Life is good Donates 10 Percent of Net Profits to Help Kids in Need

Life is good, the Boston-based lifestyle brand, today announced that the company will now donate 10 percent of its net profits to help kids in need through The Life is good Kids Foundation. This commitment is a new way the brand is fulfilling its mission of spreading the power of optimism.

"To date, we have helped raise $9.5 million to help kids in need, but we're just getting started. With this 10% donation announcement we are making an ongoing, long-term commitment," said Bert Jacobs, chief executive optimist of Life is good. "This decision solidifies how Life is good chooses to use business as a driver of social change by making it simple: When you do business with Life is good, you help kids in need."

In addition to committing 10 percent of its net profits to The Life is good Kids Foundation, Life is good will continue to spread optimism and help kids in need through the following channels:

Products: Optimistic apparel and accessories that feature positive messages and emphasize simplicity, humor and humility.

The Life is good Festival: An annual two-day celebration of music and optimism that raises money for kids in need. The Life is good Kids Foundation receives 100 percent of the funds raised.

Partnerships: Best-In-Class partnerships with brands like Hallmark Cards, Inc., announced in October 2012, that extend the brand's message and reach new optimists.

Community fundraising: The brand's fundraising engine that provides ideas, inspiration and tools to its community of optimists that allow them to fundraise all year long, from birthday parties to Monday night football.
Speaking engagements: Co-founders Bert and John Jacobs donate all proceeds from their speaking engagements to The Life is good Kids Foundation.

To reinforce the brand's latest commitment, Life is good is calling on its community of optimists to share something good in their day or to be the good that happens to somebody else on Facebook and Twitter using #PositivePurpose.

Nokia Life Services to Expand to Kenya

Nokia Life surpasses 95 million global user milestone and debuts in the African country.

Nokia today announced that Nokia Life, one of the most popular mobile services for high growth markets, will launch in Kenya, one of Africa's largest economies. Continuing on its path to connect 'the next billion and beyond', Nokia Life services will be available to the subscribers of Kenya's leading mobile operators, Safaricom and Airtel.

Nokia Life is one of the most popular life improvement information services suites specifically designed for people in fast growth, emerging markets. It delivers tailored, locally relevant content in local languages and works on a wide variety of Nokia mobile phones, without the need for a data plan. Nokia first introduced Nokia Life in India in 2009. The service quickly expanded to China, Indonesia and Nigeria, offering daily tips and actionable advice on topics such as education, health, infotainment and agriculture, delivered to millions of people. Nokia Life services have since been experienced by more than 95 million people in 18 local languages, through content co-developed by more than 90 knowledge partners including academics, local and national governments and NGOs.

The expansion to Kenya recognises a significant opportunity to reach a young and aspirational population, for whom the mobile phone is an essential, everyday tool. Nokia Life is an easy-to-use service, delivered as richly formatted messages to engage people, facilitate learning and help bridge information gaps that impact their quality of life. In Kenya, Nokia Life will offer a full suite of services under the Education, Health, Spirituality and Entertainment categories. These include services like Learn English, developed in partnership with the British Council; Life Skills, developed with Foundation for Social Change; and Parenting Advice, developed with Plan International.

"Access to information and knowledge is key to unlocking opportunities for youth and overall progress in society," said Jawahar Kanjilal, Global Head of Nokia Life. "We are delighted to introduce Nokia Life to Kenya with its rich set of relevant services that will help users connect easily to information that matters to them, and in the longer-term, help entire communities thrive."
Nokia Life will be available starting next month. Nokia Life services will be available free of charge for an initial 30-day trial period, with the option to subscribe monthly for as little as 2 Kenyan Shillings per day, to receive messages on a daily basis. The service will be available in both English and Swahili languages.

Standard Life Investments becomes first Worldwide Partner in Ryder Cup history

The 2014 Ryder Cup at Gleneagles will welcome the first designated Worldwide Partner in the event's history following an agreement between Standard Life Investments, Ryder Cup Europe and the PGA of America that will see the global asset management company become a Worldwide Partner to both the 2014 and 2016 Ryder Cups.


Never before has a company partnered with The Ryder Cup on both sides of the Atlantic, with the new ground-breaking agreement enabling Standard Life Investments to promote and market its association with The Ryder Cup on a truly global scale.


