Most Americans probably think that coal is dead. Many coal towns are turning into ghost towns as the country moves away from using it to generate electricity in favor of cleaner, cheaper natural gas. That's why many coal producers are turning their eyes to the export market to make up for lost sales in the United States.

The numbers are quite compelling, as last year coal consumption stateside dropped by 11.9% over 2011. On the other hand, countries such as China and India are importing record volumes of coal. That should only increase, as worldwide there are more than 75 gigawatts of coal generation scheduled to come online this year. That will require 225 metric tons per year of coal, which is why producers see seaborne thermal coal demand increasing 50 million tonnes on growing Asian demand alone. It's easy to see why many investors and producers are encouraged by the export market.

What's interesting is that with the push-back from several West Coast locales to not allow coal export facilities to be built, it's really consolidating the coal market around a few select cities. In fact, five customs districts accounted for 90% of March U.S. coal exports: Norfolk, Va.; New Orleans; Baltimore; Mobile, Ala.; and Houston-Galveston, Texas.

Source: Energy Information Administration.

Let's take a closer look at the impact coal has on these cities and the surrounding area.

Norfolk
The Norfolk area is home to coal-terminal operator Dominion Terminal Associates, among others. The facility is jointly owned by Peabody Energy , Arch Coal , and Alpha Natural Resources , which use it to ship coal around the world. It's a state-of-the-art facility that features many environmental safeguards to keep the 1.7 million net tons of coal storage capacity from causing any environmental damage. Overall, coal exports provide significant economic benefits to Norfolk as well as the state of Virginia as a whole. It's estimated that coal exports contributed to more than 19,000 jobs to the state and added $2.5 billion in related economic value. 

New Orleans
Peabody, along with Kinder Morgan Partners , is using port terminals near New Orleans to export coal that's sourced from Peabody's Powder River Basin and Illinois Basin-sourced coal. Kinder Morgan's International Marine Terminal in Myrtle Grove is currently being expanded to handle the increased coal volumes from Peabody. Alpha Natural Resources also has export capacity in the areas as coal is moved through the United Bulk Terminal and Kinder Morgan's International Marine Terminal. Overall, coal exports accounted for about 2,700 jobs and added nearly $300 million in economic value to the region. 

Baltimore
Pittsburgh-based CONSOL Energy uses its wholly owned Baltimore coal terminal to export its coal to four continents, including many Asian destinations. The company sees the potential to export 5 to 10 metric tons of coal exports this year from the facility. Overall, coal exports account for more than 11,000 jobs in Maryland and about $1 billion in economic value. 

Mobile
The McDuffie Coal Terminal in Mobile is one of the largest coal terminals in the United States. The facility has total annual throughput capacity of 30 million tons, as well as 2.3 million tons of ground storage. Like most other Gulf Coast coal terminals, exporters are looking at capacity expansion options to get more coal onto the world markets. Currently, coal exports contribute about $1.6 billion in economic value to the state of Alabama, as well as more than 12,000 jobs. 

Houston
A second Peabody-contracted Kinder Morgan facility is located in Houston. This facility is also being expanded as part of Kinder Morgan's plan to spend $450 million on coal terminal expansion projects. These projects will help Peabody increase its coal exports from the Gulf Coast to between 5 million and 7 million tons. These projects also benefit Arch Coal, which has signed export agreements with Kinder Morgan surrounding this facility. Texas currently receives just under $500 million in economic value from coal exports, but that's expected to increase as these expansion projects come online. These projects should also boost coal-related employment in the state, up from its current amount of just over 4,000 jobs.  

Final Foolish thoughts
Coal exports in the future are only likely to increase, and with them will come increased economic activity and more jobs. We're seeing exports continue to break records, as a new record was just set this March. That month, exports totaled 13.6 million short tons, nearly 0.9 million short tons above the previous monthly export peak in June 2012. Because of push-back along the West Coast, these five big coal export cities will continue to see infrastructure investments, tax revenue, and jobs as U.S. producers continue to export more coal.

Mr. Softy is buzzing these days. Microsoft stock hit a new five-year high earlier this month, and it moved higher this past week on positive developments with its Windows 8.1 update for its flagship operating system.

