Chris Walters

In the next week or so, I want to post some ideas for holiday gifts that don't cost a lot. There's always the homemade route, but let's face it, only some people are good at pulling that off. What I'm looking for are ideas for how someone can assemble decent gifts for not much money, either by taking advantage of free offers, or coupons, or BOGO specials; or by repackaging cheap stuff or used stuff in a way that makes it special. If I can't come up with a list that doesn't scream tacky, I'll probably shelve the post. But I thought I'd ask our most frequent readers if they have any ideas. If so, don't post them here! Email them to me directly at chris@consumerist.com and I'll try to use them. - Chris Walters

Here are nine wonderful photos readers added to The Consumerist Flickr Pool this week, picked for neatness and usability in a Consumerist post. Check 'em out! - Chris Walters

Thanks for the weird marketing spin, Campbell's. Now I will only be able to think of tapeworms when I think of you. [www.stanford.edu] - Chris Walters

Since the Beatles are notorious for refusing to release their music online, the mere fact that BlueBeat.com was selling them was kind of strange, which probably explains why EMI just sued them for copyright infringement. But BlueBeat has come up - Chris Walters

Here's another example of a company misusing the law to try to hide or remove third-party commentary about its services. This time it's a website called PerfectPitch.com, and its owner Gary Boucherle of American Educational Music, Inc. apparently doesn't like - Chris Walters

In Michigan, utilities can increase rates without first getting approval, but that means the Michigan Public Service Commission can later reduce them. That's what happened on Monday, when the Commission ordered Consumers Energy to refund about $39.6 million to customers - Chris Walters

David is trying to reach HP executive customer service. He wants to find out why they reversed the $100 cash back offer they'd originally extended through a promotion with Microsoft's new search engine Bing, and why the only reasons they're - Chris Walters

Related: Inside The Great American Bubble Machine Matt Taibbi on how Goldman Sachs has engineered every major market manipulation since the Great Depression I do not vouch for the article as I *still* haven't read all of it. I've had it saved to read for months now. - Chris Walters