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I really have to hand it to Capcom for making teamwork the cornerstone of gameplay. In every room that you reach, this game hammers home the message that you have to stick together and work as a group. When jumping from one rooftop to another, you may misjudge the distance and fall short. Thankfully, a teammate can pull you up.
Even before the game commences, you'll find yourself coordinating tactics with your soon-to-be companions at the character selection screen. In a similar vein to an RPG, each of the eight playable characters that you can select brings completely different abilities to the table that you must factor in. Do you bring a lock-picker? Someone with extra inventory spots? Or rely on firepower with a weapons expert?
Unlike the other games in the series, zombies can pass from room to room and are often found in packs. Taking this newfound hunting prowess into account, Capcom has implemented a handful of new techniques that players can use to survive. You can slide under beds, hide in lockers, and even repel a zombie attack by forcing their head away from your neck with enough breathing room to raise your pistol and shoot them directly between the eyes. You'll even find strategy in the reloading of weapons. For instance, a box of shells takes more time to load than a clip. As annoying as it is to watch your character get munched because he couldn't load the rounds quick enough, I really like this aspect. It makes you keep an eye on every little detail.
Where Outbreak excels in engrossing multiplayer and creative gameplay, the overall design of the game is very odd. Rather than creating one lengthy quest that players can really sink their teeth into, Capcom opted to break up the game into five separate scenarios that are roughly 45 minutes each. If you die, you'll turn into a zombie for a brief extent (and yes, you can attack your teammates if you like), then will be dropped out of the game. Sadly, you can't re-spawn. You either have to wait for your friends to finish up, or find another game to enter. While scripted controller commands are offered, it doesn't support voice chat at all or keyboard functionality in-game. Someone's head should roll for this! | 1 | neutral | [
"I really have to hand it to Capcom for making teamwork the cornerstone of gameplay.",
"In every room that you reach, this game hammers home the message that you have to stick together and work as a group.",
"When jumping from one rooftop to another, you may misjudge the distance and fall short.",
"Thankfully, a teammate can pull you up.",
"Even before the game commences, you'll find yourself coordinating tactics with your soon-to-be companions at the character selection screen.",
"In a similar vein to an RPG, each of the eight playable characters that you can select brings completely different abilities to the table that you must factor in.",
"Do you bring a lock-picker?",
"Someone with extra inventory spots?",
"Or rely on firepower with a weapons expert?",
"Unlike the other games in the series, zombies can pass from room to room and are often found in packs.",
"Taking this newfound hunting prowess into account, Capcom has implemented a handful of new techniques that players can use to survive.",
"You can slide under beds, hide in lockers, and even repel a zombie attack by forcing their head away from your neck with enough breathing room to raise your pistol and shoot them directly between the eyes.",
"You'll even find strategy in the reloading of weapons.",
"For instance, a box of shells takes more time to load than a clip.",
"As annoying as it is to watch your character get munched because he couldn't load the rounds quick enough, I really like this aspect.",
"It makes you keep an eye on every little detail.",
"Where Outbreak excels in engrossing multiplayer and creative gameplay, the overall design of the game is very odd.",
"Rather than creating one lengthy quest that players can really sink their teeth into, Capcom opted to break up the game into five separate scenarios that are roughly 45 minutes each.",
"If you die, you'll turn into a zombie for a brief extent (and yes, you can attack your teammates if you like), then will be dropped out of the game.",
"Sadly, you can't re-spawn.",
"You either have to wait for your friends to finish up, or find another game to enter.",
"While scripted controller commands are offered, it doesn't support voice chat at all or keyboard functionality in-game.",
"Someone's head should roll for this!"
] |
Fluke, the warm and fuzzy star of the show does a fantastic job of gripping your heart, reeling you in, and telling the story.
The movie starts with a somewhat confusing sequence involving a car chase. If you're not paying attention when you start this film, you may need to skip back in order to pick up a few telling details. For the most part this opening act isn't fully explained until the end of the film. This adds some mystery and intrigue, but get ready for a bit of a surprise.
In the movie, you'll follow young Fluke from the birth canal (literally) through his young life. It isn't long and he begins to "remember" things. This leads him back to the family he was prematurely ripped away from. You see Fluke was once a man! He had a beautiful family and he wants to be with them once again.
The movie is not overly complicated at first glance, but by the end my nine year old was quite confused. When it was over he was mostly satisfied that there were lots of cute, lovable animals to watch. The older kids liked the movie but found it to be "sad" or a little "unsettling".
