Reviews and More

As a homeowner, wife, and mother, I learned a long time ago to make sure that my family is prepared for any of the wild twists and turns that life may take. For example, I keep meticulous financial records and follow a strict budget to ensure that we have enough money to pay our bills on time. I even adhere to that old rule of thumb about saving the equivalent of six months’ worth of salary so we can get by if my husband loses his job. And of course I have to make sure that we have sufficient insurance coverage no matter how often our needs change.

I’m surprised by how many people just purchase home insurance and motor insurance, and leave it at that. A lot of my friends settle for the minimum coverage in order to save money, but that obviously means they’re exposed to huge risks. If a major catastrophe occurs that reaches beyond the scope of their policy, they’re going to be in big trouble.

I refuse to put my family at risk like that, so I try to find policies that truly fit our needs. Besides home, auto, and health insurance, I also purchase travel insurance whenever we go on international vacations. It really gives me peace of mind to know that we’ll have access to medical assistance no matter where in the world we travel, and this allows me to enjoy my vacations without worrying about what might happen if one of us were to fall ill.

In my opinion, insurance is not something that should be taken lightly. I recommend that you review your current policies to determine whether or not you have sufficient coverage. Whether you need home, auto, health, travel, or even pet insurance, you’re sure to find a new policy that’s right for you. This isn’t something you want to put off until it’s too late, so check out some policies today!

A couple weeks ago I told you that I placed a big order through the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital Hope Catalog. The proceeds from all Hope Catalog orders go directly towards helping St. Jude provide care to thousands of children suffering from cancer and other catastrophic blood disorders — regardless of the patients’ ability to pay for the services. This is a truly important cause, and I am proud to be a supporter.

Anyway, I wanted to post a follow-up here about one of the products I ordered. It’s called the Humanity Bracelet (pictured above), and I just love it! In fact, I haven’t taken it off since it arrived.

The bracelet itself is available in two different materials, pewter and silver. I opted for the silver one, and am happy with that choice. As you can see from the picture, the Humanity Bracelet consists of seven linked discs, each inscribed with two different words on the front and back, for a total of 14 words in all: Courage, Love, Trust, Honor, Family, Truth, Charity, Loyalty, Unity, Passion, Joy, Kindness, Humor, and Hope.

According to the booklet that accompanied my purchase, these are “words to live by,” and in the booklet, there are nice little essays explaining why each concept is important. For example, here’s what the booklet said about Charity:

Thomas Aquinas calls charity “The greatest of all virtues.” It is a gift of love that comes from the heart; the source for all affection. Charity is an unselfish outpouring of goodwill and affection for the needy among our fellow men.

Charity takes many forms: gifts of money directly to those in need or through charitable organizations. Or in gifts of our personal time working with those in need. Mother Teresa was one of the greatest examples of a human possessing incredible charity.

The “love” of charity is unlike any other. It is a perfect love with a divine character. And its rewards in human satisfaction and joy are the richest anyone can receive.

If we all would give generously from our hearts to our neighbors in need, we might never need costly government welfare programs.

The explanations of the other words and concepts follow a similar vein, and many are based in scripture.

As I said, I really like this bracelet and am glad I bought it. I think it would make a wonderful gift as well, and I’ve already got a couple of people in mind who I think would also enjoy it.

Please consider giving the Humanity Bracelet or another product from the Hope Catalog to a loved one on your next gift-giving occasion so you can help the children of St. Jude in the process!

If you’re putting together an event for your corporation, non-profit group, university, or any other organization, then you know how important it is to have a big-name speaker on the agenda in order to ensure a good turnout. That’s why I think you’ll be interested in the InternationalSpeakers.com website. The site is maintained by ISB, a company that helps you get in touch with the right keynote speakers for your event.

ISB boasts an extensive roster containing some of the most famous names on the public speaking circuit today. For example, you can book comedian Jerry Seinfeld, sports legends Joe Montana and Troy Aikman, human behavior expert Dr. Phil, billionaire tycoon Donald Trump, and many more.

Even if you’re working with a modest budget, you’ll still have plenty of excellent motivational speakers to choose from, so I recommend taking some time to browse through the ISB website to find the perfect match. The ISB team is always willing to help you through the selection and booking process, so don’t hesitate to contact them with any questions you might have.

The right speaker can make the difference between a great event and a boring one, so check out InternationalSpeakers.com today!

When I was in junior high and high school, I was convinced that I wanted to be a lawyer. I watched L.A. Law religiously, read books like Presumed Innocent and The Firm, and just generally soaked up any cultural experience that had to do with lawyers. Needless to say, that phase passed just a few short years later, and I pretty much went out of my way to avoid Turow, Grisham, and popular legal shows like Ally McBeal and The Practice.

So I don’t know what it was exactly that made me pick up The Lincoln Lawyer by Michael Connelly a couple weeks ago. I had never heard of either the book or the author before, but I was intrigued by the title. At first I thought it might have something to do with Abraham Lincoln, the sixteenth president of the United States, but after seeing the black Lincoln Continental on the cover, I immediately knew I was wrong. At any rate, I decided to give the book a chance.

The main character is a defense attorney named Michael “Mickey” Haller, and in the first part of the book Connelly spends a good deal of time showing the reader how Haller operates. He has connections throughout L.A. County, including bail bondsmen, TV cameramen, and private investigators, which helps him secure clients, get information that he needs, and basically just work the system to his advantage. In other words, Haller comes off like a stereotypical “ambulance chaser” in the opening chapters.

According to Connelly, what Haller and all mid-level defense attorneys dream of is a client called a “franchise player.” This is the term used for a rich client whose defense costs in a big case would easily run into the six figures. That would certainly be a change for Haller, since his current clients seem to consist of drug addicts, prostitutes, and motorcycle gang members with varying abilities to pay their fees.

As it turns out, Haller gets a lead on a potential franchise player in one Louis Ross Roulet. Roulet has been accused of breaking into a woman’s apartment with the intent to rape and kill her. He allegedly got as far as beating her brutally before she somehow escaped and called the police. Roulet insists that he was set up because the woman is after the money she could get in her civil suit. Roulet’s story of how and why he was at the woman’s apartment, coupled with some inconsistencies in the woman’s story and some blemishes in her background, give Haller just enough to think that maybe Roulet is innocent after all. The rest of the novel deals with the way Haller investigates the Roulet case and mounts a defense for his client.

Overall, I thought the book was pretty good. It wasn’t anything fantastic, but it was entertaining enough to make me think that I had made a mistake by leaving off with legal thrillers all those years ago. The plot moved along pretty quickly, there were plenty of twists and turns, and I didn’t figure out what was really happening in the story until very close to the ending. So all in all, I was satisfied with The Lincoln Lawyer and rate it 7.0 stars out of 10.