Reviews by Friends of mhew

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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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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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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AnnaBanana says "Destined to brighten the corner where they are." about Colonial Candles of Cape Cod Hand-Dipped Tapers

AnnaBanana — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 18:48:11 GMT

I am second to none in my appreciation of electricity and the illumination it has provided us so faithfully at the flip of a switch. With that said, I must admit that I am also a sucker for candlelight as well ... and if you like candles, you will love Colonial Candles of Cape Cod. They are expensive but well worth the money, delivering clean, extensive and smooth "burn time." I have bought the Classic Tapers (8") in a beautiful Amber (or "rust" color) but my favorites are the 6" Hand-Dipped Tapers which were available in a delicate shell pink color which matched the Winter Peach painted walls in my bedroom perfectly.

Colonial Candles of Cape Cod Hand-Dipped Tapers (6" size) cost $27 for a box of 12 and fit perfectly into the "hurricane lamp" candle holders on my bedroom dresser. They have helped to get me through some dark electricity power outages and they lend a cozy ambience to any occasion. Colonial Candles of Cape Cod Hand-Dipped Tapers come in 44 colors and...

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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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AnnaBanana says "Beautiful glassware that you don't have to worry about." about Libbey Charisma Hoops 24-Piece Tumbler Set

AnnaBanana — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 20:52:37 GMT

This all started last year when Linens 'N Things announced that they would be going out of business during the first part of 2009. Their store here in Oak Park was quickly picked to the bare bones but clearance fever (with all sales final) ratcheted on up at the LNT website as I grabbed new towels, a roasting pan which proved to be a lemon, and lastly, a set of 24 Libbey Glass Charisma Hoops Tumblers for $7.95. The glassware was the last thing I ordered on clearance from LNT and when they arrived, I signed for them, took them in, shoved the box to one side in my hallway, and there they have sat ever since until a couple days ago! That box was the last thing I saw when I left for the West Coast in May and the first thing I saw upon my return. Meanwhile, I continued to make do with the weird assortment of glassware remnants composed of survivors from other matched sets and garage sale finds from the old days.

Recently, I finally worked up the ambition to clean out my kitchen cabinets...

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AnnaBanana says "A nice breakfast that provides energy all day." about Starbucks Sunrise Lowfat Red Raspberry Muffin

AnnaBanana — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 12:38:44 GMT

There I was in that "new" Starbuck's at 711 Lake Street, clutching my Fruit and Cheese Plate and waiting for my beverage order. I've got to admit that nobody held me down and made me check out the pastries but I wanted to take something home for breakfast the next day ... a Sunrise Lowfat Red Raspberry Muffin.

This is a lovely, medium-sized muffin made of basic yellow batter. It looked like the baker had put a little batter in the bottom of the muffin pan, topped it with a generous helping of fresh raspberries, another spoonful of batter and a little streusel topping. The fresh berries provided a nice tart flavor which complemented and enhanced the muffin's sweetness.

STATS:

Each muffin is a single serving containing 340 calories with 50 calories from fat. There are 6 grams Total Fat, 1.5 gram Saturated Fat, zero Trans Fat, 50 mg. Cholesterol, 500 mg. Sodium, 65 Total Carbs, 2 grams Fiber, 37 grams Sugars, and 7 grams Protein along with 2% (D.V.) Vitamin A, 25% Vitamin C, 8% Calcium...

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AnnaBanana says "Very refreshing!" about Starbucks Fruit and Cheese Plate

AnnaBanana — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 12:03:38 GMT

The other day I shopped a little at our Trader Joe's in Oak Park and walked back home, only to discover along the way a Starbuck's I had somehow been overlooking. Good grief! I had never realized there was a Starbuck's at 711 Lake Street and was frankly a bit surprised since there is ANOTHER Starbuck's on the other side of Lake Street down near the Lake Theatre. Having two such shops that close together is unusual and I couldn't resist entering this "new" one to have a look at what they were offering.

