Expiration Date

Q. I spent $2,805.73 at Jordan's Furniture during their heavily promoted "Monster Hit Bounceback," where a Jordan's sign was placed in Fenway Park. If a Red Sox player hit the ball on the sign, everyone who bought furniture at Jordan's would get their money back and if nobody hit the sign, you'd get 20 percent of your total qualified purchases back as a credit toward a future purchase. I received a coupon in the mail for $561.15. Awesome. The coupon expired on Feb. 29th.

Q. I spent $2,805.73 at Jordan's Furniture during their heavily promoted "Monster Hit Bounceback," where a Jordan's sign was placed in Fenway Park. If a Red Sox player hit the ball on the sign, everyone who bought furniture at Jordan's would get their money back and if nobody hit the sign, you'd get 20 percent of your total qualified purchases back as a credit toward a future purchase. I received a coupon in the mail for $561.15. Awesome. The coupon expired on Feb. 29th.

IN HIS Jan. 29 op-ed column "Eliminate the Registry," Jeff Jacoby wrote, "The Registry no longer sends renewal notices; and woe betide the motorist who gets pulled over with an expired license, an infraction that can trigger a fine of up to $1,000, not to mention a potential arrest. " I say: Welcome to the world you've tried for years to create. Jacoby frequently calls for decreased taxes and smaller government. Now he sees the reality of these requests, and he has the temerity to complain about it. If you want services, you must pay for them.

Q. I spent $2,805.73 at Jordan’s Furniture during their heavily promoted “Monster Hit Bounceback,’’ where a Jordan’s sign was placed in Fenway Park. If a Red Sox player hit the ball on the sign, everyone who bought furniture at Jordan’s would get their money back and if nobody hit the sign, you would get 20 percent of your total qualified purchases back as a credit toward a future purchase. I received a coupon in the mail for $561.15. Awesome.

NEW YORK - Drug maker Glenmark Generics said yesterday it is recalling seven lots of birth control pills because in some packages, the pills were in the wrong order. The company, which is based in India, did not say how many pills or packages are being recalled. Glenmark said the pills were distributed between Sept. 21 and Dec. 30. The ingredients of the pills are norgestimate and ethinyl estradiol. In some packages, blisters of pills were rotated so they were not in the proper sequence.

WASHINGTON - Target Corp. yesterday said it's working to add labels that warn consumers when meat is treated with carbon monoxide to make it look fresh. Federal regulators faced criticism for allowing the practice, which critics call unsafe. Hormel Foods Corp. and Cargill Inc. also said they would be willing to add similar labels. For years, the industry has used carbon monoxide in packages to help meat retain its color, with government approval. But consumer advocates say the practice misleads people by making meat look fresh after its expiration date.

WASHINGTON - The cherished dinner hour void of telemarketers could vanish next year for millions of people when phone numbers begin dropping off the national Do Not Call list. The Federal Trade Commission, which oversees the list, says there is a simple fix. But some lawmakers think it is a hassle to expect people to reregister their phone numbers every five years. Numbers placed on the registry, begun in June 2003, are valid for five years. For the millions of people who signed onto the list in its early days, their numbers will automatically drop off beginning...

Q. I spent $2,805.73 at Jordan’s Furniture during their heavily promoted “Monster Hit Bounceback,’’ where a Jordan’s sign was placed in Fenway Park. If a Red Sox player hit the ball on the sign, everyone who bought furniture at Jordan’s would get their money back and if nobody hit the sign, you would get 20 percent of your total qualified purchases back as a credit toward a future purchase. I received a coupon in the mail for $561.15. Awesome.

The three P's of beauty are prime, protect, and primp, but more than a few of us get caught up in the primping and forget the other two. The end result? Not so pretty. So kick off the year with a beauty routine that maintains all three by following these simple rules. Invest in a quality hairbrush or comb A good brush can stimulate the scalp while being gentle enough not to tug and break the hair. Nicholas Penna Jr., owner and lead stylist at SalonCapri in Newton and Dedham, advises against using any brushes or combs with metal bristles and opting for a natural bristle brush...