However, we can't kid ourselves. Microsoft still has a lot of problems. We were reminded on Friday, when Morgan Stanley analyst Katy Huberty slashed her forecast for the PC market this year. She now sees a 10% decline in PC units shipping this quarter, revised lower from her earlier prediction of a mere 5% decline. 

Yes, she did consider the generally well-received Windows 8 update from earlier in the week. Folks just aren't buying desktops and laptops the way they used to, and that shines a brighter light on Microsoft's shortcomings in the areas that are growing.

Tablets and smartphones are the computing gadgets that are growing these days, and Microsoft trails Apple's iOS and Google's Android badly on both fronts. 

Being a distant bronze medalist isn't fun. It has to shell out payments to hardware makers to support its devices the way it does with Nokia to get its Lumia phones out there. It has to create financial incentives to get developers of the more popular iOS and Android apps to commit to Windows versions of the programs. 

Even an area where Microsoft's lead seemed safe in this country -- video games via its Xbox 360 -- is now in question, after some poorly received restrictive features found gamers shifting their support to rival consoles. Microsoft's eventual about-face on that front was the right call, but it still will have to win back the trust of gamers this holiday shopping season.

Microsoft is growing despite all of the headwinds. Analysts see revenue growing 7% in the fiscal year that ends this weekend, and those same pros are targeting 8% top-line growth through the next 12 months. However, these are uneasy growth targets, as so many of the areas where Microsoft dominated have never been this susceptible to disrupting.

Microsoft stock keeps inching higher through the uncertainties. Apple -- despite being far ahead of Microsoft in the smartphone and tablet markets that are still growing -- is trading 44% below last year's highs.

Apple isn't perfect, naturally, but should both stocks be trading for 11 times forward earnings? Google is fetching a loftier 16 times next year's earnings, but it's the top dog in mobile operating systems. Big G is also growing considerably faster than Microsoft.

Don't confuse Microsoft's buoyant share price with fundamentals that are certainly not the best we've seen at the company in the past five years.

Microsoft has problems. Microsoft stock just isn't priced that way.

With all the volatility in the markets lately, the middle of the year is a great time to take a step back and look at how your investments have done. But how should you conduct your own money checkup?

In the following video, Fool contributor Dan Caplinger discusses how you can avoid making big mistakes with your money by doing a mid-year portfolio review. With big gains in the early part of the year having given way to a correction in recent weeks, Dan notes that you have a good sense of where risks are in the market, with bonds in particular having surprised many investors with the magnitude of their declines. Dan talks about how simple, minor adjustments can usually get the job done, while also discussing some situations in which more dramatic action is warranted.

When does it stop? Starbucks stock just keeps soaring. Shareholders holding the stock over the past five years boast a 300% gain, trouncing the Dow Jones' paltry 32% increase in the same period.

Is it too late to jump in? Definitely not. Here are three reasons Starbucks stock is worth owning.

Economies of scale
The company has more than 11,100 company-owned, Starbucks-branded locations in the U.S. alone. Comparatively, Dunkin' Donuts and Caribou Coffee have 7,200 and 600 points of distribution, respectively.

If the story ended here, Starbucks would already have a large enough lead on competitors for obvious scale advantages. But in the international markets, Starbucks' story gets even better. While Dunkin' Donuts' 3,100 locations outside the U.S. in 30 countries is impressive, Starbucks is far ahead. It has 7,000 stores in 60 countries.

Store growth
Starbucks added 590 net new stores globally in just one quarter. Though 337 of those were Teavana stores, the company still added 253 Starbucks locations in its second quarter of 2013. Comparatively, Dunkin' Donuts added just 108 net new locations in its most recent quarter.

Starbucks won't be slowing store growth any time soon. The company plans to quadruple its 2012 footprint of 500 locations in China by 2015. Fool contributor Tamara Rutter breaks it down for us: "Starbucks plans to open an additional 1,500 locations in China by 2015, and 4,000 stores in the broader China and Asia-Pacific region by the end of the year. At this rate, Starbucks' international business is on track to outpace that of Starbucks' U.S. division by 2022." And that's just China.

Food
"Responding to customer demand for more wholesome and delicious food options," explained a June 4 press release, Starbucks acquired La Boulange in 2012.

The goal? To "bring the artistry of the French bakery to the marketplace in a similar way that Starbucks brought the romance of the Italian espresso bar to many North American coffee consumers for the first time," described the press release from Starbucks announcing the acquisition.