With a potential daily TV audience of 500 million people across 183 countries, The Ryder Cup has evolved into one of the sport's most valuable and prestigious global brands, making it the perfect partner for a dynamic company such as Standard Life Investments.


Keith Skeoch, CEO, Standard Life Investments, said: "Standard Life Investments is thrilled to become the first Worldwide Partner of The Ryder Cup. This sponsorship complements our reputation as a leading global asset manager with strong performance and a distinctive team culture. It is an integral part of our long-term brand building strategy and is a perfect match in terms of our heritage, client base and strong team ethos."


Pete Bevacqua, Chief Executive Officer of the PGA of America, said: "We are delighted to welcome Standard Life Investments as a Worldwide Partner to both the 2014 and 2016 Ryder Cups in what is an historical agreement.


"We believe The Ryder Cup is among the most valuable sponsorship investments in sport and are confident that Standard Life Investments will reap tremendous value from their Worldwide Partnership on both sides of the Atlantic.
"This announcement follows the launch of the unified Ryder Cup global brand identity and the stated aim of Ryder Cup Europe and the PGA of America to secure global partnerships going forward."


Richard Hills, Europe's Ryder Cup Director, added: "As a company, with a strong global reach and Scottish heritage, Standard Life Investments share our commitment to teamwork and helping people achieve their full potential.
"We look forward to working closely with the Standard Life Investments team in delivering a world class Ryder Cup at The Gleneagles Hotel; a Ryder Cup that will create a positive and long lasting legacy for the game in the 'Home of Golf'."


Notes on Standard Life Investments / Standard Life
With assets under management of £163.4bn ($263.9bn) Standard Life Investments is one of Europe's major investment houses. Employing over 1,000 people and headquartered in Edinburgh, Standard Life Investments maintains offices in a number of locations around the globe including Boston, Hong Kong, London, Beijing, Montreal, Sydney, Dublin, Paris and Seoul. In January 2012 Standard Life Investments teamed up with John Hancock Mutual Funds to make its award-winning Global Absolute Return Strategies (GARS) Fund available to the United States retail marketplace.


Standard Life Investments was launched as an investment management company in 1998. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of Standard Life Investments (Holdings) Limited, which in turn is a wholly owned subsidiary of Standard Life plc. With a reputation for innovation in pursuit of client investment objectives Standard Life Investments' capabilities span equities, bonds, real estate, private equity, multi-asset solutions, fund-of-funds and absolute return strategies.


Established in 1825, Standard Life is a leading provider of long term savings and investments to around 6 million customers worldwide. Headquartered in Edinburgh, Standard Life has around 9,000 employees internationally.
The Standard Life group includes savings and investments businesses, which operate across its UK, Canadian and European markets; corporate pensions and benefits businesses in the UK and Canada; and its Chinese and Indian Joint Venture businesses. The Group has total assets under administration of over £211bn ($342bn).


Standard Life plc is listed on the London Stock Exchange and has approximately 1.5 million individual shareholders in over 50 countries around the world. It is also listed in the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index, ranking it among the top 10% of sustainable companies in the world. All figures at 30 September 2012.

Life of Pi Wins Best Visual Effects Oscar

Two-time winner Bill Westenhofer spoke on behalf of the team who brought the film to life though technology.

"The irony is not lost on any of us up here that in a film, whose central premise is to ask the audience what they believe is real and not real, most of what you see is well, fake," Westenhofer said. "That's the magic of visual effects."

See the full list of 2013 Oscar winners here

The team suggested the film took a little persuading before being made. "Sometimes it takes a risk to make something special," Westenhofer said. "And Life of Pi was a risk worth taking."

While thanking director Ang Lee, his family and close friends, the theme music to Jaws began playing, signaling it was time for Westenhofer to wrap it up.

After his mic was eventually turned off, the camera panned to Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban. Kidman summed it up best when she mouthed, "Oh poor thing."

Allianz Life Reports Financial Results for 2012

Minneapolis-based Allianz Life Insurance Company of North America (Allianz Life) today reported operating profit of $586 million for its 2012 financial year, an increase of 37% from $428 million in 2011. Growth in operating profit was driven by disciplined pricing, a growing asset base, a commitment to expense management, and realized gains on the company’s conservative and stable investment portfolio. Operating profit is reported on the International Financial Reporting Standards basis and includes earnings from recurring business operations.

