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I have an older version of Pinnacle Studio and it was fun to play around with. It had issues with crashing, but it was for hobby stuff, so I put up with it. We even tried our own green screen, but it was amateur at best. I was thrilled to get the latest version, and I hoped that many of the issues I had with the older version were solved. Wrong. Like the previous version, this one crashes at random. It took me a long time to make a 2-minute book promo trailer with still photos and background sound simply because it kept crashing. The good thing though was that at least when I started it up again, it had saved my work each time. It seemed to crash when I closed out of a dialogue box and it was auto saving. I'm running Windows 8 on my computer, and I meet all the specs from the box on my system. Anyway, here are some of the pros and cons. PROS -Comes with a green screen panel. Fun! -Includes 50 G of storage space on the cloud. -The interface is easy to figure out and use. -Installed easily, although it takes a long time! -Lots of effects that you can add to your photos and objects (if using still photos like a slide show) - Has the capability of creating 3D movies. Includes disposable pair of 3D glasses. I don't have a 3D movie to test it out. -The library layout is great, and it's easy to drag and drop a file into the movie and drag it around. Easy to add audio too. CONS -The crashes. -Adding still photos that are medium quality leads to disappointing results, even if they look great in other programs. -Transitions were a little difficult to time out the way I wanted them to. -The crashes. -The full installation takes a whopping 5.8 Gigs of space. I had a recent upgrade, or else I'd have had to pass on installing it. - I'm very disappointed that this version still doesn't support taking .MOV files from my digital camera and importing them for editing. I can see the video, but the audio doesn't import without going through external software for converting it to AVI. Since it's common for people to shoot video on a digital camera, this is a huge oversight in programming. My Quick Time says my file is a MPEG-4 file which should be compatible, and I don't think I ought to have to purchase $30 converting software to convert. - The crashes. - Adding text was tedious as it didn't have a "recently used" box on the font color formatting or the style such as shadow, etc. So I had to either copy and paste a previous slide to edit, or I had to write down the RGB color numbers I used for the font so I could recreate it on the next slide. I really wanted to like this software. But I didn't. I did successfully create the book trailer I was trying to make, but it was a tedious process. I would not buy this or upgrade in the future. It was slow because of the crashes, and I've given two versions of Pinnacle a go with the same issues. I'll be trying Adobe Premier Elements next to see if that's better.
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[ "I have an older version of Pinnacle Studio and it was fun to play around with.", "It had issues with crashing, but it was for hobby stuff, so I put up with it.", "We even tried our own green screen, but it was amateur at best.", "I was thrilled to get the latest version, and I hoped that many of the issues I had with the older version were solved.", "Wrong.", "Like the previous version, this one crashes at random.", "It took me a long time to make a 2-minute book promo trailer with still photos and background sound simply because it kept crashing.", "The good thing though was that at least when I started it up again, it had saved my work each time.", "It seemed to crash when I closed out of a dialogue box and it was auto saving.", "I'm running Windows 8 on my computer, and I meet all the specs from the box on my system.", "Anyway, here are some of the pros and cons.", "PROS\n-Comes with a green screen panel.", "Fun!", "-Includes 50 G of storage space on the cloud.", "-The interface is easy to figure out and use.", "-Installed easily, although it takes a long time!", "-Lots of effects that you can add to your photos and objects (if using still photos like a slide show)\n- Has the capability of creating 3D movies.", "Includes disposable pair of 3D glasses.", "I don't have a 3D movie to test it out.", "-The library layout is great, and it's easy to drag and drop a file into the movie and drag it around.", "Easy to add audio too.", "CONS\n-The crashes.", "-Adding still photos that are medium quality leads to disappointing results, even if they look great in other programs.", "-Transitions were a little difficult to time out the way I wanted them to.", "-The crashes.", "-The full installation takes a whopping 5.", "8 Gigs of space.", "I had a recent upgrade, or else I'd have had to pass on installing it.", "- I'm very disappointed that this version still doesn't support taking.", "MOV files from my digital camera and importing them for editing.", "I can see the video, but the audio doesn't import without going through external software for converting it to AVI.", "Since it's common for people to shoot video on a digital camera, this is a huge oversight in programming.", "My Quick Time says my file is a MPEG-4 file which should be compatible, and I don't think I ought to have to purchase $30 converting software to convert.", "- The crashes.", "- Adding text was tedious as it didn't have a \"recently used\" box on the font color formatting or the style such as shadow, etc.", "So I had to either copy and paste a previous slide to edit, or I had to write down the RGB color numbers I used for the font so I could recreate it on the next slide.", "I really wanted to like this software.", "But I didn't.", "I did successfully create the book trailer I was trying to make, but it was a tedious process.", "I would not buy this or upgrade in the future.", "It was slow because of the crashes, and I've given two versions of Pinnacle a go with the same issues.", "I'll be trying Adobe Premier Elements next to see if that's better." ]
I'm not sure if I liked this book. It does not have a HEA. It leaves you in the middle. I get the feeling this was done because it's a series. Just bought book two to find out what happens to the characters. Not sure why according o the description the heroine is dead in book two. SPOILER ALERT!!!!!! Do not expect to see Suzette and Robert happy! I don't read historical romances to see my h end up with someone else. Yes, I did really buy book two! I'm a sucker.
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[ "I'm not sure if I liked this book.", "It does not have a HEA.", "It leaves you in the middle.", "I get the feeling this was done because it's a series.", "Just bought book two to find out what happens to the characters.", "Not sure why according o the description the heroine is dead in book two.", "SPOILER ALERT!!!!", "!!", "Do not expect to see Suzette and Robert happy!", "I don't read historical romances to see my h end up with someone else.", "Yes, I did really buy book two!", "I'm a sucker." ]
This was an entertaining story. I just have a problem with history revision. Something didn't seem quite right about the story so I researched a little and found that there were some interesting differences between the movie and historical records. Eric Foner wrote a pretty good paper on the movie. You can probably find that with an internet search. I've always thought that "white savior" stories should be considered condescending to the "benefactor" group. Usually, they portray a heroic Caucasian who risks all to come to the rescue of mistreated minorities. I guess it's more entertaining and makes people feel good about themselves because they can identify with the hero on some level like: "That's just what I would've done." That said, the acting was great. The movie was, overall, very entertaining. As long as you don't let yourself think that you're watching true history, this can be a very enjoyable movie.
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[ "This was an entertaining story.", "I just have a problem with history revision.", "Something didn't seem quite right about the story so I researched a little and found that there were some interesting differences between the movie and historical records.", "Eric Foner wrote a pretty good paper on the movie.", "You can probably find that with an internet search.", "I've always thought that \"white savior\" stories should be considered condescending to the \"benefactor\" group.", "Usually, they portray a heroic Caucasian who risks all to come to the rescue of mistreated minorities.", "I guess it's more entertaining and makes people feel good about themselves because they can identify with the hero on some level like: \"That's just what I would've done.", "\" That said, the acting was great.", "The movie was, overall, very entertaining.", "As long as you don't let yourself think that you're watching true history, this can be a very enjoyable movie." ]
***NOTE MY REVIEWS OFTEN CONTAIN SPOILERS*** The Clue Hunt has been over for seven months and Ian Kambra is planning to go to America and tell Amy Cahill that he likes her. For the first time in his life he's nervous and he doesn't know why. But when the night before his trip he learns his mother have been released from prison, he wonders if the son of her parents killer should even go at all. I was kind of into this story at the beginning because Amy and Dan Cahill were changed by the clue hunt, maybe everyone else was as well. So I was willing to accept that Ian's personality might be a little different. I am not however willing to accept that Amy and Ian aged two years in seven months. Yes Amy is 16 during the Cahills vs Vespers series. However it says in book one of that series that two years have passed since the clue hunt, hence Amy would then be 16 since she was 14 during the clue hunt and Ian was her age. She did not turn 16 seven months after being 14 and neither did Ian. Next issue if Ian and Natalie's parents disowned them, why do they have the family home? Daddy's hiding, not in jail. And since when is the Lucian stronghold in the Kabra family home? We've been to the Kabra's house before during the Clue Hunt, and the stronghold wasn't there last time. And if you compare the descriptions between our Clue Hunt visit and this story it seems the children must have used their money for a total remodel. Also the story in Vespers Rising was like what - five months after the clue hunt? In that story Amy, Dan, Fiske and Nellie were living in the guest house on Grace's property planning to rebuild the mansion. What did they like magic it built, fully furnished and trashed in two months? And while Amy does kind of lead the Cahills during the Cahills vs the Vespers she's never proclaimed the head of family. Maybe if I could ignore all the things different in Riley's version of the Cahill family I might have liked this story, but instead I was getting so irritated that I wanted to throw my Nook. The story offers nothing in educational value and little in action. It did however have a decent flow with fast pacing. Characterization for Ian and Amy was decent. Amy was exactly how I've always pictured her and the changes in Ian were realistic. They both had flaws and strengths. The problem with this story wasn't so much that characters that were off, it was everything else. Overall this is another take it or leave it story that doesn't really add anything to the series. The best I can say is I liked the beginning.
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[ "***NOTE MY REVIEWS OFTEN CONTAIN SPOILERS***\n\nThe Clue Hunt has been over for seven months and Ian Kambra is planning to go to America and tell Amy Cahill that he likes her.", "For the first time in his life he's nervous and he doesn't know why.", "But when the night before his trip he learns his mother have been released from prison, he wonders if the son of her parents killer should even go at all.", "I was kind of into this story at the beginning because Amy and Dan Cahill were changed by the clue hunt, maybe everyone else was as well.", "So I was willing to accept that Ian's personality might be a little different.", "I am not however willing to accept that Amy and Ian aged two years in seven months.", "Yes Amy is 16 during the Cahills vs Vespers series.", "However it says in book one of that series that two years have passed since the clue hunt, hence Amy would then be 16 since she was 14 during the clue hunt and Ian was her age.", "She did not turn 16 seven months after being 14 and neither did Ian.", "Next issue if Ian and Natalie's parents disowned them, why do they have the family home?", "Daddy's hiding, not in jail.", "And since when is the Lucian stronghold in the Kabra family home?", "We've been to the Kabra's house before during the Clue Hunt, and the stronghold wasn't there last time.", "And if you compare the descriptions between our Clue Hunt visit and this story it seems the children must have used their money for a total remodel.", "Also the story in Vespers Rising was like what - five months after the clue hunt?", "In that story Amy, Dan, Fiske and Nellie were living in the guest house on Grace's property planning to rebuild the mansion.", "What did they like magic it built, fully furnished and trashed in two months?", "And while Amy does kind of lead the Cahills during the Cahills vs the Vespers she's never proclaimed the head of family.", "Maybe if I could ignore all the things different in Riley's version of the Cahill family I might have liked this story, but instead I was getting so irritated that I wanted to throw my Nook.", "The story offers nothing in educational value and little in action.", "It did however have a decent flow with fast pacing.", "Characterization for Ian and Amy was decent.", "Amy was exactly how I've always pictured her and the changes in Ian were realistic.", "They both had flaws and strengths.", "The problem with this story wasn't so much that characters that were off, it was everything else.", "Overall this is another take it or leave it story that doesn't really add anything to the series.", "The best I can say is I liked the beginning." ]
Don’t Just Look At Trump’s Approval Rating To Judge His First 100 Days With President Trump’s 100th day in office approaching analysts and pundits are taking stock of his performance. How ’s he doing? The simplest most common way to answer that question is to look at Trump’s approval rating (it’s low but the bottom hasn’t fallen out). And that’s a perfectly fine measure by which to judge the White House; approval ratings tell us how Americans feel about Trump and — eventually — they’ll do a good job at approximating his chances of re-election. But presidential approval is not a great measure of the more immediate electoral issue: How will the president’s party do in the midterm elections? By all means keep one eye on Trump’s approval rating but keep the other on the generic congressional ballot — a longstanding poll question that pits a nameless Republican against a nameless Democrat in a race for the House. Approval ratings have historically jumped all over the place and even on the eve of the midterms they do a relatively poor job of forecasting the election results. The generic ballot in contrast has tended to be far more telling. And the generic ballot polls conducted since Trump became president suggest that House Republicans are on track to suffer a potentially major defeat in the 2018 midterm elections. Even when Democrats were busy crafting and eventually introducing a fairly unpopular health care bill in the middle of 2009 they still held a 3 percentage point lead on the generic ballot for the 2010 midterm elections. This year a combination of Trump’s unpopularity and House Republicans’ inability to pass any major legislation has likely contributed to Americans wanting to put Democrats back in charge. Of course it’s far from guaranteed that Democrats would win the House vote by exactly 8 percentage points. Like with a president’s approval rating generic ballot margins tend to undergo a reversion toward the mean just as the president’s party’s standing tends to decline. The fact that Trump is already so unpopular may mean that he won’t become more unpopular as the midterm approaches. Therefore the Democrats’ lead in the generic ballot may not expand further instead holding steady the way it did in 1974 amid the Watergate scandal. It’s also possible that some event (e.g. a terrorist attack) interrupts the normal historical trend and the White House Party gains ground on the generic ballot as Republicans did after 9/11. Still while you’re reading dozens of 100-day analyses this week leave some room for the generic ballot. Democrats’ 5 percentage point lead is probably one of the worst signs for Trump and the GOP. It shows that Trump’s unpopularity is translating down-ballot and hurting his party . When you combine the generic ballot numbers with high Democratic enthusiasm there’s no sign that Trump’s Republican Party has some unique ability to “defy midterm gravity.” The GOP’s House majority is in danger.
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[ "Don’t Just Look At Trump’s Approval Rating To Judge His First 100 Days\nWith President Trump’s 100th day in office approaching analysts and pundits are taking stock of his performance.", "How ’s he doing?", "The simplest most common way to answer that question is to look at Trump’s approval rating (it’s low but the bottom hasn’t fallen out).", "And that’s a perfectly fine measure by which to judge the White House; approval ratings tell us how Americans feel about Trump and — eventually — they’ll do a good job at approximating his chances of re-election.", "But presidential approval is not a great measure of the more immediate electoral issue: How will the president’s party do in the midterm elections?", "By all means keep one eye on Trump’s approval rating but keep the other on the generic congressional ballot — a longstanding poll question that pits a nameless Republican against a nameless Democrat in a race for the House.", "Approval ratings have historically jumped all over the place and even on the eve of the midterms they do a relatively poor job of forecasting the election results.", "The generic ballot in contrast has tended to be far more telling.", "And the generic ballot polls conducted since Trump became president suggest that House Republicans are on track to suffer a potentially major defeat in the 2018 midterm elections.", "Even when Democrats were busy crafting and eventually introducing a fairly unpopular health care bill in the middle of 2009 they still held a 3 percentage point lead on the generic ballot for the 2010 midterm elections.", "This year a combination of Trump’s unpopularity and House Republicans’ inability to pass any major legislation has likely contributed to Americans wanting to put Democrats back in charge.", "Of course it’s far from guaranteed that Democrats would win the House vote by exactly 8 percentage points.", "Like with a president’s approval rating generic ballot margins tend to undergo a reversion toward the mean just as the president’s party’s standing tends to decline.", "The fact that Trump is already so unpopular may mean that he won’t become more unpopular as the midterm approaches.", "Therefore the Democrats’ lead in the generic ballot may not expand further instead holding steady the way it did in 1974 amid the Watergate scandal.", "It’s also possible that some event (e.", "g. a terrorist attack) interrupts the normal historical trend and the White House Party gains ground on the generic ballot as Republicans did after 9/11.", "Still while you’re reading dozens of 100-day analyses this week leave some room for the generic ballot.", "Democrats’ 5 percentage point lead is probably one of the worst signs for Trump and the GOP.", "It shows that Trump’s unpopularity is translating down-ballot and hurting his party.", "When you combine the generic ballot numbers with high Democratic enthusiasm there’s no sign that Trump’s Republican Party has some unique ability to “defy midterm gravity.", "” The GOP’s House majority is in danger." ]
...And it's great. Unreal Championship for the XBOX is just like UT2003 for the PC. Overall, graphics quality is decent, or at least the lightning effects are. But texture quality is amazing. Animation quality is OK. And the audio quailty is good. The game play is fun. Multiplayer is good, the only thing that bothers me about it is there is only system link support play and XBOX live support, no single TV multiple controller support. And the frame rates get quite laggy in UC for XBOX. The level design and game types are overall good. But UC's music tracks aren't perfect, and it gets very laggy in game play.(I already said that, didn't i?) Well, I can say that UC will be the biggest DM game type XBOX LIVE game for a long time....very long time! UC is quite gory like UT2003 is. The Rest of the content type is decent. I'd recommend UC for some gamers on the XBOX. It's an OK additon to your XBOX libary of games. Hhmm...I'll stay tuned into UC for now...:/.
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[ "...", "And it's great.", "Unreal Championship for the XBOX is just like UT2003 for the PC.", "Overall, graphics quality is decent, or at least the lightning effects are.", "But texture quality is amazing.", "Animation quality is OK.", "And the audio quailty is good.", "The game play is fun.", "Multiplayer is good, the only thing that bothers me about it is there is only system link support play and XBOX live support, no single TV multiple controller support.", "And the frame rates get quite laggy in UC for XBOX.", "The level design and game types are overall good.", "But UC's music tracks aren't perfect, and it gets very laggy in game play.", "(I already said that, didn't i?", ") Well, I can say that UC will be the biggest DM game type XBOX LIVE game for a long time....", "very long time!", "UC is quite gory like UT2003 is.", "The Rest of the content type is decent.", "I'd recommend UC for some gamers on the XBOX.", "It's an OK additon to your XBOX libary of games.", "Hhmm...", "I'll stay tuned into UC for now...", ":/." ]
I'd be hard pressed to say anything negative about this game. The storyline is engaging, the graphics are stellar, etc. The only other game that I find comparable is GRAW. Here's the downside, the campaign is far too short. There's 5 acts to the campaign and once you're done, well you're done. To put it in gamer hour perspective, I bought the game on Nov 8th, played it regularly but not obsessively and completed the campaign by the 11th. All in all, I'd estimate maybe 20 game hours. For gamer points you unlock each of the 5 acts and a few in-play activities, and you can increase the difficulty from Casual to Hardcore to Insane, but thats the limit of single player variety. The real value of this game comes if you enjoy on-line play, or play co-op with a friend locally or online. If you're like me and prefer single-player campaigns, then this game probably isn't worth it to you, but definitely worth a rental.
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[ "I'd be hard pressed to say anything negative about this game.", "The storyline is engaging, the graphics are stellar, etc.", "The only other game that I find comparable is GRAW.", "Here's the downside, the campaign is far too short.", "There's 5 acts to the campaign and once you're done, well you're done.", "To put it in gamer hour perspective, I bought the game on Nov 8th, played it regularly but not obsessively and completed the campaign by the 11th.", "All in all, I'd estimate maybe 20 game hours.", "For gamer points you unlock each of the 5 acts and a few in-play activities, and you can increase the difficulty from Casual to Hardcore to Insane, but thats the limit of single player variety.", "The real value of this game comes if you enjoy on-line play, or play co-op with a friend locally or online.", "If you're like me and prefer single-player campaigns, then this game probably isn't worth it to you, but definitely worth a rental." ]
Took the "voc? ? realmente f? do Joe Jonas?" quiz & got: WOW, voc? ? realmente f? do joseph! :D! What about you? ? http://bit.ly/ceCy1b
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[ "Took the \"voc?", "?", "realmente f?", "do Joe Jonas?", "\" quiz & got: WOW, voc?", "?", "realmente f?", "do joseph!", ":D!", "What about you?", "?", "http://bit.", "ly/ceCy1b" ]
Even though I'm only giving this blog three stars, I'm going to keep subscribing to it. Why? Cause it's free! And there are enough gems in this blog that I'll keep reading it. This blog is the Kindle version of the Amazon blog located at http://www.amazon.com/gp/daily, so if you want to see what kind of articles are being posted now, that would be a great place to look. The useful articles I've found on the blog are occassional off-the-wall articles (one on what the heck a Red Barchetta really is), weekly summaries of book reviews in the main stream media, and a weekly article on graphic novels. On the other hand, there seems to be a lot of articles about cooking and fashion. Not my taste, but I'm sure that someone else would really go for it. There are many articles posted a day, and 20 available at any time. Right now (January 13), there are articles saved back to January 11, so there's a high article turnover. You probably need to read the blog at least every other day. What's wrong with the blog (other than the subject)? I have two major concerns. Several articles have been just links to an online video. As you know, Kindles don't display videos. So those articles are just a waste of space. In addition, there have been several articles which are really just calls for comments. Again, that is a functionality that doesn't work on a Kindle. You can neither leave a comment on a Kindle blog, nor can you read someone else's previous comment. These aren't killer problems, but it does lower the utility of the blog. However, as I said earlier, I get enough pleasure out of the blog to keep subscribing to it. It's well worth the price.
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[ "Even though I'm only giving this blog three stars, I'm going to keep subscribing to it.", "Why?", "Cause it's free!", "And there are enough gems in this blog that I'll keep reading it.", "This blog is the Kindle version of the Amazon blog located at http://www.", "amazon.", "com/gp/daily, so if you want to see what kind of articles are being posted now, that would be a great place to look.", "The useful articles I've found on the blog are occassional off-the-wall articles (one on what the heck a Red Barchetta really is), weekly summaries of book reviews in the main stream media, and a weekly article on graphic novels.", "On the other hand, there seems to be a lot of articles about cooking and fashion.", "Not my taste, but I'm sure that someone else would really go for it.", "There are many articles posted a day, and 20 available at any time.", "Right now (January 13), there are articles saved back to January 11, so there's a high article turnover.", "You probably need to read the blog at least every other day.", "What's wrong with the blog (other than the subject)?", "I have two major concerns.", "Several articles have been just links to an online video.", "As you know, Kindles don't display videos.", "So those articles are just a waste of space.", "In addition, there have been several articles which are really just calls for comments.", "Again, that is a functionality that doesn't work on a Kindle.", "You can neither leave a comment on a Kindle blog, nor can you read someone else's previous comment.", "These aren't killer problems, but it does lower the utility of the blog.", "However, as I said earlier, I get enough pleasure out of the blog to keep subscribing to it.", "It's well worth the price." ]
The Hunters: Declan and Tori by Shiloh Walker Tori McAddams is a PI, she doesn't believe in anything paranormal, it just isn't logical. Then she takes a case of a stripper, who says she was bit by a vampire and he was now after her. Tori tries to get some information on this client by calling the only cop in town she trust to give her a fair shake, Declan Reilly, a man whose very voice makes her panties wet, except he isn't in town, and is not answering his personal cell. She goes out alone and bumps into Dani's monster, but she is able to shake off his compulsion and manages to put a put a bullet in his face, then runs and hides out in her apartment. She calls Declan again, but he is still not answering. She gets advice from the voice of an old woman manages to survive when Mannuel shows up to turn her. A week later, Tori makes it to Declan's place and Declan becomes her first blood meal and they start the affair they have tip toeing around since they have known each other. Declan decided to take her up to Elijah Covington's place, the one vampire he knew he could trust. This book was good until this point, at this point Elijah told Declan after Tori's first real blood meal and he realized that she would quickly turn into a Master Vampire that he had to assert dominance over her or she would look to control and dominate everyone around her, including him. Now this is a woman, a strong woman before, and woman, who by the help of Rosa - Manuel's mother - had turned herself into the "Huntress" and was going to be a very strong and powerful Vampire; so what did these two alpha men do? The sexually dominated her, did not let her have the control she could have had, Declan could not stand the idea that she would be more aggressive, more dominate than him, so he had to prove to her who was the stronger in bed. This alone made me rate this book a rating of3 stars. Instead of letting her come to her full growth and arguing it out with her as her power grew, he took her sexual power away from her. For other readers this might read very differently, and I hope so, but this is unfortunately how it read for me. I am not sure if I am going to continue with this series or not.
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[ "The Hunters: Declan and Tori by Shiloh Walker\n\nTori McAddams is a PI, she doesn't believe in anything paranormal, it just isn't logical.", "Then she takes a case of a stripper, who says she was bit by a vampire and he was now after her.", "Tori tries to get some information on this client by calling the only cop in town she trust to give her a fair shake, Declan Reilly, a man whose very voice makes her panties wet, except he isn't in town, and is not answering his personal cell.", "She goes out alone and bumps into Dani's monster, but she is able to shake off his compulsion and manages to put a put a bullet in his face, then runs and hides out in her apartment.", "She calls Declan again, but he is still not answering.", "She gets advice from the voice of an old woman manages to survive when Mannuel shows up to turn her.", "A week later, Tori makes it to Declan's place and Declan becomes her first blood meal and they start the affair they have tip toeing around since they have known each other.", "Declan decided to take her up to Elijah Covington's place, the one vampire he knew he could trust.", "This book was good until this point, at this point Elijah told Declan after Tori's first real blood meal and he realized that she would quickly turn into a Master Vampire that he had to assert dominance over her or she would look to control and dominate everyone around her, including him.", "Now this is a woman, a strong woman before, and woman, who by the help of Rosa - Manuel's mother - had turned herself into the \"Huntress\" and was going to be a very strong and powerful Vampire; so what did these two alpha men do?", "The sexually dominated her, did not let her have the control she could have had, Declan could not stand the idea that she would be more aggressive, more dominate than him, so he had to prove to her who was the stronger in bed.", "This alone made me rate this book a rating of3 stars.", "Instead of letting her come to her full growth and arguing it out with her as her power grew, he took her sexual power away from her.", "For other readers this might read very differently, and I hope so, but this is unfortunately how it read for me.", "I am not sure if I am going to continue with this series or not." ]
"The Deep End of the Ocean" is based on Jacquelyn Mitchard's best-selling novel. It's the story of a busy mother, Beth Cappadora (Michelle Pfeiffer), whose son Ben is kidnapped at the age of three. Nine years later, Ben is found and is reunited with his family, but he doesn't have much interest in getting to know them and is resentful about being yanked out of his old life. I enjoyed this movie. It's pretty true to the novel, and the few things that were changed for the film aren't all that important. I think the biggest difference between the book and the movie is that the character of Beth is much more toned-down and sympathetic on the big screen than she is on paper. Mitchard's version of the character is more interesting and complex, but I can see why the producers probably thought it wouldn't do well on the big screen. Pfeiffer delivers a strong performance, as does Jonathan Jackson, who plays the oldest Cappadora son, Vincent. The only casting decision that left me puzzled is Whoopi Goldberg, who is probably the last person on earth I would have picked to play Detective Candy Bliss, but oh well. Bottom line: This is a good, solid film. Not great, but very good. The story is about as unrealistic as you can get and I think the ending is way too optimistic, but stranger things have been known to happen in this world.
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[ "\"The Deep End of the Ocean\" is based on Jacquelyn Mitchard's best-selling novel.", "It's the story of a busy mother, Beth Cappadora (Michelle Pfeiffer), whose son Ben is kidnapped at the age of three.", "Nine years later, Ben is found and is reunited with his family, but he doesn't have much interest in getting to know them and is resentful about being yanked out of his old life.", "I enjoyed this movie.", "It's pretty true to the novel, and the few things that were changed for the film aren't all that important.", "I think the biggest difference between the book and the movie is that the character of Beth is much more toned-down and sympathetic on the big screen than she is on paper.", "Mitchard's version of the character is more interesting and complex, but I can see why the producers probably thought it wouldn't do well on the big screen.", "Pfeiffer delivers a strong performance, as does Jonathan Jackson, who plays the oldest Cappadora son, Vincent.", "The only casting decision that left me puzzled is Whoopi Goldberg, who is probably the last person on earth I would have picked to play Detective Candy Bliss, but oh well.", "Bottom line: This is a good, solid film.", "Not great, but very good.", "The story is about as unrealistic as you can get and I think the ending is way too optimistic, but stranger things have been known to happen in this world." ]
I do not know why they have replacement bulbs when the transformer that runs them burns out before the bulbs do. I have purchased 3 of these units and when you see the bulbs are dead and go to replace them with brand new ones right out of the sealed package they do not work. It is not the bulbs that don't work, it has always been the transformer that has stopped working. A loud snap and a pop, a horrrible electrical smell and the transformer is dead. I searched online for an LED UV lamp and found a small 1.5 watt bulb. I removed the existing bulbs, holder and transformer and hot glued a cheap plastic round lightbulb outlet into the top. I put it all back together and not only am I using a fraction of the amount of electricity I am catching more mosquito's than I was before with the original flourscent bulbs. The LED is rated at 50,000 hours, that is like for the next 10 years. Before I purchased my first unit I would have 1-3 mosquito in my bedroom at bedtime driving me crazy. After about a week I can honestly say the number was reduced to about 1 a week and after a month I might see one a month in the house. It does reduce the mosquito population male and female and a hell of a lot of moths. We started adding the mosquito attractant press on patches and with the LED UV lights we are catching many more mosquito's than the original unit could ever hope to catch. The LED saves a lot of money as well. Why doesn't the manufacturer think of these improvements?
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[ "I do not know why they have replacement bulbs when the transformer that runs them burns out before the bulbs do.", "I have purchased 3 of these units and when you see the bulbs are dead and go to replace them with brand new ones right out of the sealed package they do not work.", "It is not the bulbs that don't work, it has always been the transformer that has stopped working.", "A loud snap and a pop, a horrrible electrical smell and the transformer is dead.", "I searched online for an LED UV lamp and found a small 1.", "5 watt bulb.", "I removed the existing bulbs, holder and transformer and hot glued a cheap plastic round lightbulb outlet into the top.", "I put it all back together and not only am I using a fraction of the amount of electricity I am catching more mosquito's than I was before with the original flourscent bulbs.", "The LED is rated at 50,000 hours, that is like for the next 10 years.", "Before I purchased my first unit I would have 1-3 mosquito in my bedroom at bedtime driving me crazy.", "After about a week I can honestly say the number was reduced to about 1 a week and after a month I might see one a month in the house.", "It does reduce the mosquito population male and female and a hell of a lot of moths.", "We started adding the mosquito attractant press on patches and with the LED UV lights we are catching many more mosquito's than the original unit could ever hope to catch.", "The LED saves a lot of money as well.", "Why doesn't the manufacturer think of these improvements?" ]
Battety charger is acting kind of strange. It shows percent of charge, (which is really voltage), and when I have it in 10 amp mode, shows a different percent, than when it's in 2 amp mode. I'm charging a deep cycle battery, have it on that setting (deep cycle), but when I select 10 amp, shows 0 percent charge, and when I select 2 amp it shows 50 percent charge. Maybe it's my battery, I will update. But other than that, seems be a good charger. Update, charger is defective, does not operate properly. Will not read deep cycle battery properly. Charges erratic, and not correct. Update on charger, I'm not sure why but it eventually charged my two deep cycle batteries. Took three days. The charger is strange,when using 10 amp mode,it shows way low battery, but when use 2 amp mode shows 3/4 charge. So, I had leave it on 2 amp mode ,and to complete the charge on my battery took 3 days. Very odd, it's automatic, so I'm just not sure whst up or if it's normal. Just never had charger act like this.it worked,but very slow and odd.
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[ "Battety charger is acting kind of strange.", "It shows percent of charge, (which is really voltage), and when I have it in 10 amp mode, shows a different percent, than when it's in 2 amp mode.", "I'm charging a deep cycle battery, have it on that setting (deep cycle), but when I select 10 amp, shows 0 percent charge, and when I select 2 amp it shows 50 percent charge.", "Maybe it's my battery, I will update.", "But other than that, seems be a good charger.", "Update, charger is defective, does not operate properly.", "Will not read deep cycle battery properly.", "Charges erratic, and not correct.", "Update on charger, I'm not sure why but it eventually charged my two deep cycle batteries.", "Took three days.", "The charger is strange,when using 10 amp mode,it shows way low battery, but when use 2 amp mode shows 3/4 charge.", "So, I had leave it on 2 amp mode ,and to complete the charge on my battery took 3 days.", "Very odd, it's automatic, so I'm just not sure whst up or if it's normal.", "Just never had charger act like this.", "it worked,but very slow and odd." ]
"Havana Moon" has its share of Santana's nightworld feel, check out the cover, but a patchwork collection of songs. Straight, not mixed in, R&B is combined with latin and jazz, and, in fact, western and country & western. Not much of a concept album. The band indeed explores roots, witness the Chuck Berry title cut and Bo Diddley's "Who Do You Love." Its rendition of the former is more favorable. The two opening R&B numbers, "Watch Your Step" and "Lightin'," are OK but fairly pedestrian. The best songs are the jazzy, dark "Mudbone" and "Tales of Kilimanjaro." They are somewhat similar in character, tho not at all in sound. Free-flowing jazzy solos occasionally display the sweet latin melodic trademark of Carlos, but "Mudbone" has a U.S. western feel and is somewhat more driving while "Tales" is more meandering. The soft, romantic "One with You" is another good song, and it flows into a more lively, fine guitar solo. "Daughter of the Night" and the short "Ecuador" are less interesting, and the album has a very disappointing inclusion in the penultimate track, the country & western "They All Went to Mexico" sung by Willie Nelson. It is beyond me how Santana saw this mediocre number fit in, except for his homeland. And it is the best example of the album's lack of cohesion. However, "Havana Moon" is still one of Santana's best post-70s studio albums (which are typically not of good quality), containing more of the music a greater mass of people can identify with.