Now, with the help of La Boulange's renowned French baker Pascal Rigo, Starbucks wants to shake things up with food, too. Sounds ambitious? It is.

Yet Fool contributor Demitrios Kalogeropoulos thinks that Starbucks' Food expansion is its most important growth driver. He thinks the addition of food can "double-check averages over time" and boost same-store sales growth.

Is there upside left to Starbucks stock?
Starbucks' growth era is far from over. Sure, 33 times earnings is a high price to pay, but the company looks poised to deliver over the long haul.

Man of Steel broke the June record for a box office debut and has raked in more than $400 million in ticket sales as of this writing. But is the payoff worth it? Fool contributor Tim Beyers says DC Entertainment parent Time Warner is taking a big risk by making Superman unrecognizable at times during the film.

A darker tale, spun by director Zack Snyder with help from screenwriter David S. Goyer and executive producer Christopher Nolan, Man of Steel saw a 65% drop in grosses in its second weekend, according to data compiled by Box Office Mojo.

Could it be because Henry Cavill's Superman is no boy scout? Unlike the common legend of the hero who stands for "truth, justice, and the American way," Snyder and Goyer show us a shy, confused, and angry "hero" who transforms into a living weapon of mass destruction on screen, Tim says.

Audiences say they enjoy the film. Of the more than 81,000 to rate it at Rotten Tomatoes, 82% say they like it. Iron Man 3 earns a similar score, but on more than 200,000 ratings.

Meanwhile, Man of Steel is left to contend with another surprise Walt Disney hit, Monsters University, as it continues its run in theaters. (The return of Mike and Sully -- the lovable characters from Pixar's Monsters Inc. -- opened with $82.4 million at the U.S. gate.)

Will Man of Steel regain box office momentum this weekend? Maybe. For investors, what matters is that Snyder and Goyer have introduced a version of Superman that is materially different from what watchers of the earlier movies and old TV shows will remember. Think of it as an all-in bet on the future of Warner's oldest and perhaps most vital brand, Tim says.

Do you like the new Superman? Please watch the video to get Tim's full take on Time Warner's strategy, and then let us know whether you saw Man of Steel, and if so, what you thought of the film.

Ford CEO Alan Mulally is a very reasonable guy -- but lately, he's been quoted in the business press with some very tough talk about Japan. Mulally says the Japanese government is manipulating its currency to give Japanese automakers an advantage -- part of the prime minister's efforts to jump-start Japan's slow economy.

Is Mulally right to be angry? In this video, Fool contributor John Rosevear looks at what's actually happening, and what's at stake for Ford -- and at why Alan Mulally might be right to be worried about Ford's Japanese rivals.

In this edition of The Motley Fool's Market Checkup, health-care analysts David Williamson and Max Macaluso discuss emerging treatments for obesity. From Mayor Bloomberg's controversial soda ban in New York to new medications just hitting the market, this continues to be a hotly debated disease.

The POTUS has spoken: Climate change is real, it's dangerous, and we're going to do stuff to stop it. The president announced his latest climate change policy last week, and big changes are in store for some utilities. Let's look at how Obama's latest might affect Exelon stock.

The facts
Regardless of your (or my, for that matter) opinions on climate change, there are a few facts that unavoidably put utilities at the center of the climate change debate. In 2011, electricity production accounted for 33% of all greenhouse gas emissions, beating out transportation's 28% and industry's 20%. Power plants, specifically, are the source of 40% of all domestic greenhouse gas pollution.

Source: whitehouse.gov. 

To understand where Exelon stock falls into the mix, our most important metric is generation sources. Although utilities rely on regulated earnings for portions of their profits, the president's new policies promise to seek out the sources, making regulated or unregulated earnings alike cheaper or more expensive -- depending on the source.

Exelon stock's electricity
Currently, Exelon packs more than its fair share of nuclear. At around 19,000 MW, this utility alone produces around 20% of the nation's total nuclear-sourced power. But although Exelon is undoubtedly the nuclear king, utilities can't really "dabble" with this power source. Its capital-intensive nature requires significant investment, and Duke Energy and FirstEnergy are two companies that have significant stakes.

Duke Energy's nuclear capacity clocks in at 8,450 MW, or 17% of its total generation. More recently, however, the utility has been backing off nuclear. In February, it announced plans to retire a Florida plant in need of an expensive repair, and in May the company suspended plans to apply for new nuclear sites in North Carolina.

