Water Purifiers: Because Clean Water is a MUST!

How do you really know what's in your drinkin water? To be quite honest, unless you want to pay an water analyst bucko bucks to test your water, you have no idea what's in it. You could be drinking harnmful toxins and not even know it. That is, until you get a huge growth on your face that makes you look like Rosie O'Donnell. But, by then it's really just too late! That's why you should really take the time and make the effort to look into purchasing one or more water purifiers for your home and/or office. Don't let bad water mess with your health--get a water purifier!

Will this Joker Get the Last Laugh?

I don’t know about you, but I am very excited about seeing the new Batman movie. Early reviews are in and people are raving about it. They’re really hyping Heath Ledger’s performance as the Joker, saying he might have a legitimate shot at winning an Oscar.
Batman has always been my favorite superhero. I grew up on the semi-lame ‘60’s TV series and have seen all of the movies, even the really bad ones starring George Clooney with perky nipples on his bat suit. To me, the classic Batman is the one from the ‘50s. I haven’t been a huge fan of “The Dark Knight” graphic novel series, but this film looks like it might really deliver.
There have basically been two Jokers until Ledger’s version—Cesar Romero, who did the TV show Joker and, of course, Jack Nicholson’s take on the character. But, those Jokers are very different from this new one. They were essentially cackling clowns compared to this dark, brooding “Dark Knight” Joker.
Only time will tell is the Oscar buzz is real or just a knee-jerk reaction to Ledger’s death. Either way, you can be sure that I will be at a midnight screening of this film next Thursday to see what all the hoopla is about!
This appeared recently on www.CNN.com:
Jack Nicholson's Joker was a blast. Heath Ledger's Joker is as dark and anarchic a figure as Randle McMurphy in "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest," the role that brought Nicholson his first Academy Award.
Ledger's performance in the Batman tale "The Dark Knight" is so remarkable that next January 22, the one-year anniversary of his death, he could become just the seventh actor in Oscar history to earn a posthumous nomination.
"I do think that Heath has created an iconic villain that will stand for the ages, and of course, I would love to see him get an award," said Christian Bale, who reprises his "Batman Begins" role as the tormented crime fighter. "But you know, to me, you can witness his talent, celebrate his talent within this movie. Anything else is gravy."
Superhero flicks usually are not the stuff Oscar dreams are made of. Yet Ledger delivered so far beyond anyone's expectations that he could end up as the second performer to win Hollywood's top honor after his death.
"He may be the first actor since Peter Finch. He may even win the damn thing," said Gary Oldman, who co-stars as noble cop Jim Gordon in "The Dark Knight," which hits theaters July 18.
Finch is the only person to win posthumously, earning the best-actor prize for 1976's "Network" two months after he died.
News of Ledger's death at age 28 from an accidental drug overdose broke just hours after the Oscar nominations were announced last January, darkening what normally is one of Hollywood's happiest days. The nominations next year fall on the same date because they were moved back two days from their traditional Tuesday announcement to avoid conflicting with the presidential inauguration.
With nothing remotely like the maniacal Joker among his credits beforehand, Ledger had been a surprising choice to fans, some feeling he was too young, others sensing he would not live up to the campy but earnest performance Nicholson gave in 1989's "Batman." (The role earned Nicholson a Golden Globe nomination, though he did not make the Oscar cut.)
As filming progressed last year, word began leaking from the set about the feverishly psychotic persona Ledger was creating.
With a marketing campaign heavily focused on the Joker, the movie trailers that followed presented a Joker with sloppy, ominous clown makeup that looked as though it had been applied in a windstorm. The brief footage revealed a character whose cackling humor cannot conceal the malevolent soul beneath.
