 million ($0.19 per diluted share) impact of charges, $67 million of which were non-cash, included in the tax provision.



REVPAR for the company’s worldwide comparable company-operated properties declined 20.0 percent (18.3 percent using constant dollars) in 2009. REVPAR for the company’s worldwide comparable systemwide properties declined 18.4 percent (17.3 percent using constant dollars) in 2009.



International comparable company-operated REVPAR for 2009 declined 23.5 percent (18.0 percent using constant dollars), including a 17.8 percent decline in average daily rate (11.9 percent using constant dollars).



In North America, comparable company-operated REVPAR declined 18.5 percent in 2009. REVPAR at the company’s comparable company-operated North American full-service and luxury hotels (including Marriott Hotels & Resorts, The Ritz-Carlton and Renaissance Hotels & Resorts) was down 17.8 percent with an average daily rate decline of 12.2 percent.



Reported results for full year 2009, the adjusted results and the associated reconciliations are shown on pages A-2, A-14, A-15, A-16, and A-19 of the accompanying schedules. The following paragraphs reflect adjusted results where indicated.



MARRIOTT REVENUES totaled $10.9 billion in 2009 compared to $12.9 billion in 2008. Total fees in 2009 were $1,084 million, a decrease of 22 percent from the prior year. Base management and franchise fees declined $156 million in 2009, reflecting the decline in worldwide REVPAR offset in part by unit growth across the system. Incentive management fees declined 50 percent reflecting lower property-level margins due to worldwide REVPAR declines, partially offset by strong cost controls. For full year 2009, 25 percent of company-operated hotels earned incentive management fees compared to 56 percent in the prior year. Approximately two-thirds of incentive management fees came from hotels outside North America in 2009 compared to 49 percent in 2008.



Owned, leased, corporate housing and other revenue, net of direct expenses, totaled $68 million in 2009 compared to $137 million in 2008. Results were primarily impacted by lower operating results at owned and leased properties, the conversion of some owned properties to management agreements, and lower termination fees, partially offset by higher branding fees and a transaction cancellation fee.



Reflecting weak demand, adjusted Timeshare segment contract sales in 2009 declined 37 percent to $748 million, excluding allowances for anticipated contract cancellations of $83 million in 2009 and $115 million in 2008.



Adjusted Timeshare sales and services revenue declined 23 percent to $1,147 million in 2009 and adjusted Timeshare sales and services revenue, net of direct expenses, totaled $106 million in 2009, a decrease of 28 percent. Development revenue, net of expense, declined in 2009 reflecting soft demand, partially offset by favorable reportability and reduced marketing and sales costs. Services revenue, net of expense, also declined largely reflecting lower rental revenues and higher carry costs on unsold units. Financing revenue, net of expense, increased in 2009 reflecting a $9 million increase in note sale gains and cost savings, partially offset by lower interest income. Timeshare direct expenses in 2008 included a $22 million impairment charge at a fractional and residential joint venture project referred to below.



Adjusted Timeshare segment results, which includes timeshare sales and services revenue, net of direct expenses, as well as base management fees, equity earnings, gains and other income, noncontrolling interest and general, administrative and other expenses associated with the timeshare business, totaled $87 million in 2009 compared to $121 million in the prior year. The segment results for 2008 reflected a net $10 million pretax impairment charge for a fractional and residential consolidated joint venture project, adjusting the carrying value of the real estate to its estimated fair market value. The $10 million charge in 2008 included a $22 million negative adjustment in timeshare direct expenses partially offset by a $12 million pretax ($8 million after-tax) benefit associated with the joint venture partner’s share, which is reflected in net losses attributable to noncontrolling interest, net of tax.



The Timeshare segment also generated over $150 million of pretax cash flow in 2009.



ADJUSTED GENERAL, ADMINISTRATIVE and OTHER expenses decreased $127 million to $622 million in 2009 reflecting cost savings and lower incentive compensation, partially offset by the $43 million unfavorable impact associated with deferred compensation compared to 2008 (offset by a similar decrease in the provision for taxes) and $12 million of accruals and reserves related to the performance of 12 hotels. Excluding the impact of deferred compensation, adjusted general, administrative and other expenses declined 22 percent in 2009, as shown on page A-19 of the accompanying schedules.