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[ "\"Havana Moon\" has its share of Santana's nightworld feel, check out the cover, but a patchwork collection of songs.", "Straight, not mixed in, R&B is combined with latin and jazz, and, in fact, western and country & western.", "Not much of a concept album.", "The band indeed explores roots, witness the Chuck Berry title cut and Bo Diddley's \"Who Do You Love.", "\" Its rendition of the former is more favorable.", "The two opening R&B numbers, \"Watch Your Step\" and \"Lightin',\" are OK but fairly pedestrian.", "The best songs are the jazzy, dark \"Mudbone\" and \"Tales of Kilimanjaro.", "\" They are somewhat similar in character, tho not at all in sound.", "Free-flowing jazzy solos occasionally display the sweet latin melodic trademark of Carlos, but \"Mudbone\" has a U.", "S. western feel and is somewhat more driving while \"Tales\" is more meandering.", "The soft, romantic \"One with You\" is another good song, and it flows into a more lively, fine guitar solo.", "\"Daughter of the Night\" and the short \"Ecuador\" are less interesting, and the album has a very disappointing inclusion in the penultimate track, the country & western \"They All Went to Mexico\" sung by Willie Nelson.", "It is beyond me how Santana saw this mediocre number fit in, except for his homeland.", "And it is the best example of the album's lack of cohesion.", "However, \"Havana Moon\" is still one of Santana's best post-70s studio albums (which are typically not of good quality), containing more of the music a greater mass of people can identify with." ]
The basic premise for this short story is that a startlingly handsome new pastor who has been "too busy" to even consider dating anyone meets a homely overweight woman and decides within about an hour that he must marry her becasue she volunteers in the church nursery. At first, I didn't think I could stomach it (and I'm about as hopeless as the next romantic), but I stuck with it and by the end I was practically in stitches. My apologies to the author if all this was meant to be taken seriously, but she has to know it was way over the top. On a more serious note, however, is a sort of side plot. Nothing is resolved, it's mostly an excuse to give the characters something to talk about, but this is a lack of volunteers within the church (particularly for the children's programs). I thought this was a good topic since it's a problem for a lot of churches. The discussion has a few well put phrases, but is marred by the author's apparently sexist attitude. Over and over the characters say things like... How can we get the moms to help out? Don't you think the moms should help? Maybe the moms just need a kick in the pants. I would have loved to see the conversation sparked by someone saying, "Here's a brilliant idea. We'd have twice as many potential volunteers if we asked the DADS as well."
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[ "The basic premise for this short story is that a startlingly handsome new pastor who has been \"too busy\" to even consider dating anyone meets a homely overweight woman and decides within about an hour that he must marry her becasue she volunteers in the church nursery.", "At first, I didn't think I could stomach it (and I'm about as hopeless as the next romantic), but I stuck with it and by the end I was practically in stitches.", "My apologies to the author if all this was meant to be taken seriously, but she has to know it was way over the top.", "On a more serious note, however, is a sort of side plot.", "Nothing is resolved, it's mostly an excuse to give the characters something to talk about, but this is a lack of volunteers within the church (particularly for the children's programs).", "I thought this was a good topic since it's a problem for a lot of churches.", "The discussion has a few well put phrases, but is marred by the author's apparently sexist attitude.", "Over and over the characters say things like...", "How can we get the moms to help out?", "Don't you think the moms should help?", "Maybe the moms just need a kick in the pants.", "I would have loved to see the conversation sparked by someone saying, \"Here's a brilliant idea.", "We'd have twice as many potential volunteers if we asked the DADS as well.", "\"" ]
And so it came to pass ... if "Face The Music" was the ignition, and "A New World Record" the lift-off, then this album, "Out Of The Blue", sees the Spaceship ELO at full throttle. Destination : Global Superstardom. In 1977 Jeff Lynne's unique sound of orchestrated rock reached its zenith with the relase of this sprawling behemoth of a double album. The beautifully illustrated sleeve of the exterior and interior of a giant spacestation floating high above the Earth and the lavish, intricate, portraits of the (frankly hirsute) band inside are as well known as the music. Complete with full lyrics, never before or since has an ELO album looked so darn good. Musically, Lynne goes all out, and tries to outdo "A New World Record"... and for me anyway, fails to do so. A lot of people will disagree with me - the high points on this album are indeed as good as anything Lynne has ever done : the mighty "Turn To Stone" single thundering along on its heavy synth-bass opens the album; the catchy, airy "Sweet Talkin' Woman" follows it up; the AM radio friendly fodder of "Mr. Blue Sky" (with its gloriously overdone, pompous one and a quarter minute coda !); the cracking "Sweet Is The Night"; and who could forget the grandiose closing track "Wild West Hero" - absurd, cliched lyrics - but the sweep of strings during the chorus are possibly my favorite ELO Moment. But before I get carried away in the rush of sentiment, there are quite a few lows on this album too. For a start, it's too long and there is a fair amount of filler liberally sprinkled throughout. "It's Over", "Starlight", "Believe Me Now" fail to impress, and if "O.O.T.B" is ELO's equivalent of The Beatles' "White Album", then "The Whale" is Lynne's "Revolution 9" : self - indulgent and boring. The "Concerto for a rainy day" side seems to go on for ever. "Jungle" is just plain dire - "Chooka chooka hoo la ley" ? Please. The production and mixing are spot on however, courtesy of the great Mack, and the orchestration on this album is as good as it ever got. Supported by a then state-of-the-art live stage show, complete with lasers (first time they were used for concerts) and a giant spaceship rising from the stage, this album logged something like two years in the charts, and propelled ELO to heights of fame that they would never manage to recapture in their later career. Close, Jeff, but no cigar.
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[ "And so it came to pass...", "if \"Face The Music\" was the ignition, and \"A New World Record\" the lift-off, then this album, \"Out Of The Blue\", sees the Spaceship ELO at full throttle.", "Destination : Global Superstardom.", "In 1977 Jeff Lynne's unique sound of orchestrated rock reached its zenith with the relase of this sprawling behemoth of a double album.", "The beautifully illustrated sleeve of the exterior and interior of a giant spacestation floating high above the Earth and the lavish, intricate, portraits of the (frankly hirsute) band inside are as well known as the music.", "Complete with full lyrics, never before or since has an ELO album looked so darn good.", "Musically, Lynne goes all out, and tries to outdo \"A New World Record\"...", "and for me anyway, fails to do so.", "A lot of people will disagree with me - the high points on this album are indeed as good as anything Lynne has ever done : the mighty \"Turn To Stone\" single thundering along on its heavy synth-bass opens the album; the catchy, airy \"Sweet Talkin' Woman\" follows it up; the AM radio friendly fodder of \"Mr.", "Blue Sky\" (with its gloriously overdone, pompous one and a quarter minute coda!", "); the cracking \"Sweet Is The Night\"; and who could forget the grandiose closing track \"Wild West Hero\" - absurd, cliched lyrics - but the sweep of strings during the chorus are possibly my favorite ELO Moment.", "But before I get carried away in the rush of sentiment, there are quite a few lows on this album too.", "For a start, it's too long and there is a fair amount of filler liberally sprinkled throughout.", "\"It's Over\", \"Starlight\", \"Believe Me Now\" fail to impress, and if \"O.", "O.T.B\" is ELO's equivalent of The Beatles' \"White Album\", then \"The Whale\" is Lynne's \"Revolution 9\" : self - indulgent and boring.", "The \"Concerto for a rainy day\" side seems to go on for ever.", "\"Jungle\" is just plain dire - \"Chooka chooka hoo la ley\"?", "Please.", "The production and mixing are spot on however, courtesy of the great Mack, and the orchestration on this album is as good as it ever got.", "Supported by a then state-of-the-art live stage show, complete with lasers (first time they were used for concerts) and a giant spaceship rising from the stage, this album logged something like two years in the charts, and propelled ELO to heights of fame that they would never manage to recapture in their later career.", "Close, Jeff, but no cigar." ]
Alright, so Resident Evil has bad acting, bad dialogue, bad characterization and bad plot development. How can this possibly be any good? It's simple; you forget all the above because it's just so much fun. Of course I love zombie movies, so I could be a little biased. Incorporating elements of the original video game into the storyline, the plot of a S.W.A.T-type team and a couple of amnesiacs stuck in a secret underground lab where genetic experiments have gone awry is for the most part intriguing and entertaining. Good enough to keep your interest for the duration of the film, at least. The development and timing of the plot needed some work; some things were revealed too late, some too soon, but the film's energy distracts you from dwelling on that too much. And except for a few clever scenes, there isn't much to admire aesthetically, but who goes to zombie movies to enjoy a piece of art? Although it borrows too much from other genre films, such as Aliens, Cube, and George Romero's Living Dead movies, Resident Evil somehow manages to still make it work. No, it doesn't come close to the greatness of Romero's films or the gore fest of Peter Jackson's Dead Alive (a.k.a. Brain dead), but it is still much better then many other zombie flicks. So if you're just looking for a fun zombie flick with plenty of action, Resident Evil's got what you want. It's the definition of guilty pleasure.
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[ "Alright, so Resident Evil has bad acting, bad dialogue, bad characterization and bad plot development.", "How can this possibly be any good?", "It's simple; you forget all the above because it's just so much fun.", "Of course I love zombie movies, so I could be a little biased.", "Incorporating elements of the original video game into the storyline, the plot of a S.", "W.A.T-type team and a couple of amnesiacs stuck in a secret underground lab where genetic experiments have gone awry is for the most part intriguing and entertaining.", "Good enough to keep your interest for the duration of the film, at least.", "The development and timing of the plot needed some work; some things were revealed too late, some too soon, but the film's energy distracts you from dwelling on that too much.", "And except for a few clever scenes, there isn't much to admire aesthetically, but who goes to zombie movies to enjoy a piece of art?", "Although it borrows too much from other genre films, such as Aliens, Cube, and George Romero's Living Dead movies, Resident Evil somehow manages to still make it work.", "No, it doesn't come close to the greatness of Romero's films or the gore fest of Peter Jackson's Dead Alive (a.", "k.a. Brain dead), but it is still much better then many other zombie flicks.", "So if you're just looking for a fun zombie flick with plenty of action, Resident Evil's got what you want.", "It's the definition of guilty pleasure." ]
This is a good item for the price but I would say it is more of a disposable item... I have owned several of them. It doesnt stay sharp all that long. Even when its new it works best on hard-ish vegetables like carrots or zucchini or potatos and less well on *juicy* veggies like onions or cucumbers. The more watery veggies tend to slice more unevenly and break apart. It also slices best with just straight slicing even tho there are other slicing heads. It comes with a *safty* grip to put in the veggies so you don't cut your hand but i have found it isn't sharp enough to hold most vegetable, nor are the spikes long enough to grip the vegetable even if they will go into them. This is an *okay* unit... for as inexpensive as it is. Mandolines can be very expensive but I am at the point where I have bought several I am thinking that it might be more cost effective to buy a more *professional* model... If you don't do much slicing and would only use something like this rarely, this might be a cost effective way to go. But if you would want to use this on a more regular basis, I would go with something more high-end.
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[ "This is a good item for the price but I would say it is more of a disposable item...", "I have owned several of them.", "It doesnt stay sharp all that long.", "Even when its new it works best on hard-ish vegetables like carrots or zucchini or potatos and less well on *juicy* veggies like onions or cucumbers.", "The more watery veggies tend to slice more unevenly and break apart.", "It also slices best with just straight slicing even tho there are other slicing heads.", "It comes with a *safty* grip to put in the veggies so you don't cut your hand but i have found it isn't sharp enough to hold most vegetable, nor are the spikes long enough to grip the vegetable even if they will go into them.", "This is an *okay* unit...", "for as inexpensive as it is.", "Mandolines can be very expensive but I am at the point where I have bought several I am thinking that it might be more cost effective to buy a more *professional* model...", "If you don't do much slicing and would only use something like this rarely, this might be a cost effective way to go.", "But if you would want to use this on a more regular basis, I would go with something more high-end." ]
I recieved three Tiffen UV protectors for each of three protectorless lenses I had. Upon opening the protectors I found them to be terribly dirty, covered in dust and particals and rather filmy looking. I, of course was on my way to a shoot and didn't have my cleaning gear. I used a lintless, streakless wipe made by the manufacturer of spendy lenses. The grime came off alright but I was bummed that I had to clean them up. I shot a few times with these protectors and each time I had the sun near my shoulder or near the front of the lens I got horrible colored blobs in my shots. It didn't matter if I shot indoors or out, there they were, a ghost hunters dream, hazy apparitions right where my amazing shot should be. When I noticed this on some shots I was taking at a wedding, I quickly took the protector off and tossed it in the bottom of my camera bag. That is where it lays still, much cleaner than when it arrived in the mail but likely never to be used again. I gave this product 3 stars because it did "protect" my lens.
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[ "I recieved three Tiffen UV protectors for each of three protectorless lenses I had.", "Upon opening the protectors I found them to be terribly dirty, covered in dust and particals and rather filmy looking.", "I, of course was on my way to a shoot and didn't have my cleaning gear.", "I used a lintless, streakless wipe made by the manufacturer of spendy lenses.", "The grime came off alright but I was bummed that I had to clean them up.", "I shot a few times with these protectors and each time I had the sun near my shoulder or near the front of the lens I got horrible colored blobs in my shots.", "It didn't matter if I shot indoors or out, there they were, a ghost hunters dream, hazy apparitions right where my amazing shot should be.", "When I noticed this on some shots I was taking at a wedding, I quickly took the protector off and tossed it in the bottom of my camera bag.", "That is where it lays still, much cleaner than when it arrived in the mail but likely never to be used again.", "I gave this product 3 stars because it did \"protect\" my lens." ]
There's some good stuff in "Tin Cup". I thought Cheech was good in an understated performance. Renee Russo was good-looking. And Costner was -- well, he was Costner, which means he was okay but sort of, I don't know, sort of dull or bland or something. I've never figured out why he became such a star. The movie had some amusing moments and was reasonably entertaining, but it seems to me there were a lot of golf in-jokes. I got them because I'm a golfer. I don't know about non-golfing viewers. Finally, I am frankly baffled by people's reaction to the big scene on the 72nd hole. Lots of people, including golfers, have told me they love that scene. I just don't get it. Holing out for a 12 because you're a bone-head who refuses to lay up and win the U.S. Open is not cute or eccentric. It's just dumb. And if it happened in real life, the crowd would not cheer wildly. (For what it's worth, PGA pro Peter Jacobsen -- who appeared as himself in the movie -- more or less agrees with my criticism of this scene in his book "Embedded Balls").
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[ "There's some good stuff in \"Tin Cup\".", "I thought Cheech was good in an understated performance.", "Renee Russo was good-looking.", "And Costner was -- well, he was Costner, which means he was okay but sort of, I don't know, sort of dull or bland or something.", "I've never figured out why he became such a star.", "The movie had some amusing moments and was reasonably entertaining, but it seems to me there were a lot of golf in-jokes.", "I got them because I'm a golfer.", "I don't know about non-golfing viewers.", "Finally, I am frankly baffled by people's reaction to the big scene on the 72nd hole.", "Lots of people, including golfers, have told me they love that scene.", "I just don't get it.", "Holing out for a 12 because you're a bone-head who refuses to lay up and win the U.", "S. Open is not cute or eccentric.", "It's just dumb.", "And if it happened in real life, the crowd would not cheer wildly.", "(For what it's worth, PGA pro Peter Jacobsen -- who appeared as himself in the movie -- more or less agrees with my criticism of this scene in his book \"Embedded Balls\")." ]
I just brought this at a flea market, glad I didn't pay full price. It is ok to train, however the pedals are free wheeling, the child can not pedal, they will go no where if they pedal. You are the one making it go , they can learn to turn. Honestly a child will learn on the tricycle sooner or later. I am glad I didn't buy this full price. I paid 25.00. I was disappointed when I found out you can't use it later by itself. However, my 2 year old grandson loves it. He did learn how to steer, not ready to pedal, unfortunately it doesn't move when you push it, so he really has to figure out how to keep his legs going. I would recommend buying a small tricycle that you can move seat up for the shorter kids.
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[ "I just brought this at a flea market, glad I didn't pay full price.", "It is ok to train, however the pedals are free wheeling, the child can not pedal, they will go no where if they pedal.", "You are the one making it go , they can learn to turn.", "Honestly a child will learn on the tricycle sooner or later.", "I am glad I didn't buy this full price.", "I paid 25.", "00.", "I was disappointed when I found out you can't use it later by itself.", "However, my 2 year old grandson loves it.", "He did learn how to steer, not ready to pedal, unfortunately it doesn't move when you push it, so he really has to figure out how to keep his legs going.", "I would recommend buying a small tricycle that you can move seat up for the shorter kids." ]
President Trump leaning toward Powell as next Fed chair: sources WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Donald Trump is leaning toward nominating Federal Reserve Governor Jerome Powell to be the next head of the U.S. central bank two sources familiar with the matter said on Friday. The sources cautioned that while Powell had emerged as the leading candidate from a short list of five Trump had not made a final decision and could always change his mind. “I will be announcing it sometime next week ” Trump said in a video statement on Instagram. “It will be a person who hopefully will do a fantastic job. I have someone very specific in mind and I think everyone will be very impressed.” Trump has said he has been considering Powell as well as Stanford University economist John Taylor for the post. He also has said he has not ruled out renominating current Fed Chair Janet Yellen whose term expires in February. He is expected to announce his pick which would need to win Senate approval before he departs on a trip to Asia on Nov. 3. Trump had been working from a short list of five candidates that included his top economic adviser Gary Cohn and former Fed Governor Kevin Warsh. A senior administration official said on Wednesday that Trump was unlikely to nominate Cohn given the importance of his role in helping to lead efforts to enact tax reform legislation currently being debated in Congress. Trump has also privately voiced a desire to put his own stamp on the central bank which has dimmed the prospect of him giving a new term to Yellen another source said. In an interview with Fox Business Network last Friday Trump indicated he could nominate both Powell and Taylor for top jobs at the central bank. A vice chair post is currently open.
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[ "President Trump leaning toward Powell as next Fed chair: sources\nWASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Donald Trump is leaning toward nominating Federal Reserve Governor Jerome Powell to be the next head of the U.", "S. central bank two sources familiar with the matter said on Friday.", "The sources cautioned that while Powell had emerged as the leading candidate from a short list of five Trump had not made a final decision and could always change his mind.", "“I will be announcing it sometime next week ” Trump said in a video statement on Instagram.", "“It will be a person who hopefully will do a fantastic job.", "I have someone very specific in mind and I think everyone will be very impressed.", "”\n Trump has said he has been considering Powell as well as Stanford University economist John Taylor for the post.", "He also has said he has not ruled out renominating current Fed Chair Janet Yellen whose term expires in February.", "He is expected to announce his pick which would need to win Senate approval before he departs on a trip to Asia on Nov.", "3.", "Trump had been working from a short list of five candidates that included his top economic adviser Gary Cohn and former Fed Governor Kevin Warsh.", "A senior administration official said on Wednesday that Trump was unlikely to nominate Cohn given the importance of his role in helping to lead efforts to enact tax reform legislation currently being debated in Congress.", "Trump has also privately voiced a desire to put his own stamp on the central bank which has dimmed the prospect of him giving a new term to Yellen another source said.", "In an interview with Fox Business Network last Friday Trump indicated he could nominate both Powell and Taylor for top jobs at the central bank.", "A vice chair post is currently open." ]
Is Xi Jinping now a ‘leader for life ’ like Mao? Here’s why this is dangerous. Chinese President Xi Jinping claps while addressing the media as he introduces new members of the Politburo Standing Committee at Beijing’s Great Hall of the People on Oct 25. (Ng Han Guan/AP) China’s constitution is set to drop the two-term limit for president allowing Xi Jinping to extend his rule beyond 2023. Here are three things to know about Xi’s increasingly personal rule: 1. Xi has broken a decades-old norm of collective rule Deng Xiaoping the Chinese leader who spearheaded reform after Mao passed spoke against personal rule in 1980: “Over-concentration of power is liable to give rise to arbitrary rule by individuals at the expense of collective leadership.” Most China watchers expected Xi to follow his predecessor Hu Jintao’s example and rule for only 10 years but now there is consensus that Xi will stay on after this period. [ Xi Jinping just made it clear where China’s foreign policy is headed ] In China Xi packed key government positions with his supporters while purging rivals. He also created significant new organizations such as small leadership groups that he controls to circumvent rival power centers. With these latest constitutional changes he has rigged the game in his favor too. The Chinese Communist Party is a massive and powerful organization but increasingly it is an institution ruled by just one man Xi Jinping. Beyond this Xi has initiated a substantial anti-corruption campaign that has gone after tens of thousands of officials at all levels including retired top leaders such as Zhou Yongkang. Some targets no doubt were Xi rivals but there is good reason to believe that the Communist Party’s pervasive corruption had become a major source of economic and political risk. Even if Xi is interested in the party and the broader regime rather than his own aggrandizement going after top-level retirees broke a norm of exemption. This makes it difficult for Xi to retire as he could become a target given his family’s wealth — despite their efforts to shed assets. To be sure the proposed constitutional revisions do not stop at allowing Xi a third term. They call for inclusion of a reference to “core socialist values ” a “public oath of allegiance to the constitution” for state officials upon assuming office and for listing a supervision commission as a new state organ. These changes are evidence that power is centralizing in Beijing — in addition to being concentrated in Xi . Local government officials enjoyed relatively free rein for much of the post-Mao period as long as the economy grew and tax revenue came in. But the central government increasingly is investing in its monitoring capacity and offering a rhetoric of governing morally with a mix of Confucian and Communist Party virtues.
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[ "Is Xi Jinping now a ‘leader for life ’ like Mao?", "Here’s why this is dangerous.", "Chinese President Xi Jinping claps while addressing the media as he introduces new members of the Politburo Standing Committee at Beijing’s Great Hall of the People on Oct 25.", "(Ng Han Guan/AP)\nChina’s constitution is set to drop the two-term limit for president allowing Xi Jinping to extend his rule beyond 2023.", "Here are three things to know about Xi’s increasingly personal rule:\n1.", "Xi has broken a decades-old norm of collective rule\nDeng Xiaoping the Chinese leader who spearheaded reform after Mao passed spoke against personal rule in 1980: “Over-concentration of power is liable to give rise to arbitrary rule by individuals at the expense of collective leadership.", "” Most China watchers expected Xi to follow his predecessor Hu Jintao’s example and rule for only 10 years but now there is consensus that Xi will stay on after this period.", "[ Xi Jinping just made it clear where China’s foreign policy is headed ]\nIn China Xi packed key government positions with his supporters while purging rivals.", "He also created significant new organizations such as small leadership groups that he controls to circumvent rival power centers.", "With these latest constitutional changes he has rigged the game in his favor too.", "The Chinese Communist Party is a massive and powerful organization but increasingly it is an institution ruled by just one man Xi Jinping.", "Beyond this Xi has initiated a substantial anti-corruption campaign that has gone after tens of thousands of officials at all levels including retired top leaders such as Zhou Yongkang.", "Some targets no doubt were Xi rivals but there is good reason to believe that the Communist Party’s pervasive corruption had become a major source of economic and political risk.", "Even if Xi is interested in the party and the broader regime rather than his own aggrandizement going after top-level retirees broke a norm of exemption.", "This makes it difficult for Xi to retire as he could become a target given his family’s wealth — despite their efforts to shed assets.", "To be sure the proposed constitutional revisions do not stop at allowing Xi a third term.", "They call for inclusion of a reference to “core socialist values ” a “public oath of allegiance to the constitution” for state officials upon assuming office and for listing a supervision commission as a new state organ.", "These changes are evidence that power is centralizing in Beijing — in addition to being concentrated in Xi.", "Local government officials enjoyed relatively free rein for much of the post-Mao period as long as the economy grew and tax revenue came in.", "But the central government increasingly is investing in its monitoring capacity and offering a rhetoric of governing morally with a mix of Confucian and Communist Party virtues." ]
I use this product to fill the two litter boxes for my ferrets, one being an adult while the other is still a kit. I know that kits do use the bathroom a lot, but this product does not last very long. I purchased this product on the first week of September and I am nearly out of this product. I find that it also does not control the odor of ferret urine too well. My ferrets are very particular about having a super clean litter box, resulting in me cleaning it twice a day and cleaning the box itself once a week. My kit still finds the litter box to be "too dirty" and poops outside of it in protest. She poops in her litter box when I use another product. My ferrets eat Orijen cat food, Go Fit! and Free, and Wysong Digestive Support ferret food so the odor is not terrible due to being on a bad food. I will be going back to wood pellets (kiln dried and made for pets) due to it controlling odor better. Pros: -Highly absorbent (easy to tell if it is soiled) -Low tracking (unused pellets only) -Great quantity of product for the price -Litter itself has no odor, which is ideal for animals with a sensitive respiratory track -Safe for ferrets Cons: -Not great with controlling ferret urine odor -Ferrets like to snorkel in this product (no matter how little of this stuff I put into the litter) -Breaks down easily which results in used product being spread throughout the cage like kitty litter (Difficult to clean as well without a handheld vacuum)
1
neutral
[ "I use this product to fill the two litter boxes for my ferrets, one being an adult while the other is still a kit.", "I know that kits do use the bathroom a lot, but this product does not last very long.", "I purchased this product on the first week of September and I am nearly out of this product.", "I find that it also does not control the odor of ferret urine too well.", "My ferrets are very particular about having a super clean litter box, resulting in me cleaning it twice a day and cleaning the box itself once a week.", "My kit still finds the litter box to be \"too dirty\" and poops outside of it in protest.", "She poops in her litter box when I use another product.", "My ferrets eat Orijen cat food, Go Fit!", "and Free, and Wysong Digestive Support ferret food so the odor is not terrible due to being on a bad food.", "I will be going back to wood pellets (kiln dried and made for pets) due to it controlling odor better.", "Pros:\n-Highly absorbent (easy to tell if it is soiled)\n-Low tracking (unused pellets only)\n-Great quantity of product for the price\n-Litter itself has no odor, which is ideal for animals with a sensitive respiratory track\n-Safe for ferrets\n\nCons:\n-Not great with controlling ferret urine odor\n-Ferrets like to snorkel in this product (no matter how little of this stuff I put into the litter)\n-Breaks down easily which results in used product being spread throughout the cage like kitty litter (Difficult to clean as well without a handheld vacuum)" ]
the price is right. Quality is good except for one hitch-where the ratcheting mechanism is joined to the main arm (the arm that you put into a multi-clamp...the "bottom portion: that doesn't have the tilter)..it is secured by nothing more than a small "dimple"of a rivet-if you want to call it that. I actually hang this one upside down in a multi clamp and the last one failed-but i needed a replacement quick and cheap (I plan to fix the original with a screw or full rivet). But-the rest is pretty decent quality for the money, and i do use this differently than normal-most will use it upright where gravity won't be a factor, but it still could be made a bit better there... UPDATE- this is the second one I have had. both failed. A small dimple rivet is not a sufficient fastener to hold together two pipes that you are going to be bashing stuff around upon- plus moving. have used vintage equipment that holds up better than this. I have "no name" cymbal arms that don't fall apart like this has. I will drill out and improve the fastening,but that seems ridiculous in a way. Update 2- I have drilled and installed a roll pin into each, to replace the inferior fastener between the lower shaft and the upper tilter collar. I suggest doing this if you are only using it as a boom and not a straight stand. If you plan on using it as a straight stand- then find a different way to secure the top. This could be an excellent low cost arm if it didn't have that one flaw. But it is easily remedied.
1
neutral
[ "the price is right.", "Quality is good except for one hitch-where the ratcheting mechanism is joined to the main arm (the arm that you put into a multi-clamp...", "the \"bottom portion: that doesn't have the tilter)..", "it is secured by nothing more than a small \"dimple\"of a rivet-if you want to call it that.", "I actually hang this one upside down in a multi clamp and the last one failed-but i needed a replacement quick and cheap (I plan to fix the original with a screw or full rivet).", "But-the rest is pretty decent quality for the money, and i do use this differently than normal-most will use it upright where gravity won't be a factor, but it still could be made a bit better there...", "UPDATE- this is the second one I have had.", "both failed.", "A small dimple rivet is not a sufficient fastener to hold together two pipes that you are going to be bashing stuff around upon- plus moving.", "have used vintage equipment that holds up better than this.", "I have \"no name\" cymbal arms that don't fall apart like this has.", "I will drill out and improve the fastening,but that seems ridiculous in a way.", "Update 2- I have drilled and installed a roll pin into each, to replace the inferior fastener between the lower shaft and the upper tilter collar.", "I suggest doing this if you are only using it as a boom and not a straight stand.", "If you plan on using it as a straight stand- then find a different way to secure the top.", "This could be an excellent low cost arm if it didn't have that one flaw.", "But it is easily remedied." ]
I can't recall how I came across my vinyl copy of Leslie West, Jack Bruce, and Corky Laing's 1972 bust (for a minor supergroup), 'Why Dontcha'. If I recollect it was actually my brother's album, or it was one of my 12 free albums courtesy of the Columbia Record Club. Regardless, I remembered that there were only a couple songs that truly held my interest back then, and for some time I've been looking for a reasonably-priced used copy to refresh (and perhaps rebuke) those latent memories. There must not be many copies in circulation, as it took me considerable time to find one. The album is one of three the band produced, one a predictable live album, the follow-up to this disc, and the other a 1973 studio album called 'Whatever Turns You On', only released in Japan. Despite their underproduction, the longevity of the band exceeded that of the much more prolific 'Mountain'. I don't recall most of the tracks from 'Why Dontcha', simply because so few of them demanded a replay. Frankly, it was too much trouble to reposition the needle to take in most of the tracks while avoiding the all-too-frequent filler. The two best songs fulfill the promise of combining two-thirds of the band 'Mountain' (lead guitarist and vocalist extraordinaire Leslie West and run-of-the-mill drummer Corky Laing) with one-third of 'Cream', bassist and lead singer extraordinaire Jack Bruce. Given that all three hailed from smash-mouth hard rock bands, one would expect more of the same. The trio fulfills that expectation with the sharp and heavy, even if it's monochrome, title track, and the strongest song on the disc, West's blow-out, suitable for stadium rock composition, 'The Doctor'. 'The Doctor' also delivers the finest lead guitar/lead bass interplay between West and Bruce to be found on the disc. Back in '72 (with homage to Bob Seger) I played those two tracks to death. Aside from 'Why Dontcha' and 'The Doctor', there are really only two songs of note. The second track, 'Out In the Fields' is a Jack Bruce number, and easily the most 'Cream-like', managing to be heavy with a whispy, psychedelic edge at the same time. There are angelic hosts providing backing vocals, but too little differentiation between the vocal and instrumental tracks induces a bit of rock and roll soup. Another artsy Bruce number, 'Pollution Woman' closes the disc. It features Bruce on synthesizer with acoustic guitar backing. It possesses the most appealing melody among the 10 tracks offered. West, Bruce and Laing (WB&L?) deliver more variation than one might expect. There are frequent blues tracks, for instance, such as the harmonica-based 'Turn Me Over', with Laing offering his singular lead vocal. More standard blues follow on 'Third Degree' with energetic West guitar leads and Bruce vocals, and 'Love Is Worth the Blues' features a crunchy, rocking bridge from West. Adding more variety are the up-tempo, generic barroom rock sounds of 'Pleasure', and the funk-rock 'Shake Ma Thing' with West surrendering some lively chops. I wouldn't characterize any of the songs on 'Why Dontcha' as losers, but there's too much filler here to give the complete disc more than a couple listens. The entire package is sparse as well. Although West and Bruce for the most part sing their own compositions on alternating tracks, no songwriting credits are offered. In fact, although the track listings appear three times, nowhere are we given the running times for these songs. It all comes across as too sparse in every area to claim shelf space. The disc is probably essential only to Leslie West or Jack Bruce completists.
1
neutral
[ "I can't recall how I came across my vinyl copy of Leslie West, Jack Bruce, and Corky Laing's 1972 bust (for a minor supergroup), 'Why Dontcha'.", "If I recollect it was actually my brother's album, or it was one of my 12 free albums courtesy of the Columbia Record Club.", "Regardless, I remembered that there were only a couple songs that truly held my interest back then, and for some time I've been looking for a reasonably-priced used copy to refresh (and perhaps rebuke) those latent memories.", "There must not be many copies in circulation, as it took me considerable time to find one.", "The album is one of three the band produced, one a predictable live album, the follow-up to this disc, and the other a 1973 studio album called 'Whatever Turns You On', only released in Japan.", "Despite their underproduction, the longevity of the band exceeded that of the much more prolific 'Mountain'.", "I don't recall most of the tracks from 'Why Dontcha', simply because so few of them demanded a replay.", "Frankly, it was too much trouble to reposition the needle to take in most of the tracks while avoiding the all-too-frequent filler.", "The two best songs fulfill the promise of combining two-thirds of the band 'Mountain' (lead guitarist and vocalist extraordinaire Leslie West and run-of-the-mill drummer Corky Laing) with one-third of 'Cream', bassist and lead singer extraordinaire Jack Bruce.", "Given that all three hailed from smash-mouth hard rock bands, one would expect more of the same.", "The trio fulfills that expectation with the sharp and heavy, even if it's monochrome, title track, and the strongest song on the disc, West's blow-out, suitable for stadium rock composition, 'The Doctor'.", "'The Doctor' also delivers the finest lead guitar/lead bass interplay between West and Bruce to be found on the disc.", "Back in '72 (with homage to Bob Seger) I played those two tracks to death.", "Aside from 'Why Dontcha' and 'The Doctor', there are really only two songs of note.", "The second track, 'Out In the Fields' is a Jack Bruce number, and easily the most 'Cream-like', managing to be heavy with a whispy, psychedelic edge at the same time.", "There are angelic hosts providing backing vocals, but too little differentiation between the vocal and instrumental tracks induces a bit of rock and roll soup.", "Another artsy Bruce number, 'Pollution Woman' closes the disc.", "It features Bruce on synthesizer with acoustic guitar backing.", "It possesses the most appealing melody among the 10 tracks offered.", "West, Bruce and Laing (WB&L?", ") deliver more variation than one might expect.", "There are frequent blues tracks, for instance, such as the harmonica-based 'Turn Me Over', with Laing offering his singular lead vocal.", "More standard blues follow on 'Third Degree' with energetic West guitar leads and Bruce vocals, and 'Love Is Worth the Blues' features a crunchy, rocking bridge from West.", "Adding more variety are the up-tempo, generic barroom rock sounds of 'Pleasure', and the funk-rock 'Shake Ma Thing' with West surrendering some lively chops.", "I wouldn't characterize any of the songs on 'Why Dontcha' as losers, but there's too much filler here to give the complete disc more than a couple listens.", "The entire package is sparse as well.", "Although West and Bruce for the most part sing their own compositions on alternating tracks, no songwriting credits are offered.", "In fact, although the track listings appear three times, nowhere are we given the running times for these songs.", "It all comes across as too sparse in every area to claim shelf space.", "The disc is probably essential only to Leslie West or Jack Bruce completists." ]
Here's my bottom line on this: (1) It's not a "Pro" version, this is clearly for beginners. That's not an insult on anybody - I would definitely suggest this over a "dummies guide" for business forms. But if you've been doing business for any amount of time, you've done all this before. (2) As always with these products, it's a hassle digging through hundreds of pages of junk to find what you need. ==== Ok, that said, here are some more details. First, I'm shocked amazed and confused why they don't tell you what you get in this box set! Here is what's included: * Six E-Books -Legal Guide for Starting & Running Small Business -Deduction Manager -The Manager's Legal Handbook -How to Write a Business Plan -Contracts -Essential Guide to Federal Employment Laws * 1 Pocket Book -Your Little Legal Companion * A ton of forms. Categories are: -Business Minutes -Collection Letters -Demand Letters -Bill of Sale -Contract for Manufacturing Goods -Partnership Agreement -Corporate Bylaws -LLC Operating Agreement -Independent Contractor Agreement -Limited Power of Attorney for Finances -Leases -Email policy -Letter to Landlord -Confidentiality Letter Ok, this might be a convenient library for some, but pretty much all of these are free in the public domain. For example, the Deduction Manager e-Book is basically a reprint of the IRS publication on the subject. A lot of people don't know that most government publications are not copyrighted (they are public domain) so you can reprint it and claim authorship. Some of these sections appear reprinted word-for-word from the tax forms you get from the library. The forms can easily be found free online, and they are mostly beginner forms (nothing "Pro" here). The little book included here is not helpful at all. It includes advice like: -> "Opposites make great friends, but not necessarily great roommates" and -> "Never buy a dog from a pet store" Huh? How exactly does that help me with my mid-sized business operations? If you need advice like that, by the way, I love the Bottom Line books (much more dense, and much cheaper - get them for 1 on Amazon). And I think the "2014" is just a bit of marketing - almost none of the advice or forms here have changed in 100 years. I think this is probably better than a Dummies Guide, so if you're in the market for something like that, go for it! But I wouldn't recommend it to anyone else.