There is a clear and overt attempt to support reincarnation throughout the movie. Several of the movie's characters are reincarnated and one more than once. Although we would completely disagree with reincarnation and its denial of eternal reward or punishment, it offered our family an opportunity to discuss the belief that some folks have about reincarnation.
This movie offers many topics you may want to discuss with kids. Animal laboratory research and homelessness are topics that make their way onto your television screen. Death is also prevalent throughout this show as at least two people and one animal perish.
Overall, this is a well made film that can help you approach a philosophy believed by many. Watch it together and support your beliefs as you discuss the movie's ideals and themes. Of all the places you want your children to discover controversial and provocative ideas, wherever you are is a good place. | 1 | neutral | [
"Fluke, the warm and fuzzy star of the show does a fantastic job of gripping your heart, reeling you in, and telling the story.",
"The movie starts with a somewhat confusing sequence involving a car chase.",
"If you're not paying attention when you start this film, you may need to skip back in order to pick up a few telling details.",
"For the most part this opening act isn't fully explained until the end of the film.",
"This adds some mystery and intrigue, but get ready for a bit of a surprise.",
"In the movie, you'll follow young Fluke from the birth canal (literally) through his young life.",
"It isn't long and he begins to \"remember\" things.",
"This leads him back to the family he was prematurely ripped away from.",
"You see Fluke was once a man!",
"He had a beautiful family and he wants to be with them once again.",
"The movie is not overly complicated at first glance, but by the end my nine year old was quite confused.",
"When it was over he was mostly satisfied that there were lots of cute, lovable animals to watch.",
"The older kids liked the movie but found it to be \"sad\" or a little \"unsettling\".",
"There is a clear and overt attempt to support reincarnation throughout the movie.",
"Several of the movie's characters are reincarnated and one more than once.",
"Although we would completely disagree with reincarnation and its denial of eternal reward or punishment, it offered our family an opportunity to discuss the belief that some folks have about reincarnation.",
"This movie offers many topics you may want to discuss with kids.",
"Animal laboratory research and homelessness are topics that make their way onto your television screen.",
"Death is also prevalent throughout this show as at least two people and one animal perish.",
"Overall, this is a well made film that can help you approach a philosophy believed by many.",
"Watch it together and support your beliefs as you discuss the movie's ideals and themes.",
"Of all the places you want your children to discover controversial and provocative ideas, wherever you are is a good place."
] |
The sound quality from the MDR-G57 is excellent, with crystal clear output at the highest volume and minimal distortion. These headphones were obviously designed with portable CD players in mind. While the sound quality is nice, the design is, to say the least, unique. Rather than forcing the user to ruin their carefully sculpted hair style by putting headphones over it, these phones go behind the neck, saving face and hair.
The design does present a few problems, though. The first is the lack of size adjustment. Luckily, my head is neither too big or too small, but it can definitely be a problem to people with smaller or larger heads. Sounds silly, I know, but being too tight or too big can seriously cause discomfort. My friend bought these headphones and had the problem with her ears getting sore because she couldn't adjust the earpieces. One warning to all, though, prolonged use does cause irritation on the tops of the ears. Also, to people with glasses, you might want to reconsider buying these particular headphones, because the phones themselves take over the whole ear, preventing you from properly putting on your glasses.
The other drawback in the design is the bleedthrough, more so on these than other open-ear design headphones. Be careful of the volume if travelling on a bus or a plane, because the people sitting around you will definitely hear what you are listening to.
But all that said, I am happy with these headphones, though I see the drawbacks for many people, and experienced a few of them myself. For the price, these are a great deal. For sound quality, these have it where it counts, for design, it's depends on the person. | 1 | neutral | [
"The sound quality from the MDR-G57 is excellent, with crystal clear output at the highest volume and minimal distortion.",
"These headphones were obviously designed with portable CD players in mind.",
"While the sound quality is nice, the design is, to say the least, unique.",
"Rather than forcing the user to ruin their carefully sculpted hair style by putting headphones over it, these phones go behind the neck, saving face and hair.",
"The design does present a few problems, though.",
"The first is the lack of size adjustment.",
"Luckily, my head is neither too big or too small, but it can definitely be a problem to people with smaller or larger heads.",
"Sounds silly, I know, but being too tight or too big can seriously cause discomfort.",
"My friend bought these headphones and had the problem with her ears getting sore because she couldn't adjust the earpieces.",
"One warning to all, though, prolonged use does cause irritation on the tops of the ears.",
"Also, to people with glasses, you might want to reconsider buying these particular headphones, because the phones themselves take over the whole ear, preventing you from properly putting on your glasses.",
"The other drawback in the design is the bleedthrough, more so on these than other open-ear design headphones.",
"Be careful of the volume if travelling on a bus or a plane, because the people sitting around you will definitely hear what you are listening to.",
"But all that said, I am happy with these headphones, though I see the drawbacks for many people, and experienced a few of them myself.",
"For the price, these are a great deal.",
"For sound quality, these have it where it counts, for design, it's depends on the person."