In addition, Allianz Life also improved its capital position, reporting a 16 percentage point increase in regulatory risked-based capital (RBC) ratio – from 361% in 2011 to 377% in 2012.

Allianz Life reported total premium (new sales and recurring premiums) of $9.4 billion for 2012, down 14% from the prior year total of $10.8 billion. Fixed annuity sales declined 16% to $5.5 billion in 2012 compared to $6.5 billion of premium in 2011. Variable annuity sales decreased 12% to $3.3 billion of premium in 2012 compared to $3.8 billion in 2011. Life insurance sales increased 75% from $37 million in 2011 to $65 million in 2012. Sales results reflected the impact of market conditions, pricing discipline, and an increasingly focused distribution strategy.

At the close of 2012, Allianz Life’s assets under management increased 8% to $102.9 billion, compared with $95.3 billion at the end of 2011.

“Allianz Life is financially strong, which is what Americans expect when working with us to help grow and protect their retirement savings. We posted very strong operating profits and continued to deliver innovative products, despite low interest rates,” said Allianz Life President & CEO Walter White. “Our focus on financial strength, as demonstrated by our improved capital ratio, places us as one of the strongest financial companies in our marketplace.”

U.S. rating agencies recognized Allianz Life’s commitment to strengthening its capital base. The agencies sustained the company's high financial strength ratings throughout 2012, which have remained unchanged throughout and after the 2008-2009 financial crisis. In October 2012, Standard & Poor’s affirmed Allianz Life’s rating as AA (very strong); this is the third highest out of 21 possible ratings. On Oct. 4, 2012, Standard & Poor’s affirmed the financial strength rating of Allianz SE of “AA” with a “negative outlook” which applies to Allianz SE and other entities, including Allianz Life Insurance Company of North America. Allianz SE remains one of the highest rated insurance companies in the world.

In addition to the solid 2012 financial results, the company earned distinction as:

#1 FIA Leader – Allianz Life was named the top seller of fixed index annuities for 13 consecutive quarters (based on sales), according to AnnuitySpecs.com, Indexed Sales & Market Report, 3Q 2012;

FORTUNE Magazine Best Places to Work For – Named to FORTUNE magazine’s “100 Best Companies to Work For” list, ranking 59th as one of only two Minnesota companies to earn this distinction;

Superior Service – Awarded 2012 Excellence in Sales Support because of the company provided “far superior” sales support compared to others in the financial services industry by DALBAR, the nation’s leading financial services market research and consulting firm;

Top Workplace – Allianz Life received the Minneapolis Star Tribune Top Workplace award (June 2012) and the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal Best Places to Work award (August 2012);

Financial Literacy Focus – Received the Humanitarian Award in January 2012 by BestPrep for the company’s commitment to promoting financial literacy;
Community Giving – Donated $1.8 million to local organizations in 2012 primarily focused on senior services and financial literacy programs; and
Retirement Leader – Continued thought leadership in baby boomer retirement insights through a 2012 update to the Allianz American Legacies Study.

Exclusive: Life Technologies sale process cools - sources

An $11 billion-plus sale of Life Technologies Corp is looking less likely as a gap in price expectations with the company has left potential buyer Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc skeptical about a deal while buyout firms' offers came up short, people familiar with the matter said this week.

Thermo Fisher, the world's largest maker of laboratory equipment and scientific instruments, had held discussions with Life Technologies but is no longer actively pursuing a deal, as a big run-up in Life Tech's shares made the economics of a transaction less attractive, one of the people said.

Likewise, private equity firms, including Blackstone Group LP , KKR & Co LP , Bain Capital LLC and TPG Capital LP, have made initial offers that value Life Technologies close to where its shares are now trading, after their recent rise. The offers would need to be increased significantly to win the approval of Life Tech's board, other people familiar with the matter said.

The talks with the interested parties are continuing and other potential buyers could still emerge, the people added. They asked not to be identified because the talks are private.

Life Technologies said in a statement it was continuing with its annual strategic review, but did not refer specifically to the sale process.

"As the Board continues its annual strategic review, Life Technologies remains focused on transforming relationships with life science customers, winning in genetic analysis from discovery to diagnostics and leveraging our world-class platform to drive growth," it said.

Thermo Fisher, KKR, Bain and TPG declined to comment, while Blackstone did not respond to a request for comment.