1
neutral
[ "Here's my bottom line on this:\n\n(1) It's not a \"Pro\" version, this is clearly for beginners.", "That's not an insult on anybody - I would definitely suggest this over a \"dummies guide\" for business forms.", "But if you've been doing business for any amount of time, you've done all this before.", "(2) As always with these products, it's a hassle digging through hundreds of pages of junk to find what you need.", "====\nOk, that said, here are some more details.", "First, I'm shocked amazed and confused why they don't tell you what you get in this box set!", "Here is what's included:\n\n* Six E-Books\n-Legal Guide for Starting & Running Small Business\n-Deduction Manager\n-The Manager's Legal Handbook\n-How to Write a Business Plan\n-Contracts\n-Essential Guide to Federal Employment Laws\n\n* 1 Pocket Book\n-Your Little Legal Companion\n\n* A ton of forms.", "Categories are:\n-Business Minutes\n-Collection Letters\n-Demand Letters\n-Bill of Sale\n-Contract for Manufacturing Goods\n-Partnership Agreement\n-Corporate Bylaws\n-LLC Operating Agreement\n-Independent Contractor Agreement\n-Limited Power of Attorney for Finances\n-Leases\n-Email policy\n-Letter to Landlord\n-Confidentiality Letter\n\nOk, this might be a convenient library for some, but pretty much all of these are free in the public domain.", "For example, the Deduction Manager e-Book is basically a reprint of the IRS publication on the subject.", "A lot of people don't know that most government publications are not copyrighted (they are public domain) so you can reprint it and claim authorship.", "Some of these sections appear reprinted word-for-word from the tax forms you get from the library.", "The forms can easily be found free online, and they are mostly beginner forms (nothing \"Pro\" here).", "The little book included here is not helpful at all.", "It includes advice like:\n\n-> \"Opposites make great friends, but not necessarily great roommates\"\n\nand\n\n-> \"Never buy a dog from a pet store\"\n\nHuh?", "How exactly does that help me with my mid-sized business operations?", "If you need advice like that, by the way, I love the Bottom Line books (much more dense, and much cheaper - get them for 1 on Amazon).", "And I think the \"2014\" is just a bit of marketing - almost none of the advice or forms here have changed in 100 years.", "I think this is probably better than a Dummies Guide, so if you're in the market for something like that, go for it!", "But I wouldn't recommend it to anyone else." ]
First the good news: The new duet modes of play are the saving grace, or else I would have given this game less than 3 stars. The duet mode is designed to let you play either cooperatively as a team or compete against another player or team. Some songs have separate harmony and melody parts, and others have separate male and female parts. But most of them have only one part. If you sing a duet on those songs, you can sing the song together in unison or you can play the mode in which you take turns singing alternate lines. You get a combined score if you are playing as a team, and you get a breakdown of your individual performance at the end. It is a terrific feature, especially for those who are shy about singing solo. The bad news: The songs are terrible. I don't know what it is about them. I don't listen to too much from the teeny-bopper pop charts, so I was unfamiliar with the more modern songs. I would really like to learn them, however, some of them are just too difficult. The old favorites that were chosen are also geared towards very experienced singers who can hit really high notes. For example, the Jackson Five classic "ABC" should come with a warning label, not only of damaging your vocal chords, but of making the neighbors think someone is being violently tortured next door. My favorite songs to sing are Twist & Shout, Come Clean, and California Dreamin' and Someday. There is an Akira Yamaoka song that is also good, but must be unlocked in Showtime mode (I'm not sure if I'm allowed to mention the name). After that, the song list bores me, and I'd much prefer to play either of the two previous Karaoke Revolution discs. It's too bad you can't load the songs from previous discs to take advantage of the new features, like Medley and Duet, that weren't available on the first disc. As for new characters, outfits, and venues, they have added some interesting new stuff to the familiar ones. The two new venues-- Rooftop and Music Video-- are ones you'll enjoy playing.
1
neutral
[ "First the good news:\n\nThe new duet modes of play are the saving grace, or else I would have given this game less than 3 stars.", "The duet mode is designed to let you play either cooperatively as a team or compete against another player or team.", "Some songs have separate harmony and melody parts, and others have separate male and female parts.", "But most of them have only one part.", "If you sing a duet on those songs, you can sing the song together in unison or you can play the mode in which you take turns singing alternate lines.", "You get a combined score if you are playing as a team, and you get a breakdown of your individual performance at the end.", "It is a terrific feature, especially for those who are shy about singing solo.", "The bad news:\n\nThe songs are terrible.", "I don't know what it is about them.", "I don't listen to too much from the teeny-bopper pop charts, so I was unfamiliar with the more modern songs.", "I would really like to learn them, however, some of them are just too difficult.", "The old favorites that were chosen are also geared towards very experienced singers who can hit really high notes.", "For example, the Jackson Five classic \"ABC\" should come with a warning label, not only of damaging your vocal chords, but of making the neighbors think someone is being violently tortured next door.", "My favorite songs to sing are Twist & Shout, Come Clean, and California Dreamin' and Someday.", "There is an Akira Yamaoka song that is also good, but must be unlocked in Showtime mode (I'm not sure if I'm allowed to mention the name).", "After that, the song list bores me, and I'd much prefer to play either of the two previous Karaoke Revolution discs.", "It's too bad you can't load the songs from previous discs to take advantage of the new features, like Medley and Duet, that weren't available on the first disc.", "As for new characters, outfits, and venues, they have added some interesting new stuff to the familiar ones.", "The two new venues-- Rooftop and Music Video-- are ones you'll enjoy playing." ]
*** Amazon has posted this review under the wrong product somehow --- I will delete this review shortly as I have copied it over to the correct product now. *** I won't repeat what has already been covered well by others here. I'll just add my own comments on the pros and cons and value offered. First, I think this is a great value and a good deal for all that is offered. The product performs reasonably well, and works as described here. Overall, I am satisfied and think these are good, but see the pros and cons below. The biggest problem is the cheaply made remote which does not work well at all and has terrible ergonomics. After using this for awhile, I am tempted to remove another star, but if you are careful, it gets the job done. Pros: -- Good value -- Wall units work well -- Have on/off buttons on outlet component, has lights indicating power being received from outlet, and power on/off to device. -- Remotes have a good range -- Solid construction, look durable and well made (Wall units, remote is cheap) Cons: -- These things are BIG! This will be a problem in many cases, depending on your outlet location and use. -- Remote buttons are just toggles and you have to look at the outlet component indicator to know if it is off or on. (Might not be a problem for some uses, turning a light on/off, for example.) -- Remote buttons are easily "toggled" - so you can accidentally turn things on/off just by picking it up if not careful. -- Remote uses an unusual battery size (i.e. not an AAA, AA, or similar) [might also be a plus in that it may well last longer and it is small] -- Remote buttons can "stick" sometimes and could run down the remote's battery (cheaply made) -- Remote is a bit flaky and sometimes registers two presses when you think you've just made one, so, in effect, no effect.
1
neutral
[ "*** Amazon has posted this review under the wrong product somehow --- I will delete this review shortly as I have copied it over to the correct product now.", "***\n\nI won't repeat what has already been covered well by others here.", "I'll just add my own comments on the pros and cons and value offered.", "First, I think this is a great value and a good deal for all that is offered.", "The product performs reasonably well, and works as described here.", "Overall, I am satisfied and think these are good, but see the pros and cons below.", "The biggest problem is the cheaply made remote which does not work well at all and has terrible ergonomics.", "After using this for awhile, I am tempted to remove another star, but if you are careful, it gets the job done.", "Pros:\n-- Good value\n-- Wall units work well\n-- Have on/off buttons on outlet component, has lights indicating power being received from outlet, and power on/off to device.", "-- Remotes have a good range\n-- Solid construction, look durable and well made (Wall units, remote is cheap)\n\nCons:\n-- These things are BIG!", "This will be a problem in many cases, depending on your outlet location and use.", "-- Remote buttons are just toggles and you have to look at the outlet component indicator to know if it is off or on.", "(Might not be a problem for some uses, turning a light on/off, for example.", ")\n-- Remote buttons are easily \"toggled\" - so you can accidentally turn things on/off just by picking it up if not careful.", "-- Remote uses an unusual battery size (i.", "e. not an AAA, AA, or similar) [might also be a plus in that it may well last longer and it is small]\n-- Remote buttons can \"stick\" sometimes and could run down the remote's battery (cheaply made)\n-- Remote is a bit flaky and sometimes registers two presses when you think you've just made one, so, in effect, no effect." ]
First off, I am not familiar with any of the writings that gave birth to this movie, so I can't write a review based on how well the film adapted from its roots. I can comment from the perspective of someone who had no idea what to expect when I sat down to watch the film. The film wastes absolutely no time in starting the mind-bending narcotic adventure that is rampant throughout the rest of the film. A lot of the humor and interaction that occurs between the characters in the movie has to be separated in a sense between what is drug-based honesty and introspect to what is drug-based sillyness and misadventure. The first half of the movie is enjoyable on the lighter side, with the beginning of the binge of binges drawing out some rather interesting behaviors and antics from the two main characters, played to intruiging perfection by Johnny Depp and Benicio Del Toro. As the movie progresses, however, the mood becomes very dark, the trip less enjoyable, and at some points it was hard to keep my attention to the movie. It was just that hard to watch. In a sense, though, I think that it may have been intentionally captured in a subtle and unique fashion by the film makers...the essence of the drug rampage that starts with euphoria and petty irresponsibility works more and more in a maddening and destructive way as the marathon continues. The moodiness, the inability to concentrate, and the post-"peak high" aftermath are everywhere in the second half of the film, which is very sobering in one sense, but extremely unentertaining to watch for the most part. But, as noted before, maybe that was by design.
1
neutral
[ "First off, I am not familiar with any of the writings that gave birth to this movie, so I can't write a review based on how well the film adapted from its roots.", "I can comment from the perspective of someone who had no idea what to expect when I sat down to watch the film.", "The film wastes absolutely no time in starting the mind-bending narcotic adventure that is rampant throughout the rest of the film.", "A lot of the humor and interaction that occurs between the characters in the movie has to be separated in a sense between what is drug-based honesty and introspect to what is drug-based sillyness and misadventure.", "The first half of the movie is enjoyable on the lighter side, with the beginning of the binge of binges drawing out some rather interesting behaviors and antics from the two main characters, played to intruiging perfection by Johnny Depp and Benicio Del Toro.", "As the movie progresses, however, the mood becomes very dark, the trip less enjoyable, and at some points it was hard to keep my attention to the movie.", "It was just that hard to watch.", "In a sense, though, I think that it may have been intentionally captured in a subtle and unique fashion by the film makers...", "the essence of the drug rampage that starts with euphoria and petty irresponsibility works more and more in a maddening and destructive way as the marathon continues.", "The moodiness, the inability to concentrate, and the post-\"peak high\" aftermath are everywhere in the second half of the film, which is very sobering in one sense, but extremely unentertaining to watch for the most part.", "But, as noted before, maybe that was by design." ]
First of all this tint is BLUE! It is not black like the description. I was hoping it would at least be close to grey when I bought it. But nope, it's blue. The rest of my cars tint are grey and now my sunroof is blue. It's a thin material compared to the suntek brand. However it is easy to trim. Installation was also very easy as long as you wipe your window clean and then cleaner than clean, so that there's no air bubbles. It came out crystal clear. Overall I would recommend this product due to the price and quality. Now we'll see how well it does over time.
1
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[ "First of all this tint is BLUE!", "It is not black like the description.", "I was hoping it would at least be close to grey when I bought it.", "But nope, it's blue.", "The rest of my cars tint are grey and now my sunroof is blue.", "It's a thin material compared to the suntek brand.", "However it is easy to trim.", "Installation was also very easy as long as you wipe your window clean and then cleaner than clean, so that there's no air bubbles.", "It came out crystal clear.", "Overall I would recommend this product due to the price and quality.", "Now we'll see how well it does over time." ]
On a totally aesthetic level, you'd be hard-pressed to find a prettier game on ANY gaming system. The XBOX's much-touted GPU really shows its stuff off in Wreckless: The Yakuza Missions with real-time reflections, bump-mapping everywhere and intense city streets. Never before have the streets of Hong Kong been modeled in such detail! Much of what you see can be demolished, from the Dim Sum stands, to fences, to oncoming traffic! Watching the people running for their lives in the streets is both fun and realistic! You can't run them over though. Now that I've gotten the graphics out of the way, let me explain how the game plays. Sadly, playability-wise, Wreckless really doesn't hold a candle to its beautful graphics. Why you ask? Because it's just a Super Runabout (Sega Dreamcast) clone with far better graphics and effects. You're basically given a series of missions to complete (mostly ramming enemy vehicles until their energy bar runs out)with a variety of cars that seem to handle like they were constructed out of tin foil. It's painfully easy to spin out or flip over, which is bad news since all the missions are timed. Sometimes a legitimate hit on a Yakuza car will send you flipping around, bouncing off innocent cars in the traffic in a chain-reaction method, costing you both time and your sanity. If you flip your car over, be prepared to lose several seconds while the game gives you a new car. Also, the game clock keeps ticking while you're in an elevator or taking snapshots...these are basically cut scenes in which you have no control, yet you still lose time! Bad game design!! Sometimes the actual goal of the mission is rather vague and relies too much on trial and error...this is most evident in the stage where you have to take out 4 Dim Sum stands going only by 4 camera snapshots and a pretty useless hot/cold tracking meter. Considering that the city you're driving in is pretty large, this is by no means an easy task. It seems like you can play the same missions over again and wind up with different results...luck has a lot to do with your success in the game. The AI is not very forgiving and the lucky aspect just reeks of poor game design. Having trouble with a particular mission? Too bad. You're going to have to play through it over and over until it's beaten! There's no way to skip any of the tough missions. Wreckless has been highly praised by practically every game magazine I've read and I am wondering why this is. The nice graphics? The special effects? There's definitely nothing new in this game and I find it to be a bit on the frustrating side. Am I sorry for buying it? Not at all...it's fun for a mindless gaming session, but will I be bothered to play through it over and over again to finally beat it? Probably not. Note to developers...this is a prime example of "pretty graphics and eye candy do not make a great game...gameplay is the all important aspect of any video game."
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[ "On a totally aesthetic level, you'd be hard-pressed to find a prettier game on ANY gaming system.", "The XBOX's much-touted GPU really shows its stuff off in Wreckless: The Yakuza Missions with real-time reflections, bump-mapping everywhere and intense city streets.", "Never before have the streets of Hong Kong been modeled in such detail!", "Much of what you see can be demolished, from the Dim Sum stands, to fences, to oncoming traffic!", "Watching the people running for their lives in the streets is both fun and realistic!", "You can't run them over though.", "Now that I've gotten the graphics out of the way, let me explain how the game plays.", "Sadly, playability-wise, Wreckless really doesn't hold a candle to its beautful graphics.", "Why you ask?", "Because it's just a Super Runabout (Sega Dreamcast) clone with far better graphics and effects.", "You're basically given a series of missions to complete (mostly ramming enemy vehicles until their energy bar runs out)with a variety of cars that seem to handle like they were constructed out of tin foil.", "It's painfully easy to spin out or flip over, which is bad news since all the missions are timed.", "Sometimes a legitimate hit on a Yakuza car will send you flipping around, bouncing off innocent cars in the traffic in a chain-reaction method, costing you both time and your sanity.", "If you flip your car over, be prepared to lose several seconds while the game gives you a new car.", "Also, the game clock keeps ticking while you're in an elevator or taking snapshots...", "these are basically cut scenes in which you have no control, yet you still lose time!", "Bad game design!!", "Sometimes the actual goal of the mission is rather vague and relies too much on trial and error...", "this is most evident in the stage where you have to take out 4 Dim Sum stands going only by 4 camera snapshots and a pretty useless hot/cold tracking meter.", "Considering that the city you're driving in is pretty large, this is by no means an easy task.", "It seems like you can play the same missions over again and wind up with different results...", "luck has a lot to do with your success in the game.", "The AI is not very forgiving and the lucky aspect just reeks of poor game design.", "Having trouble with a particular mission?", "Too bad.", "You're going to have to play through it over and over until it's beaten!", "There's no way to skip any of the tough missions.", "Wreckless has been highly praised by practically every game magazine I've read and I am wondering why this is.", "The nice graphics?", "The special effects?", "There's definitely nothing new in this game and I find it to be a bit on the frustrating side.", "Am I sorry for buying it?", "Not at all...", "it's fun for a mindless gaming session, but will I be bothered to play through it over and over again to finally beat it?", "Probably not.", "Note to developers...", "this is a prime example of \"pretty graphics and eye candy do not make a great game...", "gameplay is the all important aspect of any video game.", "\"" ]
Report: Iran's Former President Arrested For Inciting Unrest » Alex Jones' Infowars: There's a war on for your mind! The London-based Arabic daily newspaper Al-Quds Al-Arabi reports this morning that former Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has been arrested by security forces for allegedly inciting unrest against the government according to “reliable sources in Tehran.” Starting in November 2017 Ahmadinejad began making what was widely viewed as a surprise political comeback while running a populist message focusing on the fight against corruption as his main emphasis and attacking the rich and corrupt along with severe criticisms against the government for squandering public funding intended for the people’s welfare. He’s also reported to have broadly utilized social media for aggressive rhetoric targeting the judiciary and challenging Iran’s supreme leader. Al Quds Al Arabi cites Ahmadinejad ’s visit to the western city of Bushehr on December 28 as raising concern among authorities. That particular Thursday is when large-scale protests were first reported primarily starting in Mashhad Iran’s second largest city. He is reported to have said “Some of the current leaders live detached from the problems and concerns of the people and do not know anything about the reality of society.” He also allegedly charged Tehran with “mismanagement” and directed attacks against President Hassan Rouhani saying his regime “believes that they own the land and that the people are an ignorant society.” Previously this week there were rumors that his arrest was coming amidst an ongoing investigation as multiple regional and international reports cited a commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as indicating that “a former leader of the country” had provoked people to protest. Al Quds Al Arabi is currently describing Ahmadinejad ’s detention as a “house arrest”. It is possible that this latest news of Ahmadinejad ’s arrest on charges of incitement however could renew mass anti-government protests.
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[ "Report: Iran's Former President Arrested For Inciting Unrest » Alex Jones' Infowars: There's a war on for your mind!", "The London-based Arabic daily newspaper Al-Quds Al-Arabi reports this morning that former Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has been arrested by security forces for allegedly inciting unrest against the government according to “reliable sources in Tehran.", "”\nStarting in November 2017 Ahmadinejad began making what was widely viewed as a surprise political comeback while running a populist message focusing on the fight against corruption as his main emphasis and attacking the rich and corrupt along with severe criticisms against the government for squandering public funding intended for the people’s welfare.", "He’s also reported to have broadly utilized social media for aggressive rhetoric targeting the judiciary and challenging Iran’s supreme leader.", "Al Quds Al Arabi cites Ahmadinejad ’s visit to the western city of Bushehr on December 28 as raising concern among authorities.", "That particular Thursday is when large-scale protests were first reported primarily starting in Mashhad Iran’s second largest city.", "He is reported to have said “Some of the current leaders live detached from the problems and concerns of the people and do not know anything about the reality of society.", "” He also allegedly charged Tehran with “mismanagement” and directed attacks against President Hassan Rouhani saying his regime “believes that they own the land and that the people are an ignorant society.", "”\nPreviously this week there were rumors that his arrest was coming amidst an ongoing investigation as multiple regional and international reports cited a commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as indicating that “a former leader of the country” had provoked people to protest.", "Al Quds Al Arabi is currently describing Ahmadinejad ’s detention as a “house arrest”.", "It is possible that this latest news of Ahmadinejad ’s arrest on charges of incitement however could renew mass anti-government protests." ]
I'm really glad this was only a short story because to me, it was sure depressing! The story itself was kind of interesting but the ending fell flat. I dislike reading books (or ebooks) with misspellings and grammatical errors. This one had its share although not as many as some others I have read. There were sentences that started out in the past tense and changed to present tense, unneeded or missing apostrophes, misspelled words and words used incorrectly. As for the story--it held my interest somewhat but then it ended and I almost wished I hadn't read it. SPOILERS: In his memory, his mother is nice yet in the end she's apparently horrible since she is the person he thought was the meanest. That made no sense to me. The whole ending made no real sense because who would rather be in an insane asylum (whether for real or in your mind) than to be free? I guess this book just wasn't for me. I'd rather read something that isn't so dark.
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[ "I'm really glad this was only a short story because to me, it was sure depressing!", "The story itself was kind of interesting but the ending fell flat.", "I dislike reading books (or ebooks) with misspellings and grammatical errors.", "This one had its share although not as many as some others I have read.", "There were sentences that started out in the past tense and changed to present tense, unneeded or missing apostrophes, misspelled words and words used incorrectly.", "As for the story--it held my interest somewhat but then it ended and I almost wished I hadn't read it.", "SPOILERS:\n\nIn his memory, his mother is nice yet in the end she's apparently horrible since she is the person he thought was the meanest.", "That made no sense to me.", "The whole ending made no real sense because who would rather be in an insane asylum (whether for real or in your mind) than to be free?", "I guess this book just wasn't for me.", "I'd rather read something that isn't so dark." ]
Olympic gymnast McKayla Maroney shares allegations of sexual assault at hands of team doctor Olympic gymnast McKayla Maroney shared the story of her alleged sexual assault at the hands of former USA Gymnastics team doctor Larry Nassar in an emotional statement on Twitter late Tuesday night. Maroney said she was inspired by the #metoo movement on social media which has encouraged victims to share their personal stories in order to show the widespread problem of sexual harassment and sexual assault. The hashtag was inspired by the allegations of harassment and assault against movie executive Harvey Weinstein. Weinstein through a spokesperson has denied all allegations of nonconsensual sex. "I was molested by Dr. Larry Nassar the team doctor for the US Women’s National Gymnastics Team and Olympic Team " Maroney said in the statement. "Dr. Nassar told me that I was receiving 'medically necessary treatment that he had been performing on patients for over 30 years.' "For me the scariest night of my life happened when I was 15 years old " Maroney continued. "I had flown all day and night with the team to get to Tokyo. He’d given me a sleeping pill for the flight and the next thing I know I was all alone with him in his hotel room getting a 'treatment.' I thought I was going to die that night." Maroney proposed four ideas to change the pattern of assault: speaking out; holding "people institutions organizations" and "especially those in positions of power" accountable; education and prevention; and finally having "zero tolerance for abusers and those who protect them." In a statement to ABC News today USA Gymnastics said it “admires the courage of those like McKayla Maroney who have come forward to share their personal experiences with sexual abuse . Because of their strength in coming forward predators can be held accountable for their actions. We like so many others are outraged and disgusted by the conduct of which Larry Nassar is accused. We are sorry that any athlete has been harmed during her or his gymnastics career.”
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[ "Olympic gymnast McKayla Maroney shares allegations of sexual assault at hands of team doctor\nOlympic gymnast McKayla Maroney shared the story of her alleged sexual assault at the hands of former USA Gymnastics team doctor Larry Nassar in an emotional statement on Twitter late Tuesday night.", "Maroney said she was inspired by the #metoo movement on social media which has encouraged victims to share their personal stories in order to show the widespread problem of sexual harassment and sexual assault.", "The hashtag was inspired by the allegations of harassment and assault against movie executive Harvey Weinstein.", "Weinstein through a spokesperson has denied all allegations of nonconsensual sex.", "\"I was molested by Dr.", "Larry Nassar the team doctor for the US Women’s National Gymnastics Team and Olympic Team \" Maroney said in the statement.", "\"Dr.", "Nassar told me that I was receiving 'medically necessary treatment that he had been performing on patients for over 30 years.", "'\n\"For me the scariest night of my life happened when I was 15 years old \" Maroney continued.", "\"I had flown all day and night with the team to get to Tokyo.", "He’d given me a sleeping pill for the flight and the next thing I know I was all alone with him in his hotel room getting a 'treatment.", "' I thought I was going to die that night.", "\"\n Maroney proposed four ideas to change the pattern of assault: speaking out; holding \"people institutions organizations\" and \"especially those in positions of power\" accountable; education and prevention; and finally having \"zero tolerance for abusers and those who protect them.", "\"\nIn a statement to ABC News today USA Gymnastics said it “admires the courage of those like McKayla Maroney who have come forward to share their personal experiences with sexual abuse.", "Because of their strength in coming forward predators can be held accountable for their actions.", "We like so many others are outraged and disgusted by the conduct of which Larry Nassar is accused.", "We are sorry that any athlete has been harmed during her or his gymnastics career.", "”" ]
I am glad that I purchased this CD. I am a fan of the blues, and especially 60's bands that experimented with horns like The Paul Butterfield Blues Band and B S & T. I first listened to Mike Bloomfield with the release of The Supersession album with Al Kooper and Stephen Stills. I enjoy this first Electric Flag CD very much; however, it was a disappointment in a way. I expected the same Mike Bloomfield who played on Supersession and the first few Paul Butterfield albums, especially since some things I had read cited this collection of songs as the "real" blues as opposed to the Paul Butterfield sound or even B S & T's post Al Kooper albums. I am sorry but I don't agree there. I wouldn't buy this unless you are serious about blues music and the way it changed during the 60's rock era. But I am the type of fan who listens to B S & T's first album and does not believe that everything artistically ended there. Implying that is just stupid. The second album with David Clayton Thomas is a classic too, and I enjoy it every bit as much. Personally, I like different styles. This is why this album is great for me, although I felt disappointment when I first listened to it, because it isn't Mike Bloomfield at his best. For me, it didn't live up to the hype I read. Would I buy it again? Yes, for the same reason that I listen to B S & T with or without Al Kooper and for the same reason that I savor Chicago's early albums and still enjoy their new things too.
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[ "I am glad that I purchased this CD.", "I am a fan of the blues, and especially 60's bands that experimented with horns like The Paul Butterfield Blues Band and B S & T.", "I first listened to Mike Bloomfield with the release of The Supersession album with Al Kooper and Stephen Stills.", "I enjoy this first Electric Flag CD very much; however, it was a disappointment in a way.", "I expected the same Mike Bloomfield who played on Supersession and the first few Paul Butterfield albums, especially since some things I had read cited this collection of songs as the \"real\" blues as opposed to the Paul Butterfield sound or even B S & T's post Al Kooper albums.", "I am sorry but I don't agree there.", "I wouldn't buy this unless you are serious about blues music and the way it changed during the 60's rock era.", "But I am the type of fan who listens to B S & T's first album and does not believe that everything artistically ended there.", "Implying that is just stupid.", "The second album with David Clayton Thomas is a classic too, and I enjoy it every bit as much.", "Personally, I like different styles.", "This is why this album is great for me, although I felt disappointment when I first listened to it, because it isn't Mike Bloomfield at his best.", "For me, it didn't live up to the hype I read.", "Would I buy it again?", "Yes, for the same reason that I listen to B S & T with or without Al Kooper and for the same reason that I savor Chicago's early albums and still enjoy their new things too." ]
So you've played all the popular MMORPGs and are looking for a new game, eh? Unless you're a gamer who falls in love with every MMORPG you play, you probably won't find anything in Final Fantasy XI that you didn't play in Everquest, Ultima Online, Asheron's Call or another PC MMORPG. Final Fantasy (FF) XI is the latest game in the famouse Japanese role-playing series and this time around, the developers decided to make FF an MMORPG. Gamers familiar with the FF line will recognize many famous trademarks such as chocobos or spell names. If you're not familiar with the FF games, you'll still have an easy time getting into the game but it's especially recommended for FF fans who have always wanted to experience the virtual worlds provided in the famous fantasy series with thousands of online gamers. One important thing to keep in mind if you purchase Final Fantasy XI is that this game was designed primarily for the PlayStation 2. PS2 users in Japan and North America play simultaneously with PC gamers in the world of FF XI which is unique for MMORPGs but unfortunately gives the PC version many limitations. For one thing, this game was not designed as a keyboard & mouse control system. My advice would be to pick up a PS to USB adapter so that you can use the popular PlayStation controller when you play because it's much easier to play with. The graphics in FF XI are also limited because it was meant to be experienced by console gamers. There are several aspects that slowdown the game which will go unnoticed by PS2 gamers but immediately noticed by PC MMORPG vets. An example is that walking into any shop requires the computer to load a whole new zone while most PC MMORPGs don't. If you've never played an MMORPG before, I would probably recommend Final Fantasy XI as a good one to start with, especially if you're a fan of the series. For people who are sick of the MMORPG genre, I wouldn't make this game the title you attempt to start fresh with.
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[ "So you've played all the popular MMORPGs and are looking for a new game, eh?", "Unless you're a gamer who falls in love with every MMORPG you play, you probably won't find anything in Final Fantasy XI that you didn't play in Everquest, Ultima Online, Asheron's Call or another PC MMORPG.", "Final Fantasy (FF) XI is the latest game in the famouse Japanese role-playing series and this time around, the developers decided to make FF an MMORPG.", "Gamers familiar with the FF line will recognize many famous trademarks such as chocobos or spell names.", "If you're not familiar with the FF games, you'll still have an easy time getting into the game but it's especially recommended for FF fans who have always wanted to experience the virtual worlds provided in the famous fantasy series with thousands of online gamers.", "One important thing to keep in mind if you purchase Final Fantasy XI is that this game was designed primarily for the PlayStation 2.", "PS2 users in Japan and North America play simultaneously with PC gamers in the world of FF XI which is unique for MMORPGs but unfortunately gives the PC version many limitations.", "For one thing, this game was not designed as a keyboard & mouse control system.", "My advice would be to pick up a PS to USB adapter so that you can use the popular PlayStation controller when you play because it's much easier to play with.", "The graphics in FF XI are also limited because it was meant to be experienced by console gamers.", "There are several aspects that slowdown the game which will go unnoticed by PS2 gamers but immediately noticed by PC MMORPG vets.", "An example is that walking into any shop requires the computer to load a whole new zone while most PC MMORPGs don't.", "If you've never played an MMORPG before, I would probably recommend Final Fantasy XI as a good one to start with, especially if you're a fan of the series.", "For people who are sick of the MMORPG genre, I wouldn't make this game the title you attempt to start fresh with." ]
I've owned this about two years and its worked flawlessly. Its been used to keep three vehicles, three tractors, and two lawn mowers going through all the Minnesota seasons. I like the fact that it has an "off" setting. Its been very versatile and holds up well to fairly rough treatment. Would definitely buy again. EDIT 5/27/11: Very shortly after writing this glowing review, my unit seems to have died. I needed to jump a battery and pulled out the charger and let it charge for the normal amount of time. But battery was still dead. Repeated this process a few times and decided it wasn't the battery, must be something wrong with the truck, which is admittedly fairly old. Then noticed I wasn't getting a decent spark when i touched the positive and negative connectors together. Pulled out very old and frail charger that was nearly junked when I bought this Schumacher and it charged up the battery just fine. Upon further review, it appears that my Schumacher charger works only when in Manual setting, and does nothing when in automatic. I expect this sort of product to last more than two years.
