Sunken Ship Commanded By Real-Life ‘Moby-Dick’ Captain Discovered

If you're familiar with Herman Melville's classic, "Moby-Dick," you know that the title character -- an enormous white whale -- destroyed a whaling ship commanded by Captain Ahab. That set the obsessive Ahab off on his fabled quest to wreak revenge on the creature that upended his life.


And now it appears that a much-later group of maritime adventurers have uncovered the real-life vessel that served as Melville's inspiration for Ahab's quest. Melville modeled the character of Ahab on one Captain George Pollard, and researchers have found what they believe is the wreckage of the ship Pollard commanded two years after a whale felled his first whaling ship. But Pollard's second ship ran afoul of the weather instead of an enormous symbol of nature's impersonal tampering with human fate (as was the case with Ahab's famed craft, The Pequod). During a night storm some 600 miles off the coast of Hawaii, Pollard's ship --The Two Brothers -- struck a coral reef, capsized and sank.

As the AP's Audrey McAvoy reports, Marine archaeologists who'd been scouring an area 600 miles northwest of Honolulu appear to have uncovered the wreckage of the Two Brothers, which went under in 1823. McAvoy says that the elements have eroded away much of the structure of the vessel -- but "researchers found several harpoons, a hook used to strip whales of their blubber, and try pots or large cauldrons whalers used to turn whale blubber into oil."

In an announcement released today, the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument--which bills itself as "the single largest conservation area under the U.S. flag"--said that the find of "nationally significant wreckage" is "the first discovery of a wrecked whaling ship from Nantucket, Massachusetts."

"For the past 188 years, the wreckage of Two Brothers has been lost on the ocean floor," the group's announcement explained. "The vessel was part of a fleet of several hundred whaling ships that were part of America's economic and political expansion into the Pacific, transforming the region, including Hawaii, both economically and culturally, and resulting in the near extinction of many whale species. The whaling fleets were also greatly responsible for early explorations of the Indian Ocean and the Polar regions."

Melville's novel has been an obsession of history and literature geeks alike for generations. Meg Guroff, a magazine editor and one of the internet's preeminent "Moby-Dick" authorities, maintains a website -- Power Moby Dick -- which features a transcribed and fully annotated version of the entire novel. Guroff told The Lookout that she found news of the apparent discovery of The Two Brothers "amazing."

"This story surprised me in so many ways. There's only one existing wooden whale ship in Mystic, Connecticut, but I didn't know that they hadn't discovered any wrecked wooden whale ship from Nantucket before now," Guroff told us. The whaling industry "was a major economic force of the 19th century that's kind of just vanished."

Guroff added that the find actually makes "Moby-Dick" seem more real: "The most amazing discovery would be the Essex itself"--that would be Pollard's first, whale-ravaged ship. "But to have this ship, the one that Captain Pollard sank after he survived this ordeal ... just kind of crosses the boundary between story and reality."

According to historians, Pollard and members of his crew were adrift in the Pacific for three months after the Essex sank. As later accounts made clear, the ordeal was harrowing, with survivors staving off starvation and mental anguish, and resorting to cannibalism in order to survive. In fact, Pollard was forced to eat his own cousin in the waning days of the shipwreck's aftermath. It's no wonder that he may well have held a grudge against the whale that sank his ship. Nevertheless, Pollard, unlike Ahab, did not surrender his life to the pursuit of whales: After he survived the sinking of the Two Brothers, Pollard retired from the whaling business.

Sunken Ship Commanded By Real-Life ‘Moby-Dick’ Captain Discovered

How Hosni Mubarak Got So Rich

 

There are no Mubaraks on the Forbes list of the world's richest people, but there sure ought to be.
The mounting pressure from 18 days of historic protests finally drove Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak from office, after three decades as his nation's iron-fisted ruler. But over that time, Mubarak amassed a fortune that should finance a pretty comfortable retirement.

The British Guardian newspaper cites Middle Eastern sources placing the wealth of Mubarak and his family at somewhere between $40 billion and $70 billion. That's a pretty good pension for government work. The world's richest man--Mexican business magnate Carlos Slim--is worth about $54 billion, by comparison. Bill Gates is close behind, with a net worth of about $53 billion.

Mubarak, of course, was a military man, not a businessman. But running a country with a suspended constitution for 30 years generates certain perks, and Mubarak was in a position to take a slice of virtually every significant business deal in the country, from development projects throughout the Nile basin to transit projects on the Suez Canal, which is a conduit for about 4 percent of the world's oil shipments.

