Hello all,
I have found my own solution to the Web Shield issue. First, let me thank tumic for leading me to where I could find the log files. It really wasn't so hard to say something like, "please post your /var/log/system.log." Thank you tumic for being the first to do so. I now have a hypothesis that this problem may be a symptom of novice Mac users and the preinstalled software provided when purchasing the Mac. Being that this is my first foray into OSX and that I am helping my girlfriend out, I was ill informed of the fact that Trend Micro is preinstalled as a trial version. This knowledge would have sped things up tremendously.
After finding the logfile, I noticed that an Avast command was being ignored by the system. Further delving found the "UI" application which was a starter bit for Trend Micro, despite it being disabled by the trial expiration. It would seem that Trend Micro was booting itself up before Avast and creating conflict. A simple uninstall of Trend solved everything. Had I realized that Trend Micro was still installed, I would have trashed it before ever posting anything here. I apologize for my ignorance in this regard. However, even L551 stated that "no other security" was installed. I wonder if novice Mac users are confused about the preinstalled software on their stock machines...
So... L551, you may want to uninstall Trend Micro (or any other security software) that is possibly still lurking around on your comp. I did so by using the Uninstaller application residing in the Trend Micro folder. Also, it would seem that since Trend Micro is being preinstalled on at least one line of recent Macs. Therefore, it might be a good idea to mention it by name when asking newbies if they have "security software installed."
Hopefully, we have all learned a bit about Mac security here and that future builds of Avast will continue to improve to the quality that I am accustomed to and glad for in the Windows versions that I have used for years. Thank you for your help and good bug-hunting,
--socialSavant