Reviews by Friends of bkovacs

Fardreamer says "Brokaw's The Greatest Generation is vivid and readable " about Tom Brokaw - The Greatest Generation

Fardreamer — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 17:18:57 GMT

There is, in American culture and its language, a seemigly unerring penchant for the use of hyperbole and terms such as The Best of...The Most Popular...and The Greatest to promote, sell or attempt to sway people in some form or another.

You've probably seen at least a few "Greatest Movies" or "Greatest Sports Figures" lists in the course of watching television, browsing the Web or reading the newspaper. If you're into politics, doubtlessly you've seen lists of historians' "Greatest Presidents" lists and watched, bemusedly perhaps, as changes in the political mood of the country move certain names up and down depending on what party the Chief Executives were from or what policies they tended to favor.

And ever since the late 1990s, when director Steven Spielberg's Saving Private Ryan and Tom Brokaw's The Greatest Generation burst into the American cultural landscape, the moniker of Brokaw's book has been attached to the men and women who lived through the Great Depression of the 1930s...

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Fardreamer says "Orange Clean Cleaner is a must-have housecleaning product!" about Orange Clean Cleaner

Fardreamer — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 16:47:55 GMT

Ever since my mom and I moved back to the U.S. after living abroad for several years, I've been doing household chores from age nine until the present day.

At first, my one job was vacuuming, a choree I liked better in our previous home because that house had only one story while this one has two floors. (Even that did not faze me at first, but when we moved here I was a couple of weeks shy of my 15th birthday and now I'm three times that age.)

However, with the passage of time and with my mom's health in decline, Your Humble Correspondent is now responsible for much, if not all, of the housekeeping chores.

One of the stark realities of housekeeping is that it's a job that would drive Hercules crazy -- you can work long hours wiping, mopping, scouring, vacuuming, dusting, and picking up things and still find some speck of dirt on the floor or a new grease stain on a counter. Let's face it, keeping a home clean and sanitary is a never-ending and often thankless job, but it...

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RudiXeno says "GE Dimmable Compact Fluorescent Flood Lamp: Not quite there yet" about GE Dimmable Compact Fluorescent Flood Lamp

RudiXeno — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 13:48:07 GMT

Over the last few years I've converted most of our lamps and lighting fixtures over to Compact Fluorescent Lights. With the exception of a small number of ornamental lights and lights controlled by dimmer switches, the conversion is almost complete. The savings, in terms of our electric bill are both noticeable and impressive. And, of course there is that intangible reward knowing that I'm doing something good for the environment.

So several months ago when I got the opportunity to try convert the few remaining R40 Floodlamps with GE's Dimmable Compact Fluorescent Floods I didn't hesitate.

GE Dimmable Compact Fluorescent Flood Lamp

Theses CFL Floods appear virtually identical to any other and comfortably fit any high-hat meant to accept an R40 bulb. At 1300 lumens, they provide just a bit less light at full brightness than the 100W bulbs they are replacing. They consume just 26W of electricity rather than the normal 90 - 100W of a conventional incandescent flood.

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PattyTherre says "Nine tasty soda flavored lip balm tins to keep or share!" about Schweppes Gold Medal Lip Balm Gift Set

PattyTherre — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 04:22:55 GMT

Quick View: This gift set of ten soda flavored lip balms is tasty, hydrating, and fun. Keep some and give some away or keep them all! I got a great deal on these at HSN.com. They were on sale for just $10.00 a set. They're incredibly tasty in flavors i remember as a kid.

My Take on Schweppes Gold Medal Lip Balm Gift Set

This set comes boxed and has nine separate time of old school Swhweppes soda flavors. The balms are tinted in the tins but have very little color on the lips. Although they have a novelty look to them, they contain good ingredients like organic extra virgin olive oil, organic coconut oil, cocoa butter, beeswax, rosemary and Vitamin E. And boy do they taste great!

You get the following:

# .35 oz. Schweppes' Cider SPF 15 Sunscreen Lip Balm.
# .35 oz. Schweppes' Dry Grape Ginger Ale SPF 15 Sunscreen Lip Balm.
# .35 oz. Schweppes' Raspberry Ginger Ale SPF 15 Sunscreen Lip Balm.
# .35 oz. Schweppes' Black Cherry Seltzer SPF 15 Sunscreen Lip Balm.
# .35 oz. Schweppes' Sarsaparilla...

