It would seem as remarkable to let this anniversary pass without comment as to say something that hasn't already been said. And yet, some things bear repeating.

When you remember what's most important, it makes life seem relatively simple. Personal worries should be few if you have health, shelter, food, others you care about, and freedom along with opportunity. And that's it. We too often forget what matters most each day. We need to remember.

These were our own Jeff Fischer's thoughts on Sept. 11, 2001. On this much quieter day, they ring no less true. Fool on.

In today's Motley Fool Take:

Krispy Kreme Goes to Wal-Mart

By LouAnn Lofton (TMF Bling)

One of my favorite treats will soon be appearing in one of my favorite places, with the announcement that Krispy Kreme(NYSE: KKD) is putting a doughnut-producing factory store inside a Wal-Mart(NYSE: WMT) Supercenter in Mount Airy, N.C. The two are also teaming up to test additional Krispy Kreme concepts in other Wal-Mart locations, with five shops in total opening up next month.

Krispy Kreme has been selling boxes of its sugary love rings in 125 Wal-Marts across the country, but this move should offer consumers fresher doughnuts, with some of the locations making them on site. Aside from the factory location, which will give fans the chance to see the doughnuts as they're made, two of the other shops will be smaller "doughnut and coffee shops" and two will be "fresh shops."

The fresh shops will have doughnuts delivered daily from nearby Krispy Kremes, while the doughnut and coffee shops are scaled down versions of a normal store. Of course, since the five locations will be inside Wal-Marts, they'll all be smaller, with the factory store taking up about 1,800 square feet vs. its usual size of 4,500 square feet.

Krispy Kreme itself will own and run the five Wal-Mart-based locations, as opposed to a franchisee having the rights to them. The move should allow the company to test how well each of its three different concepts work in a novel setting, and how customers respond to them. Krispy Kreme doesn't find it unfathomable that all three could work well, and I agree. The convenience factor here will be a big draw.

It's a win for Wal-Mart, as it offers yet another thing to bring shoppers into stores. And it's a win for Krispy Kreme because it gives the company more outlets to easily meet and satisfy customers. But for Krispy Kreme devotees and Wal-Mart shoppers who happen to live in Mount Airy or the other four places where the new shops will be, it's a home run. Color me jealous.

Quote of Note

"The significant problems we face cannot be solved at the same level of thinking we were at when we created them." -- Albert Einstein

Rising Rates Sink Home Depot

Wondering why your shares of Home Depot(NYSE: HD) sank by a few percentage points the other day? Blame rising interest rates. And Goldman Sachs(NYSE: GS).

Goldman Sachs downgraded Home Depot stock from "outperform" to "in line," apparently causing many investors to bail out. Note that we Fools roll our eyes at analyst stock ratings, as they're typically either meaningless or overly conflict-laden.

The reason behind the downgrade, though, is rising interest rates. The thinking is that, as rates rise, the frantic pace of home sales and home improvements funded by refinancing that we've experienced in the past few years will slow down -- and when it does, fewer people will be flocking to stores such as Home Depot to fill their carts with door knobs, plumbing fixtures, two-by-fours, and cans of WD-40. Goldman Sachs also pointed to pressure from competitor Lowe's(NYSE: LOW) as an issue for the Depot.

Will this slowdown really come to pass? It's far from unthinkable. Mortgage rates have been nearly unbelievably low for quite some time and are indeed on the rise, recently hitting a 52-week high. Major mortgage lenders are reporting drops in mortgage applications in August -- by as much as 25% or more just since July.

In Home Depot's defense, a Reuters story notes a FTN Midwest Research analyst who remains bullish on Home Depot, pointing out that the firm is in the midst of successfully turbo-charging its operations and that it should do well even in the face of a slowdown.

Meanwhile, elsewhere in America, others are being jostled in the wake of falling interest rates. The country's biggest independent mortgage lender, Countrywide Financial(NYSE: CFC), is cutting jobs -- some 500 in just the past few months. E*Trade's(NYSE: ET) mortgage division has also let scores of folks go. More layoffs in this sector are expected by those who prognosticate on such things.

Shameless Plug: Home Center

Everybody's talking mortgage rates. Going up, going down? Going, going, gone! Let's face it, you don't know where rates are going, but there are things you do know. Where they are today, for example; and what you're currently paying for housing. Get today's rates at our Home Center, then plug 'em into our wide range of mortgage calculators to see whether you might not save some money now -- regardless of where rates head tomorrow.

Southwest Up in the Air

If you've paid any attention to the airline industry, you know that Southwest Airlines(NYSE: LUV) is arguably the cream of the crop, in terms of financial health and performance as a long-term investment. It's also the nation's sixth-largest airline.

But while some things continue to go well for Southwest, not everything is rosy. Here are some updates on this fascinating company:

  • After some 16 months of negotiations with the union representing its 7,200 flight attendants, Southwest has asked for a federal mediator to get involved. The story is familiar: the union is seeking pay raises, while the company is trying to maximize profits.

  • Business has been on an upswing over the past year, with August traffic for Southwest clocking in at 3.4% above year-earlier levels and capacity up 2.6% in the same period. The percentage of seats filled (referred to by those in the know as the "load factor") rose from 72.7% to 73.2%.

  • While Southwest has been famous for only flying one kind of plane (thereby keeping costs down), it is now considering adding smaller planes to its fleet of 737s. This is in part due to the need to keep up with upstart competitor JetBlue Airways(Nasdaq: JBLU), which is spending some $3 billion on smaller planes than its Airbus SAS A320s.

Southwest merits the consideration of any investor, due to its 20-plus years of solid performance. But never forget the risks inherent in the airline business: fare wars, volatile fuel prices, vulnerability to terrorism-related traffic slumps, bad weather, empty seats that still have to be flown to destinations, union negotiations, and more. Many investors in airlines such as American(NYSE: AMR), Northwest(Nasdaq: NWAC), and Delta(NYSE: DAL) have lost money over the past five and 10 years. Since Sept. 11, 2001, airline stocks overall remain down about 50%.

Discussion Board of the Day: Southwest

Is Southwest the cream of the crop? And what do you think about the airline's future and, as importantly, its merits as an investment? Share your thoughts on our lively Southwest discussion board, or just pop in to see what others are saying. No reservation required.

And Finally...

Do you like pop-ups (or maybe we shouldn't be asking)? Rex Moore wonders at one judge who seems to think you do.... We know you like great stocks. Tom Jacobs is proud of the nation's strength in the wake of 9/11 and runs down 10 stocks that have performed particularly well since.... If you want more (and who doesn't), Rick Munarriz digs Adobe and Selena Maranjian talks trash about Waste Management.

Contributors:
Bob Bobala, Robert Brokamp, Paul Elliott, Mathew Emmert, Jeff Fischer, Tom Jacobs, Jeff Hwang, LouAnn Lofton, Alyce Lomax, Bill Mann, Selena Maranjian, Dave Marino-Nachison, Rex Moore, Rick Munarriz, Matt Richey, Reggie Santiago, Dayana Yochim