Reviews and More

I used to spend my money quite freely when I was younger. I went shopping nearly every single day and would think nothing of splashing down $350 for a single pair of shoes or a similarly frivolous purchase. Obviously, it didn’t take long until I was in major debt, at which point I needed to consult with a financial counselor in order to evaluate my options. I eventually took out a secured loan against my home, consolidated my bills, and got everything squared away in a few years, but I still remember that experience and definitely have a different attitude towards money now.

And that brings me to the point I wish to discuss today. While I certainly advocate living within your means, I do believe that there are times when it’s smart to take out a loan to gain some financial leverage. For example, getting a consolidation loan that carries a lower interest rate than your credit cards will end up saving you money in the long run, and is definitely the right play in that situation. In fact, as long as you exercise due diligence and compare loans to ensure you’re getting the best rates available, there’s no reason not to take advantage of these types of offers to help you get through a rough patch.

It’s even possible to get a loan if you don’t have any collateral. Many lenders are willing to extend unsecured loans to customers that meet minimum criteria, so bear in mind that those options exist as well.

No one wants to go into debt, but sometimes it’s unavoidable. If you find yourself in a precarious financial situation, perhaps you should consider a low-interest loan to help get things sorted out.

Every year after the Oscars broadcast, I make an effort to see some of the films that were nominated in the bigger categories. Blood Diamond received a total of five nominations, including two major ones: Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role (Leonardo DiCaprio) and Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role (Djimon Hounsou). I’ve recently started to appreciate DiCaprio’s work, so I decided to give this film a chance.

In Blood Diamond, DiCaprio plays an arms dealer/diamond smuggler named Danny Archer. Archer was born in Rhodesia (now called Zimbabwe) and spent his younger years as a solider of fortune during the various conflicts. Now, at 31, he trades automatic weapons for diamonds, and then smuggles those diamonds out of Africa. He takes them back to London where they eventually make it to the world market. Archer quietly works for a major diamond corporation named Van de Kaap, which ostensibly has no connection to so-called conflict diamonds, but actually controls the entire trade.

Archer’s world changes when he gets caught trying to cross the Sierra Leone border with a cache of diamonds. He winds up in jail, where he is imprisoned along with a poor fisherman named Solomon Vandy (Hounsou). Vandy was kidnapped from his village and forced into labor by a militant group called the RUF. While spending his days searching for diamonds for the RUF, Vandy actually found a rare, pink stone that is easily worth millions of pounds. He buried it in the jungle just before the camp was overrun by government forces. Unfortunately, an RUF general saw him do it, and is now determined to get Vandy to give up the gem.

Archer hears all of this and sees it as a way to settle his score with the Colonel (Arnold Vosloo), the man whose diamonds Archer failed to get across the border. Once Archer is bailed out of jail, he springs Vandy too. Here’s the deal he proposes: Vandy will lead Archer to the diamond and hand it over (Vandy has no way of selling the gem for a fair market value anyway). In exchange, Archer will use his extensive connections to find Vandy’s displaced family in one of the many refugee camps around the country. Vandy reluctantly agrees, so the two team up for the search and go back for the diamond while evading the RUF along the way.

The rest of the film then deals with Archer and Vandy’s trek back to the jungle, along with the various dangers that they face along the way. There’s also a subplot involving an American journalist named Maddy Bowen (Jennifer Connelly) who is trying to write a story about conflict diamonds.

My Reaction: I’d heard this film being billed as something of a public service announcement against conflict diamonds, so I went into it expecting to see something vastly different than what I got. The only parts of the movie that spoke against the illegal diamond trade were seemingly tacked-on scenes of what happens behind closed doors of major corporations, along with some random shots of poor African people who are clearly the victims of it all.

Other than that, the main plot line of the story didn’t do a thing to convince me that conflict diamonds are evil (don’t get me wrong: I know that these types of diamonds do help fund brutal regimes; I’m just saying the movie didn’t help educate me further). In fact, if that was the major objective of the filmmakers, then perhaps they shouldn’t have cast Leonardo DiCaprio as Danny Archer, and they shouldn’t have made his character so sympathetic. I found that I liked him throughout the movie, and even felt bad for him at the end. And he was one of the smugglers, the enablers, remember?

