Bull sharks haven’t
come to Hawaii

Answer: "There's never been a report of one here," said Randy Honebrink, aquatics education coordinator for the state Department of Land and Natural Resources and spokesman for the state Shark Task Force. "That's good news, actually, because they're pretty mean."

He said bull sharks apparently "just haven't made it out here," because they would do well in local waters. Bull sharks are found in tropical and subtropical coastal waters worldwide, as well as in river systems and even freshwater lakes.

In Hawaii, tiger sharks have proved to be the most dangerous, responsible for the most serious attacks, Honebrink said.

In other cases, "usually you can't tell" what shark was involved, because it's hard to figure out the species from "minor bites."

You can find more information about sharks in Hawaii waters by going to the Web site hawaiisharks.com.

Q: Can a store still charge you 6 cents -- 5 cents for the deposit and 1 cent for the nonrefundable handling fee -- for containers without the "Hi-5" marking? I recently bought a case of orange juice from a store, but the juice was not produced in the United States, so there was no Hi-5 stamped on the can, yet they still charged me 6 cents extra for each can. Can I still redeem my 5 cents?

A: You cannot redeem any container without the "Hi-5" marking.

Furthermore, "It is not legal to charge the deposit fee on beverage containers without the "Hi-5," said Janice Okubo, spokeswoman for the state Department of Health.

Consumers charged the deposit fee on unlabeled containers should take the product and receipt back to the store to get their money refunded, she said.

They can also call the department's Solid and Hazardous Waste Branch at 586-4226.

"This is something (Health Department) investigators should be informed about so they can go out to the store and assist in correcting the problem and to help educate store owners," Okubo said.

Q: How do I get my name removed from the lists of financial institutions that keep sending credit card applications?

A: Call toll-free 888-567-8688 to "opt out" of marketing lists that major credit reporting bureaus provide to creditors and insurers.

You can also get your name off many national mailing lists by registering with the Direct Marketing Association's Mail Preference Service.

By mail, just send a letter or postcard with your name, home address and signature to Mail Preference Service, Direct Marketing Association, P.O. Box 643, Carmel, NY 10512. There is no charge, but it will take longer for the registration.

Online, go to www.dmaconsumers.org/cgi/offmailinglist. Registering completely online costs $5.

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