Here are some highlights from this past week's earnings coverage from BloggingStocks:

• AnnTaylor Stores Corp. (NYSE: ANN) reported a smaller-than-expected Q1 loss as sales slumped.
• Barnes & Noble Inc. (NYSE: BKS) smaller-than-expected Q1 net loss sent shares higher.
• Children's Place Retail Stores Inc. (NASDAQ: PLCE) solid Q1 results were in line with expectations.
• Dick's Sporting Goods Inc. (NYSE: DKS) posted higher-than-expected Q1 results but same-store sales fell.
• Gap Inc. (NYSE: GPS) lower Q1 earnings beat expectations and lower revenue was in line.

I have ridiculed Starbucks (NASDAQ: SBUX) in the past, but I actually have to give them some props for trying something new. Of course, this newest move is a double-edged sword, but we'll deal with that in a moment.

According to The New York Times, SBUX will display new advertising posters in six major cities and will try "to harness the power of online social networking sites by challenging people to hunt for the posters on Tuesday and be the first to post a photo of one using Twitter."

McDonald's (NYSE: MCD) has always been known for its famous French fries. Interestingly enough, though, it seems to me that the fast-food chain is becoming known these days for its coffee. I never thought McDonald's would invest as much as it has in coffee, but it looks like it's doing the right thing. According to this Bizjournals piece, McDonald's is putting its weight behind a coffee-bar initiative called McCafe. The program is being tested in various locations now and will be available nationally sometime next year.

I love the timing on this. After all, Starbucks (NASDAQ: SBUX) isn't doing so well. Not only is its stock hovering around 52-week-low territory, but the java king recently announced some store closings. That's almost unimaginable. Remember the days when every street corner needed a Starbucks? Yeah, those days are long gone. And I think McDonald's is smart in attempting to expand the brand equity of its coffee-brand portfolio. People need more of a reason to go to the palace of the hamburger-serving clown than just Big Macs these days, since the Big Mac and its various fat-saturated colleagues aren't as popular in these health-conscious times. I'm not saying drinking coffee is an exercise in life preservation, I'm just saying that it's good for McDonald's to focus on less controversial fare.

This significant foray into coffee is arguably a key reason for the company's stellar stock performance over the last few years and its competitive edge against rivals Burger King (NYSE: BKC) and Wendy's (NYSE: WEN). According to the AOL Finance snapshot, McDonald's is very much in the green for every timeframe save for year-to-date, which sees the stock down less than 1%. That's strength. McDonald's is a little below its 52-week high, and it might make for an interesting investment idea. At the very least, you can look forward to its McCafe program.

Disclosure: I don't own any company mentioned; positions can change at any time.

Our "Duh of the Week" award goes to the web site Hot or Not, which discontinued its free dating service when it was overrun by spam and fake profiles. Apparently, they thought the idea that people would present themselves honestly on the internet was hot. It was not.
via Mashable

Under Armour (NYSE: UA) and Warnaco Group's (NASDAQ: WRNC) Speedo received some free publicity that will test the axiom that there is no such thing as bad publicity when it was revealed that a couple of detainees at the government's Club for Terrorists in Guantanamo were discovered to be wearing Under Armor briefs and/or Speedo bathing suits. Officials at Gitmo, according to a letter leaked to Boing Boing, are investigating the prisoner's attorneys/ fashion consultants as possible culprits.
via Boing Boing

Several items from Reg Dunlap's Small Print column in Metropolis Tokyo caught our attention this week.

• The Omachi Digger Wasp Lovers Group has convinced a local company to market a rice cracker using their favorite insect as the main ingredient. But is it trans-fat free?
• Apparently, the all-night net cafes in Tokyo have become favorite overnight haunts for an estimated 5,400 homeless web junkies.
• The first McDonald's (NYSE: MCD) McCafe to open in Toyko had a line of over 1,000 waiting to get in.

Finally, remembering that there are companies in the business of finding good names for companies and products, I have to take my hat off to the geniuses that named the Stiff Nipples Air Conditioning Service.