GAINS AND OTHER INCOME totaled $31 million in 2009 and included a $21 million gain on the extinguishment of debt, net gains of $10 million from the sale of real estate, a $3 million gain on the sale of investments and $2 million of preferred returns from joint venture investments, partially offset by a $5 million impairment charge on an investment. Adjusted gains and other income of $47 million in 2008 included gains of $14 million from the sale of real estate, a $28 million gain on the extinguishment of debt, $6 million of preferred returns from several joint venture investments and other income and $3 million of gains on the sale of the company’s interests in two joint ventures, partially offset by a $4 million loss on the sale of an investment.



INTEREST EXPENSE declined 28 percent in 2009 partially due to lower interest rates, repayment of debt and the repurchase of Senior Notes.



ADJUSTED EQUITY IN (LOSSES) EARNINGS totaled a $27 million loss in 2009 compared to $31 million of earnings in 2008. Losses in 2009 primarily reflected losses in five joint ventures and the impairment of one investment. Earnings in 2008 primarily reflected a $15 million gain on the sale of a joint venture’s assets, insurance proceeds of $5 million received through a joint venture and $11 million of earnings from joint ventures.



ADJUSTED INCOME TAXES

The adjusted provision for taxes reflected a $43 million favorable impact associated with deferred compensation (offset by a similar unfavorable impact in general, administrative and other expenses) compared to 2008.



NET LOSSES ATTRIBUTABLE TO NONCONTROLLING INTERESTS, NET OF TAX decreased $8 million in 2009 to $7 million. The decrease largely reflected the adjustment of the carrying value of a fractional and residential project in 2008. Since the project is a consolidated joint venture, the partner’s share of the adjustment was an $8 million after-tax benefit to noncontrolling interests in 2008.



ADJUSTED EBITDA

Adjusted EBITDA totaled $898 million in 2009, a 31 percent decline from 2008 adjusted EBITDA of $1,298 million.



BALANCE SHEET

At year-end 2009, total debt was $2,298 million and cash balances totaled $115 million, compared to $3,095 million in debt and $134 million of cash at year-end 2008. The company repurchased $119 million of its Senior Notes in 2009. At year-end 2009, Marriott had borrowings of $425 million under its $2.4 billion bank revolver.



COMMON STOCK

Weighted average fully diluted shares outstanding used to calculate adjusted diluted earnings per share amounts totaled 372.2 million in the 2009 fourth quarter compared to 363.1 million in the year-ago quarter.



On November 5, 2009, the Board of Directors declared a stock dividend payable on December 3, 2009, to shareholders of record on November 19, 2009. For periods prior to the stock dividend, all share and per share data in our financial statements have been retroactively adjusted to reflect the stock dividend.



On February 4, 2010, the Board of Directors declared the issuance of a $0.04 per share cash dividend payable on April 9, 2010 to shareholders of record on February 19, 2010.



The remaining share repurchase authorization, as of January 1, 2010, totaled 21.3 million shares. No share repurchases are planned for 2010.



IMPACT OF ACCOUNTING CHANGES

The company adopted ASU Nos. 2009-16 and 2009-17 (formerly referred to as FAS 166 and 167) at the beginning of 2010, which requires consolidating previously sold Timeshare notes and will impact the ongoing accounting for those notes. With the consolidation of the existing portfolio of sold loans on the first day of 2010, the company expects assets to increase by approximately $1,010 million, liabilities to increase by approximately $1,115 million, and shareholders’ equity to decline by approximately $105 million. No change in cash flow from the business is anticipated as a result of the accounting changes. Adjusted pretax earnings for fiscal 2009 would have been $1 million lower had the accounting change occurred at the beginning of 2009. See the tables on page A-22, A-23, A-24, A-25 and A-26 of the accompanying schedules for 2009 quarterly and full year Timeshare segment results adjusted as if the accounting changes had been made on the first day of fiscal 2009.



OUTLOOK

While Marriott typically provides a range of guidance for future performance, the current global economic and financial climate continues to make predictions very difficult. Therefore, the company is unable to give guidance. Instead, the company is providing the following assumptions for the 2010 first quarter and full year which it is using for internal planning purposes.



FIRST QUARTER 2010

For the first quarter, the company assumes worldwide comparable systemwide hotel REVPAR declines 5 to 7 percent on a constant dollar basis. For North American comparable systemwide hotels, the company assumes REVPAR declines of 7 to 8 percent and for comparable systemwide hotels outside North America, REVPAR could decline 2 to 3 percent on a constant dollar basis.



Given these REVPAR assumptions, total fee revenue could be $235 million to $245 million. Owned, leased, corporate housing and other revenue, net of direct expenses, could total approximately $5 million.