] |
I am happy with the fast delivery. Also the directions say the mouth pieces only stay in for 15 mins. My Problem was the mouth pieces. I followed the directions to mold the impressions and had a terrible time fitting them. It took much longer than the recommenced time. I did the best I could. Trimmed, removed the excess and tried them that day. Not a good fit. I got a mouthful of product because of the poor fit. I did notice a whitening effect but it was hard to keep it in my mouth even for 15 mins. I tried to mold them again. Now they are unusable. Now I have whitening product but no way to use it. Very disappointed... | 1 | neutral | [
"I am happy with the fast delivery.",
"Also the directions say the mouth pieces only stay in for 15 mins.",
"My Problem was the mouth pieces.",
"I followed the directions to mold the impressions and had a terrible time fitting them.",
"It took much longer than the recommenced time.",
"I did the best I could.",
"Trimmed, removed the excess and tried them that day.",
"Not a good fit.",
"I got a mouthful of product because of the poor fit.",
"I did notice a whitening effect but it was hard to keep it in my mouth even for 15 mins.",
"I tried to mold them again.",
"Now they are unusable.",
"Now I have whitening product but no way to use it.",
"Very disappointed..."
] |
I've recently become a huge Bernard Cornwell fan. My first Cornwell book was Sharpe's Enemy. I didn't know anything about the author or the series. I was bored, I picked it up and read it. I loved the story, but it would be another 5 years when I read the next one. I went back to the beginning and have just finished Shapre's Prey.
This is the first book in the series that I read and afterward breathed a sigh of relief. I was glad to have finished it. It was a good book, but overall the action disappointed. It seemed to me as if Mr. Cornwell didn't know where he wanted the story to go and made it up as he went along. He went AWOL, robbed and murdered a man and got selected for what would equate to a Top Secret mission. He got on a boat and sailed to a foreign shore where he was almost murdered. Then he managed to march himself from unknown location 1 to possible known location 2 while being pursued by native cavalrymen who knew the land. Then he got in the city; then he got out of the city; then he got back in; then he got back out.
Wow! I give Mr. Cornwell two thumbs up for an extraordinary imagination. But in a historical fiction I look for a steady line of logic and I didn't see it in this book. The here's and there's didn't ruin the book, but they made it frustrating. It almost felt as if I weren't reading a Sharpe Series book.
The good news is I'm half way through the next book, Sharpe's Rifles, and I'm very happy to say that in my opinion the series is back on track. | 1 | neutral | [
"I've recently become a huge Bernard Cornwell fan.",
"My first Cornwell book was Sharpe's Enemy.",
"I didn't know anything about the author or the series.",
"I was bored, I picked it up and read it.",
"I loved the story, but it would be another 5 years when I read the next one.",
"I went back to the beginning and have just finished Shapre's Prey.",
"This is the first book in the series that I read and afterward breathed a sigh of relief.",
"I was glad to have finished it.",
"It was a good book, but overall the action disappointed.",
"It seemed to me as if Mr.",
"Cornwell didn't know where he wanted the story to go and made it up as he went along.",
"He went AWOL, robbed and murdered a man and got selected for what would equate to a Top Secret mission.",
"He got on a boat and sailed to a foreign shore where he was almost murdered.",
"Then he managed to march himself from unknown location 1 to possible known location 2 while being pursued by native cavalrymen who knew the land.",
"Then he got in the city; then he got out of the city; then he got back in; then he got back out.",
"Wow!",
"I give Mr.",
"Cornwell two thumbs up for an extraordinary imagination.",
"But in a historical fiction I look for a steady line of logic and I didn't see it in this book.",
"The here's and there's didn't ruin the book, but they made it frustrating.",
"It almost felt as if I weren't reading a Sharpe Series book.",
"The good news is I'm half way through the next book, Sharpe's Rifles, and I'm very happy to say that in my opinion the series is back on track."
