Reviews by Friends of ZPublicist

Bryan-Carey says "Hayneedle.com: More than 200 Stores to Keep you Busy" about Hayneedle

Bryan-Carey — Sun, 27 Dec 2009 05:25:28 GMT

Finding the right gift can take some time and shopping online can often involve jumping from web site to web site as you seek out the right item for the occasion. One web site that offers a large variety of merchandise in a sngle place is Hayneedle.com, an online store that sells home- related products.

Online Store Commentary:

Hayneedle.com is an online store that offers goods in categories like patio & garden, home accessories, babies & kids, sports & games, and more. Hayneedle.com is unique in that it combines multiple “web sites” into a single online shopping experience. As you click the links and search for something to buy, you will notice that the screen changes names to another web site, such as cribs.com, musicboxes.com, birdcages.com, etc. However, the Hayneedle.com logo remains at the top of the screen and this is because most all of these web domains are part of Hayneedle.com. There are a few exceptions, but most of the stores you find while shopping at Hayneedle.com...

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TheBard says "Hathaway truns is a fine performance; so long Princess " about Rachel Getting Married

TheBard — Sat, 26 Dec 2009 13:52:17 GMT

Bottom-Line: Life, like Rachel Getting Married just is and we deal the best we can.

Directed by Jonathan Demme, Rachel Getting Married open in the beautiful state of Connecticut just as Kym (Anne Hathaway ~ The Princess Diaries, Havoc, Get Smart) is released from rehab (not for the first time) just in time to attend her sister Rachel's (Rosemarie DeWitt) wedding to Sidney (Tunde Adebimpe).

As the movie unfolds we learn, almost as an FYI, that Kym was responsible for the dead of her younger brother when she was 16 and stoned. That knowledge and the accompanying guilt lead Kym to have a blowout with her mother Abby (Debra Winger) that culminates in a pretty ugly scene.

My Viewpoint

First of all the cast of Rachel Getting Married is a microcosm of America; the bride is Caucasian, and groom is Negro, and the wedding party is multi-cultural and multi-racial in every sense of the two words! Big kudos to the producers for offering up this slice of what America could and truly should...

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AnnaBanana says "A great alternative to a muffin for a fun breakfast!" about General Mills Fiber One Toaster Pastry

AnnaBanana — Sat, 26 Dec 2009 12:49:24 GMT

We probably enjoy more breakfast options today than the centuries of people who came before us could have dreamed of. Prominent among these are the quick and easy things. Nowadays, you can just pop a frozen breakfast entree into the microwave, make a bowl of "instant" hot cereal or knock back a serving of the ready-to-eat stuff and then of course there is the notorious sweet roll or muffin. Should we become so jaded that none of that seems exciting, there is always a healthier breakfast goodie option -- Fiber One Toaster Pastries manufactured by General Mills. These taste almost as good as sweet rolls or muffins and are almost as easy -- you just stick them in the toaster under the lightest setting for a few minutes to create a delightful, warm light breakfast.

Fiber One Toaster Pastries come in a variety of flavors; I chose Brown Sugar Cinnamon which cost about 50 cents a bar and was available from Alice.com (and most supermarkets). My expectations were not high because...

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stef42678 says "Great Hand Soap" about Bath and Body Works Gentle Foaming Hand Soap

stef42678 — Sat, 26 Dec 2009 10:06:49 GMT

I really love trying new Bath and Body Works products, so I was excited to find this Bath and Body Works Gentle Foaming Hand Soap on sale for less than $5 at my local store. The first thing I noticed about this product was that it contains aloe vera which is very soothing on your skin and second, it was antibacterial which is great for killing germs on skin and around the house. I liked the variety of scents because most of them were floral, and others were fruit infused. I decided to try two different scents, the cucumber and then the cherry blossom because I liked the fragrances and the colors would match my home decor. What I love most about this product is how easy it is to dispense and it isn't messy at all. The pump pushes out just a little of the product which is all that is needed and it foams up quickly. The soap really lathers and cleans and leaves a fresh fragrance on my skin. It doesn't dry my hands and even seems to moisturize which I love.

