Amy Winehouse

Amy Winehouse left a London police station Saturday after questioning about reports that she scuffled with two men during a raucous night out. She received a formal police caution for assault.

AMEX Lifts Dow

The Dow and S&P rose on Friday, after signs that American Express Co was holding its own amid the economic slowdown, but Microsoft Corp's weak profit forecast pulled down the Nasdaq.

Dow Ends Up 43

Wall Street ended its second straight winning week with a moderate advance Friday, overcoming concerns about consumer confidence and inflation.

Oil Prices Rise Sharply

Oil prices rose sharply Friday on news that a ship under contract to the U.S. Defense Department fired warning shots at two boats in the Persian Gulf. Retail gas prices as expected rose further into record territory, nearing $3.60 a gallon.

Northwest Matches Fare Increases

Northwest said Friday night it will match the approximately 3 percent to 5 percent increases first implemented Thursday by United Airlines and matched by Delta Air Lines, American Airlines and Continental Airlines.
Jim Cron, senior vice president of revenue management, said Northwest made the move "to offset the extraordinarily high cost of fuel."
The fare increase comes on the heels of Northwest's earnings report this week, which showed a $4.1 billion loss in the first quarter, almost all of it from a massive accounting charge.

Goodyear Q1 profit

Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. said Friday that it swung to a profit in the first quarter by focusing on higher-priced tires and strong international markets. But the company says it will cut tire production in North America, where sales have been sluggish.

Tax Rebates on Monday

President Bush said tax rebates will start going out Monday, earlier than previously announced, and should help Americans cope with rising gasoline and food prices, as well as aid a slumping economy.

Wesley Snipes Jailed 3 Years

A "very sorry" Wesley Snipes, star of the "Blade" movies, was sentenced to three years in prison on Thursday for willfully failing to file U.S. income tax returns for 1999 through 2001.
Snipes was convicted in February on three misdemeanor counts. U.S. District Judge William Terrell Hodges handed down the maximum sentence and said he felt it was important to create a general deterrent against tax defiance.

Clinton 200K Victory

Talk about math wars: Sen. Hillary Clinton, flush with her 200,000-vote win in the Pennsylvania primary, is suggesting that the popular vote should settle the presidential nomination.
But that plan, aimed at swaying the superdelegates to the Democratic convention this summer, is built on some shaky calculations -- or may depend improbably on Puerto Rico, a U.S. territory that can't vote for president.
Within hours of the Pennsylvania victory, the Clinton campaign announced that "more people have voted for Hillary than any other candidate," a claim that was widely thought to be aimed at the party honchos who will break the impasse between Sen. Clinton and rival Barack Obama.

Apple's Profit Jumps

Apple Inc.'s fiscal second-quarter profit jumped 36 percent on blistering sales of Macintosh computers — and beat Wall Street estimates — but its stock dipped on a lower-than-expected profit forecast.

The Mac and iPod maker is believed to be especially vulnerable to slowing consumer spending in the United States because of its stronger presence here than overseas, a factor that has contributed to a 20 percent decline in Apple's stock price since the start of the year.
Another factor weighing on Apple during the second and third quarters is the company's decision to delay recognizing iPhone sales until a software upgrade for the multimedia gadget is shipped this summer.
But the company has traditionally issued conservative financial forecasts, and sales in the United States were particularly strong in the latest quarter. So many investors were left scratching their heads about how to interpret Apple's guidance.
Apple shares fell $1.18, or less than 1 percent, to $161.71 in after-hours trading, climbing back from a dip of nearly 5 percent right after the close of trading and the release of the earnings report. The shares had closed up $2.69, or 1.7 percent, at $162.89, during the regular session.
"The stock was all over the place, but I thought it was a great quarter," said Jane Snorek, senior analyst of technology stocks at First American Funds.
"The most important part is that the Apple consumer seems to be immune to economic weakness," she said. "This is a very U.S.-centric story. The guidance could have been horrendous. They could have said they were seeing pricing pressure, or the stores weren't doing well. But I see it as, I'm perfectly safe buying the stock now."
The Cupertino-based company earned $1.05 billion, or $1.16 per share, in its second quarter, which ended March 29. That's 9 cents per share better than what analysts surveyed by Thomson Financial were expecting on average.
During the same period last year, Apple earned $770 million, or 87 cents per share.
Revenue jumped 43 percent in the period to $7.51 billion — also beating Wall Street's expectations. Analysts were predicting Apple would rake in $6.96 billion.
Apple said this year brought the strongest sales and earnings performance during the March quarter in Apple's history.
Apple's chief financial officer, Peter Oppenheimer, would not specifically address in an interview how Apple might be affected by slowing domestic consumer spending, but he noted that Apple's sales growth overall is expected to continue accelerating, a sign the company is faring well despite the economic downturn.
Management is aware of the economic pressures but is focused on running the company, which performed "exceptionally well" and turned in an "awesome" quarter, he said.
The company forecast profits for the fiscal third quarter of $1 per share, short of the $1.10 per share in the average analyst estimate and at the low end of what all analysts polled were expecting.

