The bottom line
Building bigger houses; And tuition at OSU is?; Christmas at McDonald's; Self-gifting at Christmas; Lloyd’s prepares for Hurricane Sandy claims; Google's billions
Building bigger houses
Are bigger houses making a comeback? The average size of a newly built home jumped 3.7 percent in 2011, from 2010, the first annual increase since 2007, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
CNBC.com
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And tuition at OSU is?
Ohio State University President E. Gordon Gee earned $1.9 million last year, making him the highest-paid public-university president in the U.S. He also submitted $1.7 million in expenses for private jets, country club dues, and fundraising parties.
Bloomberg.com
Christmas at McDonald's
McDonald’s is urging its franchises to stay open on Christmas Day, saying stores that did so last year had average daily earnings of $5,500. “Our largest holiday opportunity as a system is Christmas Day,” COO Jim Johannesen wrote in an internal memo.
Advertising Age
Self-gifting at Christmas
Consumers are looking out for themselves. In mid-December, one third of Christmas shoppers said they had engaged in “self-gifting,” up from 19 percent last year and 12 percent in a typical pre-recession year.
TheDailyBeast.com
Lloyd’s prepares for Hurricane Sandy claims
Lloyd’s of London expects claims of up to $2.5 billion from Hurricane Sandy and said it would easily meet them. “The market’s total exposure is well within the worse-case scenarios we model and prepare for,” CEO Richard Ward said.
Reuters.com
Google's billions
Google made more than $20 billion in ad revenue this year, more than all U.S. print media combined. In 2006, magazines and newspapers sold $60 billion more in ads than Google did.
TheAtlantic.com

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