Depending on where you live, the winter of 2011 is going to be a "cold slap in the face" or "kinder and gentler," according to the new edition of the Farmer's Almanac.
Here’s a long list of Naughty Businesses of the Week: in August, the Maryland Department of the Environment announced more than $1.6 million in penalties for 25 water, land, air and radiation violations.
It's a sure bet that taking care of your appliances will keep them running longer. Performing a few quick cleaning and maintenance moves can improve the performance of your refrigerator, vacuum cleaner and washing machine, according to Jim Nanni, Consumer Reports' appliance expert. Here's how.
Do you think brokers should act in your best interest?
If so, this is the last day to tell that to the Securities and Exchange Commission. The agency, as part of the new financial reform law, is studying whether brokers owe a duty to put clients first. Right now, they are only required to suggest "suitable investments."
Okay, maybe thats going too far. But my wife and I have had our share of disagreements over her penchant for pre-rinsing dishes before loading them into the dishwasher. Im from a family of pre-rinsers, so I understand the urge. But working at Consumer Reports has helped me break the habit, since I see firsthand how even todays most basic dishwashers are often very good, if not excellent, at cleaning dirty dishes. And our test dishes dont just contain a few scraps of food. Theyre smeared with a mash of 20 different foods, including peanut butter, preserves, and corn flakes, and then left to sit overnight.
All of which Ive told my wife (We also watched the episode of Stephen Colbert visiting the Consumer Reports dishwasher lab). To her credit, my wife now does less pre-rinsing, which our analysis shows can waste up to 6,500 gallons of water a year. But whenever we eat smelly food, fish for example, the tension returns. And not without reason, Ill admit, since these food scraps can get fetid fast.
In my converts fervor, Im willing to tolerate the smell. My wife, not so much. They say a happy marriage is all about compromise, which takes me to the rinse-and-hold cycle. On fish night, well now load the dishes and run the shortened cycle, which rinses the dishes in a couple of gallons of water, far fewer than if we pre-rinsed. When the dishwasher is full, we then run it on the normal wash cycle.
Rinse-and-hold cycles are fairly common on dishwashers, including many of the nearly 50 models listed in our Ratings. If your marriage is like mine, its a feature to have and to hold.
Daniel DiClerico
Next month, state securities regulators from across the country will be in a Baltimore for an annual meeting.
My 10-year-old Thermador wall oven still cooks decently enough, but the blue numbers on the digital display have begun a slow fade to blacka telltale sign that the control board (circuit board) is on its way out, says my local appliance dealer. A call to the manufacturer revealed that the part was no longer available. Great.
Google is rolling out a new feature for Gmail to let users make phone calls directly from the site.
In the northeast, we can finally sleep with the windows opened instead of the air conditioner humming. Signs of fall are also resonating in our forums as cool weather discussions heat up and hot weather topics wither away.
Toys R Us wants your used strollers, car seats, cribs, bassinets, high chairs and any other old baby gear collecting dust in your house.