originally published in ConsumerAffairs You already know to be wary whenever you go online, so you don’t fall prey to the various types of scammers, thieves, con artists, hackers, malware-writers and other threats that proliferate on the Internet. And if you’re looking for love in an online dating site you must be extra-careful, because looking […]
Personal finance
The Walmart MoneyCard hacker strikes again: Cardholders from across the U.S. see their hacked cards drained at NYC Target stores
originally published at ConsumerAffairs UPDATE, Oct. 15: Walmart and Green Dot have responded; their statements are at the end of this article. Something criminally strange seems to be going on with Walmart MoneyCards, especially in New York City and its immediate suburbs, though any MoneyCard holder in America is apparently at risk. Ever since September 2013, […]
The richest person in history (plus or minus a few billion)
Originally published in ConsumerAffairs An old proverb says that “The rich man has his ice in the summer, and the poor man gets his in the winter.” Of course, that proverb predates the Industrial Revolution, discovery of electricity and invention of refrigeration, not to mention the other technological and economic reasons why, in early 21st-century […]
The healthcare law is an ass
Originally published in The Guardian Before you contemplate America’s historic new healthcare reform bill, here’s an inspirational Bible verse from the book of Deuteronomy, chapter 22, verses 28 and 29: “If a man happens to meet a virgin who is not pledged to be married and rapes her and they are discovered, he shall pay […]
Bureaucratic Blunder Gets In Your Pocket
originally published in the New Britain Herald, Middletown Press and Bristol Press With the economy careening toward Great Depression 2.0, socially responsible writers like me produce helpful news-you-can-use articles in the “How to save money for the tough times ahead” genre. So here goes: Clip coupons, brown bag your lunches, turn down the heat and […]