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TheBard says "You'll Never Need Another Mathematic/Scientific Calculator" about Texas Instruments - TI83

TheBard — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 21:04:36 GMT

Bottom-Line: The Texas Instruments TI-83 Plus Graphing Calculator is probably the last calculator you will purchase in your academic career, it is just that powerful.

Texas Instruments released the first TI-83 Plus Graphing Calculator, and upgrade of the TI-82, in 1996, and it has gone to be one of the most widely used graphing calculators for students across a broad range of educational levels. In addition to the functions found on normal scientific calculators the TI-83 Plus includes graphing, polar/parametric/sequence graphing modes, statistics, trigonometric, calculus (the Plus) and algebraic functions. Texas Instruments released the TI-83 Plus in 1999 as a replacement for the normally aspired TI-83. The TI-83 Plus also ships with flash memory, which would enable the devices’ OS to be updated as needed.

Powered by (4) AAA-sized batteries (plus 1 CR-1616 or CR 1620 lithium battery for backup), the TI-83 Plus Graphing Calculator is large unit ideal for advanced mathematics students...

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Jo says "Herbalife 21-Day Herbal Program didn't leave me Cleansed" about Herbalife 21-Day Herbal Cleansing Program

Jo — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 17:15:54 GMT

I am buying into the Herbalife life while doing a 12-week weight loss program. They are the sponsors. I bought the Tea and like it a lot.

Another product I bought is the Herbalife 21-Day Herbal Cleansing Program. This is not the first cleanse I have done. I guess in general they don't work all that well for me.

What is Herbalife 21-Day Herbal Cleansing Program

For about $27.00 I got two bottles. One is for the morning and one is for the evening. The products are herbal blends which I like rather than a bunch of chemicals. The morning formula is called the Replenishing Formula and the evening one is called the Cleansing Formula. Herbalife 21-Day Herbal Cleansing Program is called "An internal cleansing system for digestive health."

According to the box the benefits are to helps the body eliminate toxins; to improve nutrient absorption, and it may support weight management. Of course none of these statements nor the product is monitored by the FDA.

I do believe that cleaning out my digestive...

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TheBard says "Most Costly Than Others, But It Brings The Goods" about Kaspersky Kaspersky Internet Security 2010

TheBard — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 16:31:25 GMT

Bottom-Line: Overall, Kaspersky Internet Security 2010 is more than adequate for both power users and those users who take a more set-it-and-forget it approach to their computer’s security.

Even if the antivirus program cannot clean the infected file, most can at least isolate it and keep from doing harm the rest of the computer system. One of the antivirus programs I trust is Kaspersky Internet Security 2010 a program I recently downloaded and installed on a laptop running Windows 7 Enterprise Edition.

Kaspersky Internet Security 2010 supports Windows 7 (32/64-Bit), Windows Vista (32/64-bit), and Windows XP Home Edition (SP2).

The 411

Kaspersky Internet Security 2010 ships with all the usual suite of protections found in most of its competitors with the exception of a data backup utility. That means you’ll antivirus protection for files, web browsing, e-mail, applications and various processes.

And of course Kaspersky Internet Security 2010 include auto-protect and e-mail...

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PattyTherre says "A VERY sweet soap that doesn't strip my hands like the others." about Bath & Body Works Anti-Bacterial Deep Cleansing Hand Soap, Winter Candy Apple

PattyTherre — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 13:46:55 GMT

Quick View: I like Bath & Body Works' hand soaps and I recently bought nine different scents and types (I had a great coupon!). One that I bought was Bath & Body Works Anti-Bacterial Deep Cleansing Hand Soap, Winter Candy Apple. Normally I'm not a fan of the deep cleansing soaps and go for the moisturizing ones but I didn't see this scent in the moisturizing hand soap area so I bought the deep cleansing one. It is VERY sweet but doesn't seem to dry my hands out like the other deep cleansing soaps from BBW.

My Take on Bath & Body Works Anti-Bacterial Deep Cleansing Hand Soap, Winter Candy Apple

I never smelled this scent but I knew candy apples are very sweet. I guess the name intrigued me. Winter Candy Apple. Is there a difference between summer and winter candy apples? I had to know so I bought the hand soap.

