Paying at the Pump A Future Full of Pumped-Up Gas Prices? April 30, 2006 • How will our lives change if gas prices continue to rise? Don Gonyea and Robert Cervero, head of the Department of City and Regional Planning at the University of California Berkeley, peer into the future.
Paying at the Pump What Constitutes Price-Gouging in the Oil Industry? April 30, 2006 • With gas prices passing $3 a gallon, accusations of price-gouging are common. But what exactly is price-gouging? How is it defined? And are the oil companies guilty of it?
Media American Finds First Job in Vietnam April 28, 2006 • As part of our occasional series on "Americans abroad," we profile a young Vietnamese-American woman who chose to start her career in television news with state-run TV in Hanoi.
Health Care Washington Haggles over Drug Plan Changes April 28, 2006 • The push is on around the country to get seniors to enroll in the new Medicare drug plan, with just two weeks to go before the May 15 deadline. Congress and the Bush administration are fighting over what kind of changes, if any, need to be made to the program.
Paying at the Pump Gas Prices Drive Some to Reconsider Habits April 28, 2006 • As gas prices soar to $3 per gallon, many Americans are beginning to examine their driving habits and make minor adjustments. Many drivers say they may be forced to make more drastic changes to how they work and play if prices go higher.
Paying at the Pump Fuming Over Gas: Where the Pennies Go April 27, 2006 • With a gallon of gasoline costing $3 in much of America, many consumers wonder how the price is broken down, from oil fields, refineries, suppliers and the pump. Robert Siegel talks with Jim Haddock, vice president for retail sales of Gas America, which owns about 80 service stations and is based in Greenfield, Ind. Haddock talks about how much money the service stations are making as gas prices continue to rise.
Paying at the Pump Paying for it at the Pump: Deconstructing Gas Prices April 27, 2006 • Consumers are paying more than $3 a gallon for gas in many areas of the country. On Tuesday, President Bush announced a four-point plan to lower the cost of a fill-up. Guests discuss how gas prices are determined.
Is Web-Surfing a Job Hazard? April 26, 2006 • A judge has recommended that a New York City worker be reprimanded, but not fired, after he ignored warnings to stop surfing the Internet at work. The judge said that trolling the Web at work is equivalent to making a personal phone call, or reading a newspaper. But experts say roaming the Internet at work can still put your job at risk.
Economy Michigan to Make Overtime Available to More Workers April 26, 2006 • Tens of thousands of Michigan workers will become eligible for overtime pay if a new Michigan minimum-wage law takes effect in October. Michigan Public Radio's Rick Pluta reports that some of those affected -- including car salesmen, truck drivers, and commercial fishermen -- already earn high wages.
Opinion Paying at the Pump Which Is Greener: Hybrids or Compacts? April 25, 2006 • Robert Siegel talks about new, smaller cars with Jamie Kitman, New York bureau chief for Automobile magazine. Kitman wrote an op-ed in The New York Times about how small cars with better gas-mileage are in many ways better for the environment than some hybrids.
Opinion The Color of Money Getting a Cell Phone for Your 'Tween April 25, 2006 • Wireless carriers are targeting a new group of consumers: parents of kids from the ages of 10 to 15. But should your preteen have a cell phone, and can you afford it? Personal finance guru Michelle Singletary joins Madeleine Brand to discuss the high cost of 'tween talking.
Paying at the Pump Bush Halts Oil Deliveries to U.S. Strategic Reserves April 25, 2006 • President Bush stops the purchase of crude oil this summer for the government's emergency reserve, making more available for public consumption. He is also suspending and easing some environmental rules in hope of increasing refining capacity.
Paying at the Pump Gas Prices Have Politicians Talking in Washington April 25, 2006 • On Capitol Hill, members of Congress are blaming oil companies for high gas prices. Politicians want an investigation into price gouging, or a possible windfall profits tax. But whatever Congress does, it's unlikely to lower prices at the pump.
Paying at the Pump E-Mail Suggests Boycott to Lower Gas Prices April 25, 2006 • An e-mail chain letter floating around the Internet urges people to boycott Exxon Mobil in an attempt to bring down gas prices. Renee Montagne talks to Tim Haab, associate professor of agricultural, environmental and development economics at The Ohio State University, about the idea. He says it wouldn't work.
Fighting Poverty in America 5356754 April 24, 2006 • Some organizations have found a way for low-income people to save money, then build on those savings over time. One such program in Tulsa, Okla., has brought life-changing financial security to local residents.