Newsshout

Amy Winehouse

2008-04-26T06:57:00.001-07:00

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

2008-04-26T06:52:00.002-07:00

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

2008-04-26T06:52:00.001-07:00

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

Oil Prices Rise Sharply

2008-04-26T06:50:00.000-07:00

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

2008-04-26T06:48:00.000-07:00

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

2008-04-26T06:46:00.000-07:00

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

2008-04-26T06:45:00.001-07:00

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

2008-04-25T21:18:00.001-07:00

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

2008-04-25T21:16:00.000-07:00

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

2008-04-23T17:01:00.000-07:00

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

2008-04-23T17:00:00.001-07:00

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

2008-04-23T16:58:00.001-07:00

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

2008-04-23T16:56:00.000-07:00

"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

2008-04-22T14:59:00.000-07:00

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

2008-04-21T09:54:00.000-07:00

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Wall Street Journal Print Edition

2008-04-21T09:50:00.000-07:00

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.

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The Wall Street Journal

2008-04-18T13:59:00.000-07:00

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

2006-12-06T18:05:00.000-08:00

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

2006-12-06T18:02:00.000-08:00

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.

Red Auerbach

2006-10-28T18:29:00.000-07:00

The former Boston Celtics great coach Red Auerbach has died. Red Auerbach helped the Celtics win 9 NBA titles. Red Auerbach died in the Washington D.C. area.

Online Gambling Law

2006-10-15T16:16:00.000-07:00

Placing bets over the Internet was effectively criminalized by the federal government Friday, as lawmakers work to eliminate an activity pursued by up to 23 million Americans who wagered an estimated $6 billion last year.
Attached to a port-security bill signed by President Bush on Friday was the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act, which prohibits online gamblers from using credit cards, checks and electronic-fund transfers to place and settle bets.
The law leaves enforcement up to banks and other U.S. financial institutions, some of which fought the legislation.
The bill's sponsor, Rep. Robert Goodlatte, R-Va., said he opposes all gambling, citing its "ill effects on society," but particularly Internet gambling, which led him to draft the legislation. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn., attached Goodlatte's bill to the port-security bill to ensure its passage and Bush's signature.
While proponents decried the effects of gambling on society, opponents pointed to the popularity of Internet gambling and compared the new law to the Prohibition amendment of 1919, which led to the rise of illegal speakeasies and organized crime.

Amish Schoolhouse Will Be Destroyed

2006-10-09T05:51:00.000-07:00

The one-room Amish schoolhouse where five young girls were shot to death and five more were wounded last week will be torn or burned down and rebuilt elsewhere, according to a member of the close-knit community.
Those students who survived the shooting rampage will probably receive lessons at home for the rest of the school year, according to Daniel Esh, who said he learned of the plans from a nephew who attended a meeting on the matter.
"It would just be asking too much of them to go back," said Esh, whose three grandnephews were inside the school when Charles Carl Roberts IV, 32, stormed it.
Roberts released 15 boys and four adults before tying up and shooting the 10 girls. Roberts had come armed with a shotgun, a rifle, a handgun and a stun gun.
County Coroner G. Gary Kirchner said one of the survivors, whose parents took her home to die late last week, was returned to Penn State Children's Hospital in Hershey. He said her prognosis remained extremely poor.
"People want to latch onto this 'improving' business, and it is just not so," said Kirchner. "My guess is that if she's survived this long, she will continue to be in this state with a mortal head wound."
Churches throughout Lancaster County were asked to ring their bells in remembrance of the victims on Monday at 10:45 a.m., the time the siege began.

Bombing Threat Closes Virginia School District

2006-10-05T12:32:00.000-07:00

Culpeper Sheriff H. Lee Hart said the threat, which came on the heels of three deadly U.S. school attacks in the span of a week, was called into the county's communications center at about 11:30 p.m. Wednesday.
"The individual had a lengthy conversation, and in this conversation he said he was going to blow up schools," Hart said. "We do not know which schools or his plans. We don't know a lot about this individual."
State police used explosives-detecting dogs and bomb technicians in a search of the buildings on Thursday, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms was called for assistance, officials said. Experts planned to sweep all the public school buildings and several private schools for bombs or other possible dangers.
"You simply can't be too cautious," said Culpeper County Schools Superintendent David A. Cox. "The safety of our students and our employees is our number one concern."
Culpeper, about 60 miles southwest of Washington, D.C., is in a mostly rural area that has become a bedroom community for people who work in the Capitol area.
In the past two weeks, three schools in three states have been hit by deadly attacks, and several others have faced threats.

Amish Girls Funeral

2006-10-05T12:31:00.000-07:00

Two state troopers on horseback and a funeral director's black sedan with flashing yellow lights led the cortege, followed by a long horse-drawn buggy carrying the body of 7-year-old Naomi Rose Ebersol.
The route wove past the home of Charles Carl Roberts IV, the 32-year-old milk truck driver who took the girls hostage Monday morning, tied them up and then shot them. One Amish man craned his head out a buggy window to look at the home.
It was the first in a series of funerals Thursday for victims of the West Nickel Mines Amish School shooting. All roads leading into the village of Nickel Mines were blocked by state police so the Amish could gather privately in homes to remember Ebersol; Marian Fisher, 13; and sisters Mary Liz Miller, 8, and Lena Miller, 7.
The funeral for a fifth girl, Anna Mae Stoltzfus, 12, was scheduled for Friday.
Relatives of Roberts' wife said Thursday that the Fisher farm was a regular stop on Roberts' milk route.

Mark Foley

2006-10-04T05:55:00.000-07:00

In 1995, male House pages were warned to steer clear of a freshman Republican from Florida, who was already learning the names of the teens, dashing off notes, letters and e-mail to them and asking them to join him for ice cream, according to a former page.
Mark Beck-Heyman, now a graduate student in clinical psychology at George Washington University, and more than a dozen other former House pages said in interviews and via e-mail that Rep. Mark Foley was known to be extraordinarily friendly in a way that made some of them uncomfortable.
Beck-Heyman, who is now a Democrat, said the attention was "weird," and he provided a handwritten letter that Foley had sent him after the page left Washington to return home to California, suggesting that they get together during the Republican National Convention in San Diego in 1996.
The e-mail exchanges that have become public in recent days are between Foley and male former pages. None of those interviewed said they had received a sexual or suggestive overture from him during their time on Capitol Hill. Yet many of them said they were uneasy about Foley's actions and felt awkward complaining to anyone about them.