“The Bush administration is not ready to implement a travel law that would require everyone entering the U.S. to have a passport or some other form of national identification by Jan. 2008, according to a new report.”

“[Department of Homeland Security] and State have a long way to go to implement their proposed plans for the Travel Initiative, and the time to get the job done is slipping by,” according to study conducted by the GAO (Government Accountability Office) — a non-partisan investigative arm of Congress.” (Full Story…)

Microsoft launched their idea of a virus scanning solution today putting the company in direct competition with Symantec, McAfee, F-Secure and others.

“Likening the service to a “pit crew” for consumer PCs, Microsoft said the software will fend off malicious attacks with antivirus and antispyware capabilities, plus a personal firewall.”

“Windows Live OneCare is designed to circumvent what for many consumers is a frustrating and confusing experience as they attempt to protect their PCs from the constant threat of viruses and spyware. Going one step further than security, the service also is designed to simplify basic PC-maintenance functions, like backing up files, that many users typically forego.” (Full Story…)

Visit OneCare at http://onecare.live.com/

When people call their credit card companies about international conversion fees, many have reported getting either inaccurate information. Even worse, some representatives don’t seem to know what a “foreign conversion fee” is. Customers are often angered by such experiences. Though it is most definitely a problem, the actual representative isn’t to blame. They are often undertrained and underpaid by the credit card company. If the information isn’t listed on the computer screen in front of them, they usually don’t know the answer. Unless you feel you are talking to someone very knowledgeable when you call your credit card company to verify fee information, ask to speak to a supervisor or manager and double check the information you’ve previously received with them. Also be sure to check out our individual credit card company foreign conversion fee listings. If the information you receive from your credit card company is different from what is listed on this site, update the listing and tell us what the credit card representatives told you.

“The airline industry’s frequent-flier programs, introduced 25 years ago this month, seem to be under attack as never before. Reiss and a fast-growing number of other critics — consumers and experts alike — say the programs are becoming more trouble than they’re worth to travelers and have outlived their appeal.”

“An analysis by USA TODAY and Back Aviation Solutions shows that frequent fliers traveling free on U.S. airlines’ domestic flights have been declining gradually as a percentage of domestic passengers — 6% in the final quarter of 2005, vs. a recent high of 8% in the April-June period of 2002. Further, on a worldwide basis, mileage credits have been building up at a faster clip than has free travel.” (Full Story…)

“Gas is 75 cents more expensive than it was last year. So before you hit the highway for the family road trip this holiday weekend, think about ways you can save on other expenses. Budget Travel’s tips for saving on the road are below.” (Full Story…)

“A gaping security flaw in the latest versions of Symantec’s anti-virus software suite could put millions of users at risk of a debilitating worm attack, Internet security experts warned May 25.”

“Symantec’s anti-virus software is deployed on more than 200 million systems in both the enterprise and consumer markets, and the threat of a network worm attack is very real. However, eEye’s Puterbaugh said there are no publicly shared proof-of-concept exploits or other information to suggest an attack is imminent.” (Full Story…)