FirstEnergy relies on nuclear for 20% of its total generation, churning out 3,990 MW for its smaller-sized company. But unlike Exelon, FirstEnergy also has a massive 64% reliance on coal, another energy source scrutinized by environmental analysts. "Clean coal" seems to be in the clear for emissions-reducing technologies, but traditional power plants could require retirement or expensive modernization.

Does Obama agree with nuclear?
With Exelon's eggs in the nuclear basket, the president's sentiments on this energy source will make or break Exelon stock. Fortunately for Exelon stock owners, the POTUS gave two thumbs up to nuclear.

Obama cites nuclear as one of the clean energy technologies that will "continue to drive American leadership" and will promote its international use through "support for the safe and secure use of nuclear power."

In the 21-page document outlining his policy, the president mentions nuclear energy only eight times -- but eight times is enough. Investors wanted clarity about nuclear's future, and President Obama did that and nothing more. Exelon stock is in the clear, and as natural gas prices continue to rise, nuclear could become an even bigger energy backbone than it already is.

Box office hits can be hard to predict. Just ask DreamWorks Animation , whose 2012 results were torpedoed by poor ticket sales for its film Rise of the Guardians.

However, the company behind hits such as Kung Fu Panda and Puss in Boots is busy diversifying its business so that in the future it won't need each theatrical release to be a Jack Black-fueled blockbuster. In the following video, Fool contributor Demitrios Kalogeropoulos explains how DreamWorks' latest deals with Netflix are making it less dependent on box office revenue, and why that's great news for DreamWorks' shareholders.

In many ways it seems like a silly question: Of course General Motors is an American company. GM's headquarters is here, it has massive manufacturing and design operations here, and brands like Chevrolet and Cadillac are about as American as brands get.

But from an investing perspective, is that really the right way to think about GM nowadays? In this video, Fool.com contributor John Rosevear looks at the increasing importance of GM's non-U.S. operations - and at why anyone considering an investment in GM needs to take much more than the American market into account.

There are few pieces of legislation that have worked their way into law with as many unknowns attached to them as the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. Also known as Obamacare, the PPACA is set to reform the entire health care system as we know it.

Source: White House on Flickr.

By mandating that individuals carry health insurance and requiring health-benefits providers to spend at least 80% of collected premiums on patient care while turning no one with preexisting conditions away, it's the hope of President Obama that quality of care and consumer access to health care will improve while premium costs fall. It's certainly a daring and revolutionary bill, filled with plenty of promise, and quite a few potential pitfalls.

However, the PPACA itself isn't set to go into full effect for another six months. In the interim there are far more pressing issues the administration has to deal with prior to its implementation. Namely, the technological implementation of the state- and government-run health exchanges and the educational aspect of getting the American public ready to purchase health insurance through new mediums. Both factors loom large with 50 state health exchanges needing to be ready by Oct. 1, just 93 days from today.

Technology is going to be a big hurdle
It's often forgotten as a crucial component to Obamacare, but the technology behind the state-run exchanges promises to be some of the most complex we've ever seen.

To begin with, the IT-interface isn't simply transferring information between point A and point B. There are actually a number of variables that need to be taken into account, such as whether a citizen, based on his or her income, would qualify for some sort of health insurance subsidy. In order for this to happen, a string of events needs to occur, including the verification of income from the Social Security department, eligibility rules from Medicaid, possible tax credits from the IRS, referrals from state agencies, and potential subsidies from the U.S. Treasury. One system has to be able to link all of these agencies simultaneously -- and not only do that, but get it done and be fully operational within the next 93 days! 

It'd be a daunting task if all 50 states chose to set up their own exchanges using federal funds and if the contracted companies had years to do it in. Unfortunately, that hasn't been the case. Only 16 states chose to set up their own state-run exchanges. This means, in addition to overseeing the development of the infrastructure which will streamline the purchasing of individual health insurance, the government must also oversee the implementation of 34 state health exchanges on its own.

According to the Government Accountability Office, $394 million has been spent by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services since the PPACA was passed in 2010 through March 31, 2013, in prepping for the Oct. 1, 2013, launch. Thus far, there have been numerous delays, but, according to the GAO, nothing that would put the exchange launch date off its target. Reviewing the GAO's contractor report, there are some key players responsible for developing this highly integrated cloud-based health information system for the government. 

