As much as we all believe it won’t happen to us or anyone we know, the sad reality is that many people face addiction. Once addicted, people often don’t know where to turn for help. Because a person’s addiction is often caused by illegal drugs, contacting anyone in an authority position may seem like a bad choice because of the possible legal ramifications. The embarrassment of admitting to being an addict or even being related to an addict prevents others from talking to doctors, clergy or others who may have information that can help them. Lately, we’ve all heard in the news about celebrities and their time spent in drug rehab and if we are honest with ourselves, we have all probably known someone who was addicted to drugs or alcohol. This just shows that all walks of life are affected by this tragic problem. As difficult as it may be to accept that we all likely know an addict is acknowledging the fact that many of our loved ones and acquaintances have sought drug treatment only to relapse after fighting hard to achieve sobriety. If you know someone who would benefit from drug rehabilitation, especially if that person is yourself, there are many treatment facilities with resources on the internet that can help you. Narcon Stone Hawk is one such facility with a program that differs from the more popular 12 step programs in that they believe it is necessary to rid the body of residues left by the drugs in order to achieve a lasting recovery. According to their web site, they have an almost 80% success rate as compared to 20% for other treatment programs. Going into a program and being able to expect that it will help you instead of expecting that you will fail could be the difference it takes to help you recover.
Archive for December, 2007
Drug Addiction Facility
Monday, December 10th, 2007Enchanted movie review
Monday, December 10th, 2007Caution — this review will contain spoilers.
I probably have a bias since I know that the people from Pixar are in charge of coming up with ideas for Disney movies now and I know and love the Pixar work, but I felt Enchanted was a breath of fresh air from an all too stale studio. For years, I’ve been willing to go along with the status quo since I enjoyed a good romantic flick as much as the next person but I’ve gotten tired of the story lines that have become overwhelmed by their desire to teach a lesson. Yes, Disney, give me a story with a moral, but don’t shove it down my throat along with the fist you’re holding it in like “Pocahontas”. And thank you but I do not need pole dancing in my children’s movies like in the “Hunchback of Notre Dame”. As for Enchanted, I felt the story line was creative – not exactly new (and I think that was the idea) but definitely creative. With this movie, Disney/Pixar pays homage to the golden years where a princess was a princess and the prince always got the girl by giving it a more modern and yet thoroughly satisfying spin. In Enchanted, Gisel is forced out of her animated reality into modern day
As I mentioned in a previous post, it seems like every movie I see has someone in it that was also in a Harry Potter Movie. This is no exception. The person who plays Peter Pettigrew in Harry Potter plays Nathaniel in this movie.
New Web Video Site
Monday, December 10th, 2007I just found out about this new web site that caters exclusively to people who have videos of themselves singing that they want to share. Right now they have a Be Famous & Win $10,000 Free Talent Contest going on. In honor of this and knowing that my singing skills are lacking I decided to make a video of myself talking about how you can upload you videos at impersonated.com.
Beowulf review
Sunday, December 9th, 2007I can honestly say that Beowulf was almost exactly as I thought it was going to be.
Beowulf has always been a difficult story to translate onto the screen; and that difficulty was manifested in many ways.
I was worried about another completely CG movie; and CG still has problems as the technology continues to advance.
I was concerned that Angelina Jolie would bring nothing but nudity to her role; and I was really, really right.
In short, I had lots of concerns and I was right on every case. The only huge surprise in the movie was the amount of dudity. You know, dude nudity. First we get Anthony Hopkins’ pale white butt (in 3D), then we get an “Austin Powers”-inspired bit of “let’s always keep something in front of Beowulf’s junk”.
I’m glad I saw it in theaters, probably won’t buy the DVD.
More holiday coupons!
Saturday, December 8th, 2007I’ve found yet another website that offers loads and loads of coupons just in time for the holiday season!
There are so many deals out there on the internet for just about any gift that you’ll want to be buying for Christmas Chanukah, Kwanzaa, or Festivus. The problem is finding the right coupon at the right time. EdealFinder.com provides a huge list of coupons for everything from electronics to books to jewelry.
If you’re looking for coupons for an upcoming computer purchase, make sure you look for Dell coupons to provide discounts on hardware, software, and shipping.
The Sharper Image coupons would be especially useful for that hard-to-shop-for friend or relative.
A Blue Nile coupon will help with your budget for jewelry this Christmas. If you can pay less for shipping, why not get a bigger rock?
You’ll Shoot Your Eye Out!
Saturday, December 8th, 2007In honor of the holiday season and that classic of American cinema, “A Christmas Story”, comes the ultimate in air rifle online games. (Or maybe the only air rifle online game).
Don’t Shoot Your Eye Out features Ralphie and his Red Rider BB Gun. You try to get as many ricochets as possible without shooting your eye out.
Merry Christmas and “Fa Ra Ra Ra Ra, Ra Ra Ra Ra.”
Lawyer blog
Saturday, December 8th, 2007The Phil Spector case currently underway in California is a very interesting one to say the least. This musical pioneer of the ’60′s is under some very serious charges, and the jury will have a tough time in its decision. Spector and the victim were the only witnesses present, yet the question still remains. Did Spector shoot a woman who spurned him? Did the gun accidentally go off while he was pointing it at the victim? Or did the woman commit suicide?