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[ "I've owned this about two years and its worked flawlessly.", "Its been used to keep three vehicles, three tractors, and two lawn mowers going through all the Minnesota seasons.", "I like the fact that it has an \"off\" setting.", "Its been very versatile and holds up well to fairly rough treatment.", "Would definitely buy again.", "EDIT 5/27/11:\nVery shortly after writing this glowing review, my unit seems to have died.", "I needed to jump a battery and pulled out the charger and let it charge for the normal amount of time.", "But battery was still dead.", "Repeated this process a few times and decided it wasn't the battery, must be something wrong with the truck, which is admittedly fairly old.", "Then noticed I wasn't getting a decent spark when i touched the positive and negative connectors together.", "Pulled out very old and frail charger that was nearly junked when I bought this Schumacher and it charged up the battery just fine.", "Upon further review, it appears that my Schumacher charger works only when in Manual setting, and does nothing when in automatic.", "I expect this sort of product to last more than two years." ]
When I came across the following review of A Feast for Crows (the ideas are unfortunately not uncommon), I decided to share my thoughts. I admit that I had too much time on my hands and that I am perhaps overly critical of the review in consideration because on some level I share the reviewer's frustration with AFFC. However, the review, in turn, is overly critical of AFFC. (it's a 1 star review titled "there should be a law against this") ------------------------------ "i first came upon these books sometime in 2003. in 2006 i read 'feast for crows'. then waiting forever for 'a dance of dragons' ... if readers knew that this series which started in 1997, would be prolonged forever, how many of them would have even started reading this series - paying money for them? don't authors have a responsibility towards their readers? to write three great books and then keep readers waiting forever (while the author pens other books) is dishonest in the extreme. there should a law against such chicanery. publishing houses learning from robert jordan and george rr martin, should desist from publishing incomplete books. they should start publishing a series only when the author hands in the complete set. and public should sue these authors and their publishing companies for making a fool of them." ------------------------------- my thoughts as they arrive- in run on fashion: Martin has created, using his own mind his own skill and his own talent, three of the best fantasy books ever written. Now, because he chooses to spend his time in other ways than writing the rest of the series, or because he is a perfectionist and wants to write the rest to be the masterpiece taking the time he requires, or for whatever reason he is not writing at the pace you have determined is the correct and proper pace to write a gripping series of 1000 page fantasy novels, you want to get Mr. Big Government involved to expedite the realisation of your satisfaction- your own greedy desire find out the fate of Martin's magnificently developed characters in his brilliantly crafted world. Instead of waiting until Martin freely and voluntarily puts forth the remainder of his masterpiece, you believe as a consumer (in line with some sort of consumerist manifesto) you should have the ability to strong arm him in to speeding up. You are misguided to think that somehow you have an unalienable (government enforceable) right to the creativity of Martin's mind and the fruits of Martins labor. Sure, you don't (yet) claim that the future events in Westeros ought to be revealed to you free of charge because you have already invested your time and money getting yourself hooked. But, it's not much of a leap from demanding by law that Martin quit his dilly dallying and supply the final books in the series because you have this right to them, to declaring that your right is to have them not only when you want them (now), but how you want them (delivered directly to "Your Grace"), where you want them (while sitting on your "Iron Throne"), and at what price you want them (free- because you're you, and you deserve it). Sure, you and anyone else who has read the first four books in A Song of Ice and Fire is disappointed that books five six and seven (eight nine ten...) aren't out yet, and probably at least a little disappointed in the quality of book four. Sure, you want books five through ... to be as good as the first three in the series. Don't we all? After reading a particularly good book, that kept us turning pages well after we should have turned the lights out to get enough sleep to arrive fresh to our early appointments the next morning, we all begin that never ending quest to find the next book that enthralls us at least as well. As anyone who has been through this knows, finding the next book that meets our new standard is no easy task. But, exponentially harder is the task of the author who pens such masterful work. Martin has created a new benchmark for epic fantasy. Does it seem possible to you, by any stretch of the imagination, that somehow, if only the founding fathers had had the foresight to put it in the Bill of Rights, all fiction published would be as good as Tolkien, Rowling, MARTIN, and/or (insert your own personal favorite)? Well, perhaps you're right. After all, Amtrak is the best way to travel, the USPS is the best way to mail packages, and the DMV is the best way to spend a Saturday afternoon. It's quite natural to assume, therefore, that a "law, against such chicanery" as taking too much time to publish a highly anticipated novel that once out only furthered the general sense of disappointment and impatience, must result in the spread of five star novels at only the most virulent pace. further thoughts on AFFC: AFFC is a very disappointing fourth installment to the series. It was a big mistake to drop half the characters. Also, too many irrelevant and boring characters (as of the end of the 4th book) are introduced. Martin should have kept all the characters together for the book, made it longer if it needed to be, and dropped the characters that add nothing to the overall storyline. I'm optimistic these new characters will all have been necessary when the series is through, but as of now they aren't. On another note, I noticed what was perhaps some deception in AFFC. Do the publishers think they are fooling anyone by making the 4th book "1000" pages, the same length as the rest of books? The type is clearly bigger or the spacing is wider. I would venture that AFFC is only a little over half as long as the first three. If it were infact intended to deceive, it would be very insulting to the readers. In the end I give it a 3 because the important characters (cersei, jaime) are still as interesting and as important as they were in the first three books, and I will stick with the series till the end, undoubtedly, because Martin has a lot of talent, and one glitch doesn't mean he's done producing great work.
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[ "When I came across the following review of A Feast for Crows (the ideas are unfortunately not uncommon), I decided to share my thoughts.", "I admit that I had too much time on my hands and that I am perhaps overly critical of the review in consideration because on some level I share the reviewer's frustration with AFFC.", "However, the review, in turn, is overly critical of AFFC.", "(it's a 1 star review titled \"there should be a law against this\")\n------------------------------\n\n\"i first came upon these books sometime in 2003.", "in 2006 i read 'feast for crows'.", "then waiting forever for 'a dance of dragons'...", "if readers knew that this series which started in 1997, would be prolonged forever, how many of them would have even started reading this series - paying money for them?", "don't authors have a responsibility towards their readers?", "to write three great books and then keep readers waiting forever (while the author pens other books) is dishonest in the extreme.", "there should a law against such chicanery.", "publishing houses learning from robert jordan and george rr martin, should desist from publishing incomplete books.", "they should start publishing a series only when the author hands in the complete set.", "and public should sue these authors and their publishing companies for making a fool of them.", "\"\n-------------------------------\n\nmy thoughts as they arrive- in run on fashion:\n\nMartin has created, using his own mind his own skill and his own talent, three of the best fantasy books ever written.", "Now, because he chooses to spend his time in other ways than writing the rest of the series, or because he is a perfectionist and wants to write the rest to be the masterpiece taking the time he requires, or for whatever reason he is not writing at the pace you have determined is the correct and proper pace to write a gripping series of 1000 page fantasy novels, you want to get Mr.", "Big Government involved to expedite the realisation of your satisfaction- your own greedy desire find out the fate of Martin's magnificently developed characters in his brilliantly crafted world.", "Instead of waiting until Martin freely and voluntarily puts forth the remainder of his masterpiece, you believe as a consumer (in line with some sort of consumerist manifesto) you should have the ability to strong arm him in to speeding up.", "You are misguided to think that somehow you have an unalienable (government enforceable) right to the creativity of Martin's mind and the fruits of Martins labor.", "Sure, you don't (yet) claim that the future events in Westeros ought to be revealed to you free of charge because you have already invested your time and money getting yourself hooked.", "But, it's not much of a leap from demanding by law that Martin quit his dilly dallying and supply the final books in the series because you have this right to them, to declaring that your right is to have them not only when you want them (now), but how you want them (delivered directly to \"Your Grace\"), where you want them (while sitting on your \"Iron Throne\"), and at what price you want them (free- because you're you, and you deserve it).", "Sure, you and anyone else who has read the first four books in A Song of Ice and Fire is disappointed that books five six and seven (eight nine ten...", ") aren't out yet, and probably at least a little disappointed in the quality of book four.", "Sure, you want books five through...", "to be as good as the first three in the series.", "Don't we all?", "After reading a particularly good book, that kept us turning pages well after we should have turned the lights out to get enough sleep to arrive fresh to our early appointments the next morning, we all begin that never ending quest to find the next book that enthralls us at least as well.", "As anyone who has been through this knows, finding the next book that meets our new standard is no easy task.", "But, exponentially harder is the task of the author who pens such masterful work.", "Martin has created a new benchmark for epic fantasy.", "Does it seem possible to you, by any stretch of the imagination, that somehow, if only the founding fathers had had the foresight to put it in the Bill of Rights, all fiction published would be as good as Tolkien, Rowling, MARTIN, and/or (insert your own personal favorite)?", "Well, perhaps you're right.", "After all, Amtrak is the best way to travel, the USPS is the best way to mail packages, and the DMV is the best way to spend a Saturday afternoon.", "It's quite natural to assume, therefore, that a \"law, against such chicanery\" as taking too much time to publish a highly anticipated novel that once out only furthered the general sense of disappointment and impatience, must result in the spread of five star novels at only the most virulent pace.", "further thoughts on AFFC:\n\nAFFC is a very disappointing fourth installment to the series.", "It was a big mistake to drop half the characters.", "Also, too many irrelevant and boring characters (as of the end of the 4th book) are introduced.", "Martin should have kept all the characters together for the book, made it longer if it needed to be, and dropped the characters that add nothing to the overall storyline.", "I'm optimistic these new characters will all have been necessary when the series is through, but as of now they aren't.", "On another note, I noticed what was perhaps some deception in AFFC.", "Do the publishers think they are fooling anyone by making the 4th book \"1000\" pages, the same length as the rest of books?", "The type is clearly bigger or the spacing is wider.", "I would venture that AFFC is only a little over half as long as the first three.", "If it were infact intended to deceive, it would be very insulting to the readers.", "In the end I give it a 3 because the important characters (cersei, jaime) are still as interesting and as important as they were in the first three books, and I will stick with the series till the end, undoubtedly, because Martin has a lot of talent, and one glitch doesn't mean he's done producing great work." ]
To those of you who never played the Resident Evil series before, you'd do well in picking this game up. It has plenty of surprises for the lot of you, and plenty of action to keep you entertained. But for the rest of us, we know the score right? Haven't we heard this story all before? Do you remember Resident Evil 2? What a adrenaline rush that was eh, with plenty of weaponry, scary monsters, and atmosphere to keep any gamer happy. Code Veronica (X) doesn't host that much of new material to old fans (such as myself.) Sure, the characters lips move in the "movie" sequences, so what? The weapons if nothing else, has been reduced, the action isn't that immence (compare this with Resident Evil: Nemisis (3), and you'll know this.) Yes, there really isn't that much new in Code Veronica. It's just the same old thing, which gets boring rapidly fast! New gamers, buy code veronica at once. Old fans, if you have played through Resident Evil 3, you've gotten all the action you can handle, and won't need to bother with Resident evil: Code Veroinca X. That was the rough explenation. If you want it in detail, read on: OK firstly let me just start off by saying that I am a HUGE resident evil fan. Ever since the beginning: Resident Evil, I've been there, shooting at zombies, getting terrified, being compelled by both music, and story. My personal favorite of all Resident Evil games has to be the second one, with the third one being a close encounter. The second game had so many elements that makes a game great, that I don't know where to begin. Now that the resident evil series has jumped up a platform, what is new? Well, actually, not very much. I must say I got to be a little disappointed with the start of Code Veronica. There seems to be less zombies, and less scary moments in Code Veronica in the other games. So you ask me, why? Well, my guess it, it has to be that this game covers a HUGE area. The first game only took place inside a mansion, whilst in Code Veronica, you get to visit an Island, two seperate mansions, a science complex, oh, did I mention the cave? The game seems to be stripped of that claustrophoc feel, which I consider a must have for any Resident Evil game. Sure, Resident Evil (3): Nemisis did take place in Racoon City, but still, the city looked so closed down, almost like a ghost town. So the claustrophic essence stayed intact in the last game. But here, the wide area doesn't help the game much. The graphics are of course better than ever. Now you can actually see the lips moving on the characters, the music too helps a lot, now being on the the quanity note, since there are a lot of themes, but none of them really grasped me as much as the few used in the other resident evil games. Graphics, moving lips? Who needs it! I never considered the movie aspect (that first appeared in Resident Evil 2) that much great. Yes, of course, it is nice to have something extra. But I feel Code Veronica is more like a movie, than a game. Controlling wise the game is a step backwards. Yes, you can turn 180 degrees like in resident evil 3, but where is the option to jerk away a blow from a zombie? Complitely missing. Even though that was just a chance thing, and not messured by skill, I still think that was a fun addition in Resident Evil 3. Another thing: Why have they censored the zombies? I mean, if you try to use your shotgun, to blow of a zombies head, it won't come off. Why? Maybe Capcom wanted to grasp a much more wider audience, but, it kind of loses its reallity a bit. Don't get me wrong, Resident Evil: Code Veronica X is a great game. But if you are a but short on cash, I would opt (if I were you) to wait for Devil May Cry.
1
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[ "To those of you who never played the Resident Evil series before, you'd do well in picking this game up.", "It has plenty of surprises for the lot of you, and plenty of action to keep you entertained.", "But for the rest of us, we know the score right?", "Haven't we heard this story all before?", "Do you remember Resident Evil 2?", "What a adrenaline rush that was eh, with plenty of weaponry, scary monsters, and atmosphere to keep any gamer happy.", "Code Veronica (X) doesn't host that much of new material to old fans (such as myself.", ") Sure, the characters lips move in the \"movie\" sequences, so what?", "The weapons if nothing else, has been reduced, the action isn't that immence (compare this with Resident Evil: Nemisis (3), and you'll know this.", ")\nYes, there really isn't that much new in Code Veronica.", "It's just the same old thing, which gets boring rapidly fast!", "New gamers, buy code veronica at once.", "Old fans, if you have played through Resident Evil 3, you've gotten all the action you can handle, and won't need to bother with Resident evil: Code Veroinca X.", "That was the rough explenation.", "If you want it in detail, read on:\n\nOK firstly let me just start off by saying that I am a HUGE resident evil fan.", "Ever since the beginning: Resident Evil, I've been there, shooting at zombies, getting terrified, being compelled by both music, and story.", "My personal favorite of all Resident Evil games has to be the second one, with the third one being a close encounter.", "The second game had so many elements that makes a game great, that I don't know where to begin.", "Now that the resident evil series has jumped up a platform, what is new?", "Well, actually, not very much.", "I must say I got to be a little disappointed with the start of Code Veronica.", "There seems to be less zombies, and less scary moments in Code Veronica in the other games.", "So you ask me, why?", "Well, my guess it, it has to be that this game covers a HUGE area.", "The first game only took place inside a mansion, whilst in Code Veronica, you get to visit an Island, two seperate mansions, a science complex, oh, did I mention the cave?", "The game seems to be stripped of that claustrophoc feel, which I consider a must have for any Resident Evil game.", "Sure, Resident Evil (3): Nemisis did take place in Racoon City, but still, the city looked so closed down, almost like a ghost town.", "So the claustrophic essence stayed intact in the last game.", "But here, the wide area doesn't help the game much.", "The graphics are of course better than ever.", "Now you can actually see the lips moving on the characters, the music too helps a lot, now being on the the quanity note, since there are a lot of themes, but none of them really grasped me as much as the few used in the other resident evil games.", "Graphics, moving lips?", "Who needs it!", "I never considered the movie aspect (that first appeared in Resident Evil 2) that much great.", "Yes, of course, it is nice to have something extra.", "But I feel Code Veronica is more like a movie, than a game.", "Controlling wise the game is a step backwards.", "Yes, you can turn 180 degrees like in resident evil 3, but where is the option to jerk away a blow from a zombie?", "Complitely missing.", "Even though that was just a chance thing, and not messured by skill, I still think that was a fun addition in Resident Evil 3.", "Another thing: Why have they censored the zombies?", "I mean, if you try to use your shotgun, to blow of a zombies head, it won't come off.", "Why?", "Maybe Capcom wanted to grasp a much more wider audience,\nbut, it kind of loses its reallity a bit.", "Don't\nget me wrong, Resident Evil: Code Veronica X is a great game.", "But if you are a but short on cash, I would opt (if I were you)\nto wait for Devil May Cry." ]
I bought this product and installed throughout the home. After about a month I noticed squeaking noises on a number of cabinet doors. I sent the company a video and they were prompt in sending a whole new container of the door dampeners. We ended up having the same problem again after a while. The tips of the dampeners are rubber and our cabinets are painted. It seemed to me that the issue was the rubber tip sliding on the painted door. VERY SIMPLE fix! I put a piece of clear shiny packing tape on the inside of the door where the dampener touches the door. This resolved the problem and has stopped the squeaking all over the home. The company needs to have some kind of smooth surface tape, perhaps Teflon tape to put on the inside of the doors to stop this noise. We resolved it ourselves.
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[ "I bought this product and installed throughout the home.", "After about a month I noticed squeaking noises on a number of cabinet doors.", "I sent the company a video and they were prompt in sending a whole new container of the door dampeners.", "We ended up having the same problem again after a while.", "The tips of the dampeners are rubber and our cabinets are painted.", "It seemed to me that the issue was the rubber tip sliding on the painted door.", "VERY SIMPLE fix!", "I put a piece of clear shiny packing tape on the inside of the door where the dampener touches the door.", "This resolved the problem and has stopped the squeaking all over the home.", "The company needs to have some kind of smooth surface tape, perhaps Teflon tape to put on the inside of the doors to stop this noise.", "We resolved it ourselves." ]
My preferred cup of coffee comes via french press. Having that tasty film of oil at the top of my coffee cup makes me very happy in the morning. I enjoy very much experimenting with different grinds, brewing time, etc. because coffee is my friend. I have to list the 'Cons' first because for 40 bucks I had hoped to purchase a french press that would represent strength(I like my coffee strong) and longevity(I'll always drink it). Cons: 1. Very thin, cheap feeling metal frame. 2. Chinsy black plastic handle. 3. Matching chinsy plastic plunger knob. 4. The metal top has the look and feel of painted plastic -but I suppose it is "Chrome Plated Brass". Pros: 1. Very high quality filter plunger. 2. Removable/Replaceable beaker. 3. Nice screen at the pour spout. I've enjoyed many a french press throughout my travels in Europe. This thing doesn't compare to the high quality presses you will find overseas. On one hand I feel like a chump for buying into this value based pricing scheme, but on the other hand if the press makes me coffee every morning for hundreds of days I might be happy. My biggest disappointment is that it just feels cheap while holding/pouring it. I regret not taking my $40 to a retail store(...I dread this) and previewing my purchase.
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[ "My preferred cup of coffee comes via french press.", "Having that tasty film of oil at the top of my coffee cup makes me very happy in the morning.", "I enjoy very much experimenting with different grinds, brewing time, etc.", "because coffee is my friend.", "I have to list the 'Cons' first because for 40 bucks I had hoped to purchase a french press that would represent strength(I like my coffee strong) and longevity(I'll always drink it).", "Cons:\n1.", "Very thin, cheap feeling metal frame.", "2.", "Chinsy black plastic handle.", "3.", "Matching chinsy plastic plunger knob.", "4.", "The metal top has the look and feel of painted plastic -but I suppose it is \"Chrome Plated Brass\".", "Pros:\n1.", "Very high quality filter plunger.", "2.", "Removable/Replaceable beaker.", "3.", "Nice screen at the pour spout.", "I've enjoyed many a french press throughout my travels in Europe.", "This thing doesn't compare to the high quality presses you will find overseas.", "On one hand I feel like a chump for buying into this value based pricing scheme, but on the other hand if the press makes me coffee every morning for hundreds of days I might be happy.", "My biggest disappointment is that it just feels cheap while holding/pouring it.", "I regret not taking my $40 to a retail store(...", "I dread this) and previewing my purchase." ]
...can you put your $40 to better use somewhere else? I received this corkscrew as a gift. After having used it for several years, I don't believe I would repurchase it again. Don't get me wrong, as a gift it was unexpected (although not anymore), smooth and easy to use, and was simultaneously indulgent but still able to serve a purpose. At the beginning, I found that I could open all types of corks - old, new, plastic, it did not matter. As the device aged - and by this I mean maybe 50 bottles over 2+ years, the mechanism began to wear. This probably was due to an aging corkscrew. It did not pass through the corks well anymore. Plastic corks were completely impassible by the corkscrew and older corks often got chewed up. Changing the corkscrew did help with the cork insertion, but I noticed that the mechanism to extract the cork was weakened by the previous aging cork. Very quickly (maybe 6 bottles) a slight disruption in the mechanism built into a permanently damaged and useless corkscrew. Pros: Fast and easy when new, unique, and makes for an interesting gift, fantastic foil cutter. Cons: Only stays in original state for a relatively short period of time (I would have expected more years out of the device), expensive, totally unnecessary as a device. Bottom Line: For me, it's not worth the money, particularly when you add the ongoing cost of replacement corkscrews. As I stated above, I would not repurchase the corkscrew. I am happy enough using a $5-$10 waiter's style corkscrew and saving the $30-$35 for a nice bottle of wine.
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[ "...", "can you put your $40 to better use somewhere else?", "I received this corkscrew as a gift.", "After having used it for several years, I don't believe I would repurchase it again.", "Don't get me wrong, as a gift it was unexpected (although not anymore), smooth and easy to use, and was simultaneously indulgent but still able to serve a purpose.", "At the beginning, I found that I could open all types of corks - old, new, plastic, it did not matter.", "As the device aged - and by this I mean maybe 50 bottles over 2+ years, the mechanism began to wear.", "This probably was due to an aging corkscrew.", "It did not pass through the corks well anymore.", "Plastic corks were completely impassible by the corkscrew and older corks often got chewed up.", "Changing the corkscrew did help with the cork insertion, but I noticed that the mechanism to extract the cork was weakened by the previous aging cork.", "Very quickly (maybe 6 bottles) a slight disruption in the mechanism built into a permanently damaged and useless corkscrew.", "Pros: Fast and easy when new, unique, and makes for an interesting gift, fantastic foil cutter.", "Cons: Only stays in original state for a relatively short period of time (I would have expected more years out of the device), expensive, totally unnecessary as a device.", "Bottom Line: For me, it's not worth the money, particularly when you add the ongoing cost of replacement corkscrews.", "As I stated above, I would not repurchase the corkscrew.", "I am happy enough using a $5-$10 waiter's style corkscrew and saving the $30-$35 for a nice bottle of wine." ]
I just got these in the mail, so to be fair I haven't used them yet. I took them out and they smelled like plastic/chemicals to me. It's my fault for going with a cheaper option that aren't made in the U.S.A. and aren't organic cotton, but I was hoping for chemical free at least. The smell came out after I washed them. They're cheap and will do the trick though, so I can't complain too much. For people complaining about the shrinkage... they're 100% cotton, what do you expect? Wash in cold water and tumble dry with very low heat. I have a newer washer and dryer which I think helps get them dry faster with little to no heat, but even so, just don't dry them at all and wash in cold water!
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[ "I just got these in the mail, so to be fair I haven't used them yet.", "I took them out and they smelled like plastic/chemicals to me.", "It's my fault for going with a cheaper option that aren't made in the U.", "S.A. and aren't organic cotton, but I was hoping for chemical free at least.", "The smell came out after I washed them.", "They're cheap and will do the trick though, so I can't complain too much.", "For people complaining about the shrinkage...", "they're 100% cotton, what do you expect?", "Wash in cold water and tumble dry with very low heat.", "I have a newer washer and dryer which I think helps get them dry faster with little to no heat, but even so, just don't dry them at all and wash in cold water!" ]
Update 2: received a whole new package with charger wrist straps and all. The design looks unchanged so we will see if the second set holds up any better. If anything is different it would have to be in the plastic itself. Update 1: I wrote this review and the company has contacted me and are sending me another pair. If I understand correctly they may have improved the design or it could be that they will improve the design. Customer service seems to be good. I’m going to upgrade rating from one star to 3 and see how it goes the second time. Original review: ran with these for about a month before one of them broke and will no longer stay attached. On the first run one side of the green clip broke. On the last run today the other side broke and now they will not stay on the laces. They are nice a bright and I would consider them most useful for others to see you. They do offer some light to see by but since your feet are always moving so is the cone of light. I should have returned these when the first side of the clip broke.
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[ "Update 2: received a whole new package with charger wrist straps and all.", "The design looks unchanged so we will see if the second set holds up any better.", "If anything is different it would have to be in the plastic itself.", "Update 1: I wrote this review and the company has contacted me and are sending me another pair.", "If I understand correctly they may have improved the design or it could be that they will improve the design.", "Customer service seems to be good.", "I’m going to upgrade rating from one star to 3 and see how it goes the second time.", "Original review: ran with these for about a month before one of them broke and will no longer stay attached.", "On the first run one side of the green clip broke.", "On the last run today the other side broke and now they will not stay on the laces.", "They are nice a bright and I would consider them most useful for others to see you.", "They do offer some light to see by but since your feet are always moving so is the cone of light.", "I should have returned these when the first side of the clip broke." ]
I've only been playing bass for a month and have only had the MXR M-80 about a week....with that said I'd like to say the product was shipped and arrived on time and in good shape. The pedal has improved the sound but not by that much. The distortion is not impressive and to me sounds too fizzy....but can sound okay with the gain knob and blend turned down or in other words barely on at say the 8-9 o'clock position. I guess I'd say I hope there something out there better. If running straight to PA because you don't have an amp it would be worth over $100 but in my opinion the MXR M-80 should cost under $100. I believe all single pedals are over priced....to conclude I would recommend looking for a used one for around $70-80 if your wanting to buy one and if you do don't expect much....If lost or stolen I'd look into buying an EQ instead because that's basically all this pedal is doing for me. Bass, Mid., and Treble....my MXR M-108 (Guitar Pedal) does more....it just doesn't have distortion.
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[ "I've only been playing bass for a month and have only had the MXR M-80 about a week....", "with that said I'd like to say the product was shipped and arrived on time and in good shape.", "The pedal has improved the sound but not by that much.", "The distortion is not impressive and to me sounds too fizzy....", "but can sound okay with the gain knob and blend turned down or in other words barely on at say the 8-9 o'clock position.", "I guess I'd say I hope there something out there better.", "If running straight to PA because you don't have an amp it would be worth over $100 but in my opinion the MXR M-80 should cost under $100.", "I believe all single pedals are over priced....", "to conclude I would recommend looking for a used one for around $70-80 if your wanting to buy one and if you do don't expect much....", "If lost or stolen I'd look into buying an EQ instead because that's basically all this pedal is doing for me.", "Bass, Mid.", ", and Treble....", "my MXR M-108 (Guitar Pedal) does more....", "it just doesn't have distortion." ]
I loved BF1942. Just could not get enough of it. So I was looking forward to BF Vietnam. Unfortunately, the game has been a bit of a disappointment. Don't get me wrong. This is a solid game. Just not what one would expect from the franchise. Here's why I do not like it. For one, the game too often leaves you guessing at what happened. In BF1942, one often got killed in surprising ways as well. But here, at times it seems to be impossible to even spawn. The gameplay itself just doesn't quite feel right. I am not sure why. There are some obvious things such as the vegetation getting in the way (although this is nowhere near being the jungle environment I expected), but there also is something else. Although I can't quite figure out what. The game just does not play as well as BF1942 did. The graphics are a major disappointment. They are not overly impressive. I do not care what some of my fellow reviewers say. This is not top-of-the-line anymore. Especially things like the water just do not seem like water to me (not even like swampy water). At the same time, performance is not great. In times where games have to compete against works of art such as FarCry, this just isn't impressive anymore. I like the "rock and roll" gameplay with songs from the era licensed. It is great to ride into battle on a chopper that has the radio tuned to some great music. However, time spent in helicopters is not that much, and other than that, the sound seems strangely missing. I have been trying to find out whether there are some option settings or anything else I might have wrong, but wasn't able to find anything. For some reason, most vehicles hardly seem to make any noise at all. At the end of the day, this is a good game, but not nearly what I had expected. Some people argue that this should have been an expansion, and in some ways I agree. I am sure I will be seen on some BF Vietnam servers, although for most of my BF 'needs' I am more likely to return to 1942.
1
neutral
[ "I loved BF1942.", "Just could not get enough of it.", "So I was looking forward to BF Vietnam.", "Unfortunately, the game has been a bit of a disappointment.", "Don't get me wrong.", "This is a solid game.", "Just not what one would expect from the franchise.", "Here's why I do not like it.", "For one, the game too often leaves you guessing at what happened.", "In BF1942, one often got killed in surprising ways as well.", "But here, at times it seems to be impossible to even spawn.", "The gameplay itself just doesn't quite feel right.", "I am not sure why.", "There are some obvious things such as the vegetation getting in the way (although this is nowhere near being the jungle environment I expected), but there also is something else.", "Although I can't quite figure out what.", "The game just does not play as well as BF1942 did.", "The graphics are a major disappointment.", "They are not overly impressive.", "I do not care what some of my fellow reviewers say.", "This is not top-of-the-line anymore.", "Especially things like the water just do not seem like water to me (not even like swampy water).", "At the same time, performance is not great.", "In times where games have to compete against works of art such as FarCry, this just isn't impressive anymore.", "I like the \"rock and roll\" gameplay with songs from the era licensed.", "It is great to ride into battle on a chopper that has the radio tuned to some great music.", "However, time spent in helicopters is not that much, and other than that, the sound seems strangely missing.", "I have been trying to find out whether there are some option settings or anything else I might have wrong, but wasn't able to find anything.", "For some reason, most vehicles hardly seem to make any noise at all.", "At the end of the day, this is a good game, but not nearly what I had expected.", "Some people argue that this should have been an expansion, and in some ways I agree.", "I am sure I will be seen on some BF Vietnam servers, although for most of my BF 'needs' I am more likely to return to 1942." ]
So, why do you want to purchase this album? Have a scratched LP copy? Interested in the wonderful music Chicago produced? If so, then here's the plusses and minuses of this purchase. This review is *not* designed to pass judgment on the band as a whole, just about this purchase. This album has great Chicago songs: Wake Up Sunshine, So Much to Say, So Much to Give, Colour My World, Fancy Colours, 25 or 6 to 4...and over the middle stretch of this originally four sided LP, the album has a thematic structure like a rock opera. Unfortunately, the entire first side (from Moving In to In the Country) has no redeeming value. One boring song after another. Side four (It Better End soon and Where Do We Go From Here) isn't listenable either -- both make lame excuses for Vietnam era songs. If you can't get the great songs any other way, then get this CD.
1
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[ "So, why do you want to purchase this album?", "Have a scratched LP copy?", "Interested in the wonderful music Chicago produced?", "If so, then here's the plusses and minuses of this purchase.", "This review is *not* designed to pass judgment on the band as a whole, just about this purchase.", "This album has great Chicago songs: Wake Up Sunshine, So Much to Say, So Much to Give, Colour My World, Fancy Colours, 25 or 6 to 4...", "and over the middle stretch of this originally four sided LP, the album has a thematic structure like a rock opera.", "Unfortunately, the entire first side (from Moving In to In the Country) has no redeeming value.", "One boring song after another.", "Side four (It Better End soon and Where Do We Go From Here) isn't listenable either -- both make lame excuses for Vietnam era songs.", "If you can't get the great songs any other way, then get this CD." ]
Very disappointed in toy. While puppy liked it, it was exceedingly small. I admit when I bought it I didn't double check the dimensions, but thought given the price, it must be the large size like I bought in store at Pet Food Express for the same price. I was wrong!! Very wrong. It is very small and meant for small puppy. I bought it as a toy for my puppy to use for the next several months. This is just too small for puppy. It's not worth returning, but this retailer is clearly either buying these at retail and then marking up double or marking up to cover profit plus shipping. NOT WORTH IT!!!
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[ "Very disappointed in toy.", "While puppy liked it, it was exceedingly small.", "I admit when I bought it I didn't double check the dimensions, but thought given the price, it must be the large size like I bought in store at Pet Food Express for the same price.", "I was wrong!!", "Very wrong.", "It is very small and meant for small puppy.", "I bought it as a toy for my puppy to use for the next several months.", "This is just too small for puppy.", "It's not worth returning, but this retailer is clearly either buying these at retail and then marking up double or marking up to cover profit plus shipping.", "NOT WORTH IT!!!" ]
Intuit knew there was something wrong with 2009 that is why they virutal gave it away. Now if you are 2007 or older user you have no choice but upgrade to 2010. I cannot speak on the windows 7 issue people are having with 2010 I am still running Vista and it does work on it. I do not use much beyond the general accounting, so for my use it works without isues. I do not use with the payroll, so I cannot comment on that. The biggest issue is with this every year upgrade crap.. How about a Service Pack that adds the additional features. Intuit needs to do a better job at publishing the life cycle of Quickbooks so the user when can expect their product to be out of support, while they have a webpage. That has a discontinuation plan it lacks information on when 2008 and 2009 will be out of support [...] Supporting a product for 3 years is crazy. I realize most of us would not upgrade without a real reason but the lifecycle should be longer than 3 years for a pricier product. This is from Intuit's website Why Services End We're committed to developing easy, straightforward products that help you today and grow with you into tomorrow - but it's a balancing act. To help ensure the best products and services for all our customers, we support our services on our latest product (QuickBooks 2010) and the two previous versions (QuickBooks 2008 and QuickBooks 2009). Still one of the packages out there so I would still recommend, you just need to know what you are getting yourself into with the support and upgrades
1
neutral
[ "Intuit knew there was something wrong with 2009 that is why they virutal gave it away.", "Now if you are 2007 or older user you have no choice but upgrade to 2010.", "I cannot speak on the windows 7 issue people are having with 2010 I am still running Vista and it does work on it.", "I do not use much beyond the general accounting, so for my use it works without isues.", "I do not use with the payroll, so I cannot comment on that.", "The biggest issue is with this every year upgrade crap..", "How about a Service Pack that adds the additional features.", "Intuit needs to do a better job at publishing the life cycle of Quickbooks so the user when can expect their product to be out of support, while they have a webpage.", "That has a discontinuation plan it lacks information on when 2008 and 2009 will be out of support [...", "] Supporting a product for 3 years is crazy.", "I realize most of us would not upgrade without a real reason but the lifecycle should be longer than 3 years for a pricier product.", "This is from Intuit's website\nWhy Services End\nWe're committed to developing easy, straightforward products that help you today and grow with you into tomorrow - but it's a balancing act.", "To help ensure the best products and services for all our customers, we support our services on our latest product (QuickBooks 2010) and the two previous versions (QuickBooks 2008 and QuickBooks 2009).", "Still one of the packages out there so I would still recommend, you just need to know what you are getting yourself into with the support and upgrades" ]
Ian McKellen takes his shot at the consummate villain role, and a well-aimed shot it is. I generally like my Shakespeare acted within its own time frame, but for a modern production, this one isn't bad. The 1930's sets, backdrops, and music are over-the-top in their presentation, lending a surreal, supremely fascistic aspect to this history play. It translates well. McKellen's delivery of Richard's famous lines is spot-on. Watching Maggie Smith is a joy, as usual, and veterans Kristin Scott Thomas, Edward Hardwicke (better known to Americans as Sherlock Holmes's Watson), and Nigel Hawthorne perform admirably in important supporting roles. On the down side, Annette Bening and Robert Downey, Jr. are almost comically miscast, their presence jarring and shallow. Then again, it's a rare American "movie star" who isn't routinely upstaged, and badly, by classically trained British actors. This is a fun version of Richard III, easy to understand, visually impactful, and true to Shakespeare's own intentions.
