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Video Headline: Crisis at a Glance

It's time for another mind-breaking edition of -- CRISIS AT A GLANCE!!! -- in which we run down the mainland economic news until -- well, until we run down. The first headline is actually good news -- I don't know if the markets can handle good news any more but never mind that -- weekly jobless claims unexpectedly fell 18,000 nationwide. But oil has risen to 123 dollars a barrel and gold has jumped back up to 880 an ounce. Toyota says for the first time in nine years its profits will shrink -- because over the past year the dollar has lost 10% of its value against the yen. So the same yen profit that 10 dollars made for Toyota last year, it has to make 11 dollars to achieve this year, and sales in America won't improve that much. Finally, the same-store retail reports -- Wal-Mart up 3%, Costco up 8% -- but Neiman Marcus is down 2%, The Limited is down 5% and The Gap is down 6% -- we're still spending, but mostly with discounters. And in any case the International Council of Shopping Centers says overall same-store sales are up less than 4%, therefore less than inflation.

Other Business Headlines:

Look for a fresh new tourism marketing campaign to make up the losses from the twin shutdowns of Aloha and ATA. The Hawaii Visitors & Convention Bureau, the state's marketing contractor for North America, plans to spend more than 4 million dollars, some of it state funds and some from hoteliers.

Travelocity-dot-com says summer bookings are so far not depressed by soaring air fares and fuel prices. But it IS seeing changes in travel patterns, including more trips close to home and more package tour bookings. Length of stay has dropped 2% to seven days for a domestic location, and 5.3% for international stays, which now average 12 days.

Kona Coffee Plantation in Keauhou says it won the 12th position in the ranking of roasters at the Specialty Coffee Association meeting in Minneapolis -- the only Hawaii coffee to make the higher honors. A Colombian coffee came in best.

The Gas Company confirms its 200 Teamsters employees have a new five-year contract. Over the life of the contract their wages will go up nearly 18%.