The Los Angeles Criminal Defense Blog | California Criminal Attorneys Law Blog has a very interesting post about the details of the evidence of this trial and many others in California and LA. They all provide a lawyer’s perspective about many cases, including Spector, Lindsay Lohan, and Paris Hilton.
Duck and Cover
Saturday, December 8th, 2007One of the drawbacks to shoot ‘em up games in the past has always been the opponents ability to shoot you. In older games the baddies either shot at you in a predictable pattern, or with extremely slow moving and easily avoidable ammunition. The side scroller, Ownage Burst, is slightly different. It’s a flash game that looks like an older side-scroller from the Super Nintendo days, but the villains are much better shots. They will occasionally miss, but it’s almost impossible to avoid their shots. The only ways to avoid being riddled with lead is to shoot them before they aim and shoot at you or to duck behind the cars on the side of the street.
I had fun with it. Hopefully more levels are available soon.
Cell Tower Landlords
Saturday, December 8th, 2007While cruising the byways that consist the internet super expressway, I came across an interesting site. The Wireless Landlord Association (WLA) is an advocacy group that helps site owners of the thousands of cellular towers across the country.
I’d never really thought of it before, but evidently, most of the sites where cell phone towers are placed are not owned by the phone companies. They lease the site for a period of time from the owner of the land. With the recent consolidation of the cell phone market into a smaller number of big time players, some of the site owners that may be close to other cell phone tower sites have seen the cell phone companies consolidate the number of cell towers. (I knew my signal was getting worse in certain parts of town.)
This advocacy group has several programs to help insure that the phone companies can’t bully there way in to lower lease rates or push the site owners around. If you own a cell tower site or if you own some land and have considered letting the phone companies install a tower, make sure that you check out this site and this organization for more information and for help going up against the big companies.
One more thing, whoever came up with the idea of disguising a cell phone tower as a palm tree; kudos. I barely notice the one in my neighborhood.
Prince Caspian
Saturday, December 8th, 2007I finally got a look at the trailer for the upcoming sequel to ‘The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe’. ‘Prince Caspian’ looks to be another great adaptation from CS Lewis’ classic series. This story may even be a little stronger than the first in the series, but there is a huge chunk in the middle of the book that is told as flashback. It will be interesting to see how the movie handles that. I’m a little concerned that the battle scenes in this movie look a little bit like carbon copies of the battle scenes from the first movie. Hopefully, my initial concern will proof incorrect. The Lord of the Rings trilogy did a magnificent job in having huge battle scene set pieces in all three movies, but none of them look similar to the others.
Hopefully they can make all seven before the kids get too old.
World Wide Web Poker
Saturday, December 8th, 2007With the recent surge in popularity that poker has enjoyed, especially Texas Hold ‘Em, there has been an equally amazing spike in the number of online casinos. If you’re new to the phenomenon, make sure that you read all that you can on casino news and maybe even peruse a casino guide or two. Just remember, it can be fun, and it can be addicting. Stick with the fun part.
Funny Thing
Friday, December 7th, 2007The funniest thing I ever saw a comedian do was an imitation of Christopher Walken doing an imitation of Kermit the Frog (or was it the other way around). I tried to find video online to link it here but couldn’t find it so you’ll just have to imagine it yourselves. Sorry.
Power Tools
Friday, December 7th, 2007Every year for Christmas I hope that I will be getting some kind of new tool under the Christmas tree. If I hint enough, this usually happens but the fact of the matter is I just dabble with tools (my router from last Christmas is still in the box waiting for a day when I have time to take it out and try it). I’m not afraid to tackle home projects but I’m no mechanic or carpenter. However if you know someone who is a professional and needs high quality tools, then you might want to check out Ohio Power Tool. They have a wide variety of corded and cordless power tools from several different makers that are professional quality. If you’re really a pro, or you know a pro you probably want to get hydraulic tools whenever you can just to make life a little easier. Ohio Power Tool has them — from Power Team Hydraulic Equipment like their presses that your dad’s always wanted to those
Picard and Fermat
Friday, December 7th, 2007On a little side note, how many of us got a hoot and a holler out of Picard’s remark that went something like, “much like Fermat’s Last Theorem, we may never know the answer” at the very end of “The Royale” episode? This even got a mention in Wikipedia. I still giggle about that fictional futuristic anachronism (I think that’s an oxymoron).
True Source
Friday, December 7th, 2007Nowadays pretty much anything you can buy at a store, you can buy on the internet.Ever want to know if that service you’re about to buy on the internet is worth it or a waste of money? Wouldn’t it be nice if there were a place to read other people’s thoughts on it before you buy it? Most people think that a payday loan is something you have to get in person. After all, there is a “cash” in cash advance and you don’t want to wait for that kind of thing in the mail. At TrueSource.org they let people who have already used services like this rank their experience. This way you know which businesses are good and which you should steer clear of. You don’t have to read through a bunch of posts about payday loans. You just look at the grade each site is given and then go to the site you think is best. If you decide you do want to see the posts, you still have that option. These services will transfer the money to you without you having to wait for it to come in the mail. True Source also has information on all those smoking cessation products you might have seen in the store and wondered about.