"There was no accountability, no need for transparency," says Prof. Amaney Jamal of Princeton University. "He was able to reach into the economic sphere and benefit from monopolies, bribery fees, red-tape fees, and nepotism. It was guaranteed profit."

Had the typical Egyptian enjoyed a morsel of that, Mubarak might still be in power. But Egypt, despite a cadre of well-educated young people, has struggled as an economic backwater. The nation's GDP per capita is just $6,200, according to the CIA--one-seventh what it is in the United States. That output ranks 136th in the world, even though Egypt ranks 16th in population. Mubarak had been working on a set of economic reforms, but they stalled during the global recession. The chronic lack of jobs and upward mobility was perhaps the biggest factor driving millions of enraged Egyptian youths into the streets, demanding change.

Estimates of Mubarak's wealth will probably be hard to verify, if not impossible (one reason dictators tend not to make it onto Forbes's annual list). His money is certainly not sitting in an Egyptian vault, waiting to be counted. And his delayed exit may have allowed Mubarak time to move money around and hide significant parts of his fortune.

The Swiss government has said it is temporarily freezing any assets in Swiss banks that could be linked to Mubarak, an uncharacteristically aggressive move for the secretive banking nation. But that doesn't mean the money will ever be returned to the Egyptian people, and it may even find its way to Mubarak eventually.

Other Mubarak funds are reportedly sitting in British banks, and Mubarak was no doubt wily enough to squire away some cash in unlikely places. Plus, an eventual exile deal could allow Mubarak to retain some of his wealth, no questions asked, as long as he and his family leave Egypt and make no further bids for power.

Epic skimming is a common privilege of Middle Eastern despots, and Mubarak and his two sons, Gamal and Alaa, were a bit less conspicuous than some of the Saudi princes and other Middle Eastern royals seen partying from time to time on the French Riviera or other hotspots. The family does reportedly own posh estates in London, New York, and Beverly Hills, plus a number of properties around the Egyptian resort town of Sharm El Sheikh, where Mubarak reportedly went after resigning the presidency.

Mubarak also spread the wealth far and wide in Egyptian power circles--another Middle Eastern tradition--one reason he incurred the kind of loyalty that allowed him to rule for a remarkable three decades. Top Army officials were almost certainly on his payroll, which might help explain why the Army eased him out in the end--allowing a kind of in-country exile--instead of hounding him out of Egypt or imprisoning him once it was clear the tide had turned against him for good.

That money trail, in fact, will help determine whether Egypt becomes a more prosperous, democratic country, or continues to muddle along as an economic basket case. Even though he's out of power, Mubarak may still be able to influence the Army officials running the country, through the financial connections that made them all wealthy. And if not Mubarak, the next leader may be poised to start lining his pockets the same way Mubarak did. For Egypt to have a more effective, transparent economy, all of that will have to be cleaned up. There are probably a lot of people in Cairo who have been checking their bank balances lately.

How Hosni Mubarak Got So Rich

Mubarak’s Departure: What It Means, What’s Next

Pro-democracy protesters celebrated in cities across Egypt on Friday after forcing President Hosni Mubarak to step down. Mubarak, who had announced Thursday night in a televised speech that he would keep his title and give some of his authority to Vice President Omar Suleiman, suddenly handed over power to the military and left Cairo. (Latest developments)
Mubarak's resignation, which ends three decades of authoritarian rule, raises numerous questions about what led to his decision, what happens next and what the transition means. Here are some answers.
What does the change in Egypt mean for the United States?

Mubarak's resignation and the uncertainty facing Egypt are serious issues for American foreign policy. Mubarak's Egypt was a longstanding American ally that cooperated with the United States on a long list of issues, ranging from combating terrorism to assisting U.S. military operations in the Middle East to helping secure shipping lanes to facilitating Arab-Israeli negotiations. The tectonic shift going on in Egypt, and in the broader Middle East, may have dramatic effects on the future price of oil, the extent of American regional influence, Israeli security, and a host of other key questions. With Egypt in a state of transition, the United States might see some of its interests suffer and some remain secure. Whatever ultimately happens in Egypt, the process has only just begun. The fate of America's regional influence and its diplomatic, economic and military ties to the Middle East is a part of that process.

Who is in charge of Egypt now?

Around 11 a.m. EST, Hosni Mubarak, Egypt's president for almost 30 years, resigned. In a 30-second statement, his vice president, Omar Suleiman, announced that the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces would manage the state's affairs. The military now appears to be fully in control of the country. Suleiman, Mubarak's ally, is still part of the governing body but with potentially diminished influence.  It is a fluid situation, and how power ultimately will shake out is unclear. The Supreme Council is made up of the heads of the different branches of the military as well as the Minister of Defense and the General Chief of Staff.  Defense Minister Mohamed Hussein Tantawi chaired the most recent meeting of the Council in Mubarak's absence.