] |
Before I get into the depths of thought, this is the second video series I purchased by Mill Creek Publications. I was very disappointed with many of the audio snafus and poor dubbing. I am also weary of them finding as many clips and shorts to fill up disk space. They performed the same feat in "Korea, the forgotten War." We all know (who grew-up and watched this war on TV, there are thousands of hours of good quality clips from this inglorious war. Bottom line, if I see Mill Creek on another series (no matter how enticing it appears) I will not be making the purchase.
It pains me to pen the above stated comments because this series, in many ways, will have the viewer asking the same questions over and over, "Was it worth it? Did we belong in Vietnam?"
I don't think we will ever be able to answer those questions 100%. Many of the soldiers interviewed believed what they were doing was right and Freedom was the right path. The Vietnamese people were suffering terrible at the hands of the Vietcong and they attempted to convert the "Highlands" and surrounding villages to the ways of the north. Did these people even know what was at stake? Apparently not. They knew nothing of politics and the ways of the modern world. They wanted to be left alone and care for what they knew: farming and family.
The Highpoints of the video (in my humble opinion) were the stories narrated by Henry Fonda (father of Hanoi Jane--she should have been tried for treason), Raymond Burr, Jack Webb, Charlton Heston and John Wayne. Yes, the Duke! I think his story "No Substitute for Victory" was excellent especially at the end where he talked straight and plain. No fluff with the Duke, just the facts (as Jack Webb would say).
He pulled no punches and called out the media and the protestors for embarrassing America in the light of the world. It appears not much has changed in the press over the last forty plus years. They tell or show the public what they believe is educational. I remember seeing clips of soldiers being marched into captivity asking for people to call in if they recognized the soldiers. I remember Jane Fonda (Hanoi Jane) being praised by majors magazines, network television as a "true patriot" as she straddled a SAM missile. Her father, Henry ( A WWII B-17 pilot) should have shackled her or forced her to resign her citizenship. My sister thought she was very brave. She was a traitor.
Okay, I'm getting off point. My apologies. That was another flaw with this production, There were only two shorts covering and interviewing those who were opposed to the war. The only antiwar position or a better term, "disillusionment" from the military perspective is provided by Major General Mark Clark who eventually succeeded General Abrams. "The government (like Korea) would not allow us to win the war. We were hamstrung from the start and never allowed to fight the enemy on his home front and win." Is history repeating itself?
I went back and looked at a map of Haiphong Harbor and Hanoi. The distance from the shore to the the center of Hanoi was only sixty miles. Why didn't we attempt another Normandy, Inchon, or Iwo Jima and take-out Hanoi? Would this action have taken the punch out of Ho Chi Min or would China allowed him refuge to rebuild, knowing sooner or later the US would pull out? Would we have stayed in Vietnam and occupied it as we have in South Korea, or would the pressure of the press force us to return control to the locals? Those are questions for future historians to examine. I fear they too will be scratching their heads as no definitive message will surface.
I know at times I did my best to suppress the rising anger within as I thought about those demanding peace yet greeted those they wanted to return home by spitting on their uniforms or accusing them of being baby killers. It made me sick. The majority of the men and women who went were drafted. Some resisted and fled to Canada or burned their draft cards. Others hid in the world of Academia and supported anti-war groups. My stomach churned with the scenes of college kids holding up signs of Ho Chi Min and the North Vietnamese flag. Yes, it is our right to proclaim free speech without fear of reprisal by their government, but I go back and wonder what would happen if those type of demonstrations would have occurred during WWII. Imagine thousands marching on the capital displaying the Rising Sun of the Swastika.
Instead of showing the occasional atrocity committed by American and UN Forces (which needed to be covered) why didn't ABC, NBC, CBS, Life and Time show weekly the crimes and mass executions the Vietcong and North Vietnamese Regulars were committing on the local population. Would this have changed our view on supporting the war? Another good question. At times during WWII, many asked why were involved with Europe. In 1945 the American people found out: Aushwitz, Buchenwald, Treblinka, and Sachenhausen. Our questions were answered.