In the end, I decided to evaluate Blood Diamond based on its own merits rather than on the message that I thought it was trying to send. In doing that, I found that this film was actually pretty good and would definitely be worth your time. DiCaprio and Hounsou did indeed turn in Oscar-worthy performances, and they alone more than make up for the cost of renting the DVD. You don’t have to be an activist to enjoy Blood Diamond; I’m giving it 7.5 stars out of 10 and recommend that you rent it sometime soon.

If you know someone whose life has gone to pieces because of alcohol or drug addiction, then now is not the time to turn your back. Instead, you could make a big difference in that person’s life by showing that you care enough to intervene and get them the help that they clearly need. One way to do this is to keep the toll-free number 1-800-NoDrugs (or the website 1800NoDrugs.com) in mind.

1-800-NoDrugs is a referral service that specializes in connecting people with a drug rehab program that is appropriate for their needs. All you have to do is speak to a member of the placement staff over the phone or submit a very brief online assessment form, and then review the potential program matches that you get back. The final decision about which drug rehab program to attend is of course up to you.

Help is available 24/7, so don’t wait any longer. Get in touch with 1-800-NoDrugs (1800NoDrugs.com) today.

One of the reasons I like to watch Grey’s Anatomy is the way the writers tend to highlight some of the more unusual medical ailments and diseases out there. This not only makes the show more interesting to viewers but also brings some much-needed attention to the very real problems that regular people face on a daily basis.

I just received an email from someone telling me that a rare disease called Fibrodysplasia Ossificans Progressiva (FOP) will be featured in an upcoming GA episode. It’s supposed to be tomorrow night’s show, but the air date has already changed once, so it’s not exactly written in stone.

FOP is a rare genetic condition that causes muscles and connective tissue to turn to bone — essentially creating a second skeleton. This causes a great deal of pain and suffering, and can eventually lead to immobility.

As rare as FOP is, I actually know someone who has this disease, so the whole issue is very important to me. Please visit the official FOP website to learn more, and be sure to tune into Grey’s Anatomy on Thursday night to see what kind of storyline they’ve got in store.

One thing that always gets my respect and attention is when a celebrity helps promote various charitable organizations. Celebrities enjoy a kind of power and influence that few people could ever attain, so it’s nice when they use that influence for a good cause.

Take the artist McKenzie, for example. She is determined to raise $1 million dollars for organizations such as SaveDarfur and UNICEF without asking for a penny in contributions from her fans. How can she possibly do that? By getting people to click sponsored buttons and links on her official McKenzie Art Studio website. When you click a button or a link, the sponsor will donate a small amount to the various funds that McKenzie has decided to promote. Daily visits and clicks will of course result in more money, so it’s important to spread the word and get clicking.

It’s not often that we have a chance to serve a good cause by doing something as simple as clicking links on a website, so let’s recognize this opportunity for what it is and help McKenzie reach her $1 million goal!

The March 19 episode of The New Adventures of Old Christine was number 2×17 and was called “Strange Bedfellows.” New Christine didn’t make a single appearance (nor was she mentioned), but Barb had several scenes, so that was good. Plus, Sandra Bernhard had a guest spot. Here’s what happened in the ep.

Christine: Christine realizes that she’s not as politically active as she used to be when she was in college. She wants Ritchie to see that she cares about democracy and the democratic process, so she makes an effort to go out and vote. However, she finds out that she wasn’t registered and the polls close before she has a chance to punch her ballot.

Nevertheless, Christine is determined to try to do something worthwhile. She sees some guy standing outside her supermarket collecting signatures for a petition to stop oil companies from drilling off the California coast, and thinks that would be a worthy cause. After all, she’ll be trying to Save the Planet and everything. So she volunteers, which is when she runs into the Sandra Bernhard character.

Bernhard plays a woman who’s collecting signatures for a petition to do just the opposite of what Christine’s petition does. Bernhard spends most of her time putting Christine down, and the two engage in some back-and-forth banter about whose cause is better and who will get more signatures.

Richard/Matthew/Barb: Meanwhile, Richard, Matthew, and Barb interact more in this ep than in the rest of the two seasons combined! Richard sees Matthew and Barb give each other an awkward look and makes some throwaway comment about them having “made out” sometime. The two stutter and stammer, and can’t deny it. It happened a “long time ago” when Matthew came home from college. Richard is stunned and can’t wait to tell Christine, but Barb and Matthew want the incident to remain a secret.