What happens next?  How will the transition work? 


What is clear is that a process will begin in which the opposition parties will be involved, though how it will work has not been defined. Much depends on how the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces will structure the tasks ahead.  The military already has said it will not accept the legitimacy of the state, meaning it has no intention of maintaining power for the long term. The Army probably will now step back to establish a playbook by which the nation moves to both change laws in the Constitution that have hindered democracy—and set up a process by which new political groups get a role in determining collectively how a fair election needs to be structured.

Where is Mubarak now, and where is he likely to go?

Earlier this morning President Mubarak's presidential plane reportedly left for and landed in Sharm el-Sheikh, the Red Sea resort city in the south of Egypt's Sinai Peninsula. There are some rumors at the moment that he has left the country, but that has not been confirmed.  If he has not yet left, it is very possible that he will try to leave Egypt for a safe haven in one of the Gulf States, Europe, or perhaps in the United States, but any nation that accepts Mubarak will have to deal with the anger of the Egyptian public.  Mubarak also might have to worry about legal challenges and extradition.

What happened between Mubarak's speech last night and his decision to resign today? 



Totalitarian regimes don't fall very neatly and predictably.  There were 18 days of pressure that finally produced a resignation, but there was no certainty that Mubarak would in the end give in.  Mubarak's ability to stand against the headwinds facing him was impressive on one level.  The military most likely had some divisions between those who believed Mubarak should go and those who remained loyal or fearful.  This might have been a "soft coup" in which Mubarak was forced by the military to announce the suspension of his presidency.  It is important that we did not hear Mubarak resign; we heard Suleiman announce the words that Mubarak refused to utter.

Did the White House play a role in Mubarak's decision to step down? 


Yes, the White House mattered but certainly did not play the decisive role.  The Egyptian public catalyzed the events that brought Mubarak down.  The White House defined the core principles that it most cared about—no violence, respecting the right of people to assemble and protest, and calling for meaningful, inclusive transition—and these became the frame for many other key nations and commentators.  This principle-driven pressure from the United States made a difference but was not what mattered most.

What will the relationship be between the United States and the interim government and the civilian opposition leaders now? 
 

This is unclear. The military continues to have robust communication with the Pentagon,  and the White House and State Department are in increasing communication with representatives of opposition leaders.  The future course of this communication is unclear — but United States can be expected to reach out at the appropriate time to a broad array of leaders in Egypt who themselves are committed to democratic principles.  The United States will not, however, attempt to select political winners or losers.  This would backfire and undermine America's ability to have a healthy relationship based on mutual interests with Egypt's next government.

What will the repercussions be across the Middle East? 
 

Egypt is a major anchor in the Arab world, in the Islamic world, and a key nation of Africa. The effects of this earthquake may be substantial but also hard to predict.  The governments in the region that may be most vulnerable immediately might be Jordan, Morocco, and Yemen, but the political and government dynamics in those countries are not the same as that in Egypt.  The dynamic we have seen unfold in the Middle East probably is not done unfolding.

Will the protesters leave Tahrir Square?
 

Tahrir Square probably will remain a heavily populated site for weeks to come, not because of protesters but because of celebrations that the people there on that site changed their history peacefully and powerfully.  Some also might remain in Tahrir Square so that the interests of the public remain visible to the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces.

Mubarak’s Departure: What It Means, What’s Next

3 Most Annoying Facebook Habits that Bug Your Friends

Facebook friends, honest, I really like you. But, no. I won’t milk your cow or join Mafia Wars so you can take over the south side of Insanityville, where you’ve suddenly gone to live.

And in my household, if you throw food at me, somebody’s going to smack your hand.

Before you “de-friend” me (and when did “friend” become a verb?), I’d like to say that I love your family photos; the class reunion updates; and the funny stories about your kids. I even like to know what you’re doing at work and when you’ve made a really fabulous meal — or deal.

But this new technology gives us the ability to engage in the electronic equivalent of eating with our mouths open or talking through a movie. Sometimes these bad habits can even hit your friends in the pocketbook, which is not a nice thing to do.

We’d never do these things in real life because we’d know they were impolite, annoying and hurtful. But perhaps because so many of us are new to social cyberspace, we’re not as aware of how we’re bugging our Facebook friends.

Here, according to my informal survey, are the 3 most annoying (and costly) things we do on Facebook and how we can handle them differently.

