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Everybody loves to have a laugh, and that is what makes comedians some of the most adored people the planet. Correction: That is what makes GOOD comedians some of the most adored people on the planet. It seems that the actors that are most remembered are the ones that played affable or comical roles-those that are typecast as bad guys only get a slither of the fame the good guys get in the long run. No wonder that every year there is renewed speculation over who's the funniest person in America; somehow, action heroes and other acting niches appear to have a far lower turnover rate. Let's face it, nobody wants to miss the chance to rub elbows with the funny guy or gal of the moment. This list of today's best comics goes out in honor of the truly life-changing power of laughter; may it Zorro playset employed for the most noble of ends.

1) Jon Stewart: it is enough simply to recount a few statistics to understand Care Bears this man is a serious comedy success story: He took the Daily Show from a non-entity status in the late 90s to top-of-the-ratings status in just a few years, hosted the Oscars twice in three years, penned one of the highest-grossing books of the decade, and launched his own comedy production house. Stewart has the subtle style of a well-educated man, though he lacks the pretentiousness that often besets the witty-humor category.

2) Dave Chappelle: this guy is just about the most creative and clever sketch-comedy artist in the world. His mix of potty humor and sophisticated irony have been unlike any other's, and though his prime viewers are college aged, HD TV-owning, heavy-drinking men, he has struck a chord in the larger society. The DVD of his show's first season was the best-selling DVD for a good long stretch after it was released: that says a lot. Though he has been keeping a low profile as of late, this comedian will only be getting better and better as time goes by.

3) Steven Green Lantern in perfect harmony with Jon Stewart's humor, Steven Colbert has set himself up as Comedy Central's new star. With his always-in-character style (or is that really the way he is?), Colbert has tricked more than a few wise-yet unsuspecting-guests into being the victims of his satire. Always witty, and always with the best interests of the country at heart, Colbert is incorrigible and untiring, two key ingredients to be a great comic (or a sports star, which, with his physique, could also be possible).

4) Dane Cook: off-the-wall and with apparently unending reserves of energy, Dane Cook is sure to be at the top of this list in a few years' time. Though he does somewhat more adolescent humor than some would like, he has an undeniably unique mixture of quirkiness, flamboyance, gesticulation, and absurdness that no other comedian can match (much less even attempt to reproduce).

5) Sacha Baron Cohen: nobody will ever be able to forget Borat, no matter how hard they try. The way in which Cohen managed to seemingly effortlessly get his unwitting guinea pigs to dig their own graves speaks of a truly brilliant, perhaps even twisted mind. Though people may disagree over whether they find the man himself funny, he has the ability to create the funniest situations, and that is an accomplishment worth noting in the field of comedy.

These laugh-mongers all have movies and shows available on cable or satellite TV, so don't hesitate to switch on the tube and get a healthy dose of laughter to make your day. And no worries, you don't have to have a high definition set to watch comedy...it makes no difference.

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The process of making a sword is more than what buy Enzyte see in the movies. For many people being a blacksmith is a fantasy where you pound steel against an anvil, dip it in water and voila! You have a completed sword ready X-Men movie mow down the evil hordes of creatures that lurk in the forest. But swordmaking is much more than this. Swordmaking is both an art and a craft and it takes hard work, a lot of practice and a significant amount of specialized tools to create a sword. It also takes many years of practice to become proficient at this skill.

Before the blacksmith or swordsmith actually starts hammering or heating the metal for a sword there is a lot of work to be done. The sword size, shape, properties, and metal composition all have to be decided upon. These factors determine the amount of metal, the temperatures of heating and the specific steps in the process that have to be completed. 1967 Topps baseball cards article doesn't cover the complete art of swordmaking. It will only discuss and outline the process of smithing the blade of a sword.

There are many different methods for making a sword and the art has changed over the centuries as technologies, tools and the science of metallurgy has changed. But for the past five hundred years there has been one method that still stands as the most common. This is the six step method. of taking a bar of the desired metal to a completed sword.

The First step is Forging

A bar of the desired metal or combination of metals is heated in a forge and then it is hammered into shape.(The shape of a sword) This hammering process can take a long time and it is called drawing out the sword. The sword is worked on in sections (usually around 6 inches in length) and repeatedly hammered and heated until it comes into the desired shape .This process is repeated many times and the sword is often heated then allowed to cool without hammering. This is required by the metal to keep the desired properties of strength and flexibility. Once this step is completed the sword is in the proper shape but the properties of the metal make it very brittle and something has to be done to give flexibility to it.

Step Two: Annealing
Annealing softens the sword and makes it easy to grind into shape. The sword is now heated and then allowed to cool very slowly. Often it is wrapped in an insulating material to slow down this cooling. It can take as long as 24 hours and this annealing process makes the sword soft and easy to grind.

Step Three: Grinding

Now the blacksmith uses a grinder to work out the edge and point of the sword. This would also be when any engraving is added. This is not a completed sword yet. It is still much too soft so it must be hardened.

Step Four: Hardening

Now the sword is heated to a very high temperature and then placed into a quenching tank. (This is what we always see in the movies). This quenching allows it to cool quickly and evenly which will harden the metal. After this hardening the sword is brittle and something must be done to make it strong yet flexible.

Step Five: Tempering

Again the blade is heated and quenched. But now the heating is at a much lower temperature than was used at the hardening. This heating/quenching cycle may be repeated several times. This tempering allows the blade to be strong but not brittle. This is one stage where the skill and experience of the swordsmith is invaluable. It takes a trained hand and eye to understand the properties of the meta. It will have a certain amount of flexibility yet still retain its sharp edge. Now the sword is ready for completion.

Step Six: Completion

The sword blade itself is now complete. Now the additional parts will be added such as the pommel the guard and the hilt.

For the past five hundred years the only way to learn the art of swordmaking was to find a skilled blacksmith or swordsmith that was willing to take you on as an apprentice. Because of the specialized skills and tools, and the skill that is required this tradition remains the best way to do it today.

Before you invest lots of time in money in equipment and materials you should find a master that is willing to teach you the basics of the art. You won't have to devote your life to endless hours of hammering against an anvil and with a little perseverance, a little patience and some practice you will be able to make some decent swords that you can be proud of.

Will Kalif is the author of two epic fantasy novels. Check out his novels, his blog, and podcast or see his fantasy dioramas and get video game design tips at:
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