Joe Strummer

Joe Strummer


I finished watching the documentary Joe Strummer: The Future Is Unwritten last night. The film interviews former bandmates, fans, and friends of Joe Strummer, the iconic musician who rode to fame in the legendary band The Clash. It was a fascinating look at Strummer: a guy who lived a most colorful life.

Director Julien Temple interviews Strummer’s friends as they sit around campfires, which is a great way to relax people and get them comfortable talking. Campfires were also a feature of the camps Strummer loved. His wife, Lucinda, created a music camp in Strummer’s honor called Strummerville.
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New chip debit cards

I was perplexed to get a new debit card in the mail from State Employees Credit Union (co-ops rock) the other day. My first thought was that my account must have somehow been compromised but then I saw that the numbers on the new card were the same as the old card.

Hmm. Then I looked at the paper insert that came with the card, which explained the whole deal. There’s nothing wrong with my old card, necessarily, but SECU is rolling out debit cards embedded with chips (or EMV) proactively. The plan is an expensive one to SECU but the savings from fraud prevention will help offset it. SECU becomes the second largest financial institution in the country to move their cards to the chip technology.

I’ve been a happy SECU member since 1992 and I’m happy to see that my credit union continues to lead the way.