1
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[ "Ian McKellen takes his shot at the consummate villain role, and a well-aimed shot it is.", "I generally like my Shakespeare acted within its own time frame, but for a modern production, this one isn't bad.", "The 1930's sets, backdrops, and music are over-the-top in their presentation, lending a surreal, supremely fascistic aspect to this history play.", "It translates well.", "McKellen's delivery of Richard's famous lines is spot-on.", "Watching Maggie Smith is a joy, as usual, and veterans Kristin Scott Thomas, Edward Hardwicke (better known to Americans as Sherlock Holmes's Watson), and Nigel Hawthorne perform admirably in important supporting roles.", "On the down side, Annette Bening and Robert Downey, Jr.", "are almost comically miscast, their presence jarring and shallow.", "Then again, it's a rare American \"movie star\" who isn't routinely upstaged, and badly, by classically trained British actors.", "This is a fun version of Richard III, easy to understand, visually impactful, and true to Shakespeare's own intentions." ]
I used the previous (7th) edition and got an "A" in my online Anatomy and Physiology class. From what I could tell, there was no difference between the cheaper 7th edition and the ridiculously priced 8th edition except for the picture on the cover! I gave the book three stars because it was unclear and lacked details in so many areas that it left me confused. I had to clarify a lot of issues by looking them up online. I resold my book after I was finished with it for the same amount of money I paid for it so all it cost me was the initial shipping fee. FYI - I quit buying books at my campus bookstore after the first semester and have saved over $1000.00 so far, just by buying used, previous editions. The latest ploy these unscrupulous bookstores use is to package up a bunch of useless items with the necessary textbook and sell the "bundle" at an outrageous price. It is criminal. I always ask the instructors before hand what other materials are required and if I can use the previous edition. 99 percent of the time they tell me the ONLY thing I need is the textbook and the previous edition is OK. Occasionally a professor will insist on the current edition and I still save a ton of money buying it used on Amazon.com. When I am finished, I re-sell them and usually get all my money back! We need to get the word out about the college bookstore textbook scams! It is an OUTRAGE!
1
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[ "I used the previous (7th) edition and got an \"A\" in my online Anatomy and Physiology class.", "From what I could tell, there was no difference between the cheaper 7th edition and the ridiculously priced 8th edition except for the picture on the cover!", "I gave the book three stars because it was unclear and lacked details in so many areas that it left me confused.", "I had to clarify a lot of issues by looking them up online.", "I resold my book after I was finished with it for the same amount of money I paid for it so all it cost me was the initial shipping fee.", "FYI - I quit buying books at my campus bookstore after the first semester and have saved over $1000.", "00 so far, just by buying used, previous editions.", "The latest ploy these unscrupulous bookstores use is to package up a bunch of useless items with the necessary textbook and sell the \"bundle\" at an outrageous price.", "It is criminal.", "I always ask the instructors before hand what other materials are required and if I can use the previous edition.", "99 percent of the time they tell me the ONLY thing I need is the textbook and the previous edition is OK.", "Occasionally a professor will insist on the current edition and I still save a ton of money buying it used on Amazon.", "com.", "When I am finished, I re-sell them and usually get all my money back!", "We need to get the word out about the college bookstore textbook scams!", "It is an OUTRAGE!" ]
An excellent, lightweight set that comfortably fits a wide range of head sizes. Well matched to cell phones, MP3 players, etc. However, it has one Achilles Heal: The right-angle 3.5mm plug at the end of the cord is prone to internal breakage. All these reviews citing one speaker going out unless you hold the cord just right, or one speaker dying after a few weeks, are probably due to this weakness. I've owned 5 pairs over the past few years and all have died for this reason. Mine last from 6 months to a year. Years ago they were $2.50. The price has crept up but the cord quality has not. Given this serious limitation, an otherwise excellent unit.
1
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[ "An excellent, lightweight set that comfortably fits a wide range of head sizes.", "Well matched to cell phones, MP3 players, etc.", "However, it has one Achilles Heal: The right-angle 3.", "5mm plug at the end of the cord is prone to internal breakage.", "All these reviews citing one speaker going out unless you hold the cord just right, or one speaker dying after a few weeks, are probably due to this weakness.", "I've owned 5 pairs over the past few years and all have died for this reason.", "Mine last from 6 months to a year.", "Years ago they were $2.", "50.", "The price has crept up but the cord quality has not.", "Given this serious limitation, an otherwise excellent unit." ]
Put this seed in here on the front range of Colorado (East side of the Rockies) at 6,500ft elevation. Its been down about 2 months now and I would say the 5,000sg ft. is 75% filled in. This was heavily over seeded soil (good quality fertilized/mulched 6-8 inches deep)and then lawn topper put over the seed and watered daily. There was no original lawn, it was fresh soil trucked in. Its a pretty light green with small blades and very dense. Its Nov 1st now and we will see how it does over the winter. We have already had one V-light snow on it and it was not bothered at all. Also seems to be keeping the weeds down. There was no weed killer used. I'll update this post in June 08, by then it should be at its peak, or not.
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[ "Put this seed in here on the front range of Colorado (East side of the Rockies) at 6,500ft elevation.", "Its been down about 2 months now and I would say the 5,000sg ft.", "is 75% filled in.", "This was heavily over seeded soil (good quality fertilized/mulched 6-8 inches deep)and then lawn topper put over the seed and watered daily.", "There was no original lawn, it was fresh soil trucked in.", "Its a pretty light green with small blades and very dense.", "Its Nov 1st now and we will see how it does over the winter.", "We have already had one V-light snow on it and it was not bothered at all.", "Also seems to be keeping the weeds down.", "There was no weed killer used.", "I'll update this post in June 08, by then it should be at its peak, or not." ]
This Island Earth was an enjoyable and entertaining film. I thought this film's special effects were a bit short of the mark and now feel that the story is pretty superficial with little development. The plot catered only to classic sci-fi film taste. In short, it is my honest opinion that a far superior film could have been made for the budget and schedule (which was supposed to be something like 2-1/2 years). That said, This Island Earth was the first color sci-fi film I ever saw on the big screen at the LUXOR theater in the Bronx. You could feel the emotions of first time viewers emerging from the theater laughing and chattering about how great this movie was. My memory is that movie posters and lobby cards for This Island Earth looked colorful, exciting and promising of a good time. When I first watch this film I was not disappointed in the special effects, presentation on the big screen, or anything about it. It was a night to remember and helped make me an avid sci-fi film fan to this very day. I don't begrudge any reviewers their five star rating for this fun film.
1
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[ "This Island Earth was an enjoyable and entertaining film.", "I thought this film's special effects were a bit short of the mark and now feel that the story is pretty superficial with little development.", "The plot catered only to classic sci-fi film taste.", "In short, it is my honest opinion that a far superior film could have been made for the budget and schedule (which was supposed to be something like 2-1/2 years).", "That said, This Island Earth was the first color sci-fi film I ever saw on the big screen at the LUXOR theater in the Bronx.", "You could feel the emotions of first time viewers emerging from the theater laughing and chattering about how great this movie was.", "My memory is that movie posters and lobby cards for This Island Earth looked colorful, exciting and promising of a good time.", "When I first watch this film I was not disappointed in the special effects, presentation on the big screen, or anything about it.", "It was a night to remember and helped make me an avid sci-fi film fan to this very day.", "I don't begrudge any reviewers their five star rating for this fun film." ]
In big reversal new Trump budget will give up on longtime Republican goal of eliminating deficit President Trump on Monday will offer a budget plan that falls far short of eliminating the government’s deficit over 10 years conceding that huge tax cuts and new spending increases make this goal unattainable three people familiar with the proposal said. The White House and GOP leaders have largely jettisoned goals like this since Trump took office last year. Trump ’s budget plan will call for a range of spending cuts that reduces the growth of the deficit by $3 trillion over 10 years but it would not eliminate the deficit entirely said the people familiar with the proposal who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the plans before they’re publicly unveiled. Still when Trump proposes a budget that falls far short of eliminating the deficit it could heighten complaints from conservatives who have said the Republican party has strayed too far. In 2017 Trump’s budget proposal sought to eliminate the deficit over 10 years though his budget writers were ridiculed for what some alleged was a $2 trillion math error. The U.S. government spends more money than it brings in through revenue a gap known as the budget deficit. The government ran a deficit of $666 billion in 2017. The deficit in 2019 is expected to eclipse $1.1 trillion in part because of measures put in place since Trump took office. For example it called for $200 billion in federal funds for Trump’s infrastructure plan $23 billion for border security and immigration enforcement $85.5 billion for veterans programs and $13 billion over the next two years to combat the opioid epidemic.
1
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[ "In big reversal new Trump budget will give up on longtime Republican goal of eliminating deficit\nPresident Trump on Monday will offer a budget plan that falls far short of eliminating the government’s deficit over 10 years conceding that huge tax cuts and new spending increases make this goal unattainable three people familiar with the proposal said.", "The White House and GOP leaders have largely jettisoned goals like this since Trump took office last year.", "Trump ’s budget plan will call for a range of spending cuts that reduces the growth of the deficit by $3 trillion over 10 years but it would not eliminate the deficit entirely said the people familiar with the proposal who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the plans before they’re publicly unveiled.", "Still when Trump proposes a budget that falls far short of eliminating the deficit it could heighten complaints from conservatives who have said the Republican party has strayed too far.", "In 2017 Trump’s budget proposal sought to eliminate the deficit over 10 years though his budget writers were ridiculed for what some alleged was a $2 trillion math error.", "The U.", "S. government spends more money than it brings in through revenue a gap known as the budget deficit.", "The government ran a deficit of $666 billion in 2017.", "The deficit in 2019 is expected to eclipse $1.", "1 trillion in part because of measures put in place since Trump took office.", "For example it called for $200 billion in federal funds for Trump’s infrastructure plan $23 billion for border security and immigration enforcement $85.", "5 billion for veterans programs and $13 billion over the next two years to combat the opioid epidemic." ]
This is a great sander and it is extremely powerful. When it is on full it is very aggressive. When it is on low it is very gentle. It has nice handles and it is easy to hold and control. The dial that controls the speed stays where you put it and it is placed so you won't bump or move it while sanding. The trigger has a lock to keep it running. The pad is soft and doesn't damage what your sanding. The hook and loop system works great and holds the disc very tight. The filter that comes with this is useless. I used it for the first couple days and it did not catch much of anything and the air was still full of dust. This should just come with the adapter to attach a vacuum. The adapters that you can buy will only fit a bosch 35mm hose. If you have a shop vac or other vacuum that uses a standard size hose you will need at least three adapters to make it fit this sander. So far I have the rs006 that attaches to the sander and vac020 which attaches to my 2 1/2" hose. These do not fit together so now I need to find another adapter to connect my adapters if I want them to fit right. I don't think I should have to buy $30 worth of adapters for this to work with my shop vac. I ended up just modifying what I had to make it work. Don't buy a bosch tool with a dust port unless you own a 35mm hose to attach to them. If I knew this about Bosch I would have purchased another brand.
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[ "This is a great sander and it is extremely powerful.", "When it is on full it is very aggressive.", "When it is on low it is very gentle.", "It has nice handles and it is easy to hold and control.", "The dial that controls the speed stays where you put it and it is placed so you won't bump or move it while sanding.", "The trigger has a lock to keep it running.", "The pad is soft and doesn't damage what your sanding.", "The hook and loop system works great and holds the disc very tight.", "The filter that comes with this is useless.", "I used it for the first couple days and it did not catch much of anything and the air was still full of dust.", "This should just come with the adapter to attach a vacuum.", "The adapters that you can buy will only fit a bosch 35mm hose.", "If you have a shop vac or other vacuum that uses a standard size hose you will need at least three adapters to make it fit this sander.", "So far I have the rs006 that attaches to the sander and vac020 which attaches to my 2 1/2\" hose.", "These do not fit together so now I need to find another adapter to connect my adapters if I want them to fit right.", "I don't think I should have to buy $30 worth of adapters for this to work with my shop vac.", "I ended up just modifying what I had to make it work.", "Don't buy a bosch tool with a dust port unless you own a 35mm hose to attach to them.", "If I knew this about Bosch I would have purchased another brand." ]
Seven was a bit of a disappointment to me. While the actors are, of course, top notch (who actually dislikes Morgan Freeman? You're a liar!) the actual storytelling in this movie left me feeling pretty bored and uninterested. I would have liked more in the way of atmosphere, instead of one storyline bit carefully moving along at a pace that almost put me to sleep a couple times. I understand most people like this movie, and that's perfectly fine with me, but it just wasn't good enough for me. Maybe if I give the movie a second chance I'll like it more. That's always a possibility. Sometimes the second time finally makes something click. Or maybe I'm just not smart enough to get it :)
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[ "Seven was a bit of a disappointment to me.", "While the actors are, of course, top notch (who actually dislikes Morgan Freeman?", "You're a liar!", ") the actual storytelling in this movie left me feeling pretty bored and uninterested.", "I would have liked more in the way of atmosphere, instead of one storyline bit carefully moving along at a pace that almost put me to sleep a couple times.", "I understand most people like this movie, and that's perfectly fine with me, but it just wasn't good enough for me.", "Maybe if I give the movie a second chance I'll like it more.", "That's always a possibility.", "Sometimes the second time finally makes something click.", "Or maybe I'm just not smart enough to get it :)" ]
Jody Foster is a wonderful actress and in the film she shines. Too bad there weren't some other actors in the film that could arise to her level of excellence. Her character is a person of intelligence, sensitivity, imagination......What was she doing hanging out with the ex-priest...Matthew what's his name. His character is a person of no substance...very surfacey kind of guy. Jody's character is a mature human being; Matthew plays an angst ridden teenager. Little too much of 2001: A Space Odyssey for my taste.
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[ "Jody Foster is a wonderful actress and in the film she shines.", "Too bad there weren't some other actors in the film that could arise to her level of excellence.", "Her character is a person of intelligence, sensitivity, imagination....", "..", "What was she doing hanging out with the ex-priest...", "Matthew what's his name.", "His character is a person of no substance...", "very surfacey kind of guy.", "Jody's character is a mature human being; Matthew plays an angst ridden teenager.", "Little too much of 2001: A Space Odyssey for my taste." ]
I purchased this coffeemaker for my husband because I felt bad for him having to heat up the tea kettle for that last cup of instant to take on the road in the morning. It is pretty flimsy, but I wasn't expecting a whole lot for the $20 or so that I spent. He seems happy enough with the quality of the coffee that it brews. I found it appealing because it has the permanent filter...this isn't the sort of thing that you would want to fool with paper filters on, the whole point of the thing is convenience. Also, the price was right. The mug itself is a bit odd...it is an awkward almost cone-shaped design with a big, awkward rubber handle..it looks pretty silly and feels like it could snap apart. And good luck buying replacement mugs...even though you could potentially use other to-go containers, the problem would be finding one that would fit under the spout...the space only fits a mug that is about 5 to 5.5 inches high, so I couldn't purchase a nice backup mug from LL Bean as I had planned. I could get him the cardboard throw away cups, but that sort of defeats the purpose of brewing your own coffee at home to save money. The bottom line is I regret not springing for the Cuisinart Two to go...I didn't realize at the time that you could purchase the gold tone filter separately for $8.00 and thought we would be relegated to paper filters..but that puts the price at almost $50, more than double the price of this black and decker. I am figuring this thing will break in a few months..at which point I will upgrade him to the Cuisinart. I am glad I gave this as a just because and not as an actual present because I think I would have been embarrassed by the poor quality. One added bonus...I get to do a lot of good-natured ribbing about his "poor man's Keurig"....yes, even though I am the one who bought it, I still make fun of him for using it. **Update 12/4/10** The travel mug is starting to collect water in between the stainless steel outer layer and plastic inner lining...as I mentioned before, most travel mugs (all that I have looked at) will not fit under the spout. So, my husband has started using the original mug just to collect the brewed coffee, and then he transfers it into a better mug to take on the go.
1
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[ "I purchased this coffeemaker for my husband because I felt bad for him having to heat up the tea kettle for that last cup of instant to take on the road in the morning.", "It is pretty flimsy, but I wasn't expecting a whole lot for the $20 or so that I spent.", "He seems happy enough with the quality of the coffee that it brews.", "I found it appealing because it has the permanent filter...", "this isn't the sort of thing that you would want to fool with paper filters on, the whole point of the thing is convenience.", "Also, the price was right.", "The mug itself is a bit odd...", "it is an awkward almost cone-shaped design with a big, awkward rubber handle..", "it looks pretty silly and feels like it could snap apart.", "And good luck buying replacement mugs...", "even though you could potentially use other to-go containers, the problem would be finding one that would fit under the spout...", "the space only fits a mug that is about 5 to 5.", "5 inches high, so I couldn't purchase a nice backup mug from LL Bean as I had planned.", "I could get him the cardboard throw away cups, but that sort of defeats the purpose of brewing your own coffee at home to save money.", "The bottom line is I regret not springing for the Cuisinart Two to go...", "I didn't realize at the time that you could purchase the gold tone filter separately for $8.", "00 and thought we would be relegated to paper filters..", "but that puts the price at almost $50, more than double the price of this black and decker.", "I am figuring this thing will break in a few months..", "at which point I will upgrade him to the Cuisinart.", "I am glad I gave this as a just because and not as an actual present because I think I would have been embarrassed by the poor quality.", "One added bonus...", "I get to do a lot of good-natured ribbing about his \"poor man's Keurig\"....", "yes, even though I am the one who bought it, I still make fun of him for using it.", "**Update 12/4/10** The travel mug is starting to collect water in between the stainless steel outer layer and plastic inner lining...", "as I mentioned before, most travel mugs (all that I have looked at) will not fit under the spout.", "So, my husband has started using the original mug just to collect the brewed coffee, and then he transfers it into a better mug to take on the go." ]
Yes, it's Nina. Whatever, I found her to be a very annoying character in tekken (I'm an Eddy Gordo man meself). I got the Demo In PSM and amidst the Area 51 and Musashi demos, I played this one the most. Why? Well, I do love the ladies, but I did find it fun to kick ass with the taps, pick up guns and katanas, and bust up goons internally. It reminded me of the Sonny Chiba streetfighter movies. I played through the demo a couple times before I even realized how to use weapons! needless to say, the weapons made my ass kicking efforts more effortless. I would buy the game for $15 bucks or less, but not for 25! It does have major issues with the uselessness of blocking and evading (why put those on the same stick Namco?). Bottom line, $15 yes, anything over NO.
1
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[ "Yes, it's Nina.", "Whatever, I found her to be a very annoying character in tekken (I'm an Eddy Gordo man meself).", "I got the Demo In PSM and amidst the Area 51 and Musashi demos, I played this one the most.", "Why?", "Well, I do love the ladies, but I did find it fun to kick ass with the taps, pick up guns and katanas, and bust up goons internally.", "It reminded me of the Sonny Chiba streetfighter movies.", "I played through the demo a couple times before I even realized how to use weapons!", "needless to say, the weapons made my ass kicking efforts more effortless.", "I would buy the game for $15 bucks or less, but not for 25!", "It does have major issues with the uselessness of blocking and evading (why put those on the same stick Namco?", ").", "Bottom line, $15 yes, anything over NO." ]
I had completely forgotten this song, but knew something like this existed. By whom, I didn't know. When I stumbled across it, I bought it immediately. How did I find it? I stumbled across two covers of this song, one by Carlos Santana and Steve Winwood on YouTube. I knew it had been done by someone else, so I went searching here at Amazon. Then I stumbled upon Sade's version. All three are good, and perhaps Sade's version is best, but the original by Timmy Thomas is the one you want, then the others too. GET IT if you remember it from the late 60s! It is the precursor to Marvin Gaye's album "What's Going On".
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[ "I had completely forgotten this song, but knew something like this existed.", "By whom, I didn't know.", "When I stumbled across it, I bought it immediately.", "How did I find it?", "I stumbled across two covers of this song, one by Carlos Santana and Steve Winwood on YouTube.", "I knew it had been done by someone else, so I went searching here at Amazon.", "Then I stumbled upon Sade's version.", "All three are good, and perhaps Sade's version is best, but the original by Timmy Thomas is the one you want, then the others too.", "GET IT if you remember it from the late 60s!", "It is the precursor to Marvin Gaye's album \"What's Going On\"." ]
Update (Dec 17, 2016): I have had this meter for almost two months now and am a bit disappointed. As I stated in the original review (below) I am new to these meters. So perhaps I can't speak to all its capabilities, but there are some things I can speak to. One of them is battery life. I was playing around with the meter last night and saw I was getting a "low battery" warning. Caught me by surprise because I have only used this meter sparingly since I wrote the original review. So I'm deducting a star (4 down to 3) because I don't care how could the meter is; if I have to keep a supply of batteries on hand to ensure I have a working meter when I pull it out of my tool bag, then it's not a meter really worth having. So while I like the meter (a great starter meter) I don't like this new development. Original Review (Nov 15, 2016): I must confess right up front that I'm new to this type of meter. So a) I don't know much about them and b) you're getting a review for a real newbie (something that might be helpful to a non-pro like me). For five decades I have been totally satisfied using cable leads & voltage meter. But I came across a requirement that wasn't so easily solved using my "get to" solution: measuring generator output. I didn't want to buy semi-permanent solutions such as&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/DROKAC-100-300V-100A-Digital-Voltage-Current-Multimeter-LCD-Volt-Amp-Meter-Gauge-Panel-Tester-Voltage-Amperage-Dual-Display-Power-Monitor-with-Blue-Back-light-and-Current-Transformer-CT-for-Car-Auto-Battery-Monitoring/dp/B00DVH64HW/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">DROKAC 100-300V 100A Digital Voltage Current Multimeter LCD Volt Amp Meter Gauge Panel Tester Voltage Amperage Dual Display Power Monitor with Blue Back-light and Current Transformer CT for Car Auto Battery Monitoring</a>. But as I looked for ideas I saw these clamp meters. So on to this clamp meter. I think Extech has done a nice job with this meter. It seems well-made, I like the accessories (storage bag & supplied batteries), and it comes in at a very reasonable price point. I got it to use only as a clamp meter. But as I learned about this meter I found out you can check power at electrical outlets by holding the nose near the outlet. In both cases, I realize the measurements might not be spot-on accurate, but in the former case it is close enough and in the latter case what I really want to know is if there is power to the outlet. So I'm already finding it more handy and useful than I thought it would be. One other benefit is that it is true RMS (root mean square) meaning you get a more accurate reading because it interprets the power sine curve more accurately. Pretty cool. Very nice. Might even be a 5-star item. But at this point I don't know enough about them to say so. But I can say that I really like what I've been playing with and that means 4 stars.
1
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[ "Update (Dec 17, 2016):\nI have had this meter for almost two months now and am a bit disappointed.", "As I stated in the original review (below) I am new to these meters.", "So perhaps I can't speak to all its capabilities, but there are some things I can speak to.", "One of them is battery life.", "I was playing around with the meter last night and saw I was getting a \"low battery\" warning.", "Caught me by surprise because I have only used this meter sparingly since I wrote the original review.", "So I'm deducting a star (4 down to 3) because I don't care how could the meter is; if I have to keep a supply of batteries on hand to ensure I have a working meter when I pull it out of my tool bag, then it's not a meter really worth having.", "So while I like the meter (a great starter meter) I don't like this new development.", "Original Review (Nov 15, 2016):\nI must confess right up front that I'm new to this type of meter.", "So a) I don't know much about them and b) you're getting a review for a real newbie (something that might be helpful to a non-pro like me).", "For five decades I have been totally satisfied using cable leads & voltage meter.", "But I came across a requirement that wasn't so easily solved using my \"get to\" solution: measuring generator output.", "I didn't want to buy semi-permanent solutions such as&nbsp;<a data-hook=\"product-link-linked\" class=\"a-link-normal\" href=\"/DROKAC-100-300V-100A-Digital-Voltage-Current-Multimeter-LCD-Volt-Amp-Meter-Gauge-Panel-Tester-Voltage-Amperage-Dual-Display-Power-Monitor-with-Blue-Back-light-and-Current-Transformer-CT-for-Car-Auto-Battery-Monitoring/dp/B00DVH64HW/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?", "ie=UTF8\">DROKAC 100-300V 100A Digital Voltage Current Multimeter LCD Volt Amp Meter Gauge Panel Tester Voltage Amperage Dual Display Power Monitor with Blue Back-light and Current Transformer CT for Car Auto Battery Monitoring</a>.", "But as I looked for ideas I saw these clamp meters.", "So on to this clamp meter.", "I think Extech has done a nice job with this meter.", "It seems well-made, I like the accessories (storage bag & supplied batteries), and it comes in at a very reasonable price point.", "I got it to use only as a clamp meter.", "But as I learned about this meter I found out you can check power at electrical outlets by holding the nose near the outlet.", "In both cases, I realize the measurements might not be spot-on accurate, but in the former case it is close enough and in the latter case what I really want to know is if there is power to the outlet.", "So I'm already finding it more handy and useful than I thought it would be.", "One other benefit is that it is true RMS (root mean square) meaning you get a more accurate reading because it interprets the power sine curve more accurately.", "Pretty cool.", "Very nice.", "Might even be a 5-star item.", "But at this point I don't know enough about them to say so.", "But I can say that I really like what I've been playing with and that means 4 stars." ]
If you ever research how to get the proper fit for cowboy boots they tell you to buy 1/2 size smaller than your sneaker size. They also say it should fit snug on your instep like a firm handshake, and you should have a little bit of slip on your heels. Well I bought these at sneaker size and they were still too damned snug. I had already worn them outside though trying to break them in so I couldn't sent them back. I ended up buying a shoe stretcher, then I got the boots wet and stretched them out overnight. That made things a little better. I still had to get rid of the insert that came with the boots because they crowded my toes too much. Instead I got some Dr. Scholls Custom Fit Orthotics, and they worked better. I'm thinking I probably should have gone with the 9.5 wide though. Anyway they are fine now. they seem sturdy enough too, but being made in China I have my doubts. Only time till tell.
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[ "If you ever research how to get the proper fit for cowboy boots they tell you to buy 1/2 size smaller than your sneaker size.", "They also say it should fit snug on your instep like a firm handshake, and you should have a little bit of slip on your heels.", "Well I bought these at sneaker size and they were still too damned snug.", "I had already worn them outside though trying to break them in so I couldn't sent them back.", "I ended up buying a shoe stretcher, then I got the boots wet and stretched them out overnight.", "That made things a little better.", "I still had to get rid of the insert that came with the boots because they crowded my toes too much.", "Instead I got some Dr.", "Scholls Custom Fit Orthotics, and they worked better.", "I'm thinking I probably should have gone with the 9.", "5 wide though.", "Anyway they are fine now.", "they seem sturdy enough too, but being made in China I have my doubts.", "Only time till tell." ]
Technically, and acting-wise this is a great movie. The performances, especially by Gene Hackman, Richard Harris and Eastwood, are superlative. Hackman's "Little Bill" is easily his most memorable character since Popeye Doyle in "French Connection" (Too bad he had to do a caricature of it a couple years later in "The Quick and the Dead"). Cinematography, editing and most of the dialogue are also excellent. My problem is with the plot. So Eastwood's Bill Munny, after arriving in Big Whiskey, has a dark epiphany of sorts in which he sees the harsh reality of death and the terrible consequnces of his murderous past. Yet he then almost casually goes through with the contract killings, even though he now knows that the account of the mutilation of the prostitute that he is supposedly exacting revenge for was exaggerated. To me, this makes all his dark visions and revelations meaningless; they had no effect. Despite all the pretensions of the script, in the end this becomes just another conventional western, with the "good guy" shooting all the bad guys. Despite all his character falws and all the nuances, in the end Eastwood is presented as just another avenging hero like his mid-seventies characters.
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[ "Technically, and acting-wise this is a great movie.", "The performances, especially by Gene Hackman, Richard Harris and Eastwood, are superlative.", "Hackman's \"Little Bill\" is easily his most memorable character since Popeye Doyle in \"French Connection\" (Too bad he had to do a caricature of it a couple years later in \"The Quick and the Dead\").", "Cinematography, editing and most of the dialogue are also excellent.", "My problem is with the plot.", "So Eastwood's Bill Munny, after arriving in Big Whiskey, has a dark epiphany of sorts in which he sees the harsh reality of death and the terrible consequnces of his murderous past.", "Yet he then almost casually goes through with the contract killings, even though he now knows that the account of the mutilation of the prostitute that he is supposedly exacting revenge for was exaggerated.", "To me, this makes all his dark visions and revelations meaningless; they had no effect.", "Despite all the pretensions of the script, in the end this becomes just another conventional western, with the \"good guy\" shooting all the bad guys.", "Despite all his character falws and all the nuances, in the end Eastwood is presented as just another avenging hero like his mid-seventies characters." ]
While I love the sound and the look of the guitar, I'm wondering if maybe I shouldn't have ordered online because I'm not having very good luck with the guitars I've been sent. First one shipped to me, the bottom had 4 spots across it looked like nicks in the wood or nicks made with a chisel, which had been covered nicely but the bottom of the guitar looked terrible. I give them credit I had a replacement next day. I have been fiddling with it for 2 days now the tuners aren't quite right too much slack and was hearing a screeching/squeeking noise when playing. THEN I noticed the saddle has a big chunk out of it under the 2nd string between it and the 3rd strings, so back again it's going! Then I started thinking I wonder if they are shipping 2nds in hopes no one will notice. I was in two minds whether to ask for refund or is see if 3rd time really a charm. Being as I really like the sound and action of the guitar I'm hoping 3rd time REALLY IS A CHARM and this final guitar is free of defects! Because it will truly BE my final.... 3 strikes your out!! I'll write back and let you all know!
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[ "While I love the sound and the look of the guitar, I'm wondering if maybe I shouldn't have ordered online because I'm not having very good luck with the guitars I've been sent.", "First one shipped to me, the bottom had 4 spots across it looked like nicks in the wood or nicks made with a chisel, which had been covered nicely but the bottom of the guitar looked terrible.", "I give them credit I had a replacement next day.", "I have been fiddling with it for 2 days now the tuners aren't quite right too much slack and was hearing a screeching/squeeking noise when playing.", "THEN I noticed the saddle has a big chunk out of it under the 2nd string between it and the 3rd strings, so back again it's going!", "Then I started thinking I wonder if they are shipping 2nds in hopes no one will notice.", "I was in two minds whether to ask for refund or is see if 3rd time really a charm.", "Being as I really like the sound and action of the guitar I'm hoping 3rd time REALLY IS A CHARM and this final guitar is free of defects!", "Because it will truly BE my final....", "3 strikes your out!!", "I'll write back and let you all know!" ]
Forty-year-old Dix Dodd is anxious to prove that she can make it as a successfully self-employed private investigator. So, when a woman in dark glasses and a purple outfit pays her $5,000 upfront to follow her allegedly adulterous husband for a week, Dix jumps at the chance. But things take a dramatic turn when the client, Jennifer Weatherby, is murdered and the homicide detective has personal reasons for wanting Dix in prison. As Dix tries to learn why she's being framed for the murder, life becomes increasingly precarious for her and her young assistant, Dylan. The Case of the Flashing Fashion Queen is a funny, light romp featuring a gutsy character that you've got to admire for her resourcefulness and moxie. Despite her fears, Dix charges ahead through tricky situations, except when it comes to a potential romance. Dix and Dylan are delightful characters. Dylan is the voice of reason while Dix is the take-no-prisoners warrior, determined to see that justice is served and the bills get paid, eventually. I wasn't expecting the old fashioned plot strategy of gathering all suspects in one room to reveal the killer, and don't think it worked here. Suspects are too forthcoming with confessions and revelations are a bit of a stretch. Still, this book is one of the those reads where you should sit back with a cocktail in hand and enjoy the ride anyway. Light, fun mysteries are exactly what readers need from time to time.
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[ "Forty-year-old Dix Dodd is anxious to prove that she can make it as a successfully self-employed private investigator.", "So, when a woman in dark glasses and a purple outfit pays her $5,000 upfront to follow her allegedly adulterous husband for a week, Dix jumps at the chance.", "But things take a dramatic turn when the client, Jennifer Weatherby, is murdered and the homicide detective has personal reasons for wanting Dix in prison.", "As Dix tries to learn why she's being framed for the murder, life becomes increasingly precarious for her and her young assistant, Dylan.", "The Case of the Flashing Fashion Queen is a funny, light romp featuring a gutsy character that you've got to admire for her resourcefulness and moxie.", "Despite her fears, Dix charges ahead through tricky situations, except when it comes to a potential romance.", "Dix and Dylan are delightful characters.", "Dylan is the voice of reason while Dix is the take-no-prisoners warrior, determined to see that justice is served and the bills get paid, eventually.", "I wasn't expecting the old fashioned plot strategy of gathering all suspects in one room to reveal the killer, and don't think it worked here.", "Suspects are too forthcoming with confessions and revelations are a bit of a stretch.", "Still, this book is one of the those reads where you should sit back with a cocktail in hand and enjoy the ride anyway.", "Light, fun mysteries are exactly what readers need from time to time." ]
Why is it that no one in America can make a truly stellar horror flick? Can't anyone come up with an original idea and not have to borrow from past movies (IE- the new Texas Chainsaw Massacre, those awful Jason movies, etc. and the even worse Alien Vs. Predator) and Japanese horror films (The Ring, anyone?)? Alright. All that aside. This is a so so movie. I was scared most of the time, I'll give it that, but I was left disappointed with too many questions floating around in my head. I don't just want to be scared. I crave a great story. A story that begs to be told. This one so does not do this! Basically, the movie is about a family who moves into a new hosue in Japan. Yes the house is lovely. Yes you must take your shoes off when you enter, even if it is your house. Strange things begin to happen to this family. The mother begins to stare at the wall. Her son is worried and his wife is nervous about living in Japan. The movie moves back and forth between several stories, one of which is this one about the family. The other is about Sarah Michelle Gellar's character, a student who is assigned to visit the seemingly senile mother in this freaky house. I love how Gellar walks toward the house so slowly and looks back and forth like a manic squirrel. She's never been there before. What's there to be afraid of yet? Anyway, she begins to see things too. Soon people end up disappearing. Dying. Seeing little boys who meow. Very strange. What's the deal with this house? What's happening to everyone? What's Bill Pullman jumping out a window in the beginning have to do with the story? It's convoluted, but it's not too hard to follow. It kinda reminded me of The Ring, just the way it looks and how the tone is. I like The Ring better, though. This movie did scare me. I actually had to stay up and watch Full House just to get it out of my system. Ugh. Some of the images are just horrifying. And imagine having a younger sister who wants to freeze frame them all and stare at them for countless minutes and laugh at you while you squirm. You want a good scare? Check this out. Want to see a great story? Avoid at all costs.