Farmville: Some 60 million of you are building cute little farms in cyberspace and swapping animated livestock. In fact, so many of you are spending real money to buy and build pretend barns and corn fields that Facebook has created its own currency. And Farmville is just one of more than a dozen games that people spend hours playing on Facebook. What makes the games so popular? According to both Time Magazine and the web-site Cracked, Farmville manipulates you into playing.

To be sure, no one should tell you that you can’t spend your hard-earned cash to buy pretend machine guns to protect your pixelated turf in Mafia Wars. But the constant updates generated so many complaints that Facebook just announced changes that will restrict the number of posts sent to non-gamers.

Still, the games encourage players to manipulate their friends into playing with pleas like: “My cow is lost! Please help me find her!” Or “Help me build my barn/plant my crops/fix my tractor!” Seriously, you asked for less help when your mother was in the hospital.

It makes us feel guilty to ignore you. After all we love you, but we’re working and Bessy, the lost cow, is not real. If you promise to stop asking us for help on a farm that exists only in cyberspace, we promise to help when you need us in real life. In the meantime, please stop sending us goats.

Chronic “like”rs: Some people seem to “like” everything and need affirmation that you do too. First you get the message: “Suzie likes rainbows and wants you to like them too!” And you think…Uhm…Okay. Seems silly, but who doesn’t like rainbows? Click.

Barely a second goes by before Suzie is liking unicorns and walks on the beach and sailboats and dolphins. She wants you to click the “like” button too! Right about now my thoughts turn sinister:“I am not a Care Bear.”

What’s this whole “like” thing about anyway? Marketing, according to Justin Brookman, senior fellow at the Center for Democracy and Technology in Washington, D.C. He says the current “like” button is the latest iteration of “fan” pages, which are aimed at selling everything from books to blogs.

When you click on “like,” your profile information suddenly changes to add unicorns and rainbows and Mama Di’s Restaurant and Target and Black & Decker skill saws. Pretty soon, your Facebook account becomes a fast-clicking billboard for a panoply of products, drawing advertisers to you like flies.

Worse, says Brookman, is that malicious programmers know how easily we’re all affected by habit and peer pressure. So they create buttons that say: “click like to see something cool.” If you get that message from a friend, you’re likely to click on the “cool” thing your friend recommended and find out that it just hacked into your system and installed worms and malware that are not cool at all. One of these worms, by the way, is going to send an identical message to all of your friends, so you can infect them too.

Like as many things as you like in the real world, but use Facebook’s “like” button sparingly.
Impolitic Tagging: You went to a party, had a few too many drinks and ended up napping under the table, drooling into the host’s Labrador. Naturally, somebody snapped a cellphone picture and posted it on Facebook.
The photo is funny. Your friends want to see it. Posting an embarrassing photo of a friend is not the crime. The crime is “tagging” the photo so that your friend’s employer, or prospective employer, can easily find it too.
Jodi Schneider, a veteran recruiter and trainer who writes the blog DCWorks, tells all job applicants to “scrub” their Facebook profiles before sending out resumes. But one of the most pernicious problems for young applicants are friends, who never think twice before tagging an impolitic photo.

For those who don’t know, “tagging” just means that you’ve labeled a photo with a person’s name. Once labeled, that photo is going to show up on the “tagged” person’s Facebook account, whether they put it there or not.

That could keep your buddy from getting work, said Schneider. So post all the photos you want, but use some discretion about identifying a friend acting badly.

3 Most Annoying Facebook Habits that Bug Your Friends

6 Things You Should Never Reveal On Facebook

The whole social networking phenomenon has millions of Americans sharing their photos, favorite songs and details about their class reunions on Facebook, MySpace, Twitter and dozens of similar sites.  But there are a handful of personal details that you should never say if you don’t want criminals — cyber or otherwise — to rob you blind, according to Beth Givens, executive director of the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse.

The folks at Insure.com also say that ill-advised Facebook postings increasingly can get your insurance cancelled or cause you to pay dramatically more for everything from auto to life insurance coverage. By now almost everybody knows that those drunken party photos could cost you a job, too.

You can certainly enjoy networking and sharing photos, but you should know that sharing some information puts you at risk. What should you never say on Facebook, Twitter or any other social networking site? 

Your birth date and place.