Perhaps no name stands out more in this process than Quality Software Systems, which was awarded a $55 million contract in 2011 to develop the federal data services hub that'll be responsible for certifying health plans being offered and ensuring they remain within compliance. The interesting thing worth noting here is that UnitedHealth Group subsidiary Optum actually purchased Quality Software Systems in 2012. This means a subsidiary of the largest health insurer in the country is helping develop the software that'll house health-benefits data.

Another beneficiary has been advisory firms like Booz Allen Hamilton which, based on the GAO's release, had been granted close to $38 million in contracts for consulting and technical advisory services as of March. Helping out the technical teams with everything from oversight and eligibility to the actual support and integration of all of this technology, Booz Allen Hamilton's reputation has a lot riding on a successful launch. 

Staffing and education won't be forgotten
Although the technical side of the exchanges is one part of the puzzle, hiring and training an adequate number of staff to help with the October  rollout in each state, and educating the public about their options, is an entirely different, and difficult, ballgame.  

One of the bigger question marks relates to staff training. The GAO recently noted that the original plan for state-run exchanges was to have two grants, one in July and one in September, to help train the staff that will be at the front lines of helping people select their health insurance. The CMS, however, fell two months behind on these grants, and now there will be just one, in August.

The other key component that goes along with training the staff behind the technology is actually getting the word out to the public. You might think that Obamacare has been publicized enough since 2010 that everyone would have at least a rough outline of how the health care landscape will change next year, but that couldn't be further from the truth.

In March, a Kaiser Health Tracking Poll discovered that 48% of respondents reported hearing nothing at all with regard to whether their state was setting up a health exchange. Even more frightening, a poll by Kaiser Health released in early May showed that 42% of respondents were unaware that the PPACA was the law of the land. Furthermore, nearly one-quarter had no clue what the status of the bill was.

On top of being a concern for the government, staffing and education are a big concern for our nation's largest insurers, which have angled their growth toward adding on the roughly 16 million low-income earners who will now qualify for Medicaid. WellPoint purchased Amerigroup for $4.5 billion, CIGNA ponied up $3.8 billion for Healthspring, and Aetna is buying Coventry Health Care for $5.7 billion, all with the purpose of locking up Medicaid-based members and the government money that comes along with them. If the education side of Obamacare fails to reach these currently uninsured individuals who could qualify for this subsidized health care, these three companies are going to be negatively affected.

Is the Fed ready?
The GAO has noted multiple delays in the technical and staffing aspects leading up to Oct. 1., but as of now the project remains on course. As for me, I would use history as a reference point in determining whether the Fed is ready.

For example, in 2003 the Medicaid Modernization Act was passed into law, however, it wasn't fully implemented until 2006 as Kaiser Health News notes. In the three years leading up to its implementation, numerous IT systems checks were run and work from a technological aspect continued all the way up to, and even after, its implementation. The initial rollout, though, was marked by numerous glitches that were eventually ironed out over time.

It's quite possible that consumers and insurers alike could be in for a rough couple of months as the trial-and-error phase sets in. Overall, I do suspect the government will meet its deadline, but would be surprised to see everything go off without a hitch.

Expansionary monetary policy has been the order of the day under multiple rounds of quantitative easing, but last week, the Federal Reserve gave its strongest indication yet that those days may be over. For some time, the Fed has pumped $85 billion per month into the economy as a part of its expansionary monetary policy aimed at stimulus. Signs that the labor market is stabilizing may change this approach by the middle of next year.

In the following video below, Fool.com contributor Doug Ehrman discusses the impact that expansionary monetary policy has had on miners such as Barrick Gold and Goldcorp , and he looks at what the end of this era could mean for those companies.

On this day in economic and business history ...

Thomas Edison is more closely linked to the development and spread of electricity through the world than any other person -- with the possible exception of Nikola Tesla. However, neither Edison nor Tesla had a hand in the first utility-scale distribution of electric power. That honor goes to George Roe, a forgotten pioneer who created the world's first electric utility in northern California. Archie Green, writing for the Fund for Labor Culture and History, offers this enlightening background on the company's origins:

On June 30, 1879, George Roe, a Canadian broker living in San Francisco, incorporated the California Electric Light Company. In September, the visionary firm produced and transmitted electricity for commercial sale to 21 privately owned arc lamps from the first central power station in the world. The primitive plant -- actually a shed of four-by-four timber uprights and walls of sheet iron -- enclosed a steam engine and boiler, a huge coal pile, and two small dynamos (patented April 24, 1877 by engineer Charles Brush for Cleveland's Telegraph Supply Company). ...

