January 2008 Archives

Tonight Carrie and I watched Stranger than Fiction again, and I remembered just how much I loved that movie. So much so, in fact, that I decided after it was over that it had to go in my top five list. After figuring out what was in and what was out, I noticed some striking similarities between these movies. So here they are, in alphabetically order:

• As Good as it Gets
• Good Will Hunting
• Shawshank Redemption
• Stranger Than Fiction
• V for Vendetta

So, the similarities. They are all very character driven works with a considerable amount of dialogue. What comedy there is tends to be somewhat dark, as is the overall tone of each until the end. There are wonderfully poignant moments that show the main characters in their full humanity. And perhaps most importantly, they are all very "life-y." No one is perfect, the plots tend to move in rather desperate directions, and yet these characters not only manage to grow but make meaningful connections to one another. I just love these movies.

Ok, so now for my second tier, lest you think me too deep:

• Elf
• The Emperor's New Groove
• Ratatouille
• Swingers
• The Usual Suspects

:)

Greetings all. I hope everyone has had a merry Christmas. No, I did not make a resolution to blog more, which I know makes everyone reading this just a bit sadder, but I thought I'd just pass this bit along.

I first learned about microfinancing as an undergrad, and now have the opportunity to do something about it thanks to the wonderful folks at Kiva. Through this website, I'm able to loan money directly to people in developing nations to further their own businesses and help bring them above the poverty line. After a few months (the average is 10), the loan is repaid to me and I can either loan it again or put it back in the bank.

What's remarkable, is that in just a bit over two years, Kiva has loaned over 19 million dollars, with a default rate of 0.16%. That is to say, if you were to loan someone from Cambodia money to help with their pig farm and rice wine production (as Carrie and I did), then there is a 99.84% chance of that loan being repaid. Not bad.

Obviously, there are still many around the world who need access to basic necessities such as clean water and a reliable source of food, and for them donations are more than needed. But this is also a great way to get involved with helping those in need, and, as one Kiva user put it, allows you to set up your own little "Bill and Melinda Gates" fund.

So check it out and see what you think. Right now, because of the press the site has been getting, it only takes 3.4 hours to fund a loan, so if all the available loans have been funded, check back later in the day to see if new ones have been posted.