•   Sure, you can say what day you were born, but if you provide the year and where you were born too, you’ve just given identity thieves a key to stealing your financial life, said Givens. A study done by Carnegie Mellon showed that a date and place of birth could be used to predict most — and sometimes all — of the numbers in your Social Security number, she said. 
•  
•  Vacation plans.
• There may be a better way to say “Rob me, please” than posting something along the lines of: “Count-down to Maui! Two days and Ritz Carlton, here we come!” on Twitter. But it’s hard to think of one. Post the photos on Facebook when you return, if you like. But don’t invite criminals in by telling them specifically when you’ll be gone.
•  
• Home address. 
• Do I have to elaborate? A study recently released by the Ponemon Institute found that users of Social Media sites were at greater risk of physical and identity theft because of the information they were sharing. Some 40% listed their home address on the sites; 65% didn’t even attempt to block out strangers with privacy settings. And 60% said they weren’t confident that their “friends” were really just people they know.
•  
• Confessionals. 
• You may hate your job; lie on your taxes; or be a recreational user of illicit drugs, but this is no place to confess. Employers commonly peruse social networking sites to determine who to hire — and, sometimes, who to fire. Need proof? 
•  
• In just the past few weeks, an emergency dispatcher was fired in Wisconsin for revealing drug use; a waitress got canned for complaining about customers and the Pittsburgh Pirate’s mascot was dumped for bashing the team on Facebook. One study done last year estimated that 8% of companies fired someone for “misuse” of social media.
•  
• Password clues. 
• If you’ve got online accounts, you’ve probably answered a dozen different security questions, telling your bank or brokerage firm your Mom’s maiden name; the church you were married in; or the name of your favorite song. Got that same stuff on the information page of your Facebook profile? You’re giving crooks an easy way to guess your passwords.
•  
• Risky behaviors. 
• You take your classic Camaro out for street racing, soar above the hills in a hang glider, or smoke like a chimney? Insurers are increasingly turning to the web to figure out whether their applicants and customers are putting their lives or property at risk, according to Insure.com. So far, there’s no efficient way to collect the data, so cancellations and rate hikes are rare. But the technology is fast evolving, according to a paper written by Celent, a financial services research and consulting firm.

6 Things You Should Never Reveal On Facebook

8 People You Trust With Your Credit Card, But Shouldn't

It's amazing how often we blindly hand over our credit cards and numbers to so many people and businesses. Why? We trust them! The problem is, however, that sometimes we'd be better off holding back and taking a more discretionary approach. Certain individuals and companies should be off limits. To keep safeguard your credit, avoid giving the following folks unlimited access to your account. 

1. Your darling child.
Whether you have a PC, smart phone or iPad, chances are high that your kid has become quite the gaming pro. She begs for your password and soon your bill swells.

It happens, and the damage can be extreme. In January 2011, a 7-year old in British Columbia was on an iPod and found an app called Touch Pets - Dogs 2. An hour's worth of play ran up $852, which was charged to the credit card her parents had on file with iTunes. "Trust can't come without education and maturity," says Jan Ruskin, spokeswoman for Creative Wealth International, a financial literacy product company. And clearly a child can't be expected to read and understand fine print.
 

2. Callers investigating a credit card scam.
The man on the phone sounds both professional and deadly serious. He's with the police or credit card company, and he says that your account has been compromised . To confirm your identity, he needs you to read off your card's numbers. The catch: He's the thief. "No responsible agency will work this way," says Los Angeles-based security expert Chris McGoey.

It's easy to fall for this scam because very often the caller knows a few facts about you. "They'll get a hold of people from a list -- religious, political, etc. The story sounds plausible," says McGoey. To ensure all is well, though, hang up and call the number on the back of your card.
 
3. Loved ones.
You'd think you could rely on your best bud to never do you wrong, right? Well, not necessarily. Sometimes it's those closest to us who abscond with our credit information. A 2010 Identity Fraud Survey Report found at least 13 percent of all identity theft is perpetrated by friends, neighbors and other close acquaintances. Lend a pal your card or leave statements in plain view and you could be exposing yourself to trouble.


4. The hired help.
It may save you time to hand over your Home Depot card to a contractor, or give your Visa to the nanny so they can buy supplies, but that's giving strangers way too much access. They might be the most upstanding people in the world, but you should still order your own stuff. The only people who should ever charge on your card besides you are other co-signers and authorized users.

5. Virus protection heroes.
Get online and see a warning message that your computer has a virus needing immediate attention? Use extreme caution when purchasing new protection software. "Don't trust anyone who tries to scare you into downloading software to fix your PC that's supposed to have a virus," warns Robert Siciliano McAfee, a consultant and identity theft expert. "This is scareware, and it will mess up your operating system, and your card will be charged more than once."