When I first tried this eight ounce pump soap, I was overwhelmed with the sweet candy scent. I smelled no apple at all, just the candy coating that the apples are dipped into. It...

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Katrena says "The Emperor's Egg is an Amazing Story About Penguins" about The Emperor's Egg

Katrena — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 07:51:48 GMT

The Emperor's Egg [1999, Candlewick Press, ISBN: 0-7636-0557-3], by Martin Jankins and illustrated by Jane Chapman is a 29-page children's book about Emperor penguins.

The Story:

This book gives lots of information about Emperor Penguins. It gives the information in simple terms and has colorful and engaging illustrations that compliment the story nicely.

I actually found this book to be quite informative since I know very little about these amazing birds. I didn't realize that Emperor Penguins can be about three feet tall and that they are the only ones the breed in mid-winter in Antarctica. I find it amazing what these penguins must endure just to ensure that their one egg will survive to hatch.

My Viewpoint:

The Emperor's Egg would be a great book to read at home or to a group of kids that are learning about penguins or how animals protect their eggs. This simple story and colorful illustrations can help to educate children and adults on the interesting world of the Emperor Penguins....

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Katrena says "Bear Feels Sick is Cute Story Especially if Child is Sick" about Karma Wilson - Bear Feels Sick

Katrena — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 07:41:32 GMT

Bear Feels Sick [2007, Margaret K. McElderry Books, ISBN-13: 978-0-689-85985-4], by Karma Wilson and illustrated by Jane Chapman is a delightful story of a sick bear and his friends.

The Story:

Poor Bear is feeling sick, but his faithful friends decide to help him and offer all sorts of help. Each of his friends tries to assist Bear, but it is quite a while before he is ready to play again. Finally, Bear wakes up feeling ready to play, but what's wrong with all of his friends?

My Viewpoint:

Bear Feels Sick is a nice story about friendship and how friends can help one another. Maybe the author should have put something in there about hand washing or should I say paw washing? In the midst of the flu season, I'm sure that kids who are sick might find this book helpful and fun to read, but hopefully the same thing wouldn't happen to anyone who is helping the sick one at home! The illustrations are colorful and the characters are likeable, and the story flows nicely and quickly from one page...

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Katrena says "Vegetarians Will Like Twas the Night Before Thanksgiving" about Twas the Night Before Thanksgiving

Katrena — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 07:31:56 GMT

Twas the Night Before Thanksgiving [1990, Orchard Books, ISBN: 0-531-08505-8], by Dav Pilkey, is a story of a children's field trip to a farm on the evening before Thanksgiving.

When the children arrive, they are delighted to see lots of beautiful turkeys at the farm. Then they discover that these turkeys are going to be the main course for the big holiday the next day. The children decide to do something about the situation, and each child decides to stuff a turkey up his or her shirt, but the book doesn't really say what they do--the reader has to figure that out on her own. They are quite comical walking out to the bus.

The end of the book shows that the turkeys are actually a part of Thanksgiving dinner, but not in a way that most people would suspect. The story flows well with rhyming sentences that are short and the illustrations compliment the story nicely.

My Viewpoint:

Twas the Night Before Thanksgiving is a cute book that incorporates humor and an interesting side to Thanksgiving....

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Katrena says "The Adventures of Laura & Jack is Exciting But Sad at End" about The Adventures of Laura and Jack

Katrena — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 07:14:37 GMT

The Adventures of Laura and Jack [1932, Harper Trophy, ISBN 0-05-442045-0], by Laura Ingalls Wilder and illustrated by Renee Graef is a 71-page juvenile fiction chapter book.

The Story:

Laura is a young girl growing up in the day of covered wagons and simple family life. As her family travels from place to place, the family's dog named Jack is a faithful friend that is spunky and fun. Although the odds are stacked against the little dog in many of the adventures, Jack seems to be able to survive anything. Yet, at the end, the family must move again and Jack is now old. Pa decides that Jack will ride in the wagon the next morning, but will the faithful dog be waiting with wagging tale in the morning?

