Book review: My Mother's Secret: Based on a True Holocaust Story, by J.L.Witterick

It is hard to get through this book without tears in your eyes. Once I started reading it I could not put it down.



The book is inspired by the story of Franciszka Halamajowa who saved fifteen Jews by hiding them in her house for 20 months. She also hid one young German soldier defector. Before World War II Polish town of Sokol had six thousand Jews, only 30 of them survived the war. Half of them were hidden in Franciszka house. One family was hidden in the pigsty, the second family in a hole dug in under the floor boards, and the young soldier was hiding in the tiny cubby hole in the attic. None of them knew of the others until the German soldiers left Sokol in 1944.



The story is intricately weaved together from different points of view. We hear about the same events from the point of view of Franciszka's daughter, then from the point of view of the people she saved.



Why did Franciszka do it? She had no special affinity with the Jewish people. She just did what felt right. She knew that if she did not do it they would be facing certain death. She had no special affinity to German soldiers, yet she knew the young German soldier who did not want to follow orders to kill Jews was also facing death. She was just doing the decent thing. How wonderful would the world be if every person just did the decent thing?



This is a wonderful book, well told and inspirational. I am grateful to the author for sending me a review copy of the book. It moved me!





You can find it on Amazon by following this link.





AshopZones review ★★★★★

FRIEQ® New Conductive Fiber/Rubber Hybrid Stylus Pen for iPad Mini, iPhone 5, iPhone 4s, Nexus 7, Galaxy S3

This stylus is 5.5" long, 1.25" in diameter at the grip point, 0.4 oz in weight. The tip of this stylus looks like a metal fiber mesh weaved into a rounded tip. In the past I have only used rubber tips. I use the stylus most for typing and editing text while on the road. It is much more precise than using a finger, and it works as well as the stylus I have used previously. This mesh tip worked precisely on Samsung Galaxy 7.7 screen (no screen protector). In my use I could not tell the difference between rubber tip and a metal fiber tip, but this pen is much better than using a finger tip.



I am attaching a collage of two photos (which can be located by following 'customer photos' link under the main photo) that I will be referencing in this review



✔ Sensitivity and performance of this stylus was very good. I most frequently use the stylus for typing and editing text, as it gives me best precision for positioning insertion point between characters. Photo #2 shows the pen in use.



✔ The I really like the grip of this stylus. The textured area is very grippy, so it does not slip out even when wearing gloves. I find the width of the stylus, the weight and the length of the stylus very comfortable to hold even when I used it for a long time. Photo #1 provides a close-up of the pen.



✔ It comes in several very attractive colors: cyan, magenta, black and silver.



✔ It has a clip, which allows me to clip the stylus while carrying it around. It does not get separated from my tablet in my purse, so it is there as soon as I need it.



Overall, I really like how this stylus fits and balances in my hand, and the how the grip feels under my fingers.





You can find it on Amazon by following this link



AshopZones review ★★★★★



I received a sample stylus for evaluation and an unbiased review.

Gurin Steam Inhaler

I got this steamer a few months ago and waited to write this review until I had a cold so I could evaluate if it helped my congestion. The inhaler provided some relief although the effect were fairly brief. In that sense it is similar to taking a hot shower: you feel better while you are in the shower and for a brief time afterwards. Note that I am comparing only the feeling, not the actual effect. The steamed shower has much more steam.



The documentation included with the unit was not totally clear on where you add water to the unit, and I made a video which shows how to add water and control the amount of steam the unit generates. The steam is easy to hear but hard to see, so in the video I used a mirror so you can see how steam fogs up the mirror.



The steam that this inhaler generates is fairly hot. I used the inhaler by hovering about 1 inch above the mask of the unit, not putting my face directly against it. The steam was not generated totally evenly, sometimes you could see and hear puffs of extra steam. Hovering 1 inch above gave me enough steam to make me feel better.