In the 2010 first quarter, the company assumes Timeshare contract sales total $165 million to $175 million and Timeshare sales and services revenue, net of direct expenses, total approximately $35 million to $45 million including the impact of ASU Nos. 2009-16 and 2009-17. With these assumptions, Timeshare segment results for the first quarter could total $30 million to $40 million.



The company anticipates that general, administrative and other expenses could total about $130 million to $140 million in the first quarter 2010, roughly flat from the adjusted 2009 first quarter amount. The company also assumes net interest expense of approximately $40 million in the quarter, reflecting the impact of ASU Nos. 2009-16 and 2009-17, as well as continued debt reduction.



Based upon the above assumptions and a 36.5 percent tax rate, diluted EPS from continuing operations attributable to Marriott shareholders for the 2010 first quarter could total $0.15 to $0.21.



FULL YEAR 2010

For full year 2010, the company expects hotel occupancies to improve, although the pace of such improvement is difficult to predict. The company continues to expect that both domestic and international comparable systemwide REVPAR comparisons to the prior year will turn positive sometime in 2010. For worldwide comparable systemwide hotels, the company assumes full year 2010 REVPAR will be down 2 percent to up 2 percent on a constant dollar basis with performance strengthening over the year. North American comparable systemwide REVPAR could be flat to down 3 percent in 2010, while REVPAR at comparable systemwide hotels outside North America could be flat to up 5 percent.



The company expects to open 25,000 to 30,000 rooms in 2010 as most hotels expected to open are already under construction or undergoing conversion from other brands. Given these assumptions, full year 2010 fee revenue could total $1,080 million to $1,120 million. The company expects that incentive management fees in 2010 would largely derive from international markets. Owned, leased, corporate housing and other, net of direct expense, could total $65 million to $70 million. The company continues to estimate that, on a full-year basis, one point of worldwide systemwide REVPAR impacts total fees by approximately $10 million to $15 million pretax and owned, leased, corporate housing and other revenue, net of direct expense, by roughly $4 million pretax.



For its timeshare business, the company assumes 2010 timeshare contract sales could be slightly higher than 2009 levels. Including the impact of the accounting changes under this scenario Timeshare sales and services revenue, net of direct expenses, could total $170 million to $180 million. Timeshare segment results for 2010 could total $145 million to $155 million and the segment’s net cash flow could total $175 million to $200 million.



The company expects its 2010 general, administrative and other expenses to total $635 million to $645 million reflecting modest salary increases and assumes interest expense to total $165 million to $170 million for the full year.



While the company cannot forecast results with any certainty, based upon the above assumptions, EBITDA could total $910 million to $970 million and diluted EPS from continuing operations for 2010 could total $0.82 to $0.94. Assuming the investment spending levels below, adjusted total debt, net of cash, could decline $400 million to $500 million by year end 2010.



The company expects investment spending in 2010 will total approximately $500 million, including capital expenditures totaling $150 million to $200 million, of which maintenance capital spending could total $50 million. Investment spending will also include new mezzanine financing and mortgage loans, contract acquisition costs, and equity and other investments. The investment in net timeshare development is not included above as the company expects cost of goods sold in the timeshare business will exceed timeshare inventory spending in 2010.

Sports illustrated Swimsuit issue 2010 !

Scope out Brooklyn Decker’s smoking hot cover for The 2010 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit which was revealed Monday night on The Late Show with David Letterman as a Times Square billboard.
The 22-year-old blonde beauty tweeted, “I cried three times because family flew in to surprise me! The issue is amazing, glowing, fun, the girls are happy… it’s not over-the-top, the girls and editors should be so proud! THANK YOU ALL!!!”
Brooklyn’s husband, tennis champ Andy R.  chimed in, , “So happy/proud of my wife… the new cover for Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue!!!! Unreal… so excited!!!!!!!!!!”

Google - Is running a super bowl ad , in the 3rd quarter ?

Is Google Running a Super Bowl Ad?