After ordering a beverage, I peeked at their chilled food selections and was a bit disappointed. What they had to offer in the line of salads and sandwiches was somewhat less than an overflowing cornucopia (on the other hand, it was late in the afternoon which may have made a difference). I did see something I hadn't tried before ... the Starbucks Fruit and Cheese Plate.

This is a rectangular covered dish containing 220 grams of apple wedges, green and purple grapes, a package...

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Fardreamer says "Silver Bullet is so-so Stephen King-based werewolf movie" about Silver Bullet

Fardreamer — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 21:37:05 GMT

By sheer literary output alone, Stephen King has the dubious honor of having written the most novels or stories adapted for theatrical release. Ranging from the ridiculous (Maximum Overdrive) to the sublime (The Shawshank Redemption, Stand By Me), movies based on King's horror and supernaturally-themed novels have attracted (and sometimes disappointed) audiences ever since Brian De Palma made Carrie in 1976. Some King fans even used to joke that if Hollywood ever got its hands on Steve-O's laundry list, it, too, would be made into "a major motion picture."

If you ask me on which end of the quality spectrum I'd place 1985's Silver Bullet, which is based on Cycle of the Werewolf, one of King's shorter novellas, I'd have to say it tends to lean more toward the Trashy King Adaptation side than it does to the Classic-and-Classy King crowd. It's not as bad as, say, Creepshow or even the aforementioned Maximum Overdrive (which was King's only foray into directing a film). Even so, it's not one...

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Katrena says "Puffs Ultra Soft & Strong Tissues Great Product for Picky Buyer" about Puffs Ultra Soft & Strong Tissue

Katrena — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 18:40:19 GMT

Puffs Ultra Soft & Strong Tissue is actually quite soft and strong. I bought some of these when the generic kind that I usually buy were out. Frankly, I usually go for the cheapest tissues I can find. It's not like they can be re-used or that they will increase in value with age or anything!

What I like about these Puffs:

They are very soft--my kids especially like them when I have to go running after them with the tissues. They aren't as likely to make their noses as sore.
They are strong--Well, I wouldn't try to carry a watermelon on one or anything, but they do tend to hold up well.

What I don't like about these Puffs:

The price--I'm going to go with the best value I can find for the lowest price. Give me tissues in a white box. Don't make me pay for a name brand or cute pictures. I can cover up a boring box with a cover that I have in my bathroom. My nose doesn't really care about a brand.

My Viewpoint:

I guess I go for function over form. I'm not very picky about tissues (yes, a bit...

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AnnaBanana says "Part of the same family, but a different character altogether." about Campbell's Select Harvest Garden Recipes Zesty Tomato Bisque

AnnaBanana — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 03:19:09 GMT

A few days ago, I did a review of Campbell's Select Harvest Chicken Noodle Soup. There were some good things about that product but basically I was underwhelmed. Imagine my chagrin then to discover more of the same family of products on my shelf. Yes, not only had I bought two of the chicken noodle microwaveable bowls but in a weak moment I had also been suckered into buying a couple cans of Campbell's Select Harvest Garden Recipes Zesty Tomato Bisque Soup. (What some people won't do to save a dollar when something goes on sale!)

At first, I was going to craftily save it to donate to a holiday food drive but curiosity got the better of me and I tried this soup. I'm glad that I bought this (and I will be giving something ELSE to the food drive). I like the flavor of this soup which is basically a bisque which gains character from chunks of tomato. It has a lot of body to it and did not seem to be a bit bland (one of the major complaints in the reviews about the Select Harvest...

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Fardreamer says "Though graphic and tragic, Black Hawk Down is a classic film" about Black Hawk Down

Fardreamer — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 18:45:38 GMT

Based on Mark Bowden's 1999 best selling nonfiction book, Black Hawk Down is a gritty, sometimes harrowing account of the bloody firefight between 150 Army Rangers and Delta Force commandos against literally thousands of Somali militia members in the streets of Mogadishu.

