July 28, 2010 · Banking & Investing, Photography, Questions & Prompts, Retirement & Savings · No Replies
Writer’s Block from June 15, 2010:
How do you keep your finances on track? Are there any online tools you use to keep track of what you’re spending and where? When was the last time you were caught off guard (pleasantly or not-so-much) when you checked your bank account balance?
It would be really easy to turn this response into a plug for my own company’s FinanceWorks, but I’ll restrict myself to mentioning it here. I actually do not use FinanceWorks because I don’t patronize a financial institution that has it. That being said, if I had access I would.
I keep my finances on track through a simpler method. I have two checking accounts. One pays the bills. The other one is my “running money” and only has a debit card attached. There are no printed checks and online bill pay isn’t set up (much to the bank’s apparent dismay).
Read more…
July 27, 2010 · Atlanta, Personal, Questions & Prompts · No Replies
Writer’s Block from July 14, 2010:
What are five things you love about where you live and five things that you hate? How does it compare to previous places you’ve lived?
What are five things you love about where you live?
I’m pretty open about the fact that I don’t particularly care for Atlanta. But I’ve been here for four years now, and it’s grown on me a bit. It will never be “home,” though.
Read more…
July 27, 2010 · Atlanta, Civil Liberties, Politics & the Courts · No Replies
In a recent AJC Column, blogger Bob Barr expresses concern about the recent Brogdon v. State ruling in Georgia, which declared that medical records maintained at a hospital are not “private papers” under the law.
Of course, a properly executed search warrant may always be used to reach any items, including medical records, that constitute “instrumentalities of a crime,” but this recent court decision opens the door to law enforcement gaining access to personal medical records that are not themselves evidence of crimes [...]1
When I first read the column, I was pretty alarmed, especially in light of recent legislation putting certain mental illness diagnoses on Georgia driver’s licenses. Georgia’s not a particularly friendly state when it comes to medical privacy, and it seemed this court decision was simply one more assault against those with diagnoses that could reflect a person in a negative light.
Read more…
July 26, 2010 · Criminal Law, Questions & Prompts, Social & Life Issues · No Replies
Writer’s Block from July 16, 2010:
What is your opinion of the death penalty? How important is this issue in deciding which political candidates you support?
I am absolutely, completely and totally opposed to the death penalty; and yes, I consider it very important when selecting among political candidates.
Read more…
July 26, 2010 · Environment, Social & Life Issues, Weather · 1 Reply
It’s been pretty hot here in Atlanta; the temperatures have been in the 90s and the heat indices well over 100. But my office has been so cold that some people are breaking out sweaters. I sometimes wear long sleeves.
Yet nobody has really opposed turning the air conditioning off. Down, perhaps, but not off. Part of this is justified as we do have a rather large server farm in the building. But part of it is because air conditioning has become something we consider a necessity.
The Washington Post recently printed an opinion article opposing the use of air conditioning, and as someone who lived in a house without air conditioning (in the South!) for a few years while growing up, I agree that it’s not a necessity. It’s a luxury, and a relatively recent one at that1.
Read more…
July 25, 2010 · Personal, Questions & Prompts, Social & Life Issues · No Replies
Writer’s Block from July 24, 2010:
Have you ever boycotted a company or product? If so, what was it, and what caused you to boycott it?
Yes. I boycott Wal-Mart and Sam’s Club.
I initially started boycotting Wal-Mart for personal reasons: the one in Greenville, NC, did me a dirty turn that cost $150 — at a time an unexpected expense of that amount could destroy my monthly budget — and left me with a criminal record. It also hurt some friends and family with deceptive pay and benefits practices, and used its economic power to intentionally close down a long-standing community store and force the City of Greenville to change a perfectly constitutional ordinance…simply because they didn’t want any competition or limits.
It’s been a long time since then, but the more I learn about the company, the less I want to patronize it. From their sweatshop-labor products to their intentional attempts to disenfranchise their employees, and everything in between, I find the chain disgusting. That most of the stuff they sell is cheap junk doesn’t help matters.
I’m not naïve enough to believe my boycott really hurts the company, and I’m low-key about it. (I will walk into a Wal-Mart/Sam’s with friends and family, although I won’t actually buy anything.) But it means a lot to me personally, and I don’t plan on stopping anytime soon. My money is better spent elsewhere, and my conscience is appeased.