PORTLAND, Maine - Remember those $50 gift cards from Target and J.C. Penney that Aunt Irene and Uncle Harry gave you two Christmases ago? The ones you slipped into your sock drawer and forgot? If the cards were purchased in Maine, the state is claiming $60 of their $100 combined value under the state's unclaimed property law. Other states have used similar laws to tap the value of unused gift cards issued by in-state companies, but state Treasurer David Lemoine believes Maine is the first to seriously pursue national retailers.

NEW YORK - Drug maker Glenmark Generics said yesterday it is recalling seven lots of birth control pills because in some packages, the pills were in the wrong order. The company, which is based in India, did not say how many pills or packages are being recalled. Glenmark said the pills were distributed between Sept. 21 and Dec. 30. The ingredients of the pills are norgestimate and ethinyl estradiol. In some packages, blisters of pills were rotated so they were not in the proper sequence.

IN HIS Jan. 29 op-ed column "Eliminate the Registry," Jeff Jacoby wrote, "The Registry no longer sends renewal notices; and woe betide the motorist who gets pulled over with an expired license, an infraction that can trigger a fine of up to $1,000, not to mention a potential arrest. " I say: Welcome to the world you've tried for years to create. Jacoby frequently calls for decreased taxes and smaller government. Now he sees the reality of these requests, and he has the temerity to complain about it. If you want services, you must pay for...

The three P's of beauty are prime, protect, and primp, but more than a few of us get caught up in the primping and forget the other two. The end result? Not so pretty. So kick off the year with a beauty routine that maintains all three by following these simple rules. Invest in a quality hairbrush or comb A good brush can stimulate the scalp while being gentle enough not to tug and break the hair. Nicholas Penna Jr., owner and lead stylist at SalonCapri in Newton and Dedham, advises against using any brushes or combs with metal bristles and opting for a natural bristle brush instead.

WASHINGTON - Vice President Dick Cheney prodded Congress yesterday to extend and broaden an expiring surveillance law, saying that "fighting the war on terror is a long-term enterprise" that should not come with an expiration date. "We're reminding Congress that they must act now," Cheney told The Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank. The law, which authorizes the administration to eavesdrop on phone calls and to view e-mail to and from suspected terrorists, expires Feb. 1. Congress is bickering over the terms of its extension.

PORTLAND, Maine - Remember those $50 gift cards from Target and J.C. Penney that Aunt Irene and Uncle Harry gave you two Christmases ago? The ones you slipped into your sock drawer and forgot? If the cards were purchased in Maine, the state is claiming $60 of their $100 combined value under the state's unclaimed property law. Other states have used similar laws to tap the value of unused gift cards issued by in-state companies, but state Treasurer David Lemoine believes Maine is the first to seriously pursue national retailers.

WASHINGTON - Target Corp. yesterday said it's working to add labels that warn consumers when meat is treated with carbon monoxide to make it look fresh. Federal regulators faced criticism for allowing the practice, which critics call unsafe. Hormel Foods Corp. and Cargill Inc. also said they would be willing to add similar labels. For years, the industry has used carbon monoxide in packages to help meat retain its color, with government approval. But consumer advocates say the practice misleads people by making meat look fresh after its expiration date.

WASHINGTON - Vice President Dick Cheney prodded Congress yesterday to extend and broaden an expiring surveillance law, saying that "fighting the war on terror is a long-term enterprise" that should not come with an expiration date. "We're reminding Congress that they must act now," Cheney told The Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank. The law, which authorizes the administration to eavesdrop on phone calls and to view e-mail to and from suspected terrorists, expires Feb. 1. Congress is bickering over the terms of its extension.

WASHINGTON - The cherished dinner hour void of telemarketers could vanish next year for millions of people when phone numbers begin dropping off the national Do Not Call list. The Federal Trade Commission, which oversees the list, says there is a simple fix. But some lawmakers think it is a hassle to expect people to reregister their phone numbers every five years. Numbers placed on the registry, begun in June 2003, are valid for five years. For the millions of people who signed onto the list in its early days, their numbers will automatically drop off beginning next June if they...