By  HELFT

Over the weekend, the tech blogosphere was abuzz over the expectation that Google, a company that build its brand almost entirely through word of mouth, was going to air an ad during the Super Bowl. John Battelle, the author of The Search, the 2005 book about Google, wrote on his blog that “Google plans to hit the branded advertising big leagues this Sunday,” citing an unnamed source.
Sometime later, Eric Schmidt, the chief executive of Google, posted the following message on Twitter: “Can’t wait to watch the Superbowl tomorrow. Be sure to watch the ads in the 3rd quarter (someone said ‘Hell has indeed frozen over.’)”
No official word from Google yet, and a Google spokesman did not immediately respond to an e-mail request for comment.
A Super Bowl ad would be quite a departure for Google. The company, which makes more money from advertising than any media company in the world, is hardly traditional when it comes to its own advertising. The company spends plenty on online advertising. But most of those ads are the kind of utilitarian ads intended to get people to click on a link to learn about a specific product or service, like its AdWords advertising system, its digital maps or its new Nexus One mobile phone. Google has also dipped its toes in television advertising, with a series of clips promoting the Chrome browser.
But the company, which famously says that ads are information, has shunned brand messages. Perhaps now that Google is ramping up its own display advertising business, it feels that it needs to be a player in brand advertising as well.
It is not clear what ad Google may air. Mr. Battelle said it will be one of the “search stories” ads that the company created last year and has been showing online. That ad, which has already had plenty of spoofs, including this one poking fun at Tiger Woods, was produced by Google in-house mini-agency. Others speculate it may be an ad for the Nexus One.
There are no indications that the Super Bowl ad, if it airs, will be the beginning of a broader marketing campaign..

USA Housing sales ,drop 16.7% !

Sales of U.S. existing homes plunged 16.7% in December to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 5.45 million from 6.54 million in November as a popular tax credit was set to expire, a national real estate trade group estimated Monday.
The 16.7% percentage decline from November to December was the largest on record, dating back to 1968, the National Association of Realtors reported.
The decline was larger than the 11% drop to 5.80 million that was expected by economists surveyed by MarketWatch. Read our complete economic calendar and consensus forecast.

News Hub: Largest Real Estate Deal Goes Bust

Tishman Speyer's deal for Stuyvesant Town and Peter Cooper Village, which was the biggest real estate deal at the time, may end up in bankruptcy, the News Hub panel reports.

Sales in December were up 15% compared with December 2008. Read the full report on the NAR website.
The median sales price rose to $178,300 in December, up 1.5% compared with a year earlier. It's the first year-over-year increase in prices since August 2007.
For all of 2009, sales rose 4.9% to 5.16 million compared with 2008. The median price fell 12.5% in 2009.
"The market is going through a period of swings driven by the tax credit," said Lawrence Yun, chief economist for the real estate lobbying group. "We're likely to have another surge in the spring."
"Job creation is the key to a continued recovery in the second half of the year," Yun said, adding he believed there was some sustainable momentum in the market. December's sales pace was up 11% compared with June's.

Sales had surged about 40% from June to November in response to the federal tax credit for first-time buyers, which was set to expire on Nov. 30. As it happened, the tax credit was extended until June 2010 and expanded to cover repeat buyers.
But buyers didn't know the credit would be extended when they were shopping for homes in October. In order to close in December, they would have had to sign a sales contract by early November at the latest. Existing-home sales are recorded at the closing.
First-time buyers accounted for 43% of sales in December, down from 51% in November.
Inventories of unsold homes on the market dropped 6.6% to 3.29 million, the lowest since March 2006. The inventory figures are not seasonally adjusted. Inventories usually fall about 8% this time of year.

Trading conditions are going to be choppy the next few months !

After calm trading conditions and fairly narrow trading ranges since the start of the year, currency markets are bracing for more-volatile market moves this week that may overshadow the Federal Reserve's rate-setting meeting.
With the Fed widely expected to leave rates near zero and make few if any changes to its post-meeting statement, events abroad and in the domestic political arena will keep currency investors on their toes. These events include any further steps by China to rein in lending, another round of credit jitters in the nations that use the euro, developments in U.S. bank-overhaul plans, as well as the delay in the Senate's vote to reconfirm Ben Bernanke as Fed chairman.

