Brian Gongol
American households are expected to spend an average of $449 on gifts this season. How do you decide how much to spend on family?
Fortunately, the weather has cleared up in Denver and the travel industry can catch up on the 2,000 flights cancelled in Denver due to the two-foot snowfall.
If you're crooked enough to be an identity thief, don't be dumb enough to try to pass yourself off as Moises Alou. One suspect was found to have gone Dumpster-diving outside the offices of SFX Baseball, a contract-negotiation firm that serves about one-fifth of MLB players.
- If it has your credit card or bank account information on it, don't throw it out. Period. Ever.
- If it's an offer for a new account of any type, shred it and/or burn it. Don't just throw it away.
- Just because someone knows the first few digits of your credit-card number, don't give them the rest. The first six just tell them what bank issued your card, so it's not hard for them to guess or just make it up.
- If you're using online account access or buying something online make sure the site is secured -- usually you can tell because the address says "https" or you'll see a little padlock icon on the screen.
- Don't visit online accounts from public computers, like those at public libraries.
- If your bank offers online access, sign up for it -- even if you don't plan to use it. If you set up the account, you'll be able to set the password. That can help prevent someone else for signing up for your online account without your knowledge.
What's so cool about putting a Communist on the side of a CD case? Not much, so Target has pulled an ill-advised piece of Che Guevara merchandise from the shelves.