6. The disappearing waiter.
Anytime your plastic is swept away by another person, you have reason for pause. Unfortunately, some restaurant staff may be especially dangerous. "Many skimming networks operate using wait staff," warns Steve Rhode of GetOutOfDebt.org. "They will pay $50 or more for credit card information that can be swiped off your card using a small electronic device that reads the magnetic strip on the card. Skimming only takes two seconds." While you can't always control where they take the card, it's important to check your receipts and statements immediately.

7. The "helpful" debt collector.
If you owe money to a collection agency, you might be asked to enter into a payment plan or settlement agreement using your credit card. Don't do it, says Sonya Smith Valentine, attorney and author of "How to Have a Love Affair with Your Credit Report." "If you are working out a deal on past due debt with a debt collector, send a money order," she suggests. "Some debt collectors will charge your card for the whole amount that you owe, not just the amount they agreed to settle the debt for."

8. You.
According to Carrie Coghill, director of consumer education for FreeScore.com , the person you might want to be most wary of may be reflected in the mirror. "Even the smartest people do the dumbest things," Coghill says. She cites examples of those who consolidate debts on low interest rate cards, but don't pay attention to the special rate time frame and get hit with super high APRs, and millionaires who overextend themselves because they must have the latest things. So look inward, cardholder: If you can't trust yourself to stay out of debt, purge your wallet of plastic.

While casting suspicious glares at everyone is unnecessary, being careful can prevent common credit problems. Monitor your financial affairs too. "The bottom line is the best deterrent against credit card fraud and abuse is for you to monitor your monthly statements and check your consolidated credit report twice a year," says Rhode.

8 People You Trust With Your Credit Card, But Shouldn't

Traffic Pain: 10 Cities with the Worst Commutes

What does sitting in traffic cost you? About $808 on average, according to the latest Urban Mobility Report, conducted by the Texas Transportation Institute. But the cost is dramatically higher if you live in Chicago, where the cost per commuter hit a whopping $1,738.

In fact, commuters in large urban areas spend roughly 40% more on average, wasting some $1,166 per year twiddling their thumbs in traffic.



Where do these cost estimates come from? TTI calculates the cost of traffic by analyzing vast data sets to determine how many hours the average commuter spends sitting in traffic jams and then breaks the data down based on how many of these commuters are driving cars versus trucks. They then add up the cost of wasted gasoline and time. But the cost of time is considerably higher for truckers — $106 per hour — than for drivers — $16.

That’s the reason that Chicago beat out Washington, D.C. as the most costly city for commuters. Commuters in the District waste an equal number of hours — 70 per year — and even more gasoline — 57 gallons versus 52 gallons in Chicago. But fewer of the commuters in D.C. are driving trucks.

It’s also worth mentioning that New York doesn’t even make the top 10. Why? The study isn’t looking at just the core business districts — like Manhattan or downtown Los Angeles, said Tim Lomax, the study’s research engineer, in a telephone interview.

It’s measuring traffic in much wider geographic areas.
“Manhattan would be off the charts,” he adds. ”But when you spread it out over the much larger urban area that we’re tracking, the average goes way down.”
Where does traffic cost the most, according to the study?

• 1. Chicago: $1,738 (70 hours/52 gallons)
• 2. Washington, D.C. : $1,555 (70 hours/57 gallons)
• 3. Los Angeles/Long Beach: $1,464 (63 hours/50 gallons)
• 4. Houston: $1,322 (58 hours/52 gallons)
• 5. Baltimore: $1,218 (50 hours/43 gallons)
• 6. San Francisco: $1,112 (49 hours/39 gallons)
• 7. Boston: $1,112 (48 hours/36 gallons
• 8. Dallas/Ft. Worth: $1,077 (48 hours/38 gallons)
• 9. Denver: $1,057 (47 hours/38 gallons)
• 10. Seattle: $1,056 (44 hours/35 gallons)

Traffic Pain: 10 Cities with the Worst Commutes

How to Fight Bad Customer Service

No matter how careful a consumer you are, sooner or later you will get stung with a product that doesn't work, a fee you shouldn't have to pay or a policy that simply doesn't make sense.

The good news is that you can complain effectively, and get results. You just have to know how. You must:

Know Your Rights
Sometimes companies get away with egregious behavior simply because their victims don't know the law. It's illegal, for example, for a company to knowingly report false credit information or for collection agencies to keep calling you after you've told them in writing to stop. Knowing the law, and letting the companies know you know, is sometimes effective in getting bad behavior to stop.

If your complaint involves a contract, warranty or guarantee, read all the fine print that came with it. You don't necessarily have to limit yourself to the remedies prescribed in these documents, but you should at least know what the company promised.