Producer Jerry Bruckheimer (The Rock, Top Gun) and director Ridley Scott (Alien, Gladiator), working from an adapted screenplay by Ken Nolan, vividly recreate the confusion and violence of modern urban warfare in stark, often very graphic detail rivaled perhaps only by Steven Spielberg's Saving Private Ryan. It is, after all, a depiction of what was, until the current conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq, the most sustained and bloody firefight in U.S. Army history since the Vietnam War.

Like Bowden's book, focuses on the events of October 3, 1993, when a combined force of Army Rangers and Delta Force operatives were sent into a hostile section of Mogadishu, Somalia. Their mission, to capture two of warlord Mohammad...

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Fardreamer says "Though graphic and tragic, Black Hawk Down is a classic film" about Black Hawk Down

Fardreamer — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 18:45:37 GMT

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Fardreamer says "Stephen King's The Eyes of the Dragon appeals to young readers" about The Eyes of the Dragon

Fardreamer — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 16:52:32 GMT

In the mid-1990s, I used to ghostwrite for a woman who had the desire to write children's stories but, alas, lacked the writing skills to do so.

One of the problems my erstwhile client had was that she seemed to have only one thematic idea that she recycled endlessly - a smart but lonely young girl or woman who found herself in a sticky situation or a romantic dillemma, tried to use her wits to solve her problems but eventually had to rely on a deus ex machina or external force - usually magic of fairies - to achieve her goals.

Because my client usually paid $200 per project (no matter how long it took) in exchange for a share of royalties that never came, I manfully attempted to balance her creative needs with what I figured was best-seller possible realities and often came up with a compromise between her "happily ever after" and some darker elements derived from such classic stories as Cinderella, Snow White and Hansel and Gretel.

Admittedly, I was also influenced by such fantasy/horror...

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Katrena says "Jolly Old Santa Claus Has Beautiful Illustrations" about Jolly Old Santa Claus

Katrena — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 11:07:02 GMT

Jolly Old Santa Claus [2000, Candy Cane Press, ISBN 0-8249-4182-9], by Patricia A. Pingry with paintings by George Hinke is a 14 page board book featuring Santa. The Jolly Old Elf is preparing for a ride with the help of his many elves. He also has a cat that appears on nearly every page. Although Santa surprises the boys and girls with his many gifts, he has a surprise of his own waiting when he gets back to the North Pole.

What I Like About This Book:

Illustrations are amazingly detailed with lots of color
Short and engaging story
Thick pages

My only suggestion for this book would have been to have put the cat on each page. There are a few pages where the cat is missing (with good reason!), but it was fun to search for the kitty.

My Viewpoint:

Jolly Old Santa Claus catches my 2-year-old's eye every time she looks through the board books at the library. We've read this book over and over, and she wants to check it out almost every time she sees it. I think the illustrations are particularly...

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Fardreamer says "Queen Amidala is ready to fight in this 1999 action figure" about Hasbro Star Wars - Episode I: Queen Amidala - Naboo (CommTech Figure)

Fardreamer — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 02:04:22 GMT

If you've watched the entire six-Episode Star Wars saga by George Lucas, you've probably noticed that the writer-director likes to use certain storytelling devices over and over again, like variations of a musical theme. The "repetition" of ideas ranges from placing both Anakin Skywalker and his son Luke in nearly identical situations, the use by various characters of the line I have a bad feeling about this, all the way to the "secret identity" motif in which one character ("Ben" Kenobi, Senator Palpatine, and even Yoda) is first introduced in one guise but is then revealed to be someone else.

Of course, savvy audiences knew in 1999 (as Qui-Gon Jinn certainly does in Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace) that "Padme Naberrie," Queen Amidala's loyal and spirited handmaiden, is really the Queen in disguise

Ditching the elaborate and elegant robes and makeup of the throne room on Naboo and elsewhere, "Padme" is seen in The Phantom Menace wearing three basic outfits: the orange-red hooded...

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