Amir Aczel
Friday, December 7th, 2007I once heard a teacher say that she wasn’t allowed to test on anything that had to do with Algebra in her Geometry class because the vice-principal had said it wasn’t fair to do so since they are different subjects. Had she paid any attention to him, she wouldn’t have been able to test on anything since the two are really the same thing – one gives a visual representation of the other. She said she just kept on doing what she had been doing. The guy had shown such a profound lack of understanding on the subject, she doubted he would be able to tell the difference. I recently read a book about Descartes (the guy who unified Algebra and Geometry) and was reminded of this moment so I thought I’d share. If you have any interest in the history of Mathematics, consider reading a book or two by Amir Aczel. Man is this guy a great writer or what? If you do read his books, I’d say a good place to start is “Fermat’s Last Theorem”, though it was his “Descartes’ Secret Notebook” that inspired this post.
Insurance
Thursday, December 6th, 2007I can’t say enough about how much insurance can do for you. In Arizona, car insurance is required to cover you if you cause an accident and that may seem ridiculous if you’re a good driver but even the best drivers can get in accidents because of other people driving badly. It may be decided that the accident was your fault even if you don’t think so. You certainly don’t want to be without insurance then. Home insurance is another must. I’ve heard so many times on the news about a family who has lost their home and everything in it to a storm or fire and they didn’t have insurance. It seems like a huge gamble to let the biggest purchase of your life go without any kind of protection. Even if you live in a tornado free, rain free, fire free zone (and if you do, where is it so I can move there), you could get robbed like I was. Without home insurance I would not be able to blog this blog, because the bad guys took my monitor. What about life insurance? I don’t know how other people decide if they need it or not. In my family, we decided we need it because there would be no one to watch the kids if something should happen to my spouse or myself and day care doesn’t come free because your husband or wife died. I don’t want to have to deal with that kind of worry and I don’t want my husband to deal with that kind of worry so we have life insurance.
How Many British Actors Are There?
Thursday, December 6th, 2007I think there must be a finite number of British actors. It seems like every British movie I’ve seen has someone in it that was also in Harry Potter. That’s obviously just an impression, but I recently saw ‘Stardust’ and was surprised to seethe billy goat being played by the same person as Mr. Weasley. I watched ‘Becoming Jane’ and saw both Mrs. Weasley and Prof. McGonagall. I was happy to see that the girl who plays the boys crush in ‘About a Boy’ showed up as Tonks in the latest Harry Potter edition. Even the Bridget Jones movies have at least one that I can remember (Moaning Myrtle is Jude). I’m not even mentioning the more famous British actors like Emma Thompson and Ralph Fiennes who have been in Harry Potter. I guess I’m fortunate that I like the acting of all these people.
CFLs
Thursday, December 6th, 2007So have you gotten your CFLs (compact florescent lights) yet? I’ve been using them for a couple years and they work really well. I’ve never actually replaced all my bulbs because I have some lights that require specialty bulbs and some fixtures that they don’t fit into, but I don’t have any horrible buzzing sound from them like I do my kitchen light that has regular sized florescent bulbs. I have to say, though, that I don’t think they last as long as advertised. It might be that I have my lights on a lot more than other people, but these things are supposed to last for up to 5 years and I’ve replaced many, some multiple times, since putting them in. It’s not like I’ve been keeping track of the number of hours I’ve used each but I still think that my CFLs have been lasting longer than regular bulbs. I’m also fairly confident that it makes up the difference in cost. I just wish they actually did last longer so I would know for sure and not just suspect it.
Credit Cards
Thursday, December 6th, 2007It depends on where you are in life whether or not it is easy to get credit. Many of us find ourselves in the position of needing credit after we’ve wrecked our rating by buying things we didn’t really need. I started my credit career in the most innocent of ways – in college. I got it just so I could start a credit history for later on. I assumed just having it would be enough, that I didn’t need to use it. I was soon told otherwise and after buying a $2.00 pair of shoes that I didn’t need, I was on my way to a large amount of debt. To this day I do not know if that piece of advice was true. What I do know is this – it’s not a good idea to buy things you don’t need with money you don’t have. I believe credit cards have their uses. They are good for online purchases since they usually offer some form of protection if you don’t receive the merchandise or your card is used fraudulently. I would not recommend that anyone get one until they have a job, though. And I don’t mean the job you’ve got to work your way through school – I mean a real job that you make real money at. If you’re scrimping to get by, you don’t need the additional bill that comes with a credit card. Once out of school it can be more difficult to get a credit card and it takes work to find the best credit cards. Look for one that doesn’t have an annual fee and one that has a low interest rate. If you need to make a balance transfer, look for one with the lowest fee to do so. Also, try to get a card that is accepted at a lot of locations. I’d say steer well clear of department store credit cards since their interest rates are usually high and they obviously limit where you can use the card. Credit cards are not inherently evil – they have their place. Remember, though, that credit card companies are out to make a profit off of you. Don’t make it easy for them.