Last week, volatility jumped: The dollar touched the strongest level against the euro since July before giving back some ground. The yen, the biggest beneficiary in the recent flight-to-safety environment, rallied to a one-month high against the greenback.
"Until Feb. 16, when the [European Union] issues their assessment of the Greek budget, there's going to be a lot of volatility," said Ihab Salib, who oversees more than $3 billion as head of international fixed-income at Federated Investments Inc. in Pittsburgh. He doesn't expect that the euro will "necessarily" weaken, but volatility will "definitely" be high.
The Chicago Board Options Exchange's volatility index, or VIX, a proxy for investor sentiment, spiked Thursday to the highest level in a month, to as high as 21.93.
"We had been on a downward trending path in terms of the VIX and G7 currency volatility," said Camilla Sutton, currency strategist at Scotia Capital in Toronto. "A recent spike up in both reflects that markets are no longer content that prices are going to stay in these ranges that we've been in, and that the path of prices on the horizon will be more volatile."
The J.P. Morgan G-7 volatility index rebounded to 12.15 Friday, after slumping to 11.5 on Jan. 14, the lowest since September 2008. An increase in volatility reduces the appeal of carry trades, when investors borrow cheap money in low-yielding currencies to fund purchases of riskier assets, as price swings may erode profits from those bets on interest-rate differential.
"As volatility rises and risk aversion comes back to the markets, carry trades come under pressure as investors get quite nervous," Ms. Sutton said.
Late Friday in New York, the euro had strengthened to $1.4139 from $1.4094 late Thursday. The dollar weakened to 89.87 yen from 90.41 yen, while the euro moved to 127.07 yen from 127.42 yen. The U.K. pound weakened to $1.6114 from $1.6199. The dollar weakened to 1.0414 Swiss francs from 1.0421 francs.
All eyes now will be on the Federal Open Market Committee's interest-rate decision and statement, due out Wednesday at around 2:15 p.m. Eastern time The expectations are that rates will be left unchanged and there will be no change announced in the Fed's asset-purchase program, scheduled to end in March.
"The likelihood is for the Fed's statement to be very similar to the previous one," said Dale Thomas, head of currencies in London at Insight Investment Management, which oversees about $32.2 billion. "I don't think what the Fed says, unless they make massive changes, is going to make any difference whatsoever."
The prospect of China tightening its policy and the euro malaise will continue to dominate sentiment in currency markets, Mr. Thomas said.
Meanwhile, the cost of insuring Greece's debt against default rose to a record Friday amid worries about the country's large budget deficits. Greek authorities said they plan to sell dollar-denominated debt to help shore up finances.

Apple tablet to debut in 2010 ?

by A. Hesseldahl




provided by yahoo.com

If its engineers hew to recent history, Apple's tablet computer may look nothing like what the prognosticators foresee.



The speculative madness surrounding Apple's rumored tablet computer has finally reached its frothy peak.





More from BusinessWeek.com:



• Five Ways Apple's Tablet May Change the World



• New Gear from Apple and Verizon Wireless?



• Apple: Finding Even More Uses for iTunes







Tech's chattering classes are obsessed with the unconfirmed product, which Apple (AAPL) may announce at an event in January, or February, or March, depending on which set of reports you adhere to. Apple, not surprisingly, is mum.



The hunger for information—and misguided speculation—reminds me of the mistaken prognosticating about the iPhone before its introduction three years ago. It may be time to step back and realize that Apple may uncork a product so surprising that the company again leaves the tech industry scrambling to catch up to its products' smooth operation and sleek design.



Documented facts about the tablet are few. This much we do know: In November 2008, Apple took control of the trademark name TabletMac from a company called Axiotron, which converts MacBook laptops into tablet computers running Apple's Mac OS X.



Wild Imaginings

In April, BusinessWeek talked with people who had seen prototypes of a device they called a media pad as well as a small iPhone, described as "iPhone lite" by the person who saw it.



Then there's outside speculation. In November the Taiwanese Web site Digitimes, often regarded as a solid source of information regarding the plans of Taiwan's electronic manufacturing sector, reported that the Apple tablet had been delayed until the second half of 2010 because of the price to build its display.



On Dec. 24, New York Times blogger Nick Bilton quoted two people—one an unnamed source, the other a former Apple employee—dropping tantalizing clues. Jobs is "very happy" with the machine, and users will be "very surprised at how you interact with the new tablet," the Times wrote. About the same time, the Financial Times reported that Apple plans to reveal the new device at an event at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco on Jan. 26.



Missing the Mark on the iPhone



It's important to take reports like these with an appropriate helping of salt. Apple holds numerous trademarks it doesn't actively use; ever hear of MacTel, Vingle, or Drypod? In addition, Apple's top-secret labs in Cupertino, Calif., have probably developed numerous tablet prototypes, some of which may be used to show potential partners but that don't represent a finished product. And leakers have a tendency to exaggerate what they know, or invent from whole cloth.



A similar speculative frenzy surrounded the January 2007 iPhone launch. Looking back at Apple rumor site postings in the months leading up to its debut, I noticed how far off the mark many were about the iPhone's looks, Apple's partners, and who the carrier would be who could resell it. For example, enthusiasts' home-made design drawings that emerged on rumor sites showed a phone that sported a navigation wheel similar to the iPod's. Others imagined the iPhone would have a slide-out keyboard.



