Consumer Issues

By STEPHEN WINDHAUS
Tuesday, November 21, 2006
The Christmas season is near; retailers are at their busiest and, for most, it ushers in the conclusion of another tax year. Accountants and bookkeepers will be busy compiling financial statements and preparing for the tax season.

By STEVE BUCCI
Tuesday, November 21, 2006
These are specialty consumer reporting agencies, which report on whether consumers bounce checks and pay late on their rents, gambling debts, medical bills.

By MARVIN WALBERG
Tuesday, November 21, 2006
As a writer and job search coach, I'm very aware of the importance of detail and editing. As job seekers, I encourage you to pay attention to every detail of your job search, and learn to edit every job search related document, from cover letters to resumes to thank you notes.

By CHRIS SERRES
Tuesday, November 21, 2006
Tracy Schwardt dislikes almost everything about Best Buy stores, from the bass-heavy thump-thump-thump that comes from the car audio department to the cluttered aisles and crowded checkout lanes.

But Schwardt, a customer service manager at a printing company, had a very different experience on a recent visit to a Best Buy in Eden Prairie, Minn.

By DAVID LAZARUS
Tuesday, November 21, 2006
In an especially brazen attempt to defraud seniors, scammers are sending out bogus e-mails claiming to be from the Social Security Administration that are intended to dupe people into revealing their Social Security numbers.

By SUSAN FERRISS
Tuesday, November 21, 2006
Wanda Moeller's blue eyes dance when she talks about Franklin D. Roosevelt, the Grand Ole Opry _ and Haydee Carrillo, the Salvadoran immigrant who has helped care for her for six years.

Three mornings a week, Carrillo lifts the partially paralyzed Moeller from bed and gives her a bath, breakfast and oxygen treatment.

By MIKE BERMAN
Tuesday, November 21, 2006
I'm not sure if it's Halloween or the Harvest Moon that attracts them, but developers of products designed to keep us safe and happy while computing have decided that this is the time of year to introduce their new lines of products.

Symantec, McAfee, Grisoft and Panda have all released new versions of their Internet security products using the months when our attention turns to goblins _ and turkeys _ to make us aware of all the new threats that await us in cyberspace.

Norton Internet Security 2007 ($69.99 for one year), Norton Confidential ($29.99), McAfee Internet Security Suite ($49.99 for one year), Grisoft's AVG Internet Security ($69.99 for two years) and Panda Internet Security 2007 Platinum Edition ($43.95 for six months) have all hit store shelves or can be ordered via the Internet.

By JAMES DERK
Tuesday, November 21, 2006
Five years after the launch of Apple's Ipod, which rebuilt the online music industry by itself, Microsoft now has released "Zune."

Like many Microsoft attempts to copy Apple, this one is too little, too late and too big.

At a time when Apple is releasing smaller and smaller music players with more storage, Microsoft has released a 30 GB brick when compared to the current players from Apple and even a few others.

While Apple is moving to chip-based storage, Microsoft remains with a small hard disk, which undoubtedly will reduce battery time.

By WADE RAWLINS
Tuesday, November 21, 2006
New energy standards for appliances such as refrigerators, water heaters and air conditioners will help consumers save on utility bills and reduce air pollution under a national settlement.

By CHRIS CAMPBELL
Tuesday, November 21, 2006
When you first open the box to the PlayStation 3, you can't help but get a little giddy and ego-inflated. Come on, this is like Ferris Bueller discovering the Ferrari in his buddy Cameron's garage.

On Friday, Sony launches its next-generation console, and this is a serious piece of hardware for gamers and entertainment freaks all over the planet.