Wine is the ultimate last minute gift, but how do you that what you grab off the shelf won’t taste like Larry King’s socks? Pick the cutest label? Ohh, look, here’s one with cute puppies on it! No. Dr.Vino of Dr. Vino’s Wine Blog put together a list just for you. We don’t know Dr. Vino personally, but he knows a hell of a lot more about wine than we do, so we’re going to trust him. A few of Dr. Vino’s picks, all under $20:
tips
Dirty Birds: Chicken is Full of Bacteria
By 12.20.06
A particularly disgusting survey by Consumer Reports claims that their “analysis of fresh, whole broilers bought nationwide revealed that 83 percent harbored campylobacter or salmonella, the leading bacterial causes of foodborne disease.” Ew! Cheaper birds weren’t more likely to have bacteria, “Overall, chickens labeled as organic or raised without antibiotics and costing $3 to $5 per pound were more likely to harbor salmonella than were conventionally produced broilers that cost more like $1 per pound.” Birds also harbored antibiotic resistant strains of bacteria. “Twenty percent of campylobacter samples were resistant to ciprofloxacin (Cipro)” So that’s awesome news.
Avoid Denver: United Airlines Waiving Fees
By 12.20.06
The above-pictured blizzard is hitting Denver right now, and if you’d like to avoid connecting through that airport on United, they’re waiving fees. Up to 3′ of snow is expected in Northern Colorado. Brrrr. Customers can check the status of their flights at united.com or calling 1-800-UNITED-1 (1-800-864-8331) for automated, up-to-the-minute flight arrival and departure information before leaving for the airport. —MEGHANN MARCO
Winterize Your Car
By 12.20.06
The winter solstice is tomorrow and that reminds us…you should winterize your car. You know. Because it’s winter.
You Need To Get A Passport
By 12.20.06
Under the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative, beginning January 23, 2007, ALL persons, including U.S. citizens, traveling by air between the United States and Canada, Mexico, Central and South America, the Caribbean, and Bermuda will be required to present a valid passport, Air NEXUS card, or U.S. Coast Guard Merchant Mariner Document, or an Alien Registration Card, Form I-551, if applicable.
Holiday Savings Tips
By 12.20.06
Real Simple has 25 tips to help save money during the holidays, and we like a few of them. Our favorites:
25 Gadgets That Actually Save Money
By 12.20.06
Over at The Simple Dollar they have a list of 25 gadgets that, along with being cool, actually save you money. The neatest part about this list is that the author has broken it down and figured out how long you’ll have to use each item to justify its purchase. Some of the math is a bit suspect, but still very cool. Some examples of money saving gadgets: a smart power strip that powers your peripherals on and off with your computer…and keeps it from sucking standby power; Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs; and an energy efficient scooter.
Warning: Vista May Drain Laptop Batteries
By 12.19.06
So, if you’re upgrading to Vista and you’re really excited about those Aero windows, understand that they may come with a price, at least while on the go. —MEGHANN MARCO
“American” Wine Might Be Only 75% USA
By 12.19.06
According to regulations, wines labeled “American” need to be made with at least 75% American grapes. So what? Apparently a lot of “corporate” wineries are taking advantage of this law and importing tons and tons of the foreign stuff—imports are up 229% this year alone. From Decanter: “One industry insider said that the Ceres-based Wine Group in the Central Valley, which sells Franzia wines, was one example of a winery that used imported wine in its blends.” This behavior is causing an uproar among American wine growers.
HOWTO: Buy A Humidifier
By 12.15.06
- Consumer Reports tests show that manufacturer claims can be a poor guide to how well a humidifier will work. Several small tabletop models fell well short of their claimed output and might not raise the humidity to the desired level.
The article gives advice about cleaning and maintenance as well as information about noise level, operating costs, and a comparison of the different types of humidifiers. Yay for moisture. —MEGHANN MARCO
Gift Giving Tip: Pretend Your Loved Ones Are Strangers
By 12.11.06
“Familiarity with another consumer is not particularly helpful when predicting the others’ product attitudes,” Lerouge and Warlop say. They find that even when our loved ones tell us what they like, we think we know better. The findings appear in the December issue of the Journal of Consumer Research.”
Best Blank DVDs
By 12.8.06
Are brand-name items any better than no-name ones? It’s a question that shoppers have been asking themselves since before the markets were super. DigitalFAQ.com has endeavored to enlighten us as to the ways of the blank DVD. Where do they come from? Who makes them? Why are they purple?
Consumerist Fixes Your Chapped Lips
By 12.5.06
In the wake of the Carmex controversy, we thought we’d offer some helpful lip-healing solutions. No, this isn’t a health blog, but it is about saving money and if we can get you off the chapstick and on the way to healthy lips—well, we’ve done our job. That being said, this may not work for you, and we’re not claiming to have any sort of special knowledge, you know, like doctors have. In fact, this is very probably quackery, and you shouldn’t even try it. Even though it works every single time for us.
Send Us Your Tips
By 12.4.06
Like the Hawaiians and their aumaku, The Consumerist and its readers form a symbiotic relationship. In return for the tips you feed us at tips@consumerist.com, we scrape the barnacles off your back.
How to Ensure A Response to Your Email
By 12.1.06
Lifehacker has a link to a helpful article explaining the best way to ensure a response to your email, and, while it’s aimed at academics, we think the suggestions apply to customer complaints—or even when emailing this website. For example:
Hotlist: Deal Tracker
By 11.30.06
Reader Ben liked the Wii inventory tracker, so he sends us this “deal of the day” tracker site. it lists both Tanga, Woot, Overstock, Amazon… as well as many other sites that we can not speak to the awesomeness of, having never tried them. The site lists activity, product, site, the age of the deal, the amount available and the estimated time remaining. Pretty cool. —MEGHANN MARCO