Analysts have said Thermo Fisher would benefit from the scale and synergies that a tie-up with Life Technologies would bring, with the exception of Life Tech's genetic sequencing business, which Thermo Fisher could choose to divest after a deal. Yet a lot depends on the price Thermo Fisher would be willing to offer.

Life Tech's shares are up 30 percent since the start of the year, spurred primarily by its announcement on January 18 that it had retained investment banks to advise it on its annual strategic review, fanning investor hopes for a sale.

The shares ended trading on Tuesday at $63.36, giving it a market value of close to $11 billion, after trading above $60 throughout February. At this level, Thermo Fisher is skeptical that it could make an offer that Life Tech's board would accept, one of the people said.

"We wonder if Thermo Fisher's shareholders would be willing to pay in the $75-per-share range that we expect Life Tech's shareholders might require from a strategic buyer in order to acquire a company with a lower organic growth profile," Credit Suisse analysts wrote in a note on February 5, following the publication of Life Tech's fourth-quarter earnings.

Life Tech now trades at 14.4 times its 12-month projected earnings versus a 13.4 times average for its peer group, and has an enterprise value 9.1 times forward earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA), compared with 7.9 times for its peers on average, according to Thomson Reuters data.

SPENDING CUTS
On the private equity front, the proposed $24.4 billion leveraged buyout of PC maker Dell Inc has raised market expectations for other huge deals not seen since the financial crisis of 2008.

But several private equity executives have pointed out that the Dell deal is atypical because the company's huge cash pile and the rollover of its founder's stake in the deal allow for relatively low leverage.

"You have to pay 10.5 times EBITDA roughly to convince Life Tech shareholders to sell. You can borrow only up to seven times, which leaves 3.5 to four times to equity, which is a very sizeable equity check," said one of the dealmakers, on condition of anonymity.

Life Technologies, which makes genetic testing equipment and products used in biotechnology development, has said its 2013 outlook does not presume that automatic U.S. budget cuts, known as sequestration, will kick in - a move that would constrain spending by Life Tech's government and academic customers.
The Carlsbad, California-based company has forecast revenue growth of 3 to 5 percent over 2012 sales of $3.8 billion. If sequestration is implemented, it would reduce revenue by about 1 percent and the company would expect to be at the low end of its $4.30-to-$4.45-per-share earnings guidance range for 2013, Life has said.

Thermo Fisher has said that sequestration is likely to happen and that it has taken steps to prepare. The Waltham, Massachusetts-based company declined to comment about a possible bid for Life Tech when asked about it repeatedly during the publication of its earnings.

The U.S. government's efforts to curb spending to fix its budget deficit have already resulted in a lull in government-sponsored medical research, hurting companies that make life-science tools. Thermo Fisher has responded by expanding in emerging markets such as China.

With Congress off this week, chances are diminishing that a political compromise will be reached by a March 1 deadline to avoid about $85 billion in across-the-board spending cuts, which would kick in at the beginning of March and continue through September 30 as part of a decade-long $1.2 trillion U.S. budget savings plan.

Exclusive: Life Technologies sale process cools - sources

An $11 billion-plus sale of Life Technologies Corp is looking less likely as a gap in price expectations with the company has left potential buyer Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc skeptical about a deal while buyout firms' offers came up short, people familiar with the matter said this week.

Thermo Fisher, the world's largest maker of laboratory equipment and scientific instruments, had held discussions with Life Technologies but is no longer actively pursuing a deal, as a big run-up in Life Tech's shares made the economics of a transaction less attractive, one of the people said.

Likewise, private equity firms, including Blackstone Group LP , KKR & Co LP , Bain Capital LLC and TPG Capital LP, have made initial offers that value Life Technologies close to where its shares are now trading, after their recent rise. The offers would need to be increased significantly to win the approval of Life Tech's board, other people familiar with the matter said.

The talks with the interested parties are continuing and other potential buyers could still emerge, the people added. They asked not to be identified because the talks are private.

Life Technologies said in a statement it was continuing with its annual strategic review, but did not refer specifically to the sale process.

"As the Board continues its annual strategic review, Life Technologies remains focused on transforming relationships with life science customers, winning in genetic analysis from discovery to diagnostics and leveraging our world-class platform to drive growth," it said.

Thermo Fisher, KKR, Bain and TPG declined to comment, while Blackstone did not respond to a request for comment.