The neck of the unit can be extended about 1 inch to make the unit taller. I am fairly short so the distance to the unit felt quite comfortable for me. I suspect a taller person might want to put the unit on a couple of books rather then bend down towards it. Underneath the unit there is a plastic container with two compartments. One side can be used to add saline solution or aromatherapy. The other side collects any condensed steam.



I timed how long various stages of operation took. After I turned on the unit, the steam appeared in 1 minute. I was able to use the unit for 6 minutes until the inhaler ran out of water. I left the unit turned on and 1 minute after the last puff of steam escaped the inhaler automatically turned off. The automatic turn off is a good safety feature. When the unit is turned on the light on the front of the unit is turned on. When the auto shut of turned off the unit, I heard a click and the light on the front of the unit was turned off.



I was provided a sample for review, and I noted pluses and minuses of the unit to provide a fair and balanced review.



Overall, I found this inhaler helpful in easing my congestion and will use it again.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.





AshopZones review ★★★★☆

DVD review: Orchestra of Exiles

When I finished watching this documentary the first time, I immediately restarted and watched it again, I liked it that much!



"Orchestra of Exiles" combines beautiful classical music background and a riveting true story told through archive films, interviews, and re-enactments.



This documentary film tells the story of great Polish violist Brawnislaw Huberman who in 1935 created Palestine Symphony Orchestra from the greatest Jewish musicians from Germany and Eastern Europe. It was clear to Huberman that all these people would be exterminated. By providing them a legal way to emigrate from their countries he saved them from Hitler and a certain death. Between 1935 and 1939 he saved almost 1000 Jews. He knew his selections were not just selections of musicians, he was a judge of who is going to live and who is going to die.



Huberman invited Toscanini, who at the time was a giant figure in music at the time, to be the first conductor of the orchestra. The story of how Toscanini interacted with the orchestra when they did speak the same language was amusing and enlightening. The orchestra was a tremendous success, not only because it brought together great musicians but because it brought peoples a feeling of victory over evil.



The documentary traces the lives of some of the musicians, their children, and grandchildren. It contains interviews, photos, movie clips, as well as re-enactments. Beautiful music is played through out this documentary.



It is a compelling story, which makes you feel proud of the human spirit and the power of music to unite people.



I am grateful to First Run Features for providing me a review copy of this DVD.



You can find it on Amazon by following this link.





AshopZones review ★★★★★

Tsir Tech® TT-LD82 Adjustable Wooden Laptop Desk with Built in Cooling Fan

This laptop desk top is 21" by 16". The height adjusts from 21" on the shortest setting to 30" in the tallest setting. The wheel base is 19" wide, 20" front to back. The table top can be tilted. It has a plastic baffle which prevents the laptop/tablet from sliding off when the top is tilted.



The table has 4 wheels (two of them with wheel locks). The wheels roll well. During assembly you need to secure the wheels to the base with small screws (provided) to prevent them from moving around the wheel base.



The table has a built-in led light which runs on three AA batteries (not included). The light is a nice idea but I wish it had a longer neck. When I type my hand is at the same height as the light and shades the keyboard.



The table has a built in fan which is powered by the laptop. USB cord for the fan is included. The side of the table has a 4 USB ports, extending the number of ports built into the laptop.



Assembly of the unit was not too bad. I found that the hardest part was screwing the little screws into the plastic tubes to prevent the wheels from rotation around the wheel base. All the tools necessary to assemble the table are included. Note that the screws and tools are stored in the little under the desk tray. I did not notice the tray right away, and thought the hardware may have not been lost.



I am attaching a collage of 7 photos (which can be located by following customer photos link under the main photo) to demostrate the laptop table in use.



✔ The first photo shows the tray with a little draw. The tray's size is 8" x 3.5".



✔ The second phot shows the main assembly of the table, this is the unit that attaches the table to the support and allows the tilting of the table.



✔ Photo #3 shows the side of the table, you can see the USB outlets, the lamp, the draw on the left, and the battery compartment on the right.



