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Gift cards and closing stores: what to do

Gift cards and closing stores: what to do

A bankruptcy court judge ruled on Wednesday that the holders of some $210 million in Borders Books gift cards were out of luck: too much time had passed since the September 2011 retailer's shuttering to force its liquidators to reimburse the value of over 17 million cards that went unspent.

Whether the claimants in the lawsuit claimed ignorance or not, it would be hard to argue that the gift card holders didn't have a chance to be notified about Borders' bankruptcy or to spend their cards. Borders announced the bankruptcy in the early summer of 2011, and the last store shut its doors in late September of that year. 

Stream it: 'Reading Rainbow'

Stream it: 'Reading Rainbow'

What can be said about the brilliance of Reading Rainbow, the television show that kept kids interested in books since 1983. Now, on the thirtieth anniversary of the show's premiere on PBS, host LeVar Burton has made it his mission to continue providing the show's positive literacy impact through to the digital age.

A series of 25 classic Rainbow episodes is available for purchase on Amazon, with Prime subscription holders given free access. The episodes span the show's entire original run. My personal favorite of this list, if you're interested, is "The Life Cycle of the Honeybee," with the title book read by Get Smart's Barbara Feldon.

Stream it: 'Sports Night'

Stream it: 'Sports Night'

"Sports Night" is the show that got me interested in working at a TV station. I can guarantee you that I was the only eighth-grader in my little Texas middle school that was tuning into this show as religiously as I was. Come to think of it, I was probably the only person in the area watching it; "Sports Night" lasted two seasons before being unceremoniously canceled in 2000.

This is a shame because the concept had legs. Set behind the scenes of a nightly sports news show, "Sports Night" was the television debut for creator and head writer Aaron Sorkin, who would set up similar fly-on-the-wall shows "West Wing," "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip," and "The Newsroom."

Shipping deadlines approach to get gifts to military

Shipping deadlines approach to get gifts to military
The United States Postal Service has announced shipping deadlines to get gifts and cards to military members serving overseas before Christmas. December 17 - Express Mail Military Service December 10 - First Class Mail Letters/Cards December 10 - Priority Mail December 3 - Parcel Airlift Mail Click on the following link for information broken down by APO: http://about.usps.com/news/national-releases/2012/pr12_120.htm

The Walking Dead Video Game Review

The Walking Dead Video Game Review

I love The Walking Dead! Just like most of the America, I was glued to my TV set watching episode by episode! The next day we come into the office and talk about last night's crazy episode and debate what we wished would happen in future episodes. We just can't get enough of our rag tag group of survivors - dealing with one problem only to find another! Then there are the Zombies! Just like those said zombies, I can't get enough of the show; I want to consume more and more of it. You can imagine my excitement when I heard that there was a downloadable video game for my X-Box 360 (also on the PC and PlayStation 3).

Right now there are two downloadable episodes you can play for five dollars an episode. Telltale Games, the developer for Action Adventure and Role Playing game, has slated this game to have a total of five episodes.

Huntsville-based company offers help finding Black Friday deals

Huntsville-based company offers help finding Black Friday deals

HUNTSVILLE, AL (WBRC) - Whether you love braving the crowds in the stores on Black Friday or facing your computer so you can shop with your mouse, there are savings to grab.

"There are about 10,000 new deals everyday from Amazon to Groupon," said Daniel de Grandpre, founder of dealnews.com.

He says his website will do the price comparisons, the checking and double checking and all of the hard work for you.

"When we see a potential Black Friday deal, we check to see if that item has been cheaper recently and if it has, then it's not that good a deal," said de Grandpre.

The company headquarters is in Huntsville.

"We have a staff working 24/7 on Thanksgiving and Black Friday and Cyber Monday," said de Grandpre. "We will b

Banks sock it to customers as regulations take effect

Banks sock it to customers as regulations take effect

By Rachel Bennett

(RNN) - Thanks to new bank regulations that take effect Oct. 1, many checking account customers can expect to see their fees rise simply for having an account.

The new regulations limit how much money banks can charge businesses for accepting debit card purchases. Each swipe of a debit card by a cardholder costs businesses a percentage of the sale.

Under the new regulations, banks are limited to a $.21 charge on debit card swipes. It's a more than 50 percent decrease from the previous average of $.44 per use.

The new regulations are expected to cost banks a lot of money.