Analysts have said Thermo Fisher would benefit from the scale and synergies that a tie-up with Life Technologies would bring, with the exception of Life Tech's genetic sequencing business, which Thermo Fisher could choose to divest after a deal. Yet a lot depends on the price Thermo Fisher would be willing to offer.

Life Tech's shares are up 30 percent since the start of the year, spurred primarily by its announcement on January 18 that it had retained investment banks to advise it on its annual strategic review, fanning investor hopes for a sale.

The shares ended trading on Tuesday at $63.36, giving it a market value of close to $11 billion, after trading above $60 throughout February. At this level, Thermo Fisher is skeptical that it could make an offer that Life Tech's board would accept, one of the people said.

"We wonder if Thermo Fisher's shareholders would be willing to pay in the $75-per-share range that we expect Life Tech's shareholders might require from a strategic buyer in order to acquire a company with a lower organic growth profile," Credit Suisse analysts wrote in a note on February 5, following the publication of Life Tech's fourth-quarter earnings.

Life Tech now trades at 14.4 times its 12-month projected earnings versus a 13.4 times average for its peer group, and has an enterprise value 9.1 times forward earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA), compared with 7.9 times for its peers on average, according to Thomson Reuters data.

SPENDING CUTS
On the private equity front, the proposed $24.4 billion leveraged buyout of PC maker Dell Inc has raised market expectations for other huge deals not seen since the financial crisis of 2008.

But several private equity executives have pointed out that the Dell deal is atypical because the company's huge cash pile and the rollover of its founder's stake in the deal allow for relatively low leverage.

"You have to pay 10.5 times EBITDA roughly to convince Life Tech shareholders to sell. You can borrow only up to seven times, which leaves 3.5 to four times to equity, which is a very sizeable equity check," said one of the dealmakers, on condition of anonymity.

Life Technologies, which makes genetic testing equipment and products used in biotechnology development, has said its 2013 outlook does not presume that automatic U.S. budget cuts, known as sequestration, will kick in - a move that would constrain spending by Life Tech's government and academic customers.
The Carlsbad, California-based company has forecast revenue growth of 3 to 5 percent over 2012 sales of $3.8 billion. If sequestration is implemented, it would reduce revenue by about 1 percent and the company would expect to be at the low end of its $4.30-to-$4.45-per-share earnings guidance range for 2013, Life has said.

Thermo Fisher has said that sequestration is likely to happen and that it has taken steps to prepare. The Waltham, Massachusetts-based company declined to comment about a possible bid for Life Tech when asked about it repeatedly during the publication of its earnings.

The U.S. government's efforts to curb spending to fix its budget deficit have already resulted in a lull in government-sponsored medical research, hurting companies that make life-science tools. Thermo Fisher has responded by expanding in emerging markets such as China.

With Congress off this week, chances are diminishing that a political compromise will be reached by a March 1 deadline to avoid about $85 billion in across-the-board spending cuts, which would kick in at the beginning of March and continue through September 30 as part of a decade-long $1.2 trillion U.S. budget savings plan.

Mindy McCready, Whose Life Was A Country Song, Has Died

A hot-rod blonde with a high-drama life, Mindy McCready, like Tammy Wynette, hit fans and the music industry hard in the mid-1990s with that wide-open sob in her voice. As she plied country music's classic long-suffering female trope defined by Wynette's "Stand By Your Man" and " 'Til I Can Make It On My Own," McCready also made girl power manifestos. The 37-year-old singer allegedly took her own life on Sunday, at her home in Arkansas.

Her first single, "Ten Thousand Angels," and another from her 1996 debut album, "Maybe He'll Notice Her Now," told of the struggle to avoid bad love and take care of oneself in romance. But the songs in which she asserted equal rights when it comes to kicking up stilettos — including her No. 1 hit "Guys Do It All The Time" and "A Girl's Gotta Do (What A Girl's Gotta Do)," from her second album — were the ones that struck a nerve.

'Life of Pi' wins two Motion Picture Sound Editor Awards

"Life of Pi" won two awards Sunday evening at the 60th Motion Picture Sound Editors Golden Reel Awards.

The adventure fable which is nominated for 11 Academy Awards won for sound editing: music in a feature film and sound editing: dialogue and ADR in a feature film.