For some of you reading this, I might be contradicting myself on the quality of this series based on the comments."If he didn't like it, then why is he apparently praising the set?" Why indeed? There are many good stories and points in the production, but ouy of almost twenty-four hours of documentary stories, only a small portion (maybe six hours) are worth the asking price of $14.98. I'm afraid I spent more than that through Reader's Digest. | 1 | neutral | [
"Before I get into the depths of thought, this is the second video series I purchased by Mill Creek Publications.",
"I was very disappointed with many of the audio snafus and poor dubbing.",
"I am also weary of them finding as many clips and shorts to fill up disk space.",
"They performed the same feat in \"Korea, the forgotten War.",
"\" We all know (who grew-up and watched this war on TV, there are thousands of hours of good quality clips from this inglorious war.",
"Bottom line, if I see Mill Creek on another series (no matter how enticing it appears) I will not be making the purchase.",
"It pains me to pen the above stated comments because this series, in many ways, will have the viewer asking the same questions over and over, \"Was it worth it?",
"Did we belong in Vietnam?",
"\"\nI don't think we will ever be able to answer those questions 100%.",
"Many of the soldiers interviewed believed what they were doing was right and Freedom was the right path.",
"The Vietnamese people were suffering terrible at the hands of the Vietcong and they attempted to convert the \"Highlands\" and surrounding villages to the ways of the north.",
"Did these people even know what was at stake?",
"Apparently not.",
"They knew nothing of politics and the ways of the modern world.",
"They wanted to be left alone and care for what they knew: farming and family.",
"The Highpoints of the video (in my humble opinion) were the stories narrated by Henry Fonda (father of Hanoi Jane--she should have been tried for treason), Raymond Burr, Jack Webb, Charlton Heston and John Wayne.",
"Yes, the Duke!",
"I think his story \"No Substitute for Victory\" was excellent especially at the end where he talked straight and plain.",
"No fluff with the Duke, just the facts (as Jack Webb would say).",
"He pulled no punches and called out the media and the protestors for embarrassing America in the light of the world.",
"It appears not much has changed in the press over the last forty plus years.",
"They tell or show the public what they believe is educational.",
"I remember seeing clips of soldiers being marched into captivity asking for people to call in if they recognized the soldiers.",
"I remember Jane Fonda (Hanoi Jane) being praised by majors magazines, network television as a \"true patriot\" as she straddled a SAM missile.",
"Her father, Henry ( A WWII B-17 pilot) should have shackled her or forced her to resign her citizenship.",
"My sister thought she was very brave.",
"She was a traitor.",
"Okay, I'm getting off point.",
"My apologies.",
"That was another flaw with this production, There were only two shorts covering and interviewing those who were opposed to the war.",
"The only antiwar position or a better term, \"disillusionment\" from the military perspective is provided by Major General Mark Clark who eventually succeeded General Abrams.",
"\"The government (like Korea) would not allow us to win the war.",
"We were hamstrung from the start and never allowed to fight the enemy on his home front and win.",
"\" Is history repeating itself?",
"I went back and looked at a map of Haiphong Harbor and Hanoi.",
"The distance from the shore to the the center of Hanoi was only sixty miles.",
"Why didn't we attempt another Normandy, Inchon, or Iwo Jima and take-out Hanoi?",
"Would this action have taken the punch out of Ho Chi Min or would China allowed him refuge to rebuild, knowing sooner or later the US would pull out?",
"Would we have stayed in Vietnam and occupied it as we have in South Korea, or would the pressure of the press force us to return control to the locals?",
"Those are questions for future historians to examine.",
"I fear they too will be scratching their heads as no definitive message will surface.",
"I know at times I did my best to suppress the rising anger within as I thought about those demanding peace yet greeted those they wanted to return home by spitting on their uniforms or accusing them of being baby killers.",
"It made me sick.",
"The majority of the men and women who went were drafted.",
"Some resisted and fled to Canada or burned their draft cards.",
"Others hid in the world of Academia and supported anti-war groups.",
"My stomach churned with the scenes of college kids holding up signs of Ho Chi Min and the North Vietnamese flag.",
"Yes, it is our right to proclaim free speech without fear of reprisal by their government, but I go back and wonder what would happen if those type of demonstrations would have occurred during WWII.",
"Imagine thousands marching on the capital displaying the Rising Sun of the Swastika.",
"Instead of showing the occasional atrocity committed by American and UN Forces (which needed to be covered) why didn't ABC, NBC, CBS, Life and Time show weekly the crimes and mass executions the Vietcong and North Vietnamese Regulars were committing on the local population.",
"Would this have changed our view on supporting the war?",
"Another good question.",
"At times during WWII, many asked why were involved with Europe.",
"In 1945 the American people found out: Aushwitz, Buchenwald, Treblinka, and Sachenhausen.",
"Our questions were answered.",
"For some of you reading this, I might be contradicting myself on the quality of this series based on the comments.",
"\"If he didn't like it, then why is he apparently praising the set?",
"\" Why indeed?",
"There are many good stories and points in the production, but ouy of almost twenty-four hours of documentary stories, only a small portion (maybe six hours) are worth the asking price of $14.",
"98.",
"I'm afraid I spent more than that through Reader's Digest."