"Whatever Heath channeled into, he's found something quite extraordinary," Oldman said. "It's arguably one of the greatest screen villains I think I've ever seen."
Fans were hooked, but some were skeptical when Oscar buzz for the performance started circulating after Ledger's death. Comic-book tales and other big action flicks rarely are taken seriously by awards voters, who are willing to honor them for technical achievements but generally not for acting.
Skepticism dissolved once Warner Bros. began screenings for "The Dark Knight." iReport.com: Will you see 'Dark Knight' because of Ledger?
"Heath Ledger didn't so much give a performance as he disappeared completely into the role," filmmaker and lifelong comics fan Kevin Smith said on his MySpace blog after seeing "The Dark Knight." "I know I'm not the first to suggest this, but he'll likely get at least an Oscar nod (if not the win) for best supporting actor."
Ledger's performance is surpassing even the sky-high expectations hardcore fans have going in.
"He was better than I thought he was going to be," said Bill Ramey, founder of the fan Web site Batman-on-Film.com, who caught an advance press screening. "I think he legitimately would deserve an Oscar nomination, not just out of sympathy to his passing, but because he was just fantastic in the movie. ... It's right up there with Hannibal Lecter," which earned Anthony Hopkins an Oscar for "The Silence of the Lambs."
Along with Finch, past posthumous Oscar contenders include James Dean, who was nominated for best actor twice after his death, with 1955's "East of Eden" and 1956's "Giant."
The other actors nominated after their deaths were Spencer Tracy (1967's "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner"); Ralph Richardson (1984's "Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes"); Massimo Troisi (1995's "The Postman"); and Jeanne Eagels (1929's "The Letter").
The aura surrounding Ledger since his death is a sign that, like Dean, he could endure as a mythic figure of talent silenced before his time. Ledger had a best-actor nomination for 2005's "Brokeback Mountain" and was considered a gifted performer just coming into his own.
That will not necessarily improve his Oscar chances. Dean had two shots after his death and lost both.
"The fact that only one actor has ever won an Oscar from the grave tells us that in general at the Oscars, the feeling is when you're dead, you're dead," said Tom O'Neil, a columnist for TheEnvelope.com, an awards Web site. "Maybe the point is that the Oscars are all about hugs. Nobody wants to hug a dead guy."
Oscar voters tend to hand out the trophies for heroic or sympathetic roles, so Ledger's supremely evil characterization could prove a drawback along with the action-genre stigma.
Yet there are notable instances when actors playing villains made such an impression that academy members could not resist voting for them.
Besides Hopkins as cannibalistic killer Lecter, bad guys who won include Fredric March in the title role of 1932's "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde"; F. Murray Abraham as Mozart's mortal enemy in 1984's "Amadeus"; Kathy Bates as a novelist's demented fan in 1990's "Misery"; Denzel Washington as a corrupt cop in 2001's "Training Day"; and Charlize Theron as a serial killer in 2003's "Monster."
The last two years have brought Oscar wins by Forest Whitaker as brutal dictator Idi Amin in "The Last King of Scotland," Tilda Swinton as a murderously ruthless attorney in "Michael Clayton," Daniel Day-Lewis as a savage oilman in "There Will Be Blood" and Javier Bardem as a psychopathic killer in "No Country for Old Men."
"When a performance as a villain is that memorable, it can be held up as being that much more special," said Chuck Walton, managing editor of online movie-ticket site Fandango.com. "Oscar voters have a lot of respect for actors willing to really let themselves go and inhabit darker roles."
Warner Bros. and the filmmakers are profuse in their praise of Ledger but have been diplomatic about the Oscar talk. Awards publicity generally pads a movie's box-office and DVD receipts, and the studio has cautiously avoided any appearance of profiting from the added attention Ledger's death has brought to the film.
"The Dark Knight" director Christopher Nolan sidestepped the Oscar question, saying that he was simply happy that early viewers were responding to the performance the way Ledger would have liked.