Amazon Profits Rise in Q1

Web retailer Amazon.com Inc. said Wednesday that its first-quarter profit rose 29 percent, helped by solid sales in the U.S. and abroad.

But a variety of factors, including slower growth in U.S. sales, international margin troubles and lower guidance for the full fiscal year pushed shares down $4.25, or 5.2 percent, to $76.75 in after-hours trading. The stock had closed up $1.40 at $81.
Quarterly earnings climbed to $143 million, or 34 cents per share, from $111 million, or 26 cents per share, in the same period last year.
Those results beat Wall Street's expectations. Analysts surveyed by Thomson Financial had forecast a profit of 32 cents per share.
Revenue increased 37 percent to $4.14 billion from $3.02 billion in the year-ago quarter.

Delta Northwest lose 10.5 Billion on Fuel Charges

The figures from Delta and Northwest follow large losses at other carriers, such as United Airlines parent UAL Corp., which earlier this week reported a $537 million first-quarter loss on higher fuel costs, and likely rank among the industry's largest quarterly losses ever.
That red ink puts into focus the enormity of the challenge the industry faces to become profitable again amid $120-a-barrel oil — even with the benefits that consolidation can bring.
"All airlines are in the same boat," said Calyon Securities analyst Ray Neidl. "The industry cannot make money at the current ticket fare levels. Seats have to come out of the market. To cover higher fuel costs, air fares have to go up."
Atlanta-based Delta Air Lines Inc., the nation's third-largest carrier, said its loss widened in the first quarter to a whopping $6.39 billion. A few hours later, Eagan, Minn.-based Northwest Airlines Corp. reported a $4.1 billion loss for the period.
Delta's results badly missed Wall Street expectations, despite a 12 percent increase in sales.
Excluding special items — primarily a $6.1 billion non-cash charge relating to the drop in Delta's market value due to sustained record fuel prices — the airline lost $274 million in the first quarter. A spokeswoman said Delta would have recorded the charge regardless of the tie-up with Northwest.
Northwest took a $3.9 billion charge of its own related to its market value decline. Its loss came despite a 9 percent increase in sales, and Northwest, too, missed analysts' earnings expectations.
Excluding the accounting charge and losses from some fuel hedges, Northwest said it would have lost $191 million in the quarter.
In a memo to Delta employees Wednesday, Ed Bastian, Delta's president and chief financial officer, said the airline expects some of its peers to record similar accounting adjustments.
John Heimlich, chief economist for the Air Transport Association, said the industry is now likely to report a "multibillion loss" this year.
"When all the results are in, this will be one of the worst quarters for the industry in its history," he said.

Hillary Clinton Wins Big

"The big win that I had, the broad base of coalition that I put together, is exactly what we're going to need to have in the fall," the former first lady said, arguing that her Pennsylvania victory showed she was more electable than her rival. "And in fact that's what I've done, in big states, in swing states," since the campaign began, she told CBS.
Obama disputed that, saying he had defeated Clinton in primaries or caucuses in several general election battleground states and would "have a much better chance of winning" them in the fall. He mentioned Virginia, Colorado, Wisconsin and Iowa.
He also countered Clinton's suggestions that he's not tough enough to shoulder the presidency. "You know, I've always believed that if you're tough, you don't have to talk about it," he said.
With her win, Clinton made only a modest dent in Obama's overall delegate lead, and she has virtually no prospect of overtaking him before the primary season ends on June 3. Instead, she hopes to convince party leaders who will attend the national convention as superdelegates that she is better able to defeat Republican John McCain in November, and persuade them to swing behind her candidacy as a result.
With a handful of Pennsylvania delegates yet to be awarded, Obama had 1,723.5 and Clinton had 1,592.5 in The Associated Press nationwide count. It takes 2,025 to clinch the nomination.
Clinton said donors had contributed more than $3 million to her candidacy in the hours since her Pennsylvania victory, some of it from thousands of new donors. Her campaign said she was on track for raising $10 million in the first 24 hours after her victory.
Financial reports on file with the Federal Election Commission underscored her need. Obama showed more than $40 million in cash on hand as of April 1, while her debts of $10 million exceeded her cash of just over $9 million.
McCain sought to strengthen his credentials as an unconventional Republican, campaigning in a poor region of Kentucky following stops earlier in the week in Selma, Ala., site of a historic civil rights march, and Youngstown, Ohio, a down-at-the-mouth steel city.
He spent part of Wednesday in an intramural dispute, unsuccessfully urging the North Carolina Republican Party not to air a commercial that shows Obama's former minister, Rev. Jeremiah Wright, denouncing the United States from the pulpit.
The commercial says both Democratic candidates in the state gubernatorial primary support Obama, whom it labels "just too extreme for North Carolina."
"The television advertisement you are planning to air degrades our civics and distracts us from the very real differences we have with the Democrats," McCain wrote Linda Daves, North Carolina party chairwoman. "In the strongest terms, I implore you to not run this advertisement."
Daves turned the request aside, saying, "It is entirely appropriate for voters to evaluate candidates based on their past associations."