Academy Award-winning Ang Lee, who is nominated again for directing  "Life of Pi,"  was also the recipient of the 2013 MPSE Filmmaker Award.

Oscar-nominee "Les Miserables"won the Golden Reel for sound editing: music in a musical feature film and "Skyfall" earned the honor for sound editing: sound effects and Foley in a feature film.

Disney's "Wreck-It Ralph" won for sound editing: sound effects, Foley, dialogue and ADR in an animation feature film and "Last Call at the Oasis" picked up the Golden Reel for sound editing: sound effects, Foley, dialogue, ADR and music in a feature film.

France's "Rust & Bone" won the Golden Reel for sound editing: sound effects: Foley, dialogue and ADR in a feature foreign language film.

Among the television winners were "Game of Thrones Season 2," "The Newsroom," "American Horror Story" and "Hemingway & Gellhorn."

John Roesch was also the receipient of the 2013 MPSE Career Achievement Award at the ceremony at the Westin Bonaventure Hotel & Suites.

Sun Life Financial Reports Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2012 Results

Sun Life Financial Inc.(3) (SLF.TO) (SLF) had operating net income of $453 million in the fourth quarter of 2012, compared to an operating loss of $221 million in the fourth quarter of 2011. Our operating EPS was $0.76 in the fourth quarter of 2012, compared to an operating loss per share of $0.38 in the fourth quarter of 2011. Reported net income was $395 million or $0.65 per share in the fourth quarter of 2012, compared to a reported loss of $525 million or a reported loss per share of $0.90 in the fourth quarter of 2011.

Our financial results in the fourth quarter reflect continued execution against our growth strategy, as well as positive impact from investment activity. Market factors had no material impact in the quarter, as the positive impact of improved equity markets was largely offset by declines in the fixed income reinvestment rates in our insurance contract liabilities, which were driven by the continued low interest rate environment, and unfavourable impact from credit spread and swap spread movements. Operating net income excluding the net impact of market factors(1) was $420 million. The following table sets out our operating net income measures for the fourth quarter of 2012.

‘Life is But a Dream’: Beyonce’s world, seen through a mish-mash

Life Is but a Dream,” Beyonce Knowles’s HBO documentary about herself, is billed as a revealing look inside the superstar’s world circa 2011-12, as she shifts business gears, reinjects her music with an updated R&B feel and, as you surely know, gives birth to a daughter. The project is mostly just a fleeting glimpse, which is ultimately a disappointment, given the world’s desperate and ongoing interest in all things Beyonce.

Early in the film, Beyonce relays that special feeling of celebrity futility when it comes to guarding her private life. Like the ultra-famous who came before her, she wishes there were not a market for the news and photographs of things she’d rather not share.

But I don’t know how anyone could make sense of “Life Is but a Dream” without having followed Beyonce’s ­every move and every high note as reported by the multimedia infotainment sphere. You must come to this program knowing the basic trajectory of her career thus far; you must already know that she relieved her father of his managerial duties; you must know she has a husband who, it seems, is also a famous performer. You must know all about the envelope-pushing album we see her recording in the studio. It would help greatly if you could discern the importance of a tirelessly rehearsed awards-show performance (that, if you’re a fan, you will have already seen when it aired) and be able to tell how it is different from all the Beyonce performances that came before it.

Beyonce is a talker, but she’s not much of an explainer; she never tells us where we’re going or who people are, or what everyone is doing at a particular moment. She never even tells us the name of her baby, when, near the end of the film, she lets the camera linger briefly as she cuddles and nuzzles it.

“Life Is but a Dream” has no through-line, no linear narrative. It’s more like a hallucinatory advertisement for success, and to her credit Beyonce put the word “dream” in the title. The theme is celebrity ennui alternating with spiritual and emotional fulfillment. Which isn’t much of a theme. The film obeys the only structure available to anyone who has plenty of footage, but no story — collage.

Thus, home videos from the 1990s of her Houston girlhood are swirled into the singer’s endless, present-day trips through back hallways, into and out of elevators, then into tinted-window SUVs, then aboard helicopters and private jets that deliver her to yet another series of hallways and rehearsal spaces and dressing rooms, all of this leading to her most comfortable space, which is the high-wattage concert stage.