The CELC's wood-frame shanty with a coal-fired steam boiler did not survive a year. On April 24, 1880, when it succumbed to fire, its employees equipped a new plant at 117 O'Farrell Street. Demand for electricity expanded as incandescent lamps replaced arc lights. Accordingly, the CELC moved to 220 Jessie Street where it built a plain brick building.

The CELC grew throughout the 19th century, but it was nearly destroyed by the catastrophic earthquake that struck San Francisco in 1906. It became part of Pacific Gas and Electric shortly after the city rebuilt. Today, PG&E is not only the largest public utility company in the United States, but it's also continued the legacy of the CELC as one of the world's most innovative utilities. It was the first utility in the United States to operate a nuclear power plant, and it currently commands by far the largest solar-energy capacity of any utility in the country.

Two great telecoms, better together
Verizon  was created on June 30, 2000,  with the merger of Bell Atlantic and GTE. The Verizon name had already been in use for nearly three months as a result of Bell Atlantic's wireless partnership with Vodafone. This partnership, Verizon Wireless, got a major boost with the merger, which added GTE's significant mobile subscriber assets to what immediately became the largest mobile carrier in the United States. Verizon itself was also quite a force to be reckoned with, as the two telecoms combined for $57 billion in annual revenue for the 1999 fiscal year. Between them, they served 77 million wired phone lines.

Verizon became the 10th-largest company in the United States  by revenue on the Fortune 500 rankings for 2001, its first full year of operation. It did far better on profits, placing fourth, ahead of every single tech company that had been so red-hot the year before. However, the telecom leader had slipped to 16th on the list by its 10th full year. Its profitability  has also been in a slow but steady long-term decline, and by 2011 Verizon's net income was weaker than that of many companies with less revenue. However, its stake in Verizon Wireless, the largest mobile carrier in the United States, as well as its substantial fixed-line and broadband connection assets, easily justify Verizon's place on the Dow Jones Industrial Average . Connectivity is a foundation of American industry these days, after all.

A book series of biblical proportions
J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone was first released in the United Kingdom on June 30, 1997. More commonly known as Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone because of a title change on its American release, the young-adult fantasy novel would set the stage for the most popular book series in history. The seventh book, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, was released in 2007, and like all previous books, it was also made into a blockbuster movie.

J.K. Rowling became the world's first billionaire author as a result of Harry Potter's astounding success -- it is estimated that the series sold more than 450 million combined copies, and the film series' eight installments earned more than $7.7 billion at the worldwide box office for distributor Time Warner . All told, the Harry Potter brand is estimated to have generated at least $25 billion in global sales (and possibly much more) since its creation, which is way more money than you can wave a magic wand at.

American muscle for the modern era
The first Chevrolet Corvette rolled off a General Motors assembly line on June 30, 1953. This early model was the first car to ever be made with an all-fiberglass body, but it wasn't part of a big production run -- only 300 'Vettes were built in 1953. All of them came in white, with red interiors and black convertible tops, and GM sold them for $3,500 apiece -- equal to about $31,000 today.

The first-year 'Vette wasn't worthy of being called a sports car, though, as it ran on an underpowered six-cylinder truck engine controlled by a two-speed automatic. It wasn't until GM dropped a small-block V-8 under the hood that sales began to pick up, as the underpowered little fiberglass car was molded into a beastly performance machine, with design cues to match. The purpose-built 'Vettes began to compete with major sports cars from Europe and England, winning over the American car-buying public. Shortly after its 39th anniversary, the millionth Corvette rolled off its assembly line, leaving little doubt that the venerable model was both enduringly popular with the public and strongly supported by GM's top brass. Today's top-of-the-line 'Vettes can compete with the most muscular (legal) cars on the road, but they're not likely to set you back by as much as any competing car.