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[ "Why is it that no one in America can make a truly stellar horror flick?", "Can't anyone come up with an original idea and not have to borrow from past movies (IE- the new Texas Chainsaw Massacre, those awful Jason movies, etc.", "and the even worse Alien Vs.", "Predator) and Japanese horror films (The Ring, anyone?", ")?", "Alright.", "All that aside.", "This is a so so movie.", "I was scared most of the time, I'll give it that, but I was left disappointed with too many questions floating around in my head.", "I don't just want to be scared.", "I crave a great story.", "A story that begs to be told.", "This one so does not do this!", "Basically, the movie is about a family who moves into a new hosue in Japan.", "Yes the house is lovely.", "Yes you must take your shoes off when you enter, even if it is your house.", "Strange things begin to happen to this family.", "The mother begins to stare at the wall.", "Her son is worried and his wife is nervous about living in Japan.", "The movie moves back and forth between several stories, one of which is this one about the family.", "The other is about Sarah Michelle Gellar's character, a student who is assigned to visit the seemingly senile mother in this freaky house.", "I love how Gellar walks toward the house so slowly and looks back and forth like a manic squirrel.", "She's never been there before.", "What's there to be afraid of yet?", "Anyway, she begins to see things too.", "Soon people end up disappearing.", "Dying.", "Seeing little boys who meow.", "Very strange.", "What's the deal with this house?", "What's happening to everyone?", "What's Bill Pullman jumping out a window in the beginning have to do with the story?", "It's convoluted, but it's not too hard to follow.", "It kinda reminded me of The Ring, just the way it looks and how the tone is.", "I like The Ring better, though.", "This movie did scare me.", "I actually had to stay up and watch Full House just to get it out of my system.", "Ugh.", "Some of the images are just horrifying.", "And imagine having a younger sister who wants to freeze frame them all and stare at them for countless minutes and laugh at you while you squirm.", "You want a good scare?", "Check this out.", "Want to see a great story?", "Avoid at all costs." ]
Like many of the other titles in Ken Blanchards The One-Minute Manager series, Raving Fans (co-written with Sheldon Bowles) is written as a business fable to illustrate some basic, common-sense methods. The lesson in Raving Fans is how a manager can lead his division or company to deliver consistently exemplary customer service. The fable involves Area Manager, who is charged by the company President to improve the companys customer service reputation, a task which the two previous managers tried and failed (and, it is implied, were subsequently fired). As Area Manager contemplates his challenge, he is helped by a golf-obsessed Fairy Godmother named Charlie, who takes him on a journey to meet other business people who Charlie previously assisted. Along the way, Area Manager learns the three secrets of converting customers to not just satisfied, but Raving Fans. As with many of The One-Minute Manager books, Blanchards and Bowles secrets are not so secret, but are often overlooked. Blanchard has a knack of identifying and articulating lessons that on reflection should be obvious, but if they were, everyone would be successful and there would be no need for his books. On that level, Raving Fans succeeds. The book ultimately fails, however, because the (fictionalized) companies Blanchard and Bowles use as examples of exemplary customer service that are simply not financially feasible. For example, a grocery store offers personal shoppers and a computer system that allows for no checkout lines; a gas station has a team of attendants to service a car while charging the same as the self-serve station up the block. The assumption is that the stores provide such incredible customer service that customers buy enough, often enough, to allow for a reasonable profit. That, however, is not addressed in Blanchards and Bowles fable. I can believe the truth of the Three Secrets. I wish, for the sake of the book, that Blanchard and Bowles had chosen more believable examples. As it is, Raving Fans would have been better delivered as a blog post.
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[ "Like many of the other titles in Ken Blanchards The One-Minute Manager series, Raving Fans (co-written with Sheldon Bowles) is written as a business fable to illustrate some basic, common-sense methods.", "The lesson in Raving Fans is how a manager can lead his division or company to deliver consistently exemplary customer service.", "The fable involves Area Manager, who is charged by the company President to improve the companys customer service reputation, a task which the two previous managers tried and failed (and, it is implied, were subsequently fired).", "As Area Manager contemplates his challenge, he is helped by a golf-obsessed Fairy Godmother named Charlie, who takes him on a journey to meet other business people who Charlie previously assisted.", "Along the way, Area Manager learns the three secrets of converting customers to not just satisfied, but Raving Fans.", "As with many of The One-Minute Manager books, Blanchards and Bowles secrets are not so secret, but are often overlooked.", "Blanchard has a knack of identifying and articulating lessons that on reflection should be obvious, but if they were, everyone would be successful and there would be no need for his books.", "On that level, Raving Fans succeeds.", "The book ultimately fails, however, because the (fictionalized) companies Blanchard and Bowles use as examples of exemplary customer service that are simply not financially feasible.", "For example, a grocery store offers personal shoppers and a computer system that allows for no checkout lines; a gas station has a team of attendants to service a car while charging the same as the self-serve station up the block.", "The assumption is that the stores provide such incredible customer service that customers buy enough, often enough, to allow for a reasonable profit.", "That, however, is not addressed in Blanchards and Bowles fable.", "I can believe the truth of the Three Secrets.", "I wish, for the sake of the book, that Blanchard and Bowles had chosen more believable examples.", "As it is, Raving Fans would have been better delivered as a blog post." ]
The most appealing quality of the book is Friedman's optimism. He believes that the inevitable sweep of globalization, and American leading role in it, will bring about positive change for the peoples of the world. There are at least two aspects to this process. First, with greatly increased communications (satellite TV, Internet, cellular phones) people are going to know the details of life in other countries. And it is Friedman's belief that having learned about a much higher quality of life, people are going to promote the governments that increase their standards of living. Second, the increased international economic activity (foreign investments, foreign trade, cross-border corporate ventures etc.) will create more economic opportunities. So the countries that open themselves to globalization will ultimately benefit from it economically. They are likely to have better labor laws, better finance regulations, more competitive and transparent companies and more qualified workers. Which will all lead to the raise in the quality of life. In addition, globalization is going to help protect environment. With increased transparency, corporations are less likely to engage in environmentally harmful activities, while consumers, now able to coordinate their actions through email, can force ecologically reckless companies to change their practices. The second most enjoyable aspect of the book is the stories. Friedman talks about his conversations with many people in various countries who shape globalization and with the ones affected by it: from ministers, heads of state and CEOs to street vendors and taxi drivers. Unfortunately, the globalization cheerleading of the bubble era leaves no room in the book for some critical thinking. In its current form, globalization is hurting quite a few people. And it is not just Americans loosing their jobs to Indians and Chinese. Take cotton farmers in Burkina Faso who are put out of business by sub-production cost American cotton supported by the enormous American cotton subsidies. Or consider South African sugar farmers who face imports from Europe, the worldwide largest sugar exporter, at 50% of the production cost. The famous "Golden Arches" statement of the book, pointing out that no two countries hosting a McDonald's have ever been at war with each other, fails to provide insight. The fact that economic advancement and a strong middle class lead to a more stable world is intuitive enough. And McDonald's itself is not the answer to the world's antagonisms. Russia, with more than 100 McDonald's restaurants, has been waging the disastrous war in Chechnya. And the tragic 9-11 events were in a way mad people's reaction to a lot of what McDonald's represents. The book fails to seriously address effects of globalization other then economic. When a South African girl does not want to be educated in her mother tongue but only in English, is it a sign that some part of her cultural inheritance is being lost? And when 85% of the movie audiences worldwide watch American movies, would a reasonable response be along the lines of France's "cultural exception", when through quotas foreign competition is limited? To summarize, the book is rather descriptive than analytical or forward-looking. And from a reporter of Friedman's caliber one would expect more, especially considering that the NYT editorials, published on the opposite page from his column, are so opinionated about the future.
1
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[ "The most appealing quality of the book is Friedman's optimism.", "He believes that the inevitable sweep of globalization, and American leading role in it, will bring about positive change for the peoples of the world.", "There are at least two aspects to this process.", "First, with greatly increased communications (satellite TV, Internet, cellular phones) people are going to know the details of life in other countries.", "And it is Friedman's belief that having learned about a much higher quality of life, people are going to promote the governments that increase their standards of living.", "Second, the increased international economic activity (foreign investments, foreign trade, cross-border corporate ventures etc.", ") will create more economic opportunities.", "So the countries that open themselves to globalization will ultimately benefit from it economically.", "They are likely to have better labor laws, better finance regulations, more competitive and transparent companies and more qualified workers.", "Which will all lead to the raise in the quality of life.", "In addition, globalization is going to help protect environment.", "With increased transparency, corporations are less likely to engage in environmentally harmful activities, while consumers, now able to coordinate their actions through email, can force ecologically reckless companies to change their practices.", "The second most enjoyable aspect of the book is the stories.", "Friedman talks about his conversations with many people in various countries who shape globalization and with the ones affected by it: from ministers, heads of state and CEOs to street vendors and taxi drivers.", "Unfortunately, the globalization cheerleading of the bubble era leaves no room in the book for some critical thinking.", "In its current form, globalization is hurting quite a few people.", "And it is not just Americans loosing their jobs to Indians and Chinese.", "Take cotton farmers in Burkina Faso who are put out of business by sub-production cost American cotton supported by the enormous American cotton subsidies.", "Or consider South African sugar farmers who face imports from Europe, the worldwide largest sugar exporter, at 50% of the production cost.", "The famous \"Golden Arches\" statement of the book, pointing out that no two countries hosting a McDonald's have ever been at war with each other, fails to provide insight.", "The fact that economic advancement and a strong middle class lead to a more stable world is intuitive enough.", "And McDonald's itself is not the answer to the world's antagonisms.", "Russia, with more than 100 McDonald's restaurants, has been waging the disastrous war in Chechnya.", "And the tragic 9-11 events were in a way mad people's reaction to a lot of what McDonald's represents.", "The book fails to seriously address effects of globalization other then economic.", "When a South African girl does not want to be educated in her mother tongue but only in English, is it a sign that some part of her cultural inheritance is being lost?", "And when 85% of the movie audiences worldwide watch American movies, would a reasonable response be along the lines of France's \"cultural exception\", when through quotas foreign competition is limited?", "To summarize, the book is rather descriptive than analytical or forward-looking.", "And from a reporter of Friedman's caliber one would expect more, especially considering that the NYT editorials, published on the opposite page from his column, are so opinionated about the future." ]
I'm an old man now, but I was once young and enthused about popular music and live concerts. I was lucky to see the Moody Blues for the first time back in 1972 when Mike Pinder was still with them. Since then, I have seen them in concert several more times. For many years they appeared in central florida with regularity. If you don't know, Mike Pinder played the mellotron, an "organ-like" instrument that could make their music sound like an orchestra. In my opinion, it was a critical component in reproducing their sound in concerts. So I always felt that first concert I saw was the best of the several I attended over the years. This DVD is a fun watch for someone like me who remembers youth. It would not be as well received for a younger person, or someone inclined to be more critical. It is not up to the quality of many other DVD concerts. But these issues are explained in interviews included on the DVD. I recommend it with these above comments noted. My opinion of The Moody Blues is very high. Their recorded music played on a quality stereo is some of the best talent from an era of great popular recorded music. I own seven of their first eight records on vinyl (and now CD), as well as 3 or 4 of the later releases without Mike Pinder. My favorite is "Seventh Sojourn", but they're all worth owning.
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[ "I'm an old man now, but I was once young and enthused about popular music and live concerts.", "I was lucky to see the Moody Blues for the first time back in 1972 when Mike Pinder was still with them.", "Since then, I have seen them in concert several more times.", "For many years they appeared in central florida with regularity.", "If you don't know, Mike Pinder played the mellotron, an \"organ-like\" instrument that could make their music sound like an orchestra.", "In my opinion, it was a critical component in reproducing their sound in concerts.", "So I always felt that first concert I saw was the best of the several I attended over the years.", "This DVD is a fun watch for someone like me who remembers youth.", "It would not be as well received for a younger person, or someone inclined to be more critical.", "It is not up to the quality of many other DVD concerts.", "But these issues are explained in interviews included on the DVD.", "I recommend it with these above comments noted.", "My opinion of The Moody Blues is very high.", "Their recorded music played on a quality stereo is some of the best talent from an era of great popular recorded music.", "I own seven of their first eight records on vinyl (and now CD), as well as 3 or 4 of the later releases without Mike Pinder.", "My favorite is \"Seventh Sojourn\", but they're all worth owning." ]
Soulfly's self titled debut album from 1998 has to be my least favourite Soulfly album. Soulfly have definitely since moved on to create some very strong material, but if I set aside nostalgia and judge this album fairly on its own merits I cannot claim it is a very good record. The album sets the tone for most Soufly albums to come; the material blends together world music influences and groove metal along with Nu Metal sections like Sepultura's 1996 album Roots, and similarly it was also produced by Ross Robinson, this time fresh from producing Limp Bizkit's 1997 debut album Three Dollar Bill, Yall$. Limp Bizkit's front man Fred Durst (and also DJ Lethal) makes a guest vocal appearance on the album on the track `Bleed,' but he isn't the only musician to perform on the album aside from the members of Soulfly. Chino Marino from the Deftones shows up on `First Commandment,' and Benji Webb from Skindred adds some of his distinctive flavour to `Prejudice.' Even the albums main single `Eye For An Eye,' features Burton C Bell and Dino Cazarez from Fear Factory, who's bassist Christian Olde Wolbers appears on yet another of the album's tracks later on. All that is before you even consider the non-famous contributors like tribal percussionist and Max's friends and relatives. The album is much more like a large project, some grand experiment like Probot or Roadrunner United than the debut album of a band who write songs together in a room. I did like the album for a time, but it has not aged very well. I find it difficult to listen to in one sitting and think it is more of an album for cherry picking a few of the best moments from than sitting down to and consuming whole. Don't get me wrong, even with all I've said there are some moments on the album that are very good, `Bumbklaat,' and `Fire,' are good songs. I also like the intro to `First Commandment,' even if it is a little too similar to Tool's `Disgustapated,' for comfort and finally `Eye For An Eye,' is good even if you do sometimes feel a little like it is an attempt to repeat the success of Roots Bloody Roots however knowing or unknowingly that may be on Max's part. Overall though, the music for me at least is a little to plain and uninteresting during the proper metal sections, and the tribal sections do not fit as well as on subsequent Soufly Records. This, coupled with the production and the aforementioned disjointed project feel makes this album Soulfly's weakest in my opinion. I wouldn't go as far as to say it is valueless and Soulfly fans should check it out and judge for themselves, but unfortunately this is not an album that I personally enjoy all that much.
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[ "Soulfly's self titled debut album from 1998 has to be my least favourite Soulfly album.", "Soulfly have definitely since moved on to create some very strong material, but if I set aside nostalgia and judge this album fairly on its own merits I cannot claim it is a very good record.", "The album sets the tone for most Soufly albums to come; the material blends together world music influences and groove metal along with Nu Metal sections like Sepultura's 1996 album Roots, and similarly it was also produced by Ross Robinson, this time fresh from producing Limp Bizkit's 1997 debut album Three Dollar Bill, Yall$.", "Limp Bizkit's front man Fred Durst (and also DJ Lethal) makes a guest vocal appearance on the album on the track `Bleed,' but he isn't the only musician to perform on the album aside from the members of Soulfly.", "Chino Marino from the Deftones shows up on `First Commandment,' and Benji Webb from Skindred adds some of his distinctive flavour to `Prejudice.", "'\n\nEven the albums main single `Eye For An Eye,' features Burton C Bell and Dino Cazarez from Fear Factory, who's bassist Christian Olde Wolbers appears on yet another of the album's tracks later on.", "All that is before you even consider the non-famous contributors like tribal percussionist and Max's friends and relatives.", "The album is much more like a large project, some grand experiment like Probot or Roadrunner United than the debut album of a band who write songs together in a room.", "I did like the album for a time, but it has not aged very well.", "I find it difficult to listen to in one sitting and think it is more of an album for cherry picking a few of the best moments from than sitting down to and consuming whole.", "Don't get me wrong, even with all I've said there are some moments on the album that are very good, `Bumbklaat,' and `Fire,' are good songs.", "I also like the intro to `First Commandment,' even if it is a little too similar to Tool's `Disgustapated,' for comfort and finally `Eye For An Eye,' is good even if you do sometimes feel a little like it is an attempt to repeat the success of Roots Bloody Roots however knowing or unknowingly that may be on Max's part.", "Overall though, the music for me at least is a little to plain and uninteresting during the proper metal sections, and the tribal sections do not fit as well as on subsequent Soufly Records.", "This, coupled with the production and the aforementioned disjointed project feel makes this album Soulfly's weakest in my opinion.", "I wouldn't go as far as to say it is valueless and Soulfly fans should check it out and judge for themselves, but unfortunately this is not an album that I personally enjoy all that much." ]
Of course the recording sounds good! the guys spent more time editing these tracks in the studio than they did performing them live! a good example of how overproducing live recordings turns them into sterile ventures. I am a big Rush fan, and I would have loved this cd had it not been extremely overfixed in a misguided effort to be perfect. This is a real shame, as the songs were from Rush's most exciting period. If you want to get into Rush as a live act, check out any of the other live recordings. All the World's a Stage is raw and rokkin, but it has limited song selection. Their 80's live album is good, but also limited. The single best collection is the Different Stages Live 3 cd set, which has an old Hammersmith Odeon concert thrown in from the Farewell to Kings tour, plus a much greater song selection and "real" live magic. That 3cd set is the best (so far) Rush live document, and this one is the worst. Avoid Exit...Stage Left and get Different Stages!
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[ "Of course the recording sounds good!", "the guys spent more time editing these tracks in the studio than they did performing them live!", "a good example of how overproducing live recordings turns them into sterile ventures.", "I am a big Rush fan, and I would have loved this cd had it not been extremely overfixed in a misguided effort to be perfect.", "This is a real shame, as the songs were from Rush's most exciting period.", "If you want to get into Rush as a live act, check out any of the other live recordings.", "All the World's a Stage is raw and rokkin, but it has limited song selection.", "Their 80's live album is good, but also limited.", "The single best collection is the Different Stages Live 3 cd set, which has an old Hammersmith Odeon concert thrown in from the Farewell to Kings tour, plus a much greater song selection and \"real\" live magic.", "That 3cd set is the best (so far) Rush live document, and this one is the worst.", "Avoid Exit...", "Stage Left and get Different Stages!" ]
It's a nice smoker. I don't like the wiring in the back. It's a known problem that the newer models don't seat in the wire outlets in the back very well. Had to call customer service first time and unplug and plug the heater back in. Hopefully it will not be a continuing problem. Once that was taken care of, it smoked meat and fish wonderfully. It's pretty easy to clean up. Not too pleased that we "HAVE" to buy their biscuits. There are several online tutorials on how to make your own. "Set it and forget it" is definitely a nice feature with this smoker though. All in all, not too bad.
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[ "It's a nice smoker.", "I don't like the wiring in the back.", "It's a known problem that the newer models don't seat in the wire outlets in the back very well.", "Had to call customer service first time and unplug and plug the heater back in.", "Hopefully it will not be a continuing problem.", "Once that was taken care of, it smoked meat and fish wonderfully.", "It's pretty easy to clean up.", "Not too pleased that we \"HAVE\" to buy their biscuits.", "There are several online tutorials on how to make your own.", "\"Set it and forget it\" is definitely a nice feature with this smoker though.", "All in all, not too bad." ]
Compared to the FEAR itself, this expansion pack will be some what disappointing. Overall, I thought it is a worthy product. It should be about $25 or even $20...not $30. PROS - A few new weapons. A few new bad guy characters to fight. In some ways, scarier than the first. Same FEAR style, feel and game play. Nice amount of play time, 6-10 hours, depending on your style. CONS - The new weapons are a nice additions, yet they lack a certain PUNCH!!! The turrets were cool, but wimpy. They should have made the turrets really awesome and just provided fewer of them throughout the game to keep things balanced. I thought this could have been scarier than the first FEAR, except many of the scary moments either happen to fast or you miss them because you are facing the wrong way. I had to keep quick saving so I could replay the game if I missed a scary moment. SUMMARY - In the end, I really liked this add-on to FEAR. It does have its rough edges and is lacking in some ways. The ALMA story continues, just not in the way you think...which is cool. It took me over 10 hours to finish. When I play FEAR, I go slow and enjoy every fiber of the game. Yes, you could blow through this in 4-6 hours, but you will miss out on the visceral experience the developers are trying to give you. Save the "RUN AND GUN" style for games like Unreal Tournament. FEAR should be thoroughly absorbed and digested...piece by piece. Considering the lack of good 1st person shooters out there currently and the lame attempt by VALVE called EPISODE ONE..a crappy, dull, feeble add-on for Half Life 2...you will be glad EXTRACTION POINT has become available!
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[ "Compared to the FEAR itself, this expansion pack will be some what disappointing.", "Overall, I thought it is a worthy product.", "It should be about $25 or even $20...", "not $30.", "PROS -\n\nA few new weapons.", "A few new bad guy characters to fight.", "In some ways, scarier than the first.", "Same FEAR style, feel and game play.", "Nice amount of play time, 6-10 hours, depending on your style.", "CONS -\n\nThe new weapons are a nice additions, yet they lack a certain PUNCH!!!", "The turrets were cool, but wimpy.", "They should have made the turrets really awesome and just provided fewer of them throughout the game to keep things balanced.", "I thought this could have been scarier than the first FEAR, except many of the scary moments either happen to fast or you miss them because you are facing the wrong way.", "I had to keep quick saving so I could replay the game if I missed a scary moment.", "SUMMARY -\n\nIn the end, I really liked this add-on to FEAR.", "It does have its rough edges and is lacking in some ways.", "The ALMA story continues, just not in the way you think...", "which is cool.", "It took me over 10 hours to finish.", "When I play FEAR, I go slow and enjoy every fiber of the game.", "Yes, you could blow through this in 4-6 hours, but you will miss out on the visceral experience the developers are trying to give you.", "Save the \"RUN AND GUN\" style for games like Unreal Tournament.", "FEAR should be thoroughly absorbed and digested...", "piece by piece.", "Considering the lack of good 1st person shooters out there currently and the lame attempt by VALVE called EPISODE ONE..", "a crappy, dull, feeble add-on for Half Life 2...", "you will be glad EXTRACTION POINT has become available!" ]
Let me preface this review by saying that I have had some problems with the resolution resolving to more than 720p on my TV, so I may be missing some of the supposed stunning visual glory that is lauded in this game. That being said, I have been playing FPS games for years and have greatly enjoyed games such as Half Life 2, Metal Gear 4, etc. I bought this game on the glowing recommendations of a friend who had played the previous KillZone and who claimed that the gameplay for this installment was "groundbreaking". Well, I've now played through the single player and through multiple multi-player matches and I have yet to find this groundbreaking gameplay that was described. The Good: Even from my limited resolution, I can tell that the lighting effects are nice. The scenery, although in many cases repetitive, is still nicely rendered and, at times, breathtaking. The single-player storyline is nothing to write home about, but it held my interest well enough. I also thought the enemy AI was very well done. The fact that NPC's take cover and react appropriately to grenades and the like was impressive and made me feel like I had to take a more tactical approach to several engagements. The Not-So-Good That being said, I found shortfalls which colored my experience. For starters, there's a mechanic whereby weapons are stripped from your inventory after every stage and replaced with a standard assault rifle. Not only is this heavy-handed, but it's also a frustrating disruption of immersion. Furthermore, there are times when it just doesn't make sense. Ok, I just got done using this mech to smash through enemy defenses, but I am going to abandon it now that we're outnumbered and ready to lead an assault on the Helgast inner sanctum. Nice decision. The controls and character movement feel sluggish, particularly in multiplayer mode. The weaponry, for the most part, seems anachronistic in how low-tech it is. In fact, several times I found myself noting that some of the weapons appeared to have lower range and accuracy than real world counterparts. The options for character control were also rather anemic, though I confess that MGO may have spoiled me there. While all the control options seem rather basic, the option of taking cover behind barriers and firing from them is definitely a nice touch and, like the enemy AI, adds to some of the tactical aspects of combat. All in all, I feel like this was a good game, but I wish now that I had rented it rather than bought it.
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[ "Let me preface this review by saying that I have had some problems with the resolution resolving to more than 720p on my TV, so I may be missing some of the supposed stunning visual glory that is lauded in this game.", "That being said, I have been playing FPS games for years and have greatly enjoyed games such as Half Life 2, Metal Gear 4, etc.", "I bought this game on the glowing recommendations of a friend who had played the previous KillZone and who claimed that the gameplay for this installment was \"groundbreaking\".", "Well, I've now played through the single player and through multiple multi-player matches and I have yet to find this groundbreaking gameplay that was described.", "The Good:\n\nEven from my limited resolution, I can tell that the lighting effects are nice.", "The scenery, although in many cases repetitive, is still nicely rendered and, at times, breathtaking.", "The single-player storyline is nothing to write home about, but it held my interest well enough.", "I also thought the enemy AI was very well done.", "The fact that NPC's take cover and react appropriately to grenades and the like was impressive and made me feel like I had to take a more tactical approach to several engagements.", "The Not-So-Good\n\nThat being said, I found shortfalls which colored my experience.", "For starters, there's a mechanic whereby weapons are stripped from your inventory after every stage and replaced with a standard assault rifle.", "Not only is this heavy-handed, but it's also a frustrating disruption of immersion.", "Furthermore, there are times when it just doesn't make sense.", "Ok, I just got done using this mech to smash through enemy defenses, but I am going to abandon it now that we're outnumbered and ready to lead an assault on the Helgast inner sanctum.", "Nice decision.", "The controls and character movement feel sluggish, particularly in multiplayer mode.", "The weaponry, for the most part, seems anachronistic in how low-tech it is.", "In fact, several times I found myself noting that some of the weapons appeared to have lower range and accuracy than real world counterparts.", "The options for character control were also rather anemic, though I confess that MGO may have spoiled me there.", "While all the control options seem rather basic, the option of taking cover behind barriers and firing from them is definitely a nice touch and, like the enemy AI, adds to some of the tactical aspects of combat.", "All in all, I feel like this was a good game, but I wish now that I had rented it rather than bought it." ]
**See EDIT at end of this review** I've owned quite a few air purifiers over the years and have become somewhat selective in the ones I keep. All the HEPA air purifiers I've tried have been fairly effective at improving the air quality. And this one is no different in that regard. No one smokes in my home and there are no pets or other particularly onerous environmental factors present. However, I do have chronic sinusitis and a nasty post nasal drip. This is basically the only reason I use air filters and the only reason I gave this one a try. This is a very sophisticated and well constructed machine. The automatic feature really works and is really the main reason to buy this particular unit. I'm not crazy about the UV light. The highest speed is very loud, especially when it kicks in unexpectedly. Think of a small vacuum cleaner and you'll be close. The lowest setting is acceptably quiet, but still louder than other machines I've tried. No one has mentioned what bothers me the most. When activated, the UV bulb adds just enough heat to the outgoing air to make the room occasionally too stuffy and (surprisingly) sometimes seems to lower the humidity in the room to an uncomfortable level. Keep in mind I'm probably more sensitive than most, but this issue bothers me so much that I rarely use the UV feature. Also, while this model definitely filters the air, in my opinion it's not quite as effective as other HEPA air purifiers I've used. Most people will love it, and I'll continue to use mine for a while, but for some reason which I cannot explain, it does not give the air that particular freshness and crispness that I've come to expect from other units, especially the older, smaller, and in my opinion more effective Holmes HAP-240 which is perfect for small bedrooms and offices. This is not a bad machine, and as mentioned seems well put together and designed, and is chock full of bells and whistles. I just expected better performance. Would I recommend it? If the UV light is important to you, definitely yes. So long as you're not sensitive to the change in humidity I, at least, noticed. If you're looking for that nice, clean, crisp air quality, then I'd make another choice. If you have a small bedroom, try and find the older model Holmes HAP-240. **EDIT** Apparently my particular specimen required a "break-in" period, because the staleness and additional heat/humidity problems I mentioned suddenly disappeared one day about three weeks after I started using it. It's now working perfectly, and if it were possible I would change my rating to 4 (actually 4.5) stars, with a deduction only for noisy operation for a 200 square foot capacity model. The UV still adds a bit of extra heat, but not as much as when I first started using it.
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[ "**See EDIT at end of this review**\n\nI've owned quite a few air purifiers over the years and have become somewhat selective in the ones I keep.", "All the HEPA air purifiers I've tried have been fairly effective at improving the air quality.", "And this one is no different in that regard.", "No one smokes in my home and there are no pets or other particularly onerous environmental factors present.", "However, I do have chronic sinusitis and a nasty post nasal drip.", "This is basically the only reason I use air filters and the only reason I gave this one a try.", "This is a very sophisticated and well constructed machine.", "The automatic feature really works and is really the main reason to buy this particular unit.", "I'm not crazy about the UV light.", "The highest speed is very loud, especially when it kicks in unexpectedly.", "Think of a small vacuum cleaner and you'll be close.", "The lowest setting is acceptably quiet, but still louder than other machines I've tried.", "No one has mentioned what bothers me the most.", "When activated, the UV bulb adds just enough heat to the outgoing air to make the room occasionally too stuffy and (surprisingly) sometimes seems to lower the humidity in the room to an uncomfortable level.", "Keep in mind I'm probably more sensitive than most, but this issue bothers me so much that I rarely use the UV feature.", "Also, while this model definitely filters the air, in my opinion it's not quite as effective as other HEPA air purifiers I've used.", "Most people will love it, and I'll continue to use mine for a while, but for some reason which I cannot explain, it does not give the air that particular freshness and crispness that I've come to expect from other units, especially the older, smaller, and in my opinion more effective Holmes HAP-240 which is perfect for small bedrooms and offices.", "This is not a bad machine, and as mentioned seems well put together and designed, and is chock full of bells and whistles.", "I just expected better performance.", "Would I recommend it?", "If the UV light is important to you, definitely yes.", "So long as you're not sensitive to the change in humidity I, at least, noticed.", "If you're looking for that nice, clean, crisp air quality, then I'd make another choice.", "If you have a small bedroom, try and find the older model Holmes HAP-240.", "**EDIT**\n\nApparently my particular specimen required a \"break-in\" period, because the staleness and additional heat/humidity problems I mentioned suddenly disappeared one day about three weeks after I started using it.", "It's now working perfectly, and if it were possible I would change my rating to 4 (actually 4.", "5) stars, with a deduction only for noisy operation for a 200 square foot capacity model.", "The UV still adds a bit of extra heat, but not as much as when I first started using it." ]
I want to say that I love these. But I don't. Sound isolation is very good. I use these around high frequency machinery and definitely "take the edge off". I have to remove a few stars because they are cheaply made. The edges on the overhead padding are pretty sharp - put them around your neck and you might get a paper cut on your neck (ask me how I know!) They clamp down pretty hard on your head- forget about using these with safety glasses. Yet again I do have a big head. The wire/earpiece connection wears out quickly and they get pretty sloppy. Expected a bit more quality for this price. Purchased because USA made and reviews.
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[ "I want to say that I love these.", "But I don't.", "Sound isolation is very good.", "I use these around high frequency machinery and definitely \"take the edge off\".", "I have to remove a few stars because they are cheaply made.", "The edges on the overhead padding are pretty sharp - put them around your neck and you might get a paper cut on your neck (ask me how I know!", ") They clamp down pretty hard on your head- forget about using these with safety glasses.", "Yet again I do have a big head.", "The wire/earpiece connection wears out quickly and they get pretty sloppy.", "Expected a bit more quality for this price.", "Purchased because USA made and reviews." ]
It has been some time since I downloaded my copy of this book. Due to this fact, I didn't realize that "The Accidental Hero" by Author Joshua Graham is a fictional novella and not a full sized novel. Therefore, I can honestly say that I found it to be too short. It seemed to end so abruptly, leaving me wanting a better understanding of the events taking place. I usually find it difficult to give most novellas higher than a 3 star rating. I have on occasion but it depends on how I view it on completion. It didn't happen in this instance. In my opinion, it is definitely a challenge for any author to develop a full plot in only 41 pages. Although I liked the main character, death row inmate Big Pete, his circumstances and subsequent change of heart were admiral even if somewhat unbelievable. I certainly think that Joshua Graham has writing talent; however, I doubt that this novella does justice to this gift or fully exemplifies his true creative abilities as an author. By Inspirational Author & Book Reviewer ~ Dolores Ayotte
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[ "It has been some time since I downloaded my copy of this book.", "Due to this fact, I didn't realize that \"The Accidental Hero\" by Author Joshua Graham is a fictional novella and not a full sized novel.", "Therefore, I can honestly say that I found it to be too short.", "It seemed to end so abruptly, leaving me wanting a better understanding of the events taking place.", "I usually find it difficult to give most novellas higher than a 3 star rating.", "I have on occasion but it depends on how I view it on completion.", "It didn't happen in this instance.", "In my opinion, it is definitely a challenge for any author to develop a full plot in only 41 pages.", "Although I liked the main character, death row inmate Big Pete, his circumstances and subsequent change of heart were admiral even if somewhat unbelievable.", "I certainly think that Joshua Graham has writing talent; however, I doubt that this novella does justice to this gift or fully exemplifies his true creative abilities as an author.", "By Inspirational Author & Book Reviewer ~ Dolores Ayotte" ]
What Trump has said about assault allegations against Franken Moore Clinton — and himself Hours after Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.) acknowledged his inappropriate behavior toward radio host Leeann Tweeden President Trump added his thoughts. The Al Frankenstien picture is really bad speaks a thousand words. Where do his hands go in pictures 2 3 4 5 & 6 while she sleeps? â¦.. â Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 17 2017 .And to think that just last week he was lecturing anyone who would listen about sexual harassment and respect for women. Lesley Stahl tape? â Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 17 2017 Trump though has been quiet about the allegations against Moore. Through his press secretary the president has said that the allegations against Moore are âtroublingâ and that if proven to be true he should leave the Senate race. Asked on Thursday how the allegations might be proven to be true White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said that it âshould be determined possibly by a court of lawâ â which of course wonât happen by next monthâs election. She left the final judgment to âthe people of Alabama . . . not the president whether they want Roy Moore to support them in the Senate.â Trump offered no tweets about Moore after the allegations emerged. Before The Post revealed the first of the stories involving Moore Trump tweeted his congratulations to the candidate saying that he âsounds like a really great guy.â 100% fabricated and made-up charges pushed strongly by the media and the Clinton Campaign may poison the minds of the American Voter. FIX! â Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 15 2016 Nothing ever happened with any of these women. Totally made up nonsense to steal the election. Nobody has more respect for women than me! â Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 15 2016 The failing @nytimes reporters don't even call us anymore they just write whatever they want to write making up sources along the way! â Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 15 2016 New polls are good because the media has deceived the public by putting women front and center with made-up stories and lies and got caught â Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 17 2016 Can't believe these totally phoney stories 100% made up by women (many already proven false) and pushed big time by press have impact! â Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 17 2016 All of those comments were before Election Day last year. As we noted last month television news coverage moved on from the allegations against Trump to the WikiLeaks documents and the letter from FBI Director James B. Comey. The White House has addressed the allegations since Trump was inaugurated. At a news conference last month Trump again dismissed the charges out-of-hand. There were other allegations that Trump preferred to talk about during 2016: those against Bill Clinton. In the wake of the release of the âAccess Hollywoodâ tape in which Trump described groping women without their consent Trump and his campaign began to focus on Clintonâs behavior. Before the second presidential debate Trump invited three women who said theyâd been assaulted by Clinton or had a relationship with him to join him for a news conference. Exclusive VideoâBroaddrick Willey Jones to Bill's Defenders: âThese Are Crimes â âTerrifiedâ of âEnablerâ Hillary https://t.co/DMfLsIbtU1 â Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 9 2016 Thereâs never been anyone more abusive to women in politics than Bill Clinton.My words were unfortunate-the Clintonsâ actions were far worse â Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 10 2016 Itâs worth noting that this was a dramatic shift from how Trump spoke about the allegations against Clinton during the late 1990s.