Hit It with Your Best Powershot with Canon

I have a Canon SLR Digital camera, and I have to say that it is one of the very best cameras I have ever owned. I use it for my job as a writer and I have been able to get some beautiful photos (some of which I am displaying here). Buy.com has some great deals right now on the Canon Powershot--another outstanding product from the fine folks at Canon. If you're going on vacation this summer, you'll want to have a good camera. And guess what--Canon has it and buy.com is featuring it online RIGHT NOW!!

Personalized DVDs for young kids...It's the new thing!

If you have a small child, you should jump on the new personalized gifts bandwagon. They have these new DVD's where you can put your child's name into the story. It's proven that children will learn more and learn faster with these amazing new innovative tapes and DVD's. Entertain the little nippers (they go crazy when they hear these things because they're essentially the "star" of the story) and give yourself a little respite from the hectic life that is raising kids. Check out www.personalizedstories.com.

Don't Get Mad...Get an External Hard Drive!

You see the poor guy in this photo? Why is he so upset? What happened to this sap that has angered him so thoroughly? Well, I will tell you-he didn't buy an external hard drive and he lost a bunch of vital data. Oh, man-this is a tough situation for anyone to be in. So, be smart and do the right thing. Get a reliable, sturdy and high-quality external drive and back up your stuff today. A little free advice from the fine folks at Life On the Edge.

I am a Huge Fan of RAM

Do you have enough ram on your computer? I am asking all of my good friends the same question. Many people are walking around right now and they're dangerously low on ram and they aren't aware of it. They're in deep trouble potentially and are clueless about the fact that they're super short on ram. If you're one of these accidents waiting to happen, you should access a Web site called www.4allmemory.com. They have all the ram you'll ever need. They can save your life. So, click on through to the other side and visit them today!

Faucets Go With the Flow

We have a few faucets in our house that need to be replaced and we found a great web site that I feel strongly compelled to tell you about. It's called www.faucetoutlet.com and they have one of the widest, most complete selection of high-quality, top-tier faucets and other bathroom fixtures. Don't go with a poor quality, badly designed faucet--in the end it will cost you big bucks wehen you have to replace it. Check out www.faucetoutlet right away and get back into the flow of things!

Diet Pills: Because we all need a little help now and then...

I have been working out, eating right and doing all of the things I need to do to lose weight, but in the end I am always HUNGRY! The fact that my lovely fiancee Angelina is a fantastic chef does not help much. She makes these awesome dishes and presents them so beautifully that it's hard for me to say no. That's where reliable diet pills enter the picture. I have studied most of the ones out on the market and have found some that I believe are safe and effective. Check out the option of diet pills today. Hey, we all need a little help now and then. Don't be ashamed to admit that you want want a little assistance in your pursuit to lose weight!

The New Cell Phone Law: Stick it in Your (R)ear!

When the new cell phone law goes into effect tomorrow in California, I will be one of the very first people not to obey it. I think it’s a ridiculous law and just another example of too much government in our lives. One by one, all of our freedoms are being taken away and this is a prime example.
Pretty soon, there will be all kinds of frivolous new laws just like this one. Some day, it will be a crime if you have more than 15 items in the express lane at the grocery store; if you drop an upper decker as a joke at a house party; if you break wind on a crowded bus; if you leave snarky comments online (you’re busted, El G).
This needless and invasive piece of legislation is just another way for Big Brother to get his (or her) hand deeper into our pockets.
They say the law will prevent a lot of auto accidents, but I don’t buy it. People get into accidents for a wide range of different reasons (tailgating, speeding, being drunk, running lights, screaming at their kids, etc.) and cell phone usage is right at the bottom of those reasons, I believe. Anyone who isn’t coordinated enough to use a cell phone and drive at the same time shouldn’t be driving anyway. I can chew gum and walk simultaneously, thank you very much.
One of the things I have always done to avoid using my phone excessively while driving is to prioritize my phone usage while in the car. I look at the phone number when my cell phone rings, and if it isn’t an important call that I need to take immediately, I let it go to message and I call the person back when I am off the road. The main problem with people talking on cell phones in their cars is over usage. The majority of calls consist of drivers chatting about anything and everything—it’s not like these folks are handling business, coming up with brilliant ideas or dealing with emergency calls. I doubt that they’re discussing important topics like colonics, world peace or 12-21-12. I would predict that 80% of all cell phone conversations in the car are either meaningless or unnecessary. The cell phone law is designed for those individuals-not me.
I know that by deciding not to adhere to this new law, I am risking a ticket. Big deal--$20! Who cares? If the state was seriously considering enforcing this law, the fine would be a lot more. At first, they will be pulling people over right and left. Then, after a while, they will find better things to do. Enforcement will be spotty and inconsistent, just like the seat belt law or the headphones law.
So, join me in rejecting this silly law. We pay a lot for these cell phones and we should be able to use them whenever and wherever we want. Part of being a U.S. Citizen (as well as a Californian and a San Franciscan) includes the right to pick and choose the laws we wish to obey. If you don’t believe me, drive around SF for an hour or two and observe the chaos. As Ted Nugent once said, “It’s a Free for All!”