My Viewpoint:

I remember watching Little House on the Prairie as a child. That show really appealed to me, and I remember Laura and her dog Jack on the show. My 8-year-old is now reading chapter books, and she really enjoyed reading The Adventures of Laura and Jack.

It is hard for me to imagine...

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Katrena says "Find the Teddy Engages Kids With the Story" about Find the Teddy

Katrena — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 06:56:43 GMT

Find the Teddy, [1999, EDC Publishing, ISBN: 0 7460 3825 9], by Phil Roxbee Cox and illustrated by Stephen Cartwright, was based on an idea by Claudia Zeff. This 16 page children's board book features a teddy bear on each page.

The Story:

A little girl has lost her teddy bear and begins a search. Each page has a short sentence and the bear can be seen on each page. The main character continues to look for the bear until the very end, but what happens once she goes to sleep?

My Viewpoint:

Find the Teddy is a cute, fun, and engaging board book. My two-year-old had a little bit of a hard time finding the teddy on several pages, but her eyes absolutely lit up when she recognized a picture inside the book that resembled the front of the book. The teddy is hiding in a big red boot. My daughter loves to talk about and look at boots and shoes but hates to wear them.

The story is pretty predictable. The sentences are short, which to me is appropriate for a board book since they are geared toward...

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PattyTherre says "Everything's better when it's baked - even blush! " about Laura Geller Blush-n-Brighten Blush Compact, Golden Apricot

PattyTherre — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 01:08:08 GMT

Quick View: I have been a fan of Laura Geller's line of cosmetics for years. Her line of baked products is great. I have TONS of blushes but tend to stick with rosy hues. I decided it was time for a change so I picked up Laura Geller Blush-n-Brighten Blush Compact in Golden Apricot. I thought I would look orange it doesn't at all. I love this shade and the formula is really great. I'll be buying more shades soon.

My Take on Laura Geller Blush-n-Brighten Blush Compact, Golden Apricot

This blush is baked and has a somewhat uneven texture. It isn't one color throughout. There are shades of deeper apricot and lighter all swirled within the compact. I like that because blush really shouldn't be one flat color. A little variation makes skin look better and the blush look more realistic.

This compact of hard packed blush looks peachy but also has deeper apricot hues. I was totally afraid that my pale olive skin would look like a pumpkin when I applied the blush. To the contrary, the shade actually...

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PattyTherre says "I can't drink this but it's an effective throat soother for you!" about Yogi Tea Throat Comfort Organic, Caffeine Free Tea

PattyTherre — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 05:55:09 GMT

Quick View: I discovered this tea while browsing around online and, because I have sore throats a lot in the winter, bought a box. As it happens, I got a sore throat soon after and tried the tea. It's not bad and does sooth my throat. I can't drink it though because it lowers my potassium level. However, in general, this tea is safe and effective.

My Take on Yogi Tea Throat Comfort, Organic, Caffeine Free Tea

This tea comes16 bags to a box and is naturally caffeine free. It has natural sweetness to it and it tastes like black licorice. I don't like that taste very much but, with a little honey and lemon, the tea is just fine. When I drank it, my throat was coated and soothed. My mucus membranes opened up and my sinuses drained which relieved my stuffy head.

This tea can be drank as often as one wants and kids can benefit from it as well. It contains nothing artificial and has a blend of many herbs and spices to coat, soothe, and relieve sore, scratchy throats. Singers and speakers often...

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Bryan-Carey says "Excedrin Extra Strength Offers a Good Level of Relief" about Excedrin Extra Strength

Bryan-Carey — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 04:16:28 GMT

I don’t suffer from headaches very much, but when I do, I will usually reach for one of an assortment of over the counter pain relievers to stop the pain. I usually pick Aleve or one of a few others, but another product that generally works well is Excedrin Extra Strength, an inexpensive pain reliever.

Pain Reliever Commentary:

Excedrin Extra Strength are used to relieve multiple types of pain. When it comes to pain, I generally experience nothing but headache pain but Excedrin Extra Strength is good for body aches, arthritis, muscle aches, menstrual cramps, toothaches, and more. Whatever type of pain you have, Excedrin Extra Strength is ready to get to the core of the problem and lessen the discomfort.

Excedrin Extra Strength contains aspirin, acetaminophen, and caffeine in its list of active ingredients. The dosage of caffeine is good because it prevents drowsiness and some people even claim they feel more wide awake than usual when they take this product. The caffeine dosage...