We are given the impression that many of Beyonce’s best and most honest conversations happen with her computer, where she keeps a video journal of her emotions. “I want to be able to sing about how much I hate myself if that’s how I feel,” she tells her laptop in a moment of artistic declaration. “I’m feeling very empty because of my relationship with my dad,” she says, in another whisper. “I feel like my soul has been tarnished.” About managing her career on her own, she says: “I don’t care if I don’t sell one record. [This decision] is bigger than my career.”

I don’t believe that for a second, but this brand of confessional plays strong and sounds assertive, and that’s something Beyonce sells by the truckload.

The other thing she sells — her sensational stage performances — is vividly captured throughout “Life Is but a Dream,” which is filled with hot concert footage. I would have liked to learn more about the special screen effects that her technicians designed for her live act (which were put to stunning use at her recent Super Bowl halftime show), but this is a movie that doesn’t tell you much of anything you’d really want to know.

Stock market: Is the little guy right this time?

Four years after the Great Crash, small investors are suddenly buying stocks again. Is that reason to cheer, or worry?

Mom-and-pop investors spent nearly all of the past four years pulling money out of U.S. stock mutual funds and buying bonds. During the first week in January, they started buying stocks again, according to figures from the Investment Company Institute.

It’s as if Congress, by avoiding the fiscal cliff, sent a “buy” signal across the land.

In some ways, it’s about time. The market has doubled since early 2009, and the little guy missed most of that. But small investors are notorious for rushing in at the wrong moment.

Could they be making that mistake again? Probably not. Or at least not yet.

Stocks were up 5.2 percent, dividends included, in January on top of a 15.9 percent return last year. “We continue to see persistent signs that the S&P 500 has further to climb this year,” write Stuart Freeman and Scott Wren, equity strategists at Wells Fargo Advisors in St. Louis.

They think the S&P 500 will finish the year at between 1,525 and 1,575. Bank of America Merrill Lynch is forecasting 1,600. The big-stock index closed Friday at 1,513.

Earnings are growing, and stocks still look a little cheap. The broad market is trading at 13.7 times this year’s expected earnings. The historical average is 15, notes Kate Warne, investment strategist at Edward Jones in Des Peres. “Valuation is only half the story,” she notes. “We will continue to see earnings growth.”

Despite a stall in the fourth quarter, Warne and most economists see the economy growing about 2 percent this year. That should be enough raise earnings by a “mid-single digit” percentage, Warne says.

Reasonable values and growing earnings bode well for stocks, but there are bumps ahead. This month’s 2 percent increase in the payroll tax is taking a toll on consumer confidence, and Congress may whack government spending in March, which could knock defense stocks for a loop.

After a big rally, a short-term retreat wouldn’t be unusual. Still, trading volumes haven’t been huge, and there’s no sign of the stock-buying mania that can portend a real crash. Though small investors are buying again, they’re not stampeding. In the first three weeks of January, they added $16 billion to American stock mutual funds. In December, they pulled out $26 billion.

The little guys also enjoyed short periods of optimism in early 2011 and 2009, only to sink back into an anti-stock funk.

It could be different this time.

Analysts at Bank of America Merrill Lynch think we’re seeing a “great rotation” of investors out of bonds and into stocks. Small investors spent the past four years piling into bonds, and they enjoyed nice profits as interest rates sank. Now, analysts warn that the bond gravy train may be headed for derailment.

The Federal Reserve has the bond market on life support, pumping $85 billion a month into mortgage and Treasury bonds to hold rates down. Dread the day when Chairman Ben Bernanke pulls the plug.

The Fed says it will keep the patient breathing until the unemployment rate approaches 6.5 percent. That’s probably at least a year away, although some Fed officials have suggested easing up on the bond buying later this year. The bottom line: Bond investors may be safe for several more months, but those who hang on too long risk unpleasantness. A 10-year bond would lose about 7.4 percent of its value if interest rates rose by 1 percentage point. A five-year bond would lose 4.3 percent.

Meanwhile, there’s less fear in the stock market. The fiscal cliff is behind us. There’s less worry about a financial meltdown in Europe, although the continent is still in recession. Merrill Lynch sees stocks worldwide returning about 10 percent this year, while investment-grade bonds return a mere 1.6 percent.

Some small investors have their own market gauges. Joe Jennings of Dardenne Prairie talks to many senior business executives in his job with a litigation support company. “How’s business?” he’ll ask them.

“I’m not hiring,” they’ll often say. “I can’t raise prices and I can’t pass on my costs.”