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[ "What Trump has said about assault allegations against Franken Moore Clinton — and himself\nHours after Sen.", "Al Franken (D-Minn.", ") acknowledged his inappropriate behavior toward radio host Leeann Tweeden President Trump added his thoughts.", "The Al Frankenstien picture is really bad speaks a thousand words.", "Where do his hands go in pictures 2 3 4 5 & 6 while she sleeps?", "â¦..", "â Donald J.", "Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 17 2017.", "And to think that just last week he was lecturing anyone who would listen about sexual harassment and respect for women.", "Lesley Stahl tape?", "â Donald J.", "Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 17 2017\n Trump though has been quiet about the allegations against Moore.", "Through his press secretary the president has said that the allegations against Moore are âtroublingâ and that if proven to be true he should leave the Senate race.", "Asked on Thursday how the allegations might be proven to be true White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said that it âshould be determined possibly by a court of lawâ â which of course wonât happen by next monthâs election.", "She left the final judgment to âthe people of Alabama.", ".", ".", "not the president whether they want Roy Moore to support them in the Senate.", "â\n Trump offered no tweets about Moore after the allegations emerged.", "Before The Post revealed the first of the stories involving Moore Trump tweeted his congratulations to the candidate saying that he âsounds like a really great guy.", "â\n100% fabricated and made-up charges pushed strongly by the media and the Clinton Campaign may poison the minds of the American Voter.", "FIX!", "â Donald J.", "Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 15 2016\n Nothing ever happened with any of these women.", "Totally made up nonsense to steal the election.", "Nobody has more respect for women than me!", "â Donald J.", "Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 15 2016\n The failing @nytimes reporters don't even call us anymore they just write whatever they want to write making up sources along the way!", "â Donald J.", "Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 15 2016\n New polls are good because the media has deceived the public by putting women front and center with made-up stories and lies and got caught â Donald J.", "Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 17 2016\nCan't believe these totally phoney stories 100% made up by women (many already proven false) and pushed big time by press have impact!", "â Donald J.", "Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 17 2016\n All of those comments were before Election Day last year.", "As we noted last month television news coverage moved on from the allegations against Trump to the WikiLeaks documents and the letter from FBI Director James B.", "Comey.", "The White House has addressed the allegations since Trump was inaugurated.", "At a news conference last month Trump again dismissed the charges out-of-hand.", "There were other allegations that Trump preferred to talk about during 2016: those against Bill Clinton.", "In the wake of the release of the âAccess Hollywoodâ tape in which Trump described groping women without their consent Trump and his campaign began to focus on Clintonâs behavior.", "Before the second presidential debate Trump invited three women who said theyâd been assaulted by Clinton or had a relationship with him to join him for a news conference.", "Exclusive VideoâBroaddrick Willey Jones to Bill's Defenders: âThese Are Crimes â âTerrifiedâ of âEnablerâ Hillary https://t.", "co/DMfLsIbtU1 â Donald J.", "Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 9 2016\nThereâs never been anyone more abusive to women in politics than Bill Clinton.", "My words were unfortunate-the Clintonsâ actions were far worse â Donald J.", "Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 10 2016\n Itâs worth noting that this was a dramatic shift from how Trump spoke about the allegations against Clinton during the late 1990s." ]
As my title states, Legend of Dragoon can only be described as "muddled". This game has several failings that cannot be ignored, but if you give it a chance, you may still garner some enjoyment out of this average RPG. On to the review! Graphics (8/10): Not the greatest, but not too irritating. This, of course, is a matter of opinion, but the graphics did not seem too bothersome at all. Music (6/10): Well, the music ranges from not so good to decent. There's really nothing about the music that would make me want to buy the soundtrack. The songs are all rather bland and unmemorable, while not being terrible enough to make your ears bleed or anything. The voice-acting, which is limited, is kind of laughable. Overall, the bland music and not-so-good voice acting brings down the score in this section. Characters (5/10): The characters really aren't well-developed. They either have stereotypical personalities or are just plain uninteresting. Sometimes their actions were not convincing at all. For example, one person is traveling with the party to find his daughter who ran away. He then goes on and on about not knowing why she left when you clearly find out in a flashback that he criticized her and slapped her for something she wasn't really at fault for. Hmmm...I wonder why she ran away? And then, after hearing this story, the rest of the party sides with him and does not point out the obvious reason she ran away. Another example of awkward character development is the romance between Dart and Shana. Yes, she's naive and soft-spoken and he's the big hero and they fall in love. Yes, we've all seen this before. That's not even my complaint. The romance between them was badly handled by the game developers. It seems as though Shana is the only one in love with Dart; he sees her more as a little sister. This creates some awkward moments between them. I think the main romantic scene of the game is very awkward. Instead of Dart and Shana voluntarily getting together, the rest of the party members sort of connive to force them together at a party. Then, out on a balcony, every time the scene between them becomes serious and they are about to kiss, some random NPC shows up and ruins the moment. I find this odd attempt at humor to be ill-placed and intrusive. I never really got the impression that Dart and Shana loved each other, instead I felt that the rest of the party loved the idea of getting them together. Rose is the only character who seems interesting and has some back story. Overall, the game is riddled with character interactions like those above, this really makes it difficult to care about these characters (other than Rose!). Story (5/10): Once again, "stereotypical" is the word of the day. Guess who's father may be a villian? No really, guess! Seriously, the rest of the story feels like one disjointed event after another. I never felt a sense of continuity with the story, and the final villian seems to come from nowhere. I never saw it coming, IN A BAD WAY! I mean, the game really could have used some foreshadowing or building up for the final villian. All that aside, the game's story does have some high points, the "mythological" feel of the game is interesting, and although I can't remember for the life of me what all actually happened during the story, I had fun while playing through it. Battle System (7/10): Well, it's turn based. Not much to say there. My only real complaint was with the Additions. While I mostly liked the originality of this element, it was somewhat irritating at times. The goal is to hit the X button at just the right time to execute your attack. If you miss even one in the string, your attack does pitiful damage. As it can be quite difficult to get all of them in a longer string, I was often forced to use weaker Additions instead of the stronger, (and longer) ones. Aside from that aspect, the Dragoon system was fun. I only wish there were some way to revert out of Dragoon mode, and also to cast magic outside of Dragoon mode. Despite my complaints, I found most of the battle system to be not too annoying. Gameplay (6/10): Wow. There's alot of backtracking. This can get tedious; I think I went through some place three times. Another issue I have with gameplay is that in disc 2, the game forces you to insert disc 1 again to get into some of the towns. What nonsense is this?! I don't think I've ever played another RPG that had this problem. This is what lowers the score most for this section. Other than the things listed above, I don't have any other issues with gameplay. Overall (6/10): NOTE this score is not an average, it's my subjective overall score. While Legend of Dragoon does not measure up to so many other RPGs out there, oddly I still enjoyed it. This is certainly not the worst RPG out there, it's just not the best either. Since it's so inexpensive now (at the time of writing this; July 2008), it wouldn't hurt to pick this game up and give it a chance. You may at least get some amusement out of laughing at the bad dialogue.
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[ "As my title states, Legend of Dragoon can only be described as \"muddled\".", "This game has several failings that cannot be ignored, but if you give it a chance, you may still garner some enjoyment out of this average RPG.", "On to the review!", "Graphics (8/10): Not the greatest, but not too irritating.", "This, of course, is a matter of opinion, but the graphics did not seem too bothersome at all.", "Music (6/10): Well, the music ranges from not so good to decent.", "There's really nothing about the music that would make me want to buy the soundtrack.", "The songs are all rather bland and unmemorable, while not being terrible enough to make your ears bleed or anything.", "The voice-acting, which is limited, is kind of laughable.", "Overall, the bland music and not-so-good voice acting brings down the score in this section.", "Characters (5/10): The characters really aren't well-developed.", "They either have stereotypical personalities or are just plain uninteresting.", "Sometimes their actions were not convincing at all.", "For example, one person is traveling with the party to find his daughter who ran away.", "He then goes on and on about not knowing why she left when you clearly find out in a flashback that he criticized her and slapped her for something she wasn't really at fault for.", "Hmmm...", "I wonder why she ran away?", "And then, after hearing this story, the rest of the party sides with him and does not point out the obvious reason she ran away.", "Another example of awkward character development is the romance between Dart and Shana.", "Yes, she's naive and soft-spoken and he's the big hero and they fall in love.", "Yes, we've all seen this before.", "That's not even my complaint.", "The romance between them was badly handled by the game developers.", "It seems as though Shana is the only one in love with Dart; he sees her more as a little sister.", "This creates some awkward moments between them.", "I think the main romantic scene of the game is very awkward.", "Instead of Dart and Shana voluntarily getting together, the rest of the party members sort of connive to force them together at a party.", "Then, out on a balcony, every time the scene between them becomes serious and they are about to kiss, some random NPC shows up and ruins the moment.", "I find this odd attempt at humor to be ill-placed and intrusive.", "I never really got the impression that Dart and Shana loved each other, instead I felt that the rest of the party loved the idea of getting them together.", "Rose is the only character who seems interesting and has some back story.", "Overall, the game is riddled with character interactions like those above, this really makes it difficult to care about these characters (other than Rose!", ").", "Story (5/10): Once again, \"stereotypical\" is the word of the day.", "Guess who's father may be a villian?", "No really, guess!", "Seriously, the rest of the story feels like one disjointed event after another.", "I never felt a sense of continuity with the story, and the final villian seems to come from nowhere.", "I never saw it coming, IN A BAD WAY!", "I mean, the game really could have used some foreshadowing or building up for the final villian.", "All that aside, the game's story does have some high points, the \"mythological\" feel of the game is interesting, and although I can't remember for the life of me what all actually happened during the story, I had fun while playing through it.", "Battle System (7/10): Well, it's turn based.", "Not much to say there.", "My only real complaint was with the Additions.", "While I mostly liked the originality of this element, it was somewhat irritating at times.", "The goal is to hit the X button at just the right time to execute your attack.", "If you miss even one in the string, your attack does pitiful damage.", "As it can be quite difficult to get all of them in a longer string, I was often forced to use weaker Additions instead of the stronger, (and longer) ones.", "Aside from that aspect, the Dragoon system was fun.", "I only wish there were some way to revert out of Dragoon mode, and also to cast magic outside of Dragoon mode.", "Despite my complaints, I found most of the battle system to be not too annoying.", "Gameplay (6/10): Wow.", "There's alot of backtracking.", "This can get tedious; I think I went through some place three times.", "Another issue I have with gameplay is that in disc 2, the game forces you to insert disc 1 again to get into some of the towns.", "What nonsense is this?!", "I don't think I've ever played another RPG that had this problem.", "This is what lowers the score most for this section.", "Other than the things listed above, I don't have any other issues with gameplay.", "Overall (6/10): NOTE this score is not an average, it's my subjective overall score.", "While Legend of Dragoon does not measure up to so many other RPGs out there, oddly I still enjoyed it.", "This is certainly not the worst RPG out there, it's just not the best either.", "Since it's so inexpensive now (at the time of writing this; July 2008), it wouldn't hurt to pick this game up and give it a chance.", "You may at least get some amusement out of laughing at the bad dialogue." ]
Just like the first book it has a great concept, it just didn't deliver. It was an easy read. I read the book in a couple of hours. The dialog was choppy and formal again. It has huge editing mistakes. It is a bit hard to follow the dialog because of all the misplaced quotation marks. I like the character plots and building, it just needs more. I do want to know what happenes to Keira, Cooper, Amanda, and Percy. This book was better than the last. Hopefuly the next one won't fall short.
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[ "Just like the first book it has a great concept, it just didn't deliver.", "It was an easy read.", "I read the book in a couple of hours.", "The dialog was choppy and formal again.", "It has huge editing mistakes.", "It is a bit hard to follow the dialog because of all the misplaced quotation marks.", "I like the character plots and building, it just needs more.", "I do want to know what happenes to Keira, Cooper, Amanda, and Percy.", "This book was better than the last.", "Hopefuly the next one won't fall short." ]
I really loved this game until two things happened. One was when my (young) kids were playing and I was reading one of the comics that you can "win" to them and the punchline was a fart joke. The comic didn't even make much sense - they were banking on the inherent "humor" in the word. It's disappointing as a lot of the humor in the game is fun and funny for both kids *and* adults. Still, it isn't a big deal and I would let it slide as an aberration if it didn't show up again (maybe it doesn't - I don't know). Then the second thing happened, which was that I watched my kids play the 2nd boss and this monkey opponent is depicted as a huge, wobbly sumo wrestler with a massive outie belly button. He's clearly intended to be grotesque, and that to be "funny". He also happens to be depicted as flamboyantly homosexual, with a high pitched voice, ballerina moves and even sporting stars on his nipples. Now, don't take this comment wrong - I have no problem with homosexual, even flamboyantly gay characters in a game, in fact there should be more of them. What I have a problem with is the negative depiction of such a character for supposed "comic" effect, especially in a game so otherwise appealing for kids. Sure, have funny gay monkeys, perhaps dressed as Zorro. That would be great. It's a matter of how this character is depicted, and why it is suppose to be funny. It seems wholly out of place compared to fun stuff such as monkeys dressed as disco dancers and bull fighters, monkeys attempting to hide behind a leaf they are holding, etc. There's a lot of really fun and playful humor in the game, and then there is this idiotic stuff. Why? The game itself - it is fun, no doubt about it, and if you're an adult without kids you will probably enjoy the game and probably wouldn't even give that boss a second thought, but for me it was very disappointing. It colored my experience of the game and my outlook for any other Ape Escape games, knowing the type of humor the developers are going for. I realize that not everyone is going to be as put off by this as much as me, but for those who might be, for those who want there kids to laugh at other, better things instead, this review is here so you can make your own informed decision.
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[ "I really loved this game until two things happened.", "One was when my (young) kids were playing and I was reading one of the comics that you can \"win\" to them and the punchline was a fart joke.", "The comic didn't even make much sense - they were banking on the inherent \"humor\" in the word.", "It's disappointing as a lot of the humor in the game is fun and funny for both kids *and* adults.", "Still, it isn't a big deal and I would let it slide as an aberration if it didn't show up again (maybe it doesn't - I don't know).", "Then the second thing happened, which was that I watched my kids play the 2nd boss and this monkey opponent is depicted as a huge, wobbly sumo wrestler with a massive outie belly button.", "He's clearly intended to be grotesque, and that to be \"funny\".", "He also happens to be depicted as flamboyantly homosexual, with a high pitched voice, ballerina moves and even sporting stars on his nipples.", "Now, don't take this comment wrong - I have no problem with homosexual, even flamboyantly gay characters in a game, in fact there should be more of them.", "What I have a problem with is the negative depiction of such a character for supposed \"comic\" effect, especially in a game so otherwise appealing for kids.", "Sure, have funny gay monkeys, perhaps dressed as Zorro.", "That would be great.", "It's a matter of how this character is depicted, and why it is suppose to be funny.", "It seems wholly out of place compared to fun stuff such as monkeys dressed as disco dancers and bull fighters, monkeys attempting to hide behind a leaf they are holding, etc.", "There's a lot of really fun and playful humor in the game, and then there is this idiotic stuff.", "Why?", "The game itself - it is fun, no doubt about it, and if you're an adult without kids you will probably enjoy the game and probably wouldn't even give that boss a second thought, but for me it was very disappointing.", "It colored my experience of the game and my outlook for any other Ape Escape games, knowing the type of humor the developers are going for.", "I realize that not everyone is going to be as put off by this as much as me, but for those who might be, for those who want there kids to laugh at other, better things instead, this review is here so you can make your own informed decision." ]
I had been waiting for this game to come to PC for a long time. I really enjoyed the developer's other PC game, "Black & White," and if anyone on here liked Fable, then they should try "Black & White" as well. I wasn't sure what to expect with this RPG. The graphics turned out to be very nice. The hair on the characters was done very well - you can see many fine, individual strands of hair on the NPCs. Also, the game world itself is very lush. The game reminded me of the Zelda games for Nintendo Console, however with its own uniqueness. For one, Link in the Zelda games, could never choose an evil path. Another great thing about this game was the boasting option before going into a quest. This allowed you to do fun things like complete a battle while in your underwear for more gold, kind of a wager. I also liked being able to try and impress the ladies in the towns. With all that being said, the game however did not impress me too much overall. Flirting with the local lasses was too easy. Also, when my character's scariness increased, all the female NPCs would cringe in fear. What about the dames who like the bad boys, where are they? Basically, the NPCs were too simplistic. Overall, the game was fun and interesting. However, I don't think it was all the hype made it out to be. I've played lots of RPGs, and right now, I would say Everquest II is still the best, however it is an MMORPG so it is another league altogether. Fable was not much better than "Morrowind" to me when it comes to AI. Like I said the AI of the NPCs was still too simplistic. I would give this game 75%, and if I could give more than 3 stars, it would be 3 1/2. I would probably give it a better percentage, if the game itself didn't cost so much. I can't totally slam this game though because it does have merits.
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[ "I had been waiting for this game to come to PC for a long time.", "I really enjoyed the developer's other PC game, \"Black & White,\" and if anyone on here liked Fable, then they should try \"Black & White\" as well.", "I wasn't sure what to expect with this RPG.", "The graphics turned out to be very nice.", "The hair on the characters was done very well - you can see many fine, individual strands of hair on the NPCs.", "Also, the game world itself is very lush.", "The game reminded me of the Zelda games for Nintendo Console, however with its own uniqueness.", "For one, Link in the Zelda games, could never choose an evil path.", "Another great thing about this game was the boasting option before going into a quest.", "This allowed you to do fun things like complete a battle while in your underwear for more gold, kind of a wager.", "I also liked being able to try and impress the ladies in the towns.", "With all that being said, the game however did not impress me too much overall.", "Flirting with the local lasses was too easy.", "Also, when my character's scariness increased, all the female NPCs would cringe in fear.", "What about the dames who like the bad boys, where are they?", "Basically, the NPCs were too simplistic.", "Overall, the game was fun and interesting.", "However, I don't think it was all the hype made it out to be.", "I've played lots of RPGs, and right now, I would say Everquest II is still the best, however it is an MMORPG so it is another league altogether.", "Fable was not much better than \"Morrowind\" to me when it comes to AI.", "Like I said the AI of the NPCs was still too simplistic.", "I would give this game 75%, and if I could give more than 3 stars, it would be 3 1/2.", "I would probably give it a better percentage, if the game itself didn't cost so much.", "I can't totally slam this game though because it does have merits." ]
I have minimal expertise in this area, so keep this in mind as you read my point of view. However, I know good and bad product concepts and customer relations. I bought and returned this as it leaked air from the head. It happens. That is not a reason to not buy this. But, no case after many have complained... It has been out for a couple of years.(read reviews) shame on you, PC. A $10 plastic case. Please , how cheap and stupid, PC. The problem is; if you are a framer you may want the light weight, but if you are a home user it may be better to go with the 350 regular. I did after returning the MAG 350. It is not that much more weight, a pound at most. A few reasons. 1)It is $40 less 2) comes with a case 3) Has the dial on the trigger to change from bump fire to sequential (which is good for the less experienced/home user...we be dangerous...some at least...) 4) I have the PC brad and finish guns and called PC almost 2 months ago to get the free trigger to allow bump/continuous nailing...backordered. I may never use the seqential, however, I would like to have this. Why not include this in the box, or, at least have it as a dial on the trigger. 5) It can take a 2" - 3 1/2 nail, the Mag takes a 2 3/8 min -3 /1/2. Better yet, buy a DeWalt D51844 Full Round Head Framing Nailer, Magnesium, 7 .5 lbs. for around the same $ , 20 less actually (239- here, at amazon ..the best place to buy tools or anything for that matter ) if you want a lighter tool. I believe it comes with the extra trigger to change from bump to seqential, not a dial, though. But, I do not think it has a case. So, another bunch of clowns. Oh, well. Is it as good? I would not know. I do know that PC is a less than good company to buy from. So, because PC was not and is not responsive I did not hesitate to order a Bosh Router from Amazon last week. Maybe , I hope, Bosch is more customer responsive. I just bought the Bosch 4000 table saw also, and it is nice.
1
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[ "I have minimal expertise in this area, so keep this in mind as you read my point of view.", "However, I know good and bad product concepts and customer relations.", "I bought and returned this as it leaked air from the head.", "It happens.", "That is not a reason to not buy this.", "But, no case after many have complained...", "It has been out for a couple of years.", "(read reviews) shame on you, PC.", "A $10 plastic case.", "Please , how cheap and stupid, PC.", "The problem is; if you are a framer you may want the light weight, but if you are a home user it may be better to go with the 350 regular.", "I did after returning the MAG 350.", "It is not that much more weight, a pound at most.", "A few reasons.", "1)It is $40 less 2) comes with a case 3) Has the dial on the trigger to change from bump fire to sequential (which is good for the less experienced/home user...", "we be dangerous...", "some at least...", ") 4) I have the PC brad and finish guns and called PC almost 2 months ago to get the free trigger to allow bump/continuous nailing...", "backordered.", "I may never use the seqential, however, I would like to have this.", "Why not include this in the box, or, at least have it as a dial on the trigger.", "5) It can take a 2\" - 3 1/2 nail, the Mag takes a 2 3/8 min -3 /1/2.", "Better yet, buy a DeWalt D51844 Full Round Head Framing Nailer, Magnesium, 7.", "5 lbs.", "for around the same $ , 20 less actually (239- here, at amazon..", "the best place to buy tools or anything for that matter ) if you want a lighter tool.", "I believe it comes with the extra trigger to change from bump to seqential, not a dial, though.", "But, I do not think it has a case.", "So, another bunch of clowns.", "Oh, well.", "Is it as good?", "I would not know.", "I do know that PC is a less than good company to buy from.", "So, because PC was not and is not responsive I did not hesitate to order a Bosh Router from Amazon last week.", "Maybe , I hope, Bosch is more customer responsive.", "I just bought the Bosch 4000 table saw also, and it is nice." ]
Ok... I'm so pissed off for this game that i don't even know how to start. at first i though this game would be pretty awesome since it was a FINAL FANTASY game, but i was wrong, that is why there is saying that goes: "dont judge a book by it cover" when i saw the trailer and i saw the the main character was a girl, not any kind of girl, a hot girl who knows how to fight. i was excited and ready to buy it. when it was released the retail price was [...] was too much for my pocket, also I buy God of war 3 since i love Gow, so there was not enough money to buy this FF, so i prefer to wait the game to drop to 50 or 40 to buy it, but then a friend got it first for xbox 360 and he lend it to me because he could only play on weekends, since i got a 360 i played it. damn. great mistakes of my friends and almost mine. I ask myself, Am I playing a rpg or a crap-nosense-idiot-absurd game ? don't get me wrong the graphics is outstanding is beautiful , the girls are hot and everything , but the gameplay... is was not even close to FF VIII or X, there is no dungeon, no city no nothing only a straight path, no returning back, it was too linear. was the point of a rpg if there is no city no turning back, no exploring ah... i remember the map is all shown so you don't have to explore anything... so wth ? Im grateful that I did not buy it, and shame for my friend and the funny part is that he love it ! -.- i play like half an hour and i was tired. i get tired at the first ten minutes but i thought it could get better but heck i was wrong nothing good happen, wasted 1 hour and 20 minutes of my life. all i can say don't buy this, better buy God of War 3 , Metal Gear solid 4, uncharted 2 games like that, those are my top favorite ps3 games. sorry lighting not even your hotness can save you. there was a day FF xiii drop to 37 not even like that it make me buy it, worst final fantasy in the series. disgrace to my yuna and rinhoa ( i think is like that , the girl from ff viii) ...
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[ "Ok...", "I'm so pissed off for this game that i don't even know how to start.", "at first i though this game would be pretty awesome since it was a FINAL FANTASY game, but i was wrong, that is why there is saying that goes: \"dont judge a book by it cover\" when i saw the trailer and i saw the the main character was a girl, not any kind of girl, a hot girl who knows how to fight.", "i was excited and ready to buy it.", "when it was released the retail price was [...", "] was too much for my pocket, also I buy God of war 3 since i love Gow, so there was not enough money to buy this FF, so i prefer to wait the game to drop to 50 or 40 to buy it, but then a friend got it first for xbox 360 and he lend it to me because he could only play on weekends, since i got a 360 i played it.", "damn.", "great mistakes of my friends and almost mine.", "I ask myself, Am I playing a rpg or a crap-nosense-idiot-absurd game?", "don't get me wrong the graphics is outstanding is beautiful , the girls are hot and everything , but the gameplay...", "is was not even close to FF VIII or X, there is no dungeon, no city no nothing only a straight path, no returning back, it was too linear.", "was the point of a rpg if there is no city no turning back, no exploring ah...", "i remember the map is all shown so you don't have to explore anything...", "so wth?", "Im grateful that I did not buy it, and shame for my friend and the funny part is that he love it!", "-.", "- i play like half an hour and i was tired.", "i get tired at the first ten minutes but i thought it could get better but heck i was wrong nothing good happen, wasted 1 hour and 20 minutes of my life.", "all i can say don't buy this, better buy God of War 3 , Metal Gear solid 4, uncharted 2 games like that, those are my top favorite ps3 games.", "sorry lighting not even your hotness can save you.", "there was a day FF xiii drop to 37 not even like that it make me buy it, worst final fantasy in the series.", "disgrace to my yuna and rinhoa ( i think is like that , the girl from ff viii)..." ]
Alright, so when I first bought this my Gameboy SP had no working L & R. After talking to the customer support they sent me a new SP. The support team was very helpful, and more than happy to help out. I received my new SP and EVERYTHING worked, it was a limited edition SP as well, and I was extremely happy with it. However, after about 2-3 days the SP died on me. A few months past, and I decided to open her up, a piece fell out, which turns out to be the back piece screw holder. I simply took that out, and WALAH! The SP now works again. I no longer have a back covering the battery. So, I now have a working SP, and happy with it but, through all the troubles I had with the Gameboy SP's I'm only going to give them a 3 star. TL;DR Pro's: Customer Service is Helpful With some work SP's worked Cons: Had problems with both SP's and still do. 2/2 failed SP's in some way shape or form.
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[ "Alright, so when I first bought this my Gameboy SP had no working L & R.", "After talking to the customer support they sent me a new SP.", "The support team was very helpful, and more than happy to help out.", "I received my new SP and EVERYTHING worked, it was a limited edition SP as well, and I was extremely happy with it.", "However, after about 2-3 days the SP died on me.", "A few months past, and I decided to open her up, a piece fell out, which turns out to be the back piece screw holder.", "I simply took that out, and WALAH!", "The SP now works again.", "I no longer have a back covering the battery.", "So, I now have a working SP, and happy with it but, through all the troubles I had with the Gameboy SP's I'm only going to give them a 3 star.", "TL;DR\n\nPro's:\nCustomer Service is Helpful\nWith some work SP's worked\n\nCons:\nHad problems with both SP's and still do.", "2/2 failed SP's in some way shape or form." ]
Having played this game for at least 30 hours, I feel like I can give you guys an honest review of the game. My overall impression is that, while extremely addicting and deep, there are some major flaws that greatly inhibit the flow and overall fun you could have playing this game. PROS: 1) The open world. Yes, every GTA game has open-ended gameplay, but the sheer size of Liberty City is overwhelming (in a good way). Granted, you can only enter certain buildings, but the sheer size of the city and things you can do you throughout it is mind-blowing. You can go on dates, go out with your friends, go bowling, strip club, drinking, eating, the list goes on and on. The attention to detail really makes a big difference. For example, if I go on a date with Michelle and I pick her up with my motorcycle and i am wearing sunglasses, she will say "nice bike", and "I like those glasses on you." Next time you go on a date with Michelle, if you pick her up in a car, without glasses, she will say something like: "hey, where's your bike?" and, "i miss those glasses, they looked good on you." I mean, cmon, that attention to detail is so cool. Also, I think the developers knew that you would be repeating missions several times before you beat them. So when you repeat a mission, most of the time completely different dialogue takes place with whoever you are doing the mission with. Very, very cool! 2)Graphics. I think the voice acting and cut-scenes were done very well. Could they be better? Sure. But,I think they are just fine for my taste. I'd rather have a huge map to explore and sacrifice some graphic detail then the other way around. The game definitely looks next-gen. 3)The Storyline. Keeps you engaged and you find yourself trying to beat "just one more mission" before you go to bed at night. I think the dialogue can get a little corny in spots, but overall I found myself not skipping any cut scenes and actually enjoying them overall. They enhance the story and give you some structure to an otherwise open-ended game. 4)Cover System. Now, I know other games have done it better, mainly unchartered and gears of war, but, just the implementation of a cover system has greatly enhanced the gameplay in my opinion. You can come up with a strategy on how to handle each mission and pick your way through enemies by duck and cover. Very cool. CONS 1)Driving. Awful. My best friend keeps telling me I have to "Get used to it", but this, in my opinion, is the biggest flaw with the game. Considering how much time is actually spent driving in the game, you would think they would spend a little more time testing it. I find myself losing control of my car all the time. It becomes VERY, VERY frustrating. Especially during a mission where you either racing, trying to catch up with an enemy, and/or trying to lose your wanted level. I've come close to throwing my controller against the wall. Major flaw that makes the game very tedious in certain spots. 2) Lack of checkpoints during missions. I mean, c'mon, I have to drive halfway across this huge map to pick someone up, then drive all the way back to complete the actual mission. Then, the cops are after me and I'm almost at my last destination and my car explodes? Most of the missions are very long and require A LOT of driving. You almost have to put a checkpoint in here or there, but there aren't any. Don't understand why they aren't there. This annoys me. 3) Side missions/dating. Don't really see the point in doing alot of these activities. Yes, if you hang out with someone enough you unlock their special skill, but in terms of dating women, it's really pointless. Don't get me wrong, it's very cool that you have a lot of options, but if they don't really help you, why do them? 4)Soundtrack. Awful. Worse than any other GTA game out there. Can't find one song I like. I'm a musician, so normally I would say that everyone has different tastes. But from reading other reviews on here, I can say that I'm not the only one that feels the soundtrack is lacking. Also, they should give you the ability to create your own soundtrack. They should have utilized the full capabilities of the PS3. They could have done a lot more. Overall, GTA IV is a must buy for PS3 owners. You will have loads of fun, minutes will slip into hours, and you will have rewarding experiences throughout the game. However, it is far from perfect and does suffer from some major flaws listed above. I recommend this item for sure, but be forewarned that you will get frustrated.