Few saw the potential for a touch-sensitive display, which eventually became the signature design element of the iPhone and iPod touch.



Consider the fevered imaginings endemic to Apple. The company engenders such strong reactions from its customers that users tend to "project the known upon the unknown," says Michael Gartenberg, an analyst at market researcher Interpret. That's why so many observers took the well-understood iPod and grafted a phone onto it when imagining Apple's iPhone plans.



A Larger Screen?



Apple's tablet may revolve around a larger touch-sensitive screen than the iPhone's, which could be central to its design and control. I've speculated about it myself in a past column. The iPod touch is so useful an Internet device that I keep one handy on my bedside table. It would make a lot of sense for Apple to market a device with a larger screen—say, 7 in. to 10 in. diagonally—that runs applications downloaded from the iTunes app store, wouldn't it?



Writers and tech pundits think so. But we're not Apple engineers and designers. What seems from the outside to be a logical progression may seem merely simplistic to the folks at Apple's 1 Infinite Loop headquarters. Their job isn't so much to think about the next logical step on a path as to set a divergent course for what people are likely to want for years to come.



Apple may throw everyone a curve ball here. Imagine an Apple tablet about the size of a 11-in. spiral notebook with an iPhone-like touch screen. How about the ability for the machine to recognize voice commands and dictation of text? A built-in video camera and maybe a mini-projector for meetings would be nice. And if the reports of Apple's discussion to land print media content in the iTunes store are true, how about an easy-on-the-eyes display for reading electronic magazines and books?



Embracing Two Worlds



A more fundamental question is whether Apple's tablet will more closely resemble an iPhone or a Mac. It will be fascinating to see how whatever emerges straddles those two worlds.



We use PCs and laptops to get things done when we're stationary; we use mobile devices to stay informed and complete small tasks when we're out and about. This device, it seems, will either have to incorporate both paradigms or have to create one of its own.



My bet? There will be a product from Apple reasonably described as a tablet, and Apple will reveal it during the first quarter of 2010. That's not going too far out on a limb. As the iPhone enters its third year, Apple needs something new to sell to keep delighting its customers, inspiring envy among its competitors, and increasing its sales.

Google or Baidu in China or USA ?

Google v. Baidu: Which company will win China?


Posted by S. N. Mehta,



The Chinese company dominates online searches in its home market, but Google's ambitions go well beyond Googling.



At first glance one might readily declare "game over" in the China online search war. Beijing-based Baidu (BIDU) dominates: According to Jennifer Li, Baidu's chief financial officer, Baidu's market share for search in China was about 77% in the third quarter, up from 75.6% in the second quarter.



Google (GOOG), she says, lost share in China, dropping to 17% in the third quarter, from about 19% in the second quarter.



And Baidu is trying to extend its search dominance on mobile phones, an area where Google has done well in China, thanks to a search deal with China Mobile, the nation's largest carrier. In October Baidu announced a deal to provide mobile search to customers of China Unicom's (CHU) 3G services, and it also is testing a mobile app that features Baidu's some most popular online tools, including a message board service.



Surprisingly, Google's struggles in China have little to do with the quality of its search results in Chinese.



Tech analaysts in China have said Google has done a good job understanding the nuances of the Chinese language. (Google hasn't fared as well in Russia, where rival Yandex dominates thanks, in part, to its ability to accommodate the peculiarities of the Russian language.) Some users also say Google delivers a better search experience: Baidu had been criticized for mixing ads and organic search results on the same confusing page.



Baidu benefits from incumbent status (it formed in 2000, while Google China didn't get going until 2006 –after Google sold a modest share in Baidu) and, its executives say, a set of tools that help Chinese users get information – not just search results. A tool called Baidu Post Bar it a bit like a social-networking application that allows users to tap other folks online for advice or comments as they are searching for, say, the best appliance to buy.



But no one, least of all Baidu executives, assumes Google is content with its position in China today. "We don't underestimate their technology or their ability," says Baidu CFO Li.



And while Baidu, for now, seems content to focus on search (CEO Robin Li likes to point out that the company's other services – maps, mail, Baidu Post – all help enhance the search experience) Google's ambitions in China go well beyond traditional online advertising and search. The company is widely believed to be looking for multiple ways to introduce its Android mobile operating platform in China, and recent reports suggest it may look to open an Android application marketplace in China.



For now, though, Google must live with its second-banana status in China. According to various Chinese news outlets (we can't find the original document online in English) Google China issued a news release listing the most popular searches in China in 2008. The most searched term among Google users in mainland China? Baidu.