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RefundPlease.com - Online price-policy assistance
PriceProtectr.com - Online price-policy assistance

Clark is a frequent traveler, and it's not too long ago that he recalls people queuing up in airports at endless banks of payphones. The mad rush for payphones in the pre-cell phone days gave rise to a dangerous crime called shoulder surfing. Criminals would pretend to videotape family members near the gates, but they'd really be filming people punching in their long-distance calling card numbers. The crooks would turn around and sell those codes all around the country within minutes of filming.

The days of shoulder surfing are now long gone; payphones may be the next to go. AT&T has announced that it's getting out of the payphone business. There are some 300 million people in our country and more than 250 million of them have cell phones. The 50 million that don't is largely made up of children, such as Clark's 2-year-old son and his 8-year-old daughter. But while we no longer have to worry about shoulder surfing, we can still fall victim if our cell phones are stolen. Clark gets tons of calls from people who get stuck with a huge bill when criminals make international calls on their phones. So it may be wise to get your international long distance blocked. At the very least, be sure to report your phone stolen as soon as possible. That way you'll be able to avoid this costly mess. On a related note, Continental Airlines in Houston now allows you to check in with your cell phone just by showing your e-boarding pass.

Over the summer, Clark mentioned a service for airline customers called Yapta.com. Yapta lets you know if you're eligible for a refund or credit if airfare drops after you've made a purchase. Now that same idea is being applied to the world of retail. Many stores offer a price-protection policy. So if you buy something and the price drops within 30 days, the retailer may give you a refund. But who's really combing over circulars and online ads after you've made your purchase? Enter the magic of the Internet. There are a couple of free, ad-supported websites that will do it for you! They include RefundPlease.com and PriceProtectr.com. You simply enter the make and model of what you bought and they'll send you an e-mail if the price drops. PriceProtectr.com claims to have saved consumers more than $500,000, while RefundPlease.com says its savings are more in the $100,000 range.

Note: Clark is broadcasting remotely for his Christmas Kids 2007 initiative. You can donate online.

Clark recently had a visit from some National Guard folks who had a story of their own holiday efforts. The National Guard apparently helps to ensure that the children of soldiers who are killed, wounded or in financial distress have gifts on Christmas. As a part-time soldier, Clark is proud to hear of these efforts. Meanwhile, The American Institute of Philanthropy recently assessed the fund-raising efforts of 29 military charities. It turns out 20 of those studied are managing their money poorly, have huge overhead costs/fund-raising expenses and are paying their leaders immense salaries. This is shameful. Be sure to check out a new guide to navigating the best and the worst of the military charities.

Clark has been big on the electric car deal since the 1970s. While he doesn't know much about the science behind it, he does know that energy alternatives will help rescue us from the dangers of buying imported oil. Clark gets all excited when he hears about new breakthroughs, but then he gets crestfallen when they don't prove commercially viable. Yet his hope always triumphs over his experiences. Toshiba has now announced they have a lithium-ion battery with a 10-year lifespan that can be recharged in 5 minutes. It will ship in 90 days for use in electric bikes, forklifts and construction machinery. If it's successful, it will be available for cars in 3 years.

Speaking of cars, Clark is still hot on his natural-gas vehicle. The only problem is that he has to fuel up in a rough neighborhood. Why does Clark put himself through all these crazy hoops? Because we need to know that we're not stuck over the OPEC barrel. We can break our dependence on foreign oil. If we do this individually, then national policy will follow. Clark's natural-gas vehicle is just one idea in a mosaic of possibilities. His car emits zero pollution and the natural gas is domestically produced in the U.S. and Canada. Honda can make over 400,000 of these cars annually right now. They already have a factory in Ohio. But last year only 1,500 were ordered -- probably because they're so difficult to fuel up!