Jennings believes in the stock market. He bought heavily after the 2008 crash. But with stocks once again near their all-time highs, the pessimism he hears in his clients makes him wary. He doesn’t like the news that small investors are buying stocks again.

Dallas art teacher moonlights making bath bombs, sees explosion in demand

Alexis Clare spends half her day in a room full of 5-year-olds who wield paintbrushes and talk about everything on their young minds while they make art. Clare, 28, teaches art at J’s Art Studio in Dallas.
The other half of her day is spent making bombs.

Simmer down. The bombs that Clare makes are designed for a benign bathtub drop. She makes luxurious bath bombs under the label Whipped Up Wonderful.

Some tub lovers know exactly what I’m talking about, but for those who have never bombed their bath, Clare explains:

“It’s a mixture of bath salts and fragrances with a little bit of coloring. It’s going to fizz and release the fragrances into the air. And they are also infused with moisturizing oils that make your skin feel wonderful.”

The bathroom can carry that fragrance for hours, I might add.

Clare’s bombs come in fabulous fragrances like brown sugar and fig and a scent she named Mystical.
“It’s a juicy fragrance with so many fun notes,” she says.

She also makes Hot Pink Pomegranate, Neroli Chamomile and one called Perfect Paradise — “a coconut scent, with vanilla ice cream and warm, buttery tones.”

That one sounds like pie in the tub, but I’ll take it.

To imagine Clare at work, picture that scene of Lucille Ball working in the chocolate factory. Now imagine Clare, who also has a very retro 1950s style, processing an assembly line of bath bombs. Only Clare executes her line’s assembly with absolute perfection.

Clare, a fan of ’50s and ’60s beach movies, embraces “the whole vintage style, you know, with the red lipstick, the fabulous apron and pearl necklace — while still being a good businesswoman with a modern and progressive twist.”

While working toward a fine arts degree at the University of North Texas, Clare applied for a job at J’s.
“I got my portfolio together and met with the owners at J’s. The energy went really well. Sometimes you just walk into a place and you feel a good energy,” she says.

She teaches all ages, but her strength is in working with “the little kids.”
When she was growing up in Farmers Branch, her parents encouraged her love of art.

“When we were little, from the time my brother and I could walk, my parents were taking us to the museums,” she says.

Her mother was a waitress and her father worked for Southwestern Bell (later AT&T). Clare remembers her family going through hard economic times.

“My brother and I were definitely latchkey kids, but our parents put us through school working all of those crazy hours,” she says.

“My parents always did a good job in telling us if we worried about anything, ‘That’s not a kid problem,’” she says.

They let the kids paint a certain wall in the house however they wanted. It was an ever-changing mural.
Clare remembers diving into art as far back as eighth grade. “I fell into watercolor, and I just love it,” she says, “I also knew that I wanted to teach in some capacity.”

After college, she became aware of the unnecessary ingredients in many cosmetics, shampoos and soaps these days. She started reading up on how to make her own products using “really pure and simple ingredients.”
She found that she loved making the bath bombs and could really express her creativity in a specialty line.
“I like making them look beautiful. I like adding sprinkles and powders, cosmetic glitter,” she says.
She started selling her goods online and quickly began shipping all over the country.

She keeps small quantities of ingredients on hand so that all of her products are fresh, and she caters to customers with skin allergies. She makes a special bomb for her boss at J’s, who is allergic to certain ingredients.

This past week, she made about 400 bath bombs for a wholesale order that will ship to Maryland.
“It gets pretty crazy,” she says. “I’ve converted the dining nook into a work space. Whipped Up Wonderful has half of my apartment, and I live in the other half.”

People order the bombs to find a way to relax and also for wedding and party favors.
She also makes Tub Truffles, using fine-quality cocoa butter.

“Once it hits the water, it will break apart and melt the cocoa butter in the water,” she says. “There’s a fragrance and a little tint to the bath water. The Tub Truffles are perfect for a winter bath because they are so moisturizing.”

Clare gets a lot of rewards from teaching children about art. She also enjoys knowing that her bombs help others to chill out a little more often.

“To me, stress is the root of all of our illnesses, and so many people are working so hard. I just want people to remember: Hey, take it easy! You’re all there is. Take care of yourself. Take a bath, calm down and just forget about things for a while.”