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stef42678 says "Strong Tissue" about Procter & Gamble and Gamble 33549bx: Puffs Two Ply White Facial Tissue

stef42678 — Sat, 26 Dec 2009 10:01:08 GMT

I am pretty picky about the facial tissue I buy because I want a product that is soft and gentle, but still strong enough to help with cleanup and when I have a really bad cold. I really love the high quality of Procter & Gamble and Gamble 33549bx: Puffs Two Ply White Facial Tissue because they work great for cleanup tasks and are soft too. I found a box on sale for $3 at the local store and the box was very colorful to match my home decor. The tissue paper sits flat in the box, so it was a little tough to get out one sheet at a time, but one sheet was enough for anything I needed. The tissue paper is soft and gentle to my face and great for makeup removing, as well as seasonal allergies and the common cold. It doesn't irritate my skin and really soft on my nose. What I love about these tissues is how strong they are because they seem to be double layered so they are great to grab when I need to clean and really soak up liquid without crumbling or falling apart. I use these...

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stef42678 says "High Quality Pan" about Wilton Perfect Performance Ultra Cast Fluted Tube Pan

stef42678 — Sat, 26 Dec 2009 09:54:08 GMT

One of the things I always like getting for the holidays is new cooking items, so I was thrilled to receive this Wilton Perfect Performance Ultra Cast Fluted Tube Pan because it is high quality and definitely a great gift. I got this pan from a friend and it is a high quality pan that makes any cake taste great and bake up even. Once I got the pan, I decided to experiment with some Bundt cake recipes, and everyone came out great. I used this to bake up a few holiday desserts and the pan was so easy to use and really worked to bake up some fantastic cakes. The pan is pretty heavy because it is made out of aluminum and not a soft metal, but it is also dishwasher safe which means that it is so easy to clean. It is nonstick, but I sprayed a thin layer of nonstick spray on it because the fluted design is really detailed and I didn't want any of the small cake pieces to stick in the pan. Once I mixed the cake batter, I poured into the pan and the batter spread evenly. Once baking...

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lilsquibb says "Faded Glory Life Suede Slip-On's are Like Pillows for My Feet" about Faded Glory - Women's Life Suede Slip-On Shoes

lilsquibb — Sat, 26 Dec 2009 01:31:30 GMT

I admit it… I’m a shoe person. If we had more resources I would have more shoes. But I normally keep it to a pair of tennis shoes, pair black and pair brown. Since I rarely buy myself new shoes my black pair was getting really worn, where I knew they would not make it through the winter. So, my search began for a pair of black shoes that were both comfortable and dressy enough for work wear – oh yeah a cheap price tag would be helpful as well. My quest ended when I spotted the Faded Glory Women's Life Suede Slip-On Shoes at Wal-Mart.

The Faded Glory Life Suede shoes are simple in style, yet look nice enough to put with dress pants or jeans with no problem. The shoe is a slip on, with a touch of elasticity on each side. These are simple black suede shoes with a plaid accent on each side of the shoe and accent stitching. These shoes come in 2 different colors; black with wither dark grey or light grey and brown with a tan plaid. My choice was the black with dark grey,...

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Jo says "New Green Acres RV Park, SC: A great overnight stay" about New Green Acres RV Park, Walterboro, South Carolina

Jo — Fri, 25 Dec 2009 23:59:27 GMT

We left Massachusetts several days ago heading south. The first campground in which we stayed one night was New Green Acres RV Park in Walterboro, SC.

Information you may want:

www.newgreenacres.com
396 Campground Road, Walterboro, SC 29488
(843) 538-3450
The longest and widest pull-thru sites east of the Missisippi. That is according to the website; however, the sites were very long and although we are used to backing, in most of the sites were pull-throughs so we went with that.
Electric hook-up (30 and 50 amp)
Water and sewer
Cable- but note: it is an additional $2.00.
Laundry
Swimming Pool
Children's Playground - Note: I wan't all that impressed with the playground. All in all I consider New Acres a great place to stay for a night of two but it is not a destination campground- especially since it seemed to be in the middle of nowhere!
Dog Playground
Wireless Internet Service though we didn't use it so it either wasn't available or it was to hard to use.
Restrooms...