Richard reluctantly agrees, but the other two don’t trust him. So they make Richard tell them a secret about his life so they can make sure he doesn’t talk. He ends up telling them something about him and the guys on the wrestling team in high school. We don’t actually get to hear what he says; we just see Matthew and Barb’s reaction, which is enough to show that Richard’s secret was something huge.

My Reaction: I thought “Strange Bedfellows” was a pretty good episode, and I enjoyed it much better than the two from last week. I like how Christine has all these ambitious ideas for being more politically active or for volunteering more, but ends up not taking any action at all. That’s totally how I am, so I can understand where she’s coming from!

The Richard, Matthew, and Barb scenes were ok… not as funny as the Christine scenes, but it was interesting to see these guys saying more than “hi” and “bye” to each other. Now, I wonder if the writers will just drop Richard’s secret altogether or if they’ll actually reveal it at some point in the future. That would be a nice payoff, but I don’t think it will happen because they’ve built it up way too much already.

Anyway, like I said, I felt this was a good episode. I don’t know if TNAOOC will be back with a new ep again next week, but I hope so!

I am all about saving money when I shop online, so I was thrilled to hear that MyCoupons.com has relaunched with even bigger and better deals for consumers. According to the press release I read, MyCoupons.com has well over 12,000 coupon codes on the site right now, which of course is way more than you can find on other sites, so it definitely makes sense to check with MyCoupons first before placing an order.

In addition to the sheer number of deals available, the MyCoupons.com forum is another feature that sets this site apart from its competitors. With other coupon sites, all you can do is go there, hope they have a relevant discount code, and then pray that it works when you shop. At MyCoupons.com, you can actually post on the forum, read what others have to say about particular coupon codes and merchants, and generally get a whole lot more out of the experience. You’re not going to find this sense of community anywhere else.

As always, MyCoupons.com is 100 percent free to join and use, so get over to the site today and become part of something big!

I realize that I’m a couple days late with my recap of episode 2×18 of How I Met Your Mother, but in my defense, I watch four different shows on Monday night, so a couple of them obviously have to get pushed to the backburner. At any rate, the episode that aired on March 19 was called “Moving Day” and dealt with Ted and Robin’s recent decision to live together. Here’s what happened.

The day has finally come for Ted to clear out of the apartment and move in with Robin. He enlists the gang’s help, and everyone obliges except for Barney. Barney’s convinced that Ted and Robin are making a mistake and that moving in together will hasten the end of their relationship. Ted doesn’t listen to Barney, so Barney takes matters into his own hands by hijacking Ted’s moving truck.

Ted still has one box left (pot lids), so he heads on over to Robin’s place anyway. After just a couple of hours, it becomes clear that there will be some boundary issues with these two. For example, Robin doesn’t want a TV in the bedroom, but that means there won’t be anyplace else to put Ted’s set. Ted wants to unpack his pot lids, but Robin says her kitchen is too small and there’s no space for them. Just when things are getting even more strained, Barney calls back and tells Ted to listen up if he wants to get his stuff back.

Barney then makes Ted suit up and go out for one last night of “bro stuff” (laser tag, drinking) before he becomes a hen-pecked boyfriend who has to check in with the old lady before making any decisions. Ted agrees, and then ends up having a good time with Barney.

As the episode unfolds, we see how Lily and Marshall can’t function in their apartment without Ted there, and we see Robin thoroughly enjoying her time alone while Ted is out with Barney. In the end, Ted and Robin mutually agree that moving in together is not the right thing to do, so they unpack Ted’s things at his old place.

My Reaction: I thought “Moving Day” was a pretty good episode. It was nice to see Barney have a bigger role and to see him get a storyline that didn’t involve him being a total cartoon or caricature of himself. He was actually right in saying that Ted and Robin shouldn’t move in together, and I liked how he convinced Ted of that fact.

I usually like Ted, but I thought he was a bit annoying in this episode. He was too smug and self-righteous, both with Barney and with Robin.

Overall, though, this was a fun episode of How I Met Your Mother; I liked it. The show won’t be on again until April 9 with an ep called “Bachelor Party.” Can’t wait!