✔ Photo #4 shows the close-up of the battery compartment, which takes three AA batteries. They are used to power the light.



✔ Photo #5 shows the wheels of the table, as well as the location of the screw that prevents the wheels from rotating around the support.



✔ Photo #6 shows various measurements of the table: it is 21" wide, 16" from to back, and 13" of usable area (i.e. from the bottom of the handle to the edge). I find the handle pretty useful when I move the table around.



✔ Photo #7 shows my laptop on the table for relative size reference. You can also see the LED lamp turned on.



I mentioned earlier that the table has a removable support bar. Picture #1 shows the table without the support bar, Picture #6 and #7 show the table with the support bar.



If you are vigour typist you will probably generate a bit of the table shake when typing on the laptop as we discovered when my husband tested the table. I am lighter on the keyboard and did not notice movement when I use it.



I received this laptop table from the manufacture for an evaluation and honest review of both positives and negatives of this product.



Overall, this table is attractive and useful.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.





AshopZones review ★★★★★

DBTech Electric Egg Cooker

Boiling eggs is not hard, but on a few occasions through the years I got distracted, the water boiled away and ruined a couple of my favorite pots. This is my first egg cooker. I love it! I have been using it for about a month and it is working very well.



I am attaching a video which shows how the cooker prepares two eggs.



The small up that comes with the egg cooker shows marking in three columns "hard boiled", "half-hard boiled" and "soft boiled". The amount of water you need to add depends on the number of eggs you cook and the desired hardness of the egg. The water is measured with a small cup that comes with the egg cooker. The lettering on the cup is just raised numbers and letters, they don't have any contrast with plastic and very small. I have to put my reading glasses on to see the markings.



Before starting to cook you need to piece each egg shell with a provided tool. The tool works very well, it makes a very small neat hole.



When the cooker is done it buzzes and turns itself off. I am very glad to have an automatic turn off and a buzzer reminder . The buzzer is pretty loud as you can hear in my video.



I received this egg cooker from the manufacture for an honest review.



The only negative for me is that the marking on the small cup are very hard to read. Other than that I have been quite pleased with the egg cooker. I hope the description and the video will help you see what to expect.





You can find it on Amazon by following this link.





AshopZones review ★★★★★

Kindle book review: Tomato Container Gardening: 7 Easy Steps To Healthy Harvests from Small Spaces

I have been growing patio tomatoes on my kitchen deck for many years. I always look for new ideas to improve my tomato garden and to prolong the fairly short New England growing season. Tomato Container Gardening started a bit slow, but about 1/3 into the book even an experienced patio tomato grower like myself found some interesting and useful ideas.



Some of the ideas I liked is the ideas about preparing the soil prior to planting - covering the pot in plastic bags and fertilizing one week prior to planting. Another idea that was interesting is what to do in the fall to prolong the season by pruning late in the season and how to force the plant to ripen faster. I will definitely try these out this fall.



I also thought the section on watering was very good. The key to successful patio garden is good irrigation. I have a pretty extensive drip irrigation system controlled by a timer. The authors covers this option as well as several others, including how to build your own self-watering container at a lot lower price than buying one at the garden store.



There is one technique that I use that have not been covered by the book. This approach helps me extend the growing period by starting earlier. I start my tomato seedlings under a pop-up umbrella and hand pollinate the tomatoes. With a pop-umbrella greenhouse I typical my have the first green tomatoes appear during the last week of May, which is pretty amazing in the cold New England climate. Here is one of the pop-up umbrellas I use GreenThumb Pop-Up Greenhouse. Note that my review of the umbrella contains the description of the pollinating technique I use while the tomato plants are isolated from the bees.



The book ends with a few of the author's favorite recipes, including green tomatoes. There is always a bunch of green tomatoes left on the vine when my growing season is over, so I will be giving this recipe a try in the fall.



This book was useful even for someone who has been growing patio tomatoes for years, and certainly will be very educational for those who are just starting out.



You can find it on Amazon by following this link.





AshopZones review ★★★★★