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TheBard says "A Guilty Pleasure Three Season In" about Entourage - Season 3, Part 1

TheBard — Fri, 25 Dec 2009 19:23:35 GMT

Bottom-Line: Entourage: The Complete Third Season is not for those under the age of 17; this is strictly adult fair, pretty much like anything HBO produces; YES!

Entourage chronicles the life of one Vincent Chase (Adrian Grenier), an up and coming A-list movie actor, and his posse of two friends and one brother from Queens New York as they party their way through the jungle that is Hollywood California. Purportedly Entourage is loosely based on the experiences of Executive Producer Wahlberg and his gang when he first appeared on the Hollywood scene.

Ari Gold, played to hilarious over-the-top perfection by Jeremy Piven, is Vincent's high-powered always on the edge agent, while Mrs. Piven (Perrey Reeves - The Lyon's Den) and Shauna (Debi Mazar) round out the regular cast membership.

Entourage: The Complete Third Season DVD drops us into the four childhood friends lives just after Vinnie become an A-list star, and the "Entourage" is living large. ...

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Fardreamer says "Jaws 3 stinks worse than three-day-old fish!" about Jaws 3

Fardreamer — Fri, 25 Dec 2009 17:48:44 GMT

Although Hollywood studios did make a few movie series (The Thin Man, Andy Hardy, Blondie) in the so-called Golden Era of the 1930s and 1940s, the modern concept of the Big Blockbuster Sequel really didn't emerge until the 1970s, starting with Francis Ford Coppola's The Godfather: Part II, followed by Airport 1975, Airport '77, and Jaws 2. And, of course, the phenomenal success of Star Wars and the subsequent The Empire Strikes Back proved to be decisive in the studios' increasing dependence on sequels to make millions of dollars at the box office, especially in years where there are no real "boffo" champs deserving of either critical or popular acclaim.

While all the major studios are prone to make totally unnecessary sequels, Universal Studios is perhaps one of the worst purveyors of Film Sequels from Hell, and one of the best (or is it worst?) examples is Jaws 3, which was originally known as Jaws 3-D.

The third film in The Series That Never Should Have Been a Series actually has the...

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jazzybean01 says "Good all purpose cloths" about Classic Essentials 3 Set of Dish Cloths

jazzybean01 — Fri, 25 Dec 2009 06:18:17 GMT

The Classic Essentials 3 Set of Dish Cloths, is one of those things I bought on a whim. I was cruising down one of the store aisles and saw these dish cloths and just threw them in my basket, and I'm glad I did.

The Essentials Dish Cloths are very versatile around the house. Also, why buy expensive products to use as rags and cleaners. I use them for doing dishes, or cleaning counters or other spills on the floor. When they start to get too ratty I use them to clean the bathroom. The Essential Dish Cloth are convenient for many household jobs and outdoor alike. I've used the Essential Dish Cloths for doing dishes, cleaning cat carriers and cleaning hardwood floors. They also might be a good cheap rag to have in the garage. When they get trashed they are easy and cheap to replace.

The only thing about the Essentials Dish Cloth is that it does "bleed" quite a bit in the first couple of uses; even more so than other towels. So just make sure to wash them out a few...

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jazzybean01 says "My Hot Cocoa Pants are perfect for wintery days" about Life Is Good Flannel Hot Cocoa Lounge Pant

jazzybean01 — Fri, 25 Dec 2009 06:08:50 GMT

Many people have noticed clothing with cute characters and scenes on them saying things like "Chill Out" with a guy on an inner tube, "The Journey is the Destination" with a picture of muddy hiking boots, and of course the most well known "Life is Good" with Jake and trusty dog Rocket. Life Is Good clothing has taken the industry by storm, and has products for every type of person.

Recently while perusing a local clothing store, I came across the Life Is Good section and spent a while looking at all the varieties of clothing to choose from. I came away with Flannel Hot Cocoa Lounge Pants. The pants are chocolate brown with cups of steaming hot chocolate all over them. My Hot Cocoa Lounge Pants are perfect for just lounging around and inspire a day of reading and drinking hot cocoa. I wear them to bed. They do twist around a lot but I also buy too big of pants so they're nice and comfy and not binding They do have a drawstring on them, but I tend to stray away from using...