Blockbuster Total Access

Here are the details on Blockbuster Unlimited Movie Rentals

Offer valid for new customers only; cannot be combined with any other offer. For those getting a free or discounted trial, limit one per household. Requires internet access, a valid e-mail address and a valid credit/check card or checking account for payment of monthly fee. If you do not cancel your subscription prior to the end of your free or discounted trial period, your subscription automatically renews at the applicable monthly fee for the plan selected (plus taxes) until cancelled. If you cancel your subscription prior to the end of your free or discounted trial period, BLOCKBUSTER Online rentals must be returned no later than ten (10)days past the expiration date of your trial to avoid additional charges. *BLOCKBUSTER Total Access In-store exchange: In-store exchange of online DVD rentals is good for free movie rentals and discounted game rentals only. Some plans limit the number of in-store exchanges per calendar month. Exchanges for discounted game rentals count towards monthly exchange limit. Online DVD rentals must be presented at the checkout counter of a participating BLOCKBUSTER® store in the return mail envelope provided by BLOCKBUSTER Online. In-store movie rental or discounted game rental must be taken in same transaction as online movie return. Separate, complimentary in-store membership required. In-store rentals are subject to store rental terms and conditions, including due dates and charges which may apply to rentals not returned by the due date. Your store membership account must be in good standing for you to use your free or discounted in-store rentals, including coupons (if any) and BLOCKBUSTER Total Access exchanges. If your account is not in good standing the store may not allow you to rent until your account is brought back into good standing. You may still return online rentals to a participating store. See store for complete in-store rental terms and conditions. In-store rentals must be returned to the store where they were originally rented. See your receipt for store location and due dates. **Value Message: Based on a member renting and returning two sets of DVDs in one month on the 3 out plan (with 5 in-store movie exchanges) for a total of 6 online rentals. Five (5) online rentals are then exchanged in-store for a free movie rental under BLOCKBUSTER Total Access, valued at the average in-store movie rental price of $4.00 each, totaling $20 in one month. Adding that to the base membership fee of $19.99 for the 3 out plan gives you a total monthly value of $40. Actual value may vary depending on usage and actual in-store rental price.

Free 30 Day Trial of MarketWatchs' Hulbert Interactive Newsletter

If you are looking for a free 30 day trial of MarketWatch's Hulbert Interactive Newsletter, you have come to the right place.

Hulbert Interactive is Mark Hulbert's online, interactive tool for researching and rating the performance of investment newsletters and advisors.

Since 1980, Mark Hulbert’s monthly newsletter, The Hulbert Financial Digest, has helped steer investors toward the best-performing stock market letters ... and helped warn them away from the losers ... so that they can maximize the profits earned from the investment advice they buy.
USA Today calls The Hulbert Financial Digest "the bible on who gives the best investment newsletter advice." Barron’s says the HFD is "well-researched and informative … and it doesn’t pull any punches."
The Hulbert Financial Digest is not an investment advisor. It's a completely independent, impartial, and authoritative rating service that arms you with the facts about stock and mutual fund investment newsletter performance.

Click here to get your free 30 day trial!

Wall Street Journal Print Edition

If you are looking for the Wall Street Journal print edition, you can get it for 79 dollars per year and receive two weeks free.

Simply click here to get started!

The Wall Street Journal

The Wall Street Journal is a great newspaper. If you are looking for good, solid information, you should try the Wall Street Journal. I have the Wall Street Journal and I have been reading it for years.

Robert Gates

The Senate voted overwhelmingly Wednesday to confirm Robert Gates as defense secretary, with Democrats and Republicans portraying him as the man who will help overhaul President Bush's Iraq policies.

James Kim

James Kim's body was discovered about seven miles from his car in Oregon's snowy Klamath Mountains, two days after his wife and two daughters were rescued from the vehicle, stuck on a remote road. Kim had set out on foot over the weekend to find help.
Kim's body was at the foot of the Big Windy Creek drainage, a half-mile from the Rogue River, where ground crews and helicopters had been searching for days.
A tearful Undersheriff Brian Anderson announced the discovery of the body, his voice breaking at one point.
"He was very motivated," Anderson said. "We were having trouble in there. He traveled a long distance."
He said he had few details about Kim's condition or the immediate area where he was found.
The body was to be taken to the town of Central Point for an examination.
Please pray for his family during this difficult time.