Don't Count Out the Dodgers Quite Yet!

As of this morning the LA Dodgers are just 2.5 games behind the first-place Arizona Diamondbacks in the underachieving National League West. It is amazing when you think about all the troubles the team has gone through this season. With injuries to brittle old veterans and mistakes made by unseasoned youngsters, the Bums have had multiple problems with pitching and scoring runs.
But, don’t count out the Dodgers just yet. Last night they didn’t get a single hit and still beat the Angels, 1-0. It is only the fifth time in modern baseball history that something like this has happened.
Believe it or not, this team could be coming together at just the right time. Up-and-coming stars like James Loney, Matt Kemp, Russell Martin, Chad Billingsley and Andre Ethier have displayed moments of brilliance. Injured former stars like Nomar Garciaparra, Rafael Furcal, Brad Penny and Andruw Jones will be returning to the team soon. If they are healthy and can contribute at all, it could get interesting.
Maybe I’m dreaming, but who knows? Stranger things have happened, last night’s game being a prime example.
This account of the game appeared on www.cbssportsline.com:
Jered Weaver and Jose Arredondo combined to no-hit the Los Angeles Dodgers on Saturday night -- and it still wasn't good enough for the Los Angeles Angels.
The Dodgers became the fifth team in modern major league history to win a game in which they didn't get a hit, defeating the Angels 1-0. Weaver's error on a slow roller led to an unearned run by the Dodgers in the fifth.
Weaver downplayed the fact the Angels lost without giving up a hit.
"Any loss, no matter what, is tough," he said. "I'm sure you guys are going to eat this up a lot more than I am. I don't call it a no-hitter for me. I only went six innings."
The Dodgers' Joe Torre thought it might've been his weirdest win as a manager.
"I'd really have to reach down, and I don't really remember too much, but that's about as bizarre as you can get," he said.
With the Angels trailing in the interleague game at Dodger Stadium, Weaver was pulled for a pinch-hitter in the seventh inning after throwing 97 pitches. Arredondo pitched the next two innings.
Because the Dodgers didn't have to bat in the ninth, the game doesn't qualify as a no-hitter. It was only the fifth such game since 1900, and first since Boston's Matt Young in 1992, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.
The Angels' Torii Hunter said he has never been involved in such a strange game.
"Never," he said, "not even in Little League."
The Dodgers' Chad Billingsley (7-7) scattered three hits over seven innings, then Jonathan Broxton and Takashi Saito shut out the Angels for the next two innings.
Weaver (7-8) was victimized by his own fielding error with one out in the fifth inning that allowed Matt Kemp to reach first.
Kemp's spinning squibber rolled to the right of the mound and Weaver rushed toward first base to grab the ball, but bobbled it. The ruling on whether it was a hit or an error was a close one, since Weaver would have had to field the ball cleanly -- and first baseman Casey Kotchman was off the bag. Official scorer Don Hartack ruled it an error.
"I believe if he just picked it up with his bare hand and flipped it, he gets him by a good step and a half," Hartack said. "So my thinking was, it really wasn't a bang-bang play. I looked at the replay once and it looked like Kemp was a good seven steps away, so my thinking was Weaver had plenty of time to make the out."
Kemp completely agreed with the scoring.
"I hit it off the end of the bat and it had a little funky English on it," he said. "He could have made the play, but he just dropped the ball. It was an error. I mean, if they'd have given me a hit, I'd have been happy. But it was an error by far."
Kemp stole second and continued to third on catcher Jeff Mathis' throwing error, then scored on Blake DeWitt's sacrifice fly.
Weaver struck out six, walked three and hit a batter in his six innings. Chone Figgins pinch-hit for him in the seventh with two outs and a runner on second, but grounded out.
Baseball's other no-hit losers were Andy Hawkins of the Yankees in 1990, Steve Barber and Stu Miller of Baltimore in 1967, and Ken Johnson of Houston in 1964.
Billingsley struck out seven and walked three.
The Angels, shut out for the second consecutive night, had six hits but didn't get a runner as far as third base. They had runners on first and second against Saito with two out in the ninth, but he struck out pinch-hitter Reggie Willits to earn his 12th save.