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jazzybean01 says "The dog and cat will fight over this Paw Appeal Bed" about Paw Appeal Dream Pocket Round Bed

jazzybean01 — Fri, 25 Dec 2009 00:53:45 GMT

Finding the perfect bed for my dog is like trying to hang up a picture during an earthquake...impossible. I scoured many a place and magazine to finally find one that would fit my dogs picky needs; the Paw Appeal Dream Pocket Round Bed.

First, my dog likes to burrow under covers which was a huge consideration in buying the Dream Pocket Round Bed. The bed has a soft shelled cover that can lay flat, or allow for my dog to burrow under it and fell like he's under a blanket. This aspect would be very comforting for those dogs with anxiety, mamma dogs or even puppies. The cover can be unzipped to extend the bed, but I don't see the use of that as the cover is a lot thinner than the rest of the bed. The cover does come completely off. This brings me to consideration number two. The bed itself on the Dream Pocket Round Bed is thick and fluffy. It doesn't have cheap foam padding like other beds. It's so soft and comfy that I would sleep on the Dream Pocket Round Bed if it...

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TheBard says "Is This Supposed to be Christmas Music?" about Brand New Year by SHeDAISY

TheBard — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 21:16:24 GMT

Bottom-Line: When all is said and sung, Brand New World is a worthy effort, but for a traditionalist like me the CD just doesn't work.

I have been a fan of Kristyn, Kelsi and Kassidy Osborn, better known as the Pop-Country group, SheDaisy, since 1999 when I saw the video for the single Little Good-byes from their debut album The Whole SHeBANG (1999). To this day Little Good-byes typifies what SheDaisy's music is all about; the song is fun, whimsical, full of energy and highlights the trio's harmonizing acumen.

In between The Whole SHeBANG and Knock on The Sky the trio released the obligatory Christmas CD, entitled Brand New World in the fall of 2000. However, the CD was less than I expected. Now I like my Yuletide music traditional, thank you very much and with one, okay two, exceptions, Brand New World fails to deliver.

Yes, the trio put their own new-age country-contemporary spin on wintery seasonal favorites like Deck The Halls (track No.1), Jingle Bells (track No.4), and

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BayouBengal says "Maybelline Dream Mousse Eye Shadow -- It's Moussey!" about Maybelline Dream Mousse Shadow

BayouBengal — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 02:15:26 GMT

I'm not a morning person but I'm also not one to go out of the house without makeup! And that goes for eye shadow too on most mornings. One of my new finds is Maybelline Dream Mousse Eye Shadow. I picked it up because I found it at Dollar Tree and I knew my daughter loved the foundation. So I decided to give it a try.

I bought the pastal lilac shade of Maybelline Dream Mousse Eye Shadow for only a buck at Dollar Tree. I picked up two different shades if I recall. I have opened and have been using the lilac shade for several days now.

Maybelline Dream Mousse Eye Shadow is a whipped formula of eye shadow that is very lightweight. The shade I have is a pastel lilac and it has a shimmer to it that is barely noticeable.

I love the way Maybelline Dream Mousse Eye Shadow applies. It dries quickly, and will allow for you to add another dab if you need the shade to be a bit darker. It is not sticky nor greasy. The slight shimmer is just enough to catch the light and add a bit...

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AnnaBanana says "A wonderful treat but chew carefully!" about Today's Farm - Freeze-Dried Fruit Snack

AnnaBanana — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 20:43:55 GMT

Among the goodies which arrived in my first order from Alice.com was a .75 oz. Today's Farm Freeze-Dried Fruit Snack manufactured by Justus Foods, Inc. of Georgetown Texas. These snacks come in assorted flavors but I chose Apple Cinnamon. At $2.24 a package, this is not cheap but the ingredient list for this treat is delightfully simple: freeze-dried apples, sugar and cinnamon. The package contains the equivalent of two 1/2-cup servings of fresh apples which have been sliced up as though for a pie before the water was extracted from them. There are no artificial flavors or preservatives. As far as I am concerned, less is more when it comes to ingredients and this is no exception.

STATS:

One entire package is considered to be a single serving which contains 80 calories and zip, zip, zero fat, Cholesterol, Sodium and Protein. There are 20 grams Total Carbs, 2 grams Dietary Fiber, 16 grams Sugars, and 6% (D.V.) Vitamin C.

