In researching the options – I wanted to be sure I knew exactly what was going on – I found that PNC offers two forms of overdraft “solutions” that you can opt into.  (The information on these is found here on the PNC site.)  One of the options seems much more consumer-friendly than the other, and it seems like PNC is making it as difficult as possible to find information about it and opt into it.

Note: you should double-check everything with the PNC site and talk with one of their customer service people before taking any action based on this info. I’m presenting information here based on my own experience with PNC and the questions I’ve asked their customer service people.

Option 1: Overdraft Coverage

The first option PNC offers, and the one they seem to really want you to use, is called “Overdraft Coverage”.  This is the coverage that we’re used to from before the consumer protections: if you overdraft, the bank charges you an exorbitant fee (around $35) and gives you a short-term loan that covers the amount of the overdraft.

There’s a lot of information on their site (linked above) about this option, and it’s easy to opt into it from the online banking interface.

Option 2: Overdraft Protection

The second, more consumer-friendly solution is called “Overdraft Protection”.  With this option, when you overdraft your checking account, PNC will deduct the overdraft from your savings account.  The fee for this is $10 per overdraft – less than 1/3 the fee for “overdraft coverage”.  (This is presumably because the bank isn’t technically loaning you money. They just charge you $10 for the benefit of using your own money – how nice! </sarcasm>)

There’s not much information on the PNC site about this option.  PNC mentions that it exists and provides a basic summary, but there is no in-depth information online.  You’re told to contact customer service for information or to opt-in.  You can’t opt into this protection from the online banking interface, either.

Conclusion

It’s pretty clear to me that PNC would like you to enroll in “overdraft coverage” – they have much more information about this option on their site, and you can get information and opt in using the online banking interface.  It’s obvious why this might be – the bank makes more than 3 times the profit if you overdraft using this coverage rather than “overdraft protection”.

If you’re looking for some form of overdraft solution, I’d recommend that you ask customer service for information about “overdraft protection” and strongly consider that option – it’s much, much more consumer-friendly.

A half-century ago, Afghan women pursued careers in medicine; men and women mingled casually at movie theaters and university campuses in Kabul; factories in the suburbs churned out textiles and other goods. There was a tradition of law and order, and a government capable of undertaking large national infrastructure projects, like building hydropower stations and roads, albeit with outside help. Ordinary people had a sense of hope, a belief that education could open opportunities for all, a conviction that a bright future lay ahead. All that has been destroyed by three decades of war, but it was real.

- from Once Upon a Time in Afghanistan by Mohammad Qayoumi

An interesting and thought-provoking article and photos.

• Christmas Bomber: Where Airport Security Worked
• Post-Underwear-Bomber Airport Security
• Matt Blaze on the New “Unpredictable” TSA Screening Measures

I also highly recommend that you follow his blog.  He’s a respected security guru, he knows what he’s talking about, and it’s usually very interesting to read his stuff.

I did not go to see Transformers 2 (Revenge of the Fallen) to see a nicely developed plot line with lots of attention to detail. I did not go to see some small, subtle special effects.

I went to see robots and explosions, and I got my robots and explosions.  And giant battle scenes.  I’m happy.

5/5 in my book.  If I wanted to be really harsh, I’d give it 4.5/5 because there were a few scenes which were sort of a halfhearted attempt to be meaningful and touching.  Removing those would have left more time for robots and explosions!

Sincerely,

Chris Dzombak

He also notes that Wikipedia is updated, that third-party content on whitehouse.gov is CC-licensed, and that there’s a Twitter account.

I have homework to do now.

A few links, then, for you:

• Twitter actually handled the whole thing surprisingly well.  (At least it surprised me.)
• The New York Times has all sorts of coverage, as you would expect.  I hear there’s a transcript of the speech on there somewhere; I have yet to find it.
• Oh, and a bit about the oath mishap.

Updated: also worth noting…

• NYT has a piece about the cell networks around DC.
• In case you missed this news…
• And a bit about the pomp and circumstance.