Know What You Want
Be clear in your mind and in all your communications with the company about what you want to happen. That way you won't get sidetracked. After all, the customer service rep's job, typically, is not to make you happy. It's to get you off the phone.
If the rep suggests ways to fix your problem at all, it will usually be ways that don't cost her or the company much. When my new laptop's hard drive failed for the second time, Dell wanted to send me yet another replacement part. But I knew from the start of my call that I wasn't getting off the phone until a replacement computer was on its way.

I'm assuming, by the way, that what you want is both reasonable and doable. Your definition of those two terms may vary from the company's, but you can't be ridiculous about it. The dry cleaner that ruined your jacket, for example, should be expected to buy you a new one. You shouldn't expect free dry cleaning for life.

Be Concise
Boil your story down to its essential elements; you might even practice first with a friend before you pick up the phone. Nattering on about irrelevant details will just make it easier for the rep to tune out or miss the point. Besides, you're going to have to repeat your story over and over and over to get results. Might as well save yourself some time by editing in advance.
 
Don't Be a Jerk
My husband, the most effective complainer I know, puts it this way: You don't have to be nice, necessarily. You do have to be polite. Hubby has used this not-nice-but-polite approach to get us a 50 percent discount on a garage door that was incorrectly installed, a free upgrade on our TiVo service (again, botched installation) and a number of other concessions from companies that initially insisted there was no way to accommodate us.

I've found being nice sometimes greases the wheels. My favorite ploy is to chat them up, then ask them how they would handle my problem if it were theirs, instead of mine. Many times, they'll respond to this treatment by connecting me with someone who can actually solve my dilemma.

Remember: The Company's Problems Are Not Yours
Customer service reps love to tell you exactly why the company's procedures don't allow them to do what you need them to do. Guess what: You don't have to care. How the company chooses to conduct its business is not your concern. What is your concern is getting your problem fixed, however the company ultimately decides to do it.

Carve Out Some Time
I'm convinced some companies try to wear you out with excessively long hold times. You can't force them to pick up the phone, but you can fight back by outwaiting them. Get yourself a portable phone or, better yet, a portable with a headset. That way you can do other things to keep your sanity while waiting for the company to see reason.

It took me three hours on a Saturday morning to persuade Dell to see things my way. I survived innumerable transfers, two disconnects and endless stretches on hold largely because I wasn't tethered to a desk the whole time. Thanks to my portable headset, I was able to play with my daughter, sort mail and even do a little light housekeeping while I talked to Sandy, Matt, Phyllis, Jason, Raina and the rest of the Dell crew about how they were going to get me a replacement computer.

Get Names and Call-Back Numbers
Sometimes you don't have three hours in a row to spend on the phone. Rather than start over from the beginning each time you dial, make sure you know how to get back in touch with the people who handled your last call. Having a name and number also comes in handy when you get transferred into voice-mail hell or the phone simply goes dead -- not that a customer service rep would ever, ever deliberately hang up on you. (Ahem, Sandy.)

Take Notes
I don't know why, but reps are inordinately impressed when you can tell them exactly when you were told what by whom. These details can also help when you're enlisting others to come to your aid.

When in Doubt, Get It in Writing
Consumer advocates usually recommend putting disputes in writing. The reality is that most problems get handled over the phone, and you don't necessarily have to conduct business by snail mail. If the issue involves a lot of money, taxes, legal issues or your credit report, however, put everything in writing and send the letters by certified mail, return receipt requested. Keep a log of all your communications with the company and copies of every relevant piece of paper.

Keep Moving Up the Ladder
You probably know that if you can't get what you want from a phone rep, you should ask to speak to a supervisor. But the folks with the real power may be several rungs up the ladder. If you strike out, try the company's marketing or public relations division. A letter sent to the company's president or CEO can often break through a logjam like nothing else.

If a quick Google search doesn't turn up the name and address, check the web site. Don't fall for the customer service address that's prominently listed; you want the address where the CEO actually does business. If it's a publicly traded company, you'll find that in its SEC filings in the "Investor Relations" tab.

Social media may help you, or it may not. Social media expert Peter Shankman tells of the time he tried to get Delta's attention about a travel problem with repeated tweets to @Delta, only to get a response (and an offer to help) from @SouthwestAir. At least somebody was monitoring Delta-related tweets on Twitter, he says -- too bad it wasn't Delta.

Escalate
If the company is violating the law, you may need to contact the appropriate regulator. You'll need to do some research to find the right office (a Google search such as "Who regulates banks?" can get you started), but you can't necessarily count on results.