MY VIEWPOINT:

Today's Farm Apple Cinnamon Freeze-Dried...

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Bryan-Carey says "American Diabetes Association: Advocate for the Diabetic " about American Diabetes Association

Bryan-Carey — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 19:34:47 GMT

Do you know someone with diabetes? Chances are you do. More than 25 million people in the United States alone suffer from this annoying and sometimes fatal disease and the numbers continue to grow each year, due in part to the obesity epidemic and poor eating habits among Americans of all ages. The foremost charity that works on behalf of diabetics everywhere is the American Diabetes Association, a non- profit health organization.

Charity Commentary:

The American Diabetes Association mission is threefold. First, this organization wants to assist those who presently have diabetes and help them live a normal life. Second, the American Diabetes Association wants to educate the public and help prevent future cases of diabetes. Third, this health organization wants to search for a cure. Its annual spending budget is divided among these three key areas of support.

I have been an active contributor to the American Diabetes Association for many years and what first drew my attention...

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TheBard says "A Submarine Movie This Bubblehead Can Enjoy" about Crimson Tide

TheBard — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 15:03:59 GMT

Bottom-Line: Crimson Tide is now one of my favorite must see once-a-year movies.

Directed by action junkie Tony Scott (Top Gun, Man on Fire, Spy Game), Crimson Tide revives and old enemy (Russia) for some tomfoolery and high intrigue in the middle of the Pacific Ocean onboard the nuclear-powered ballistic submarine U.S.S. Alabama. The "Bama" has been sent to counter possible first strike moves by a rouge Russian rebel leader who has managed to seize a Russian nuclear base on Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula in the Northwestern Pacific. The U.S.S. Alabama is led by a no nonsense, by-the-book skipper, one Captain Frank Ramsey (Gene Hackman ~ A Bridge Too Far, Superman, Mississippi Burning).

The acting executive officer is one Lt. Commander Ron Hunter (Denzel Washington ~ Glory, Malcolm X, American Gangster) and almost immediately the two men butt heads. One man is doer, an old-school sub driver, while the other is a thinker a graduate of Annapolis.

The differing leadership...

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AnnaBanana says "Great deals from Alice's Wonderland!" about Alice.com

AnnaBanana — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 14:26:28 GMT

Of all the social and technological advances in the past decade, perhaps the most amazing is the ability for online shoppers to order groceries from the safety and convenience of home. This has made life easier for a lot of people -- in fact, it has been a real lifesaver, literally speaking. There was a time when a person who couldn't get to the grocery store or have someone else bring back the necessary provisions could literally die of starvation! That is precisely what happened to some senior citizens or other vulnerable people who lived alone especially in neighborhoods where grocery shopping venues were limited or non-existent.

A lot of us already have reveled in the wonders of Peapod -- or other online grocery order services -- but not everyone is lucky enough to live in an area serviced by them. The great news is that now almost everyone has Alice.com to look after them.

Alice Tries Harder

Alice.com can only supply grocery items which can be safely mailed through UPS. ...

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ChrisJarmick says "Solid Randolph Scott Western with superb supporting cast" about Ride Lonesome (1959)

ChrisJarmick — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 10:27:31 GMT

Budd Boetticher made at least 7 several solid Westerns with Randoph Scott during the 1950s. One of the first big screen CinemaScope pictures he directed was 1959's Ride Lonesome. It's a solid fairly simple Western dealing with classic Western themes. Well cast, acted and directed, Ride Lonesome's screenplay is solid and spare. The story slowly unfolds for us, but we are never bored.

Brigade (Randolph Scott) is taking dangerous outlaw Billy John (James Best) to Santa Cruz where he will most certainly be hanged for shooting a man in the back. We don't yet understand why he seems to want Billy's even more dangers brother, Frank (Lee Van Cleef) to catch up with him. He has his reasons, though.

Brigade meets Carrie (Karen Steele) a very attractive woman whose waiting for her husband to return. There are also two wanted men who have decided to hang out on Carrie's property and watch over her for a while. They are Sam Boone (Pernell Roberts and his friend (played by James...

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