I’ve moved from home to home more times than I care to remember and have used many different moving companies over the years. I’ve had a mixed bag of experiences with these companies: some did exactly what I wanted, while others completely botched things up. The next time I move, I’m not going to leave anything to chance. Instead, I’m going to find my moving company through the MovingCompanies.tv website first.

MovingCompanies.tv is a directory of quality local and long distance moving companies that customers can depend on. In order to get listed in the MovingCompanies.tv directory, a company has to through a rigorous screening process. This ensures that when you use a moving company found on that site, you’ll get top-notch service and a good price to boot.

If you’re planning on moving anytime soon, you should take a look through the MovingCompanies.tv website. It takes only a few seconds to come up with a bunch of companies in your area, so you’ve got nothing to lose!

The newest episode of Prison Break that aired Monday, March 19 was number 2×20 and was called “Panama”. If you missed the FOX broadcast and didn’t remember to fire up your TiVo, you can watch Prison Break online on MySpace. Anyway, here’s a quick recap of what happened.

Sarah: Sarah finally realizes that the feds are tailing her, so she decides to stop the car, give herself up, and not lead them to Michael and Linc. She knows that Michael would want to come after her, so she calls him on his cell and tells him that she’s actually on board the freighter and will find him after they pull away from the dock. Michael buys the story, but senses that something isn’t quite right. Just as the boat is leaving, he can see police cars on the dock and he knows that Sarah got busted. Michael wants to jump out and go after her, but Linc convinces him that there’s really nothing they can do.

Michael/Linc: Once Michael accepts that he can’t help Sarah, he resigns himself to the journey to Panama. When the brothers arrive, they head to a small shop run by an old woman. The woman recognizes Michael instantly, says that he’s late, then hands him an envelope containing the location to “Christina Rose.” Before leaving, Michael asks Linc to wait outside for a moment. He then goes in the back and tries to use the phone to call Sarah. But before he can connect, Linc comes in and hangs up. That was the smartest thing the guy’s done all season.

So the brothers continue their journey through Panama, eventually arriving at a beach. There, moored all by itself to a long pier is a yacht named the Christina Rose. Michael opens it up using the combination 617 (from one of his tats) and the boys get ready to sail off into the sunset.

Mahone: Mahone realizes that one of the other agents is trying to take him down, but he doesn’t do anything about it. Instead, he spends a week poring over Scofield’s files and papers again to see if he can get a lead as to where the brothers might be headed next. Of course he figures everything out, and by the end of the episode he’s sitting in an airport ready to jet off to Panama. Oh, and he posed as Sucre and posted on the EuropeanGoldfinch.net message board. Michael responded, so I guess these two will be meeting up soon. At least the writers put that “One Week Later” title card out there. They must be listening to all the viewer complaints about Mahone getting on track so quickly.

Bellick/Sucre/T-Bag: Bellick and Sucre go after T-Bag, and they manage to spot him at the airport, where he paid some other guy $20 to claim his luggage containing $5 million. Sucre runs after T-Bag, but T-Bag is able to hop into a cab and drive off. Sucre and Bellick then spend the rest of the episode trying to track him again, and they get a phone call towards the end saying that T-Bag has been picked up — presumably for murdering yet another prostitute in his hotel room.

C-Note: He received his Get Out of Jail Free card, and reunited with his family.

My Reaction: I thought this was another strong episode, so I was happy about that. I like the fact that the plot is progressing along, even if I don’t agree with the moves that the characters are making. For example, how many damn times have Michael’s plans been interrupted/anticipated by Mahone? Can’t Michael figure out that Mahone has the key to the plans (the tattoos)? You’d think that somewhere along the line, Michael would just abandon the grand plan and adopt a different course. I mean, is it necessary that they start sailing around on a yacht right away? Wouldn’t it be smarter to get lost in Panama for a couple of weeks or a month or something???

This latest episode made me realize how much the T-Bag character disgusts me. I absolutely HATE that little flicker thing that the actor does with his tongue. I just want to throw things through my TV when I see Robert Knepper do that. And no, that’s not a testament to his skill as an actor. It just means that it’s time for this character to DIE ALREADY. And why is T-Bag always with women? Shouldn’t he be with men? Or was he just doing that in prison because there was nothing else available. Even outside of prison he seems rather effeminate, so…?

Anyway, I’m looking forward to the next couple of eps. I wonder how the writers will end this season and I wonder what the new pursuit will be for the third season. Can’t wait to find out!