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rsilva says "Creepy tales with memorable characters and great descriptions." about Setting Suns

rsilva — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:56:28 GMT

This collection of horror and SF short stories opens with a bang: "Sisyphus" is a time travel story that manages to be horrifying and brilliantly clever at the same time. It delivers a Twilight-Zone style punch that grabs the reader immediately, and it's a nice lead-in to the claustrophobia of "Deep Breathing" and the suburban creepiness of "Silent" and "Jesus Loves Me".

Elizabeth Donald delivers very strong characters and realistic situations, and plays to a wide range of fears from the moment-by-moment terror of a campus sniper attack to the global apocalypse of the stories from her alien-invasion series, "Sanctuary".

There are three Sanctuary stories here. "Our Turn" is a twist on Shirley Jackson's classic "The Lottery" involving a rather nasty arrangement that one village has made with the alien conquerors. "Gauntlet" is basically a running gunbattle and brawl that's good old-fashioned fun to read. My favorite of these, though, was "Memoir", which features a fascinating AI character...

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njchicaa says "LUSH Vanilla in the Mist soap smells nice but that's it. Hmph." about LUSH Vanilla in the Mist Soap

njchicaa — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:53:42 GMT

I've learned not to just blindly buy every new product that LUSH releases, because it is like some strange addiction. I usually only like about 25% of the LUSH products that I try, but that somehow doesn't stop me from continuing to check them out. I recently received several soap samples in an online order, including LUSH Vanilla in the Mist Soap.

Vanilla in the Mist is, obviously, a vanilla-scented soap. It contains their palm-free, rapeseed (canola) oil base and ingredients including sunflower oil, coconut oil, gardenia extract, bergamot oil, and vanilla absolute. According to the web site, it is supposed to be a combination of "a dream dessert; quadruple espresso and a top quality Italian ice cream." Personally, I don't get any coffee notes from Vanilla in the Mist. To me, it is basically a warm vanilla scent combined with buttery cookies.

I had a fairly large chunk of this soap to use in the shower. The first thing that really annoyed me was the large vanilla bean pod...

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RudiXeno says "PowerShot Forward Action Heavy-Duty Stapler: Easier on your hand" about PowerShot Forward Action Heavy-Duty Stapler

RudiXeno — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 18:08:17 GMT

One of the most useful tools for any homeowner to have is a heavy duty stapler. Chances are you can find one in your garage or basement. For many years, Arrow Brand has led the market in this type of tool. Big and chrome plated, I have a couple hanging on the wall.

My only complaint about the Arrow model is that it's awfully tough on your hands after a couple hours of use. Following an accident a few years ago in which I hurt my hand I knew I needed an alternative.

On a trip to The Home Depot I found what I was looking for in the PowerShot Forward Action Heavy-Duty Stapler. It featured an updated design that promised to be less fatiguing. The trigger mechanism was forward-action rather than the usual rear-action mechanism utilized in the standard Arrow design.

This design is considerably easier on your hands since you have the weight of your body to help firing a staple. If you look at the product photo, this advantage is immediately obvious.

PowerShot Forward Action Heavy-Duty...

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Fardreamer says "Stephen King's Storm of the Century is effective TV chiller" about Storm of the Century

Fardreamer — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 16:11:54 GMT

In 1999, the ABC TV network, which has been "home" to best-selling author Stephen King's made-for-television movies and miniseries, aired Stephen King's Storm of the Century, which King wrote as an original "Novel for Television" rather than as an adaptation of an existing published work, tells the story from the point of view of Mike Anderson (Tim Daly), a grocery store owner and constable on Little Tall Island, which lies off the coast of Maine. It's some time in the late 1990s, and Mike is clearly recalling the traumatic events of the fateful arrival of Andre Linoge (Colm Feore) on the island just as a series of weather systems converge off the East Coast to form a Perfect Storm type of natural disaster.

For the residents of Little Tall, the so-called Storm of the Century is the least of their worries, because the mysterious Linoge isn't as unassuming as he looks. In fact, he makes his presence known by brutally killing the elderly Martha Clarendon (Rita Tuckett), taking away her walker...

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