For the past year, Barnes & Noble has been rowing its little boat in unforgiving waters -- borne up and down on the waves, but pulled ever on by tireless effort. Unfortunately the little boat also had a full-grown elephant duct-taped to its side -- that didn't help. But now the company has cut the Nook free, and it's not even pausing to watch the gray trunk sink under as it presses ever forward.

OK, maybe it's not that dramatic.

The Nook fades away
But there's no denying that the biggest news to come out of Barnes & Noble's presentation Tuesday was the demise of the Nook. The business had been sucking cash out of the company, and last fiscal year, the Nook division brought in a $475 million EBITDA loss. That's a lot of money to lose out the door when you're competing with a behemoth like Amazon.com .

So Barnes & Noble -- kind of -- canned the Nook. In reality, it's going to continue to make Nook-branded readers, and it's going to work with a hardware manufacturer to make Nook tablets, but it's done making them itself. For the sake of investing, let's consider the Nook buried for now, and look at what -- if anything -- Barnes & Noble has to offer.

Bookstores and books
As it turns out, Barnes & Noble actually sells books. Over the same year that the Nook lost $475 million, the retail and college portions of Barnes & Noble generated a combined $485 million in EBITDA. That's not too bad. It's also cash that Barnes & Noble can now use to fight the physical battle against Amazon.

On the earnings call yesterday, management was hesitant to say just what it was going to do with all that new cash, but we can imagine. It could expand into smaller locations, as Best Buy has done with its mobile locations. It could issue a dividend, which it hasn't done for a while. It could buy back shares, while they're depressed. The options are seemingly endless and all positive.

I'd love to see the money go right back into the business. Amazon is still the big dog in the kennel, but it may be losing out on physical book sales. CEO Jeff Bezos said last December's physical book sales growth was the lowest it had ever been, at 5%. Amazon is clearly making up for that slower growth with fantastic digital content sales, but the physical space is a good opportunity for a revived Barnes & Noble.

Moving into the next phase of life
Borders proved the point years ago, and Best Buy has recently replayed it, but it's pretty clear that the huge box-store model isn't as sustainable as everyone thought it would be. Barnes & Noble could make the same scale-back move that Best Buy is making. The electronics retailer is focusing on its strengths, such as mobile, by increasing the floor space devoted to its winners and opening small locations with just mobile offerings .

Barnes & Noble could make a similar move, countering Amazon's cheap shipping with small stores that focus on best-sellers, but that also offer free, quick ship-to-store facilities for non-best-selling titles. That would help the company increase its overall footprint, while keeping costs lower. If it were me, I'd consider shutting down a lot of the boxes and replacing them in the same communities with smaller locations.

Barnes & Noble finally feels as if it's back in charge of its own destiny. The Nook was dragging the business around, and no one could think about the future without bringing tablets into the mix. Hopefully, Barnes & Noble can now focus on what it still does well -- selling books.

Darden Restaurants just closed out a tough year. Sales at the company's flagship Red Lobster, Olive Garden, and LongHorn Steakhouse locations fell hard this past winter as value-minded customers flocked to cheaper alternatives.

In the following video, Fool contributor Demitrios Kalogeropoulos talks about how Darden has responded to the exodus, noting one recent good sign: a bounce in traffic back to its Olive Garden restaurants. The bad news for investors, though, is that Darden has had to sacrifice profits to get customers back into those booths.

The following video is from Friday's installment of The Motley Fool's Weekly Tech Review, in which host Chris Hill and analysts Eric Bleeker and Jason Moser look at the biggest stories driving the tech sector this week.

Streaming Internet radio provider Pandora has been clashing with artists recently over the amount it pays them to use their content. Artists such as Pink Floyd have penned widely read editorials criticizing the size of the paychecks artists are receiving for the millions of streams of their songs on Pandora. The company has fired back, noting the wide disparity in the percent of revenue it pays to artists relative to terrestrial radio or Sirius XM . Currently, Pandora pays roughly half of its revenue in song royalties while terrestrial radio pays out closer to 1.7% of its revenues. Convoluting matters is that the recent announcement of iTunes Radio included per-song rates that were slightly higher than what Pandora plays. 

In this segment, Jason and Eric discuss Pandora, whether or not its payments to artists are unfair, and what the endgame is for Pandora as it aims to stay competitive against new streaming services, such as the one Apple is launching.

The full video is available here.

The relevant video segment can be found between 4:46 and 8:10.