If you're having a problem with the government itself, the ultimate resource may be your local, state or federal representative. Many lawmakers pride themselves on taking care of their constituents on this grassroots level.
Then there's always the option of alerting the media. If the company's behavior has been particularly terrible or you think you might be part of a trend, you can seek out a sympathetic blogger or try contacting your local newspaper or television station to see if you can interest them in your plight.

If nothing else works, you can always hire a lawyer. It's not the easiest or most cost-effective way to get what you want, but sometimes it pays off. When a company is particularly entrenched in ignoring its consumers, sometimes that law firm letterhead is the only thing that will get their attention. For lawyers versed in consumer issues, visit the National Association of Consumer Attorneys at www.naca.net.

Get Smarter
Meanwhile, here are some other ways you can be a savvier consumer:

• Diversify your credit accounts so you have cards from different issuers. Get cards from at least two different lenders.

• Don't be afraid to close an occasional credit account if you have good scores and plenty of other open accounts and you won't be looking for a major loan in the next few months. Shuttering an account is sometimes the best way to get your message across.

• If you're not happy with your bank, consider switching to a credit union.

• Make sure your phone service still fits your needs. Drop unnecessary services and let Validas analyze your cell phone bill for possible savings.
 
• Check back two weeks before your trip to see if hotel or rental car costs have dropped, and rebook if so.
This was excerpted from "The 10 Commandments of Money" courtesy of Hudson Street Press, an imprint of Penguin.

How to Fight Bad Customer Service

10 hottest Super Bowl players

On February 6, two of the most storied franchises in the National Football League will battle in   out in Dallas to win the coveted Lombardi Trophy. The Green Bay Packers will take on the Pittsburgh Steelers, and everyone will be tuning in to watch the biggest football game of the year: the Super Bowl.

Of course, the pundits will be going on about the game-changers and which players will make a difference in the outcome of this contest. But let's talk about the players ... the sexy players ... who you can look forward to gazing at during the big game while your husband throws beer bottles at your flat-screen TV.

Here are the 10 hottest players to look for:

Hines Ward (above) One of the best receivers in Steelers' history, Ward can knock you out with both his tough play and famous smile. Expect him to flash those pearly whites anytime he takes the field.

Aaron Rodgers How can you not love this quarterback cutie after all the drama that went down with Brett Favre? This guy has played so well that he's gotten his sixth-seeded team all the way to the Super Bowl. And of course you gotta love those bright blue eyes.

 Troy Polamalu Known for his long, flowing locks, his spirituality, and being one of the best safeties in the entire league, Polamalu is definitely fun to look at. His dimples, soft-spoken nature, and his shiny locks will immediately make you go out to your nearest drug store and buy some Head & Shoulders (you probably recognize him from his hilarious H&S commercials).

 Jarrett Bush This sexy cornerback was infamous for his inability to pick up the ball during the NFC Championship game three years ago, but he's redeemed himself, and it's hard to stay mad at that face. Kudos to him for winning back the hearts of Packers fans (and straight women everywhere).

 Heath Miller is one of the most underrated tight ends in the NFL. An efficient blocker as well as a skilled receiver, the offense doesn't look the same without him. And he's got brains as well as brawn, graduating from the University of Virginia. The total package!

Matt Wilhelm This guy doesn't make many headlines as a backup linebacker and starter on special teams, but he's so damn fine. After eight years in the league, he may turn to coaching if he's going to retire, and no one would complain about watching this guy on the sidelines without a helmet.

Emmanuel Sanders All Steelers fans are happy that the team drafted this handsome-looking guy in 2010. He's been changing the outcome of games with his acrobatic catches and has improved immensely throughout the season. Most important? He's got a smokin' bod.

Greg Jennings A rising star on the Packers, this wide receiver is hot enough to have a guest appearance on the CBS show Criminal Minds. And he actually wasn't even that terrible of an actor. But, as he's made some amazing-looking catches, the Packers (and their fans) most likely will want him to stick around for a while.

 Brett Keisel For all you ladies who love a beard, be sure to check out the most famous one on the Steelers' team. There's even a Facebook page dedicated to this defensive end's facial hair. It's officially the best beard in the NFL.

Clay Matthews There should be a contest between Matthews and Polamalu (and perhaps Keisel) over who has the best hair. Some may think Matthews, one of the best linebackers in the NFL, is way too intense, while others will find that extremely sexy. His long blonde hair, chiseled features, and talent all add up to a very hot man.
Who do you think is the hottest player of the Super Bowl?

10 hottest Super Bowl players