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[ "Having played this game for at least 30 hours, I feel like I can give you guys an honest review of the game.", "My overall impression is that, while extremely addicting and deep, there are some major flaws that greatly inhibit the flow and overall fun you could have playing this game.", "PROS:\n1) The open world.", "Yes, every GTA game has open-ended gameplay, but the sheer size of Liberty City is overwhelming (in a good way).", "Granted, you can only enter certain buildings, but the sheer size of the city and things you can do you throughout it is mind-blowing.", "You can go on dates, go out with your friends, go bowling, strip club, drinking, eating, the list goes on and on.", "The attention to detail really makes a big difference.", "For example, if I go on a date with Michelle and I pick her up with my motorcycle and i am wearing sunglasses, she will say \"nice bike\", and \"I like those glasses on you.", "\" Next time you go on a date with Michelle, if you pick her up in a car, without glasses, she will say something like: \"hey, where's your bike?", "\" and, \"i miss those glasses, they looked good on you.", "\" I mean, cmon, that attention to detail is so cool.", "Also, I think the developers knew that you would be repeating missions several times before you beat them.", "So when you repeat a mission, most of the time completely different dialogue takes place with whoever you are doing the mission with.", "Very, very cool!", "2)Graphics.", "I think the voice acting and cut-scenes were done very well.", "Could they be better?", "Sure.", "But,I think they are just fine for my taste.", "I'd rather have a huge map to explore and sacrifice some graphic detail then the other way around.", "The game definitely looks next-gen.", "3)The Storyline.", "Keeps you engaged and you find yourself trying to beat \"just one more mission\" before you go to bed at night.", "I think the dialogue can get a little corny in spots, but overall I found myself not skipping any cut scenes and actually enjoying them overall.", "They enhance the story and give you some structure to an otherwise open-ended game.", "4)Cover System.", "Now, I know other games have done it better, mainly unchartered and gears of war, but, just the implementation of a cover system has greatly enhanced the gameplay in my opinion.", "You can come up with a strategy on how to handle each mission and pick your way through enemies by duck and cover.", "Very cool.", "CONS\n\n1)Driving.", "Awful.", "My best friend keeps telling me I have to \"Get used to it\", but this, in my opinion, is the biggest flaw with the game.", "Considering how much time is actually spent driving in the game, you would think they would spend a little more time testing it.", "I find myself losing control of my car all the time.", "It becomes VERY, VERY frustrating.", "Especially during a mission where you either racing, trying to catch up with an enemy, and/or trying to lose your wanted level.", "I've come close to throwing my controller against the wall.", "Major flaw that makes the game very tedious in certain spots.", "2) Lack of checkpoints during missions.", "I mean, c'mon, I have to drive halfway across this huge map to pick someone up, then drive all the way back to complete the actual mission.", "Then, the cops are after me and I'm almost at my last destination and my car explodes?", "Most of the missions are very long and require A LOT of driving.", "You almost have to put a checkpoint in here or there, but there aren't any.", "Don't understand why they aren't there.", "This annoys me.", "3) Side missions/dating.", "Don't really see the point in doing alot of these activities.", "Yes, if you hang out with someone enough you unlock their special skill, but in terms of dating women, it's really pointless.", "Don't get me wrong, it's very cool that you have a lot of options, but if they don't really help you, why do them?", "4)Soundtrack.", "Awful.", "Worse than any other GTA game out there.", "Can't find one song I like.", "I'm a musician, so normally I would say that everyone has different tastes.", "But from reading other reviews on here, I can say that I'm not the only one that feels the soundtrack is lacking.", "Also, they should give you the ability to create your own soundtrack.", "They should have utilized the full capabilities of the PS3.", "They could have done a lot more.", "Overall, GTA IV is a must buy for PS3 owners.", "You will have loads of fun, minutes will slip into hours, and you will have rewarding experiences throughout the game.", "However, it is far from perfect and does suffer from some major flaws listed above.", "I recommend this item for sure, but be forewarned that you will get frustrated." ]
(update) CAREFUL IF ORDERING--- I THINK AMAZON SENT WRONG PRODUCT, WHICH SEEMS TO BE Portable 37 Keys Roll Up Piano Keyboard. AMAZON CUSTOMER SERVICE MADE GOOD ON MISTAKE. Reveiew of that item also indicte the problem of the adapter. SO IF YOU GET THE CORRECT PRODUCT SHOWN, MAYBE IT WILL HAVE IT. --- Haven't tried it yet, but no AC ADAPTER is included. Just the 'JACK' which indicates "DC6V". AC adapter needs to be purchased separately and adds to overall cost. Instructions state 4-AA batteries are reqd. Listed features on outside of box state 3-AAA are reqd. The winner? Curtain#1, which is 4-AA batteries. I honestly don't imagine this is a `mobile' item for us, (wouldn't want to show up the pianist at our favorite restaurant), so a power cord for home use might serve best. --- The packaging image of the "roll-a- piano" is not at all what was received, although actual item is indeed rubber and certainly rolls up to dimensions of approx 5"x5"x2". (An idea for an ideal product would be keys that light up for teaching, along with simple lesson electronics) --- Instruction booklet need major overhaul and is not written in well English very good. It also says the battery compartment has a screw, but it does not. So if you're worried about small children, know that the compartment does NOT have hardware. (funny how it warns not to use sharp objects on the keys as it could cause `..fatal..' damage, but I'm quite sure it means permanent product failure and not risk to human life.) --- Does using something with only 37 keys, ruin someone from ultimately learning properly on a standard piano, or is it a good start ?.?.
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[ "(update) CAREFUL IF ORDERING--- I THINK AMAZON SENT WRONG PRODUCT, WHICH SEEMS TO BE Portable 37 Keys Roll Up Piano Keyboard.", "AMAZON CUSTOMER SERVICE MADE GOOD ON MISTAKE.", "Reveiew of that item also indicte the problem of the adapter.", "SO IF YOU GET THE CORRECT PRODUCT SHOWN, MAYBE IT WILL HAVE IT.", "--- Haven't tried it yet, but no AC ADAPTER is included.", "Just the 'JACK' which indicates \"DC6V\".", "AC adapter needs to be purchased separately and adds to overall cost.", "Instructions state 4-AA batteries are reqd.", "Listed features on outside of box state 3-AAA are reqd.", "The winner?", "Curtain#1, which is 4-AA batteries.", "I honestly don't imagine this is a `mobile' item for us, (wouldn't want to show up the pianist at our favorite restaurant), so a power cord for home use might serve best.", "--- The packaging image of the \"roll-a- piano\" is not at all what was received, although actual item is indeed rubber and certainly rolls up to dimensions of approx 5\"x5\"x2\".", "(An idea for an ideal product would be keys that light up for teaching, along with simple lesson electronics)\n--- Instruction booklet need major overhaul and is not written in well English very good.", "It also says the battery compartment has a screw, but it does not.", "So if you're worried about small children, know that the compartment does NOT have hardware.", "(funny how it warns not to use sharp objects on the keys as it could cause `..", "fatal..", "' damage, but I'm quite sure it means permanent product failure and not risk to human life.", ")\n--- Does using something with only 37 keys, ruin someone from ultimately learning properly on a standard piano, or is it a good start?.", "?." ]
Apparently the Tripp Lite ISOBAR4ULTRA will maintain power to your device after its surge protection is no longer working. That is why I gave it 3 stars. I called Tripp Lite, rep told me that is for devices such as a refrigerator, server etc. that you would want to keep functioning even without surge protection. Makes sense if you are protecting a refrigerator, AND know when a surge has occurred AND can remember to check the Tripp Lite to see if the 1st LED is still green. However, if the surge protection works once, but is zapped by a surge, then your equipment is left vulnerable. What you want is a surge protector that will not allow power through once the surge protection has been disabled. Need to keep an eye on the 1st LED labeled Protection Present... If it is not green, need to replace it. read this, from Michael Horowitz, respected tech journalist. http://blogs.computerworld.com/19714/after_a_surge_protector_fails "See for yourself, here is a PDF of the Owners Manual for the Tripp Lite Isobar4. See that box near the top, just above the Installation section . It says "All models feature an internal protection that will disconnect the surge-protective component at the end of its useful life but will maintain power to the load - now unprotected." Translation: when the thing dies, your stuff is not protected." read this follow up http://blogs.computerworld.com/19714/after_a_surge_protector_fails "In a recent blog here I described the somewhat pricey Tripp Lite ISOBAR4ULTRA whose documentation says that it provides unprotected power after a failure, and, the relatively cheap APC NET8 that promises not to provide power that it can't protect. In a comment on that blog, someone claiming to work for Tripp Lite disputed their own documentation and basically said that APC was lying in theirs. But, of course, you can't trust anonymous comments, so I contacted each company for an official comment. APC responded, Tripp Lite did not." This is not an issue if you keep an eye on the first LED, and can count on that to indicate if the surge suppression is burned out etc. However, I will get a APC surge suppressor for places where it is not practical to remember to keep an eye on the LED. The APC P11VNT3 11-Outlet 3020J Surge Protector may suffer from the same problem as the Tripp Lite - allows power through after the surge protection has been rendered useless.<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/APC-11-Outlet-3020J-Surge-Protector/dp/B0012YFXSW/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">APC 11-Outlet 3020J Surge Protector</a>&nbsp;Will call APC to find out why the Amazon $27 price of the seemingly better P11VNT3 is about the same price as Net-8. edit 6-5-13 I called APC. The two reps I spoke to could not provide me with anymore information than what was on their website. They kept reading the same info I could see. I told them that I could see that info myself - wanted more specific technical info - which they could not provide. Very frustrating.
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[ "Apparently the Tripp Lite ISOBAR4ULTRA will maintain power to your device after its surge protection is no longer working.", "That is why I gave it 3 stars.", "I called Tripp Lite, rep told me that is for devices such as a refrigerator, server etc.", "that you would want to keep functioning even without surge protection.", "Makes sense if you are protecting a refrigerator, AND know when a surge has occurred AND can remember to check the Tripp Lite to see if the 1st LED is still green.", "However, if the surge protection works once, but is zapped by a surge, then your equipment is left vulnerable.", "What you want is a surge protector that will not allow power through once the surge protection has been disabled.", "Need to keep an eye on the 1st LED labeled Protection Present...", "If it is not green, need to replace it.", "read this, from Michael Horowitz, respected tech journalist.", "http://blogs.", "computerworld.", "com/19714/after_a_surge_protector_fails\n\n\"See for yourself, here is a PDF of the Owners Manual for the Tripp Lite Isobar4.", "See that box near the top, just above the Installation section.", "It says\n\"All models feature an internal protection that will disconnect the surge-protective component at the end of its useful life but will maintain power to the load - now unprotected.", "\"\nTranslation: when the thing dies, your stuff is not protected.", "\"\n\nread this follow up http://blogs.", "computerworld.", "com/19714/after_a_surge_protector_fails\n\n\"In a recent blog here I described the somewhat pricey Tripp Lite ISOBAR4ULTRA whose documentation says that it provides unprotected power after a failure, and, the relatively cheap APC NET8 that promises not to provide power that it can't protect.", "In a comment on that blog, someone claiming to work for Tripp Lite disputed their own documentation and basically said that APC was lying in theirs.", "But, of course, you can't trust anonymous comments, so I contacted each company for an official comment.", "APC responded, Tripp Lite did not.", "\"\n\nThis is not an issue if you keep an eye on the first LED, and can count on that to indicate if the surge suppression is burned out etc.", "However, I will get a APC surge suppressor for places where it is not practical to remember to keep an eye on the LED.", "The APC P11VNT3 11-Outlet 3020J Surge Protector may suffer from the same problem as the Tripp Lite - allows power through after the surge protection has been rendered useless.", "<a data-hook=\"product-link-linked\" class=\"a-link-normal\" href=\"/APC-11-Outlet-3020J-Surge-Protector/dp/B0012YFXSW/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?", "ie=UTF8\">APC 11-Outlet 3020J Surge Protector</a>&nbsp;Will call APC to find out why the Amazon $27 price of the seemingly better P11VNT3 is about the same price as Net-8.", "edit 6-5-13 I called APC.", "The two reps I spoke to could not provide me with anymore information than what was on their website.", "They kept reading the same info I could see.", "I told them that I could see that info myself - wanted more specific technical info - which they could not provide.", "Very frustrating." ]
This thing is built like a tank. haha It's Tonka-tough. Now I don't have to worry about the girls filling the holding tanks so fast. I can empty them at will. I am a bit concerned about the wheels that come with it and may look for some pneumatic tires to replace them with. I just have a feeling that asphalt will chew the original ones up pretty fast. Edit 6/17/2012 I had an opportunity to attempt to use this last weekend, and I had a major problem. It sits higher than my dump line and doesn't allow gravity flow. I'm not sure how I can use this unless there is a decline next to to RV. I am removing two stars for that.
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[ "This thing is built like a tank.", "haha\n\nIt's Tonka-tough.", "Now I don't have to worry about the girls filling the holding tanks so fast.", "I can empty them at will.", "I am a bit concerned about the wheels that come with it and may look for some pneumatic tires to replace them with.", "I just have a feeling that asphalt will chew the original ones up pretty fast.", "Edit 6/17/2012\n\nI had an opportunity to attempt to use this last weekend, and I had a major problem.", "It sits higher than my dump line and doesn't allow gravity flow.", "I'm not sure how I can use this unless there is a decline next to to RV.", "I am removing two stars for that." ]
I was really wanting this game to be good. But as the delaying progressed and the comments I read in magazines about the control schemes and everything else prepared me for the worst and I'm glad it did because my expectations would've been way too high. So I went into this game thinking it was gonna suck. And it did sometimes but overall I wasn't disappointed. I think that Square Enix just lost track of what they were trying to do. Although you run around and shoot the enemy and it's not turn based it was still always meant to play like an RPG. Hit points, leveling up, buying and upgrading weapons as well as customizing them, magic and materia, it's all here. Don't jump into it thinking it's all like an FPS. I think I'd put it more in the genre of games like Zelda and Kingdom Hearts where there's free roaming combat (Just with guns as your weapons). With this in mind, the concept of the game is pretty good. It seems to me more than anything Square just didn't finish what they started and this game could've been so much better if the developers would've put more into it. Galian beast is your only limit break for most of the game, (the only other one is chaos and you don't get him till the end) and even with Chaos I thought I'd be flying around and blasting everything but much to my disappointment I still was constricted to staying on the ground. You get three basic magics that don't ever change or level up. (What happened to leveling up Materia?!) And for most situations I can just run up and blast everything in my way. No strategy. Even for most bosses. The quick menu for items was annoying since I had to scroll through every item to get to what I wanted and if I passed it accidently there was no way of going back and I'd have to scroll through everything again. The fight music was gay at the end, and I thought chaos looked cooler on the PS1 which is pretty sad. Above all Square should've kept this more like an RPG. The gameplay was extremely linear. I couldn't go back to places I'd visited. I couldn't walk around towns and talk to people or sleep at the inn or walk on a world map. Nothing. I think if Square had included these things the game would've had a lot more depth. However, I thought the story was pretty solid and I found out a lot of good stuff about a character who was and still is, pretty mysterious. The cut-scenes are good and the voice acting's decent. Even Cait Sith couldn't mess it up and that's saying a lot. I loved the graphics. [...]
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[ "I was really wanting this game to be good.", "But as the delaying progressed and the comments I read in magazines about the control schemes and everything else prepared me for the worst and I'm glad it did because my expectations would've been way too high.", "So I went into this game thinking it was gonna suck.", "And it did sometimes but overall I wasn't disappointed.", "I think that Square Enix just lost track of what they were trying to do.", "Although you run around and shoot the enemy and it's not turn based it was still always meant to play like an RPG.", "Hit points, leveling up, buying and upgrading weapons as well as customizing them, magic and materia, it's all here.", "Don't jump into it thinking it's all like an FPS.", "I think I'd put it more in the genre of games like Zelda and Kingdom Hearts where there's free roaming combat (Just with guns as your weapons).", "With this in mind, the concept of the game is pretty good.", "It seems to me more than anything Square just didn't finish what they started and this game could've been so much better if the developers would've put more into it.", "Galian beast is your only limit break for most of the game, (the only other one is chaos and you don't get him till the end) and even with Chaos I thought I'd be flying around and blasting everything but much to my disappointment I still was constricted to staying on the ground.", "You get three basic magics that don't ever change or level up.", "(What happened to leveling up Materia?!", ") And for most situations I can just run up and blast everything in my way.", "No strategy.", "Even for most bosses.", "The quick menu for items was annoying since I had to scroll through every item to get to what I wanted and if I passed it accidently there was no way of going back and I'd have to scroll through everything again.", "The fight music was gay at the end, and I thought chaos looked cooler on the PS1 which is pretty sad.", "Above all Square should've kept this more like an RPG.", "The gameplay was extremely linear.", "I couldn't go back to places I'd visited.", "I couldn't walk around towns and talk to people or sleep at the inn or walk on a world map.", "Nothing.", "I think if Square had included these things the game would've had a lot more depth.", "However, I thought the story was pretty solid and I found out a lot of good stuff about a character who was and still is, pretty mysterious.", "The cut-scenes are good and the voice acting's decent.", "Even Cait Sith couldn't mess it up and that's saying a lot.", "I loved the graphics.", "[...", "]" ]
Bottom line: While its an effective tiller due to the high speed tines, the build quality of Mantis has fallen a notch compared with their older models. Worth considering if an electric tiller is not appropriate for your needs, but the Mantis is not the star it used to be in the mini tiller arena. Full review: I used to borrow a Mantis from a friend for tilling until I broke down a few years ago and got an electric tiller (an Earthwise TC70001, which has been a solid performer). When comparing this 2016 Mantis with a Mantis that was made 20+ years ago, the overall feel is clearly cheaper, especially in the frame. Assembly is generally straightforward. Youll want to pay attention to the manual and the quick start sheet since some of the part assembly is not all that intuitive (at least to me). Its not difficult, especially since the tiller is so lightweight, but it will take about 20 minutes. All parts are included, as is a small container of oil to mix into the gas (50:1 ratio). Its been easy to start both hot and cold. I strongly recommend using pre-mixed gas/oil, such as TruFuel 50:1, which is sold in home center stores. Yes, its a whole lot more expensive than buying regular gas and adding in the oil, but the pre-mixed stuff has zero ethanol in it (plus has stabalizers) which makes it much easier on 2-cycle engines. If you don't want to use that (or cant find it) I strongly recommend using Sea Foam additive in the gas. The strong suit of the Mantis has always been the fast tine speed, and this continues that tradition. The tines make it through packed earth and heavy clay soil very well with less bucking than you typically get with a small tiller. This little guy really spins! I like the Sure Grip handles. I find them more comfortable to use than the regular handles, and a bit easier on my back. I would, however, have preferred a loop or bar type handle so you can adjust your grip depending on how you're using the tiller. In some cases, the downward facing handles put a fair amount of strain on my wrists. The benefit of gas power is zero cords you can till wherever you want without having to mess with an extension cord. However, that comes at the price of maintenance and upkeep. While using pre-mixed gas or Sea Foam helps, gas engines entail far more upkeep than electric. The performance gap between gas and electric tillers has definitely narrowed in the past few years. Current generation electric tillers are nearly as effective as gas tillers in heavy soil, and just as good in worked soil. Given the price point of this tiller, I was disappointed in the build quality of the frame, especially compared with how the Mantis was built years ago. Yes, the performance is good that fast tine speed is a great feature and it is remarkably lightweight for a gas trimmer. Even so, I cant give this more than an average (3 star) rating. Its priced almost three times as much as a good electric tiller, but its not three times as good. It also carries a decent premium over other small gas tillers. It is still worth considering if you must have a gas tiller, but the Mantis brand aint what it used to be.
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[ "Bottom line: While its an effective tiller due to the high speed tines, the build quality of Mantis has fallen a notch compared with their older models.", "Worth considering if an electric tiller is not appropriate for your needs, but the Mantis is not the star it used to be in the mini tiller arena.", "Full review: I used to borrow a Mantis from a friend for tilling until I broke down a few years ago and got an electric tiller (an Earthwise TC70001, which has been a solid performer).", "When comparing this 2016 Mantis with a Mantis that was made 20+ years ago, the overall feel is clearly cheaper, especially in the frame.", "Assembly is generally straightforward.", "Youll want to pay attention to the manual and the quick start sheet since some of the part assembly is not all that intuitive (at least to me).", "Its not difficult, especially since the tiller is so lightweight, but it will take about 20 minutes.", "All parts are included, as is a small container of oil to mix into the gas (50:1 ratio).", "Its been easy to start both hot and cold.", "I strongly recommend using pre-mixed gas/oil, such as TruFuel 50:1, which is sold in home center stores.", "Yes, its a whole lot more expensive than buying regular gas and adding in the oil, but the pre-mixed stuff has zero ethanol in it (plus has stabalizers) which makes it much easier on 2-cycle engines.", "If you don't want to use that (or cant find it) I strongly recommend using Sea Foam additive in the gas.", "The strong suit of the Mantis has always been the fast tine speed, and this continues that tradition.", "The tines make it through packed earth and heavy clay soil very well with less bucking than you typically get with a small tiller.", "This little guy really spins!", "I like the Sure Grip handles.", "I find them more comfortable to use than the regular handles, and a bit easier on my back.", "I would, however, have preferred a loop or bar type handle so you can adjust your grip depending on how you're using the tiller.", "In some cases, the downward facing handles put a fair amount of strain on my wrists.", "The benefit of gas power is zero cords you can till wherever you want without having to mess with an extension cord.", "However, that comes at the price of maintenance and upkeep.", "While using pre-mixed gas or Sea Foam helps, gas engines entail far more upkeep than electric.", "The performance gap between gas and electric tillers has definitely narrowed in the past few years.", "Current generation electric tillers are nearly as effective as gas tillers in heavy soil, and just as good in worked soil.", "Given the price point of this tiller, I was disappointed in the build quality of the frame, especially compared with how the Mantis was built years ago.", "Yes, the performance is good that fast tine speed is a great feature and it is remarkably lightweight for a gas trimmer.", "Even so, I cant give this more than an average (3 star) rating.", "Its priced almost three times as much as a good electric tiller, but its not three times as good.", "It also carries a decent premium over other small gas tillers.", "It is still worth considering if you must have a gas tiller, but the Mantis brand aint what it used to be." ]
What you have to know is that sometimes when you don't pay a lot for something you get lucky. Sometimes you get what you pay for. This is that type of product. The wood is not stained, so I'm not sure how repeated cleanings are going to go. I have a feeling this will get ruined quite quickly. There are no traction pads on the bottom, so the slicer moves around when using it. This is a big problem for me. I had to have my wife help me hold it down to slice the bread. It seems sturdy enough and the sides are not as flimsy as I thought they might be. The wood is a softer type of wood (probably to keep the price down) so keep that in mind when you get to the bottom of the loaf. This is a nice, inexpensive slicer guide if you're going to occasionally make a loaf of bread here and there. However, if you're baking a lot I would stay away from this product.
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[ "What you have to know is that sometimes when you don't pay a lot for something you get lucky.", "Sometimes you get what you pay for.", "This is that type of product.", "The wood is not stained, so I'm not sure how repeated cleanings are going to go.", "I have a feeling this will get ruined quite quickly.", "There are no traction pads on the bottom, so the slicer moves around when using it.", "This is a big problem for me.", "I had to have my wife help me hold it down to slice the bread.", "It seems sturdy enough and the sides are not as flimsy as I thought they might be.", "The wood is a softer type of wood (probably to keep the price down) so keep that in mind when you get to the bottom of the loaf.", "This is a nice, inexpensive slicer guide if you're going to occasionally make a loaf of bread here and there.", "However, if you're baking a lot I would stay away from this product." ]
The high E string snapped at first tune....I feel these strings are just...OK...they're always a good price and when you get them broken in...they're fine...but when they're new...they are too bright and fragile. I'll get the 11s next time so the E string has a bit more ass to it... I put them on a brand new guitar...so the bridge needs adjusting...and I'm just getting familiar with the new feel of the new guitar...so it's mostly my fault the string snapped....but still...I think I might try other brands for awhile...
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[ "The high E string snapped at first tune....", "I feel these strings are just...", "OK...", "they're always a good price and when you get them broken in...", "they're fine...", "but when they're new...", "they are too bright and fragile.", "I'll get the 11s next time so the E string has a bit more ass to it...", "I put them on a brand new guitar...", "so the bridge needs adjusting...", "and I'm just getting familiar with the new feel of the new guitar...", "so it's mostly my fault the string snapped....", "but still...", "I think I might try other brands for awhile..." ]
Kindle Edition via Smashwords (free from author in a giveaway) What to say about this book...I can't say as I hated it, but I can't say as I loved it either. I found it a bit hard to follow at times. I understood the baseline of what was going on, but I found myself lost in the details. The prologue was supposed to get me to how the Seer became the Seer, and it did. Then it jumps into the main story. The concept of the book was very good. It had action, adventure, paranormal/mythology, and a bit of romance. The book kept right on going, there was none of those weird lulls some books have, which was great. I can't say, though, that I left the book feeling at all like I understood what just happened. Meaning, it left me with way more questions than conclusions. Now I realize this is a book one in a series, but I like a bit more of a closure, even if there are going to be other books. This book was not a bad book, this is not my views here. I enjoyed the plot, the characters, the paranormal/mythology, and the concept of it. I can't imagine being a Seer that has to watch over and protect a girl that is "taking your place" with your boyfriend you had when you were alive. What a dilemma! I don't know that I would be able to do it that's for sure. Keleigh, is the girl that is being watched over by the Seer. Keleigh knows magic exists and knows that her Mother had abilities in magic. What Keleigh also knows is that her Mother told her to never use magic and never taught her how to control her own abilities she developed as a child. When her parents are killed and Keleigh goes to live with Locke (the Seer's boyfriend when she was alive) she is made to see what she is and what she is capable of with her magic. Locke and his family are also ExtraOrdinary (magic folk). When bad things start to happen Keleigh is forced to look more closely at what she really is and that she needs to learn more about her abilities and magic. She struggles with this due to her Mother always telling her not to. There is a bottle that is very important to the ExtraOrdinary people that is in peril. Keleigh and Locke are the ones that are to protect the bottle, only problem is that they have no idea where it is. Together they learn about the powers of Keleigh, what the bottle hold, why the bottle is so important, who is after the bottle, and how to go from hating each other to maybe even loving each other. Will they find the bottle though before someone else does and it's power is in the wrong hands? Would I recommend this book to others? I would, just because I didn't like it, doesn't me you won't. It was a good story, just not for me. 3/5 Stars
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[ "Kindle Edition via Smashwords (free from author in a giveaway)\n\nWhat to say about this book...", "I can't say as I hated it, but I can't say as I loved it either.", "I found it a bit hard to follow at times.", "I understood the baseline of what was going on, but I found myself lost in the details.", "The prologue was supposed to get me to how the Seer became the Seer, and it did.", "Then it jumps into the main story.", "The concept of the book was very good.", "It had action, adventure, paranormal/mythology, and a bit of romance.", "The book kept right on going, there was none of those weird lulls some books have, which was great.", "I can't say, though, that I left the book feeling at all like I understood what just happened.", "Meaning, it left me with way more questions than conclusions.", "Now I realize this is a book one in a series, but I like a bit more of a closure, even if there are going to be other books.", "This book was not a bad book, this is not my views here.", "I enjoyed the plot, the characters, the paranormal/mythology, and the concept of it.", "I can't imagine being a Seer that has to watch over and protect a girl that is \"taking your place\" with your boyfriend you had when you were alive.", "What a dilemma!", "I don't know that I would be able to do it that's for sure.", "Keleigh, is the girl that is being watched over by the Seer.", "Keleigh knows magic exists and knows that her Mother had abilities in magic.", "What Keleigh also knows is that her Mother told her to never use magic and never taught her how to control her own abilities she developed as a child.", "When her parents are killed and Keleigh goes to live with Locke (the Seer's boyfriend when she was alive) she is made to see what she is and what she is capable of with her magic.", "Locke and his family are also ExtraOrdinary (magic folk).", "When bad things start to happen Keleigh is forced to look more closely at what she really is and that she needs to learn more about her abilities and magic.", "She struggles with this due to her Mother always telling her not to.", "There is a bottle that is very important to the ExtraOrdinary people that is in peril.", "Keleigh and Locke are the ones that are to protect the bottle, only problem is that they have no idea where it is.", "Together they learn about the powers of Keleigh, what the bottle hold, why the bottle is so important, who is after the bottle, and how to go from hating each other to maybe even loving each other.", "Will they find the bottle though before someone else does and it's power is in the wrong hands?", "Would I recommend this book to others?", "I would, just because I didn't like it, doesn't me you won't.", "It was a good story, just not for me.", "3/5 Stars" ]
3-1/2 Stars I read this story with the collection&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Holiday-Kisses-A-Rare-Gift-Mistletoe-and-Margaritas-It-s-Not-Christmas-Without-You-This-Time-Next-Year/dp/B005Z18F60/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Holiday Kisses: A Rare Gift\Mistletoe and Margaritas\It's Not Christmas Without You\This Time Next Year</a>, a collection of 4 short romantic stories set during the most wonderful time of the year. Before Brenna Keating leaves for Africa to help work as nurse, she is determined to spend her last week with her beloved grandmother. On the way, blizzard conditions and a crazy deer cause Brenna to spin out and end up in the snow bank. Dillon Craig, a reclusive doctor, rescues Brenna and brings him home by horseback where Brenna must wait out the storm. Turns out, Dillon knows A LOT about Brenna due to his close association with her grandmother, but Brenna knows nothing about this doctor who gave up his practice to enlist and serve in Afghanistan. Soon, Brenna and Dillon are getting to know each other and both are asking the question: How can you meet the right person at the wrong time? This story was pretty good and is an example of one that could have been really good had the author had more page time to truly develop the story line--give us more time to show and not summarize. Brenna was pretty well put together, but Dillon had a lot of demons he needed to exercise in his life. I did enjoy watching Dillon open up to her. Without giving anything away, I really liked how the story ended.
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[ "3-1/2 Stars\n\nI read this story with the collection&nbsp;<a data-hook=\"product-link-linked\" class=\"a-link-normal\" href=\"/Holiday-Kisses-A-Rare-Gift-Mistletoe-and-Margaritas-It-s-Not-Christmas-Without-You-This-Time-Next-Year/dp/B005Z18F60/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?", "ie=UTF8\">Holiday Kisses: A Rare Gift\\Mistletoe and Margaritas\\It's Not Christmas Without You\\This Time Next Year</a>, a collection of 4 short romantic stories set during the most wonderful time of the year.", "Before Brenna Keating leaves for Africa to help work as nurse, she is determined to spend her last week with her beloved grandmother.", "On the way, blizzard conditions and a crazy deer cause Brenna to spin out and end up in the snow bank.", "Dillon Craig, a reclusive doctor, rescues Brenna and brings him home by horseback where Brenna must wait out the storm.", "Turns out, Dillon knows A LOT about Brenna due to his close association with her grandmother, but Brenna knows nothing about this doctor who gave up his practice to enlist and serve in Afghanistan.", "Soon, Brenna and Dillon are getting to know each other and both are asking the question: How can you meet the right person at the wrong time?", "This story was pretty good and is an example of one that could have been really good had the author had more page time to truly develop the story line--give us more time to show and not summarize.", "Brenna was pretty well put together, but Dillon had a lot of demons he needed to exercise in his life.", "I did enjoy watching Dillon open up to her.", "Without giving anything away, I really liked how the story ended." ]
While there were hints of an experimental Tom Waits on "Blue Valentine," this was the first album where I found myself thinking that I was listening to a totally reinvented Tom Waits. Nearly twenty years later, I still feel "hot & cold" when I listen to this release. I think the lyrical Waits reaches incredible new heights with tunes like "Frank's Wild Years" and "In the Neighborhood." Musically, the album lost me at times. There are brief pieces like "Johnsburg, Illinois," a haunting romantic bit with a ghostly chill to it, where Waits' new musical paint job works well. But much of the album drags with what sounds to me like too much experiment, too little music. If you're one of those Tom Waits fans who likes both his pre and post 1970s sound, and want to grab one CD that captures both sides of Tom Waits, I would pass on Sworfishtrombones. His follow up, "Rain Dogs," captures the essence of all Tom Waits; eery artsy tunes with enough melody to still be music. If it's vintage Tom Waits lyrics you're fishing for, Swordfishtrombones is well worth a listen. The music, to my ears, tends to drag. While I'm not close-minded to offbeat and experimental art, I'm not a passionate fan. Take this into account: if you are a bit more open-minded than I am, this CD might be just the pick for you!
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[ "While there were hints of an experimental Tom Waits on \"Blue Valentine,\" this was the first album where I found myself thinking that I was listening to a totally reinvented Tom Waits.", "Nearly twenty years later, I still feel \"hot & cold\" when I listen to this release.", "I think the lyrical Waits reaches incredible new heights with tunes like \"Frank's Wild Years\" and \"In the Neighborhood.", "\" Musically, the album lost me at times.", "There are brief pieces like \"Johnsburg, Illinois,\" a haunting romantic bit with a ghostly chill to it, where Waits' new musical paint job works well.", "But much of the album drags with what sounds to me like too much experiment, too little music.", "If you're one of those Tom Waits fans who likes both his pre and post 1970s sound, and want to grab one CD that captures both sides of Tom Waits, I would pass on Sworfishtrombones.", "His follow up, \"Rain Dogs,\" captures the essence of all Tom Waits; eery artsy tunes with enough melody to still be music.", "If it's vintage Tom Waits lyrics you're fishing for, Swordfishtrombones is well worth a listen.", "The music, to my ears, tends to drag.", "While I'm not close-minded to offbeat and experimental art, I'm not a passionate fan.", "Take this into account: if you are a bit more open-minded than I am, this CD might be just the pick for you!" ]
These are very nice jewel cases. I` believe them to be very good quality, and they should be with the brand Verbatim on the box. Fast shipping , Good price. Only problem I had was about eight of them had cracked corner corners and had to throw them out. I guess I could of returned them, but I really needed them at the time. The shipping was of poor quality. The edge of the case box was against the outer shipping box. I could see it was dropped and the corner was wasted. Very poor packaging. Again, these are good quality cases if you want to chance the shipping. Probably won`t buy them online again.
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[ "These are very nice jewel cases.", "I` believe them to be very good quality, and they should be with the brand Verbatim on the box.", "Fast shipping , Good price.", "Only problem I had was about eight of them had cracked corner corners and had to throw them out.", "I guess I could of returned them, but I really needed them at the time.", "The shipping was of poor quality.", "The edge of the case box was against the outer shipping box.", "I could see it was dropped and the corner was wasted.", "Very poor packaging.", "Again, these are good quality cases if you want to chance the shipping.", "Probably won`t buy them online again." ]
Pros: 1. Good quality rosin, fine and sticky. 2. The case is well designed, squeeze to open and push-click to close. There is even a turning dial knob at the bottom. Cons: 1. The rosin is much smaller than most of the round rosins. The so-called "cake" is almost like a beer bottle cap, with diameter a little over twice the width of a violin bow hair belt. Very easy to slide the bow off the rosin and damage the bow hair. 2. It still produces a certain amount of fine dust when playing. 3. Update: This rosin has a low melting point. Due to summer high temperature (max. about 90 degrees around NY/NJ area), this rosin became semi-melted. It is no longer in a straight cake shape. The top is collapsed a bit towards one side, like a birthday cake that has been pushed at the top edge from one side. It is in a funny shape now, though still usable.
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[ "Pros:\n1.", "Good quality rosin, fine and sticky.", "2.", "The case is well designed, squeeze to open and push-click to close.", "There is even a turning dial knob at the bottom.", "Cons:\n1.", "The rosin is much smaller than most of the round rosins.", "The so-called \"cake\" is almost like a beer bottle cap, with diameter a little over twice the width of a violin bow hair belt.", "Very easy to slide the bow off the rosin and damage the bow hair.", "2.", "It still produces a certain amount of fine dust when playing.", "3.", "Update: This rosin has a low melting point.", "Due to summer high temperature (max.", "about 90 degrees around NY/NJ area), this rosin became semi-melted.", "It is no longer in a straight cake shape.", "The top is collapsed a bit towards one side, like a birthday cake that has been pushed at the top edge from one side.", "It is in a funny shape now, though still usable." ]