] |
The Corrections is a mind-boggling book. On the one hand, the author's style is amazingly litterate and thoughtful; every word in the book feels carefully chosen in order to liberate the desired emotions/feelings upon the reader. On the other hand, this also creates a problem since Franzen seems to place more importance on the stylistics than on the plot and narrative.
What you end up with is a book with greatly defined characters but with very little substance. Here, the reader enouncters a family that is more disfunction than anything else. The parents are suffering; the mother is trapped between trying to keep her life the way it is why living with her Parkinson-and-dementia-afflicted husband. The children have all moved to different cities where they live empty, unhappy lives. As a matter of fact, no one seems to be happy in this book. Every time an event comes along which should make a character happy, this very character finds a way to complain his or her way through it. You never really identify with any of these characters because they seem to complain all the time. A little bit of happiness in their lives would not have killed them. But they all seem so closed up and distant that they refuse to let anything remotely happy enter their lives.
And yet, one has to admire the books for its style. Franzen's writing is beautiful and fulfilling. It's just too bad that this style isn't part of a more complete book, a book where plot and style do mesh together in complete harmony. This could have been a great American novel but it ends up feeling like a barely satisfying attempt. | 1 | neutral | [
"The Corrections is a mind-boggling book.",
"On the one hand, the author's style is amazingly litterate and thoughtful; every word in the book feels carefully chosen in order to liberate the desired emotions/feelings upon the reader.",
"On the other hand, this also creates a problem since Franzen seems to place more importance on the stylistics than on the plot and narrative.",
"What you end up with is a book with greatly defined characters but with very little substance.",
"Here, the reader enouncters a family that is more disfunction than anything else.",
"The parents are suffering; the mother is trapped between trying to keep her life the way it is why living with her Parkinson-and-dementia-afflicted husband.",
"The children have all moved to different cities where they live empty, unhappy lives.",
"As a matter of fact, no one seems to be happy in this book.",
"Every time an event comes along which should make a character happy, this very character finds a way to complain his or her way through it.",
"You never really identify with any of these characters because they seem to complain all the time.",
"A little bit of happiness in their lives would not have killed them.",
"But they all seem so closed up and distant that they refuse to let anything remotely happy enter their lives.",
"And yet, one has to admire the books for its style.",
"Franzen's writing is beautiful and fulfilling.",
"It's just too bad that this style isn't part of a more complete book, a book where plot and style do mesh together in complete harmony.",
"This could have been a great American novel but it ends up feeling like a barely satisfying attempt."
] |
This has truly been one of the hardest books for me to review in the past several years. The writing is more than fine, a nice commingling of 17th century vocabulary and tone, with some modern sensibility as well. The pacing is deadly slow in many parts; do we really need to know the contents of each Cheapside meal over days and days, or so many other gritty details that, rather than enhancing, drag down the tale? The story itself has legs; the conceit of a gay, almost-Brokeback Mountain tale set during the British Revolution is appealing and alluring. But it is so detailed, drawn-out and prolonged that I actually almost forgot the first third of the book - where so much of the main character's motivations grow from his experiences. I became too lost as I waded (or slogged) through the winter in London and the interminable days in the colonist fields.
Also, the two main characters veer dramatically in how they appeal to the book's audience. For example, Ferris comes across as drastically different personalities, almost to the point of total confusion, at least for this reader. The smart, gutsy soldier who rescues and nourishes the big semi-brutish Jacob seems far different from the blonde, fey founder of the colonists' enterprise six months later. What made him love the men he loves? What made him choose Jacob over Nathan? Even given the vast antipathy toward a homosexual orientation in the 1600's, why the long delay before any physicality from Ferris is suggested?
And Jacob - what an enigma he is. His gentle, loving, passionate side is not so much balanced as brutalized by the violent, vindictive man he is alternately portrayed as. He never masters himself, he has so little sense of his own realities and personhood. Is he bi-polar? Is he possessed? Is he incapable of sustaining a loving relationship or is relationship defined by him through violence? And yet he weeps to be loved,
I really wanted to like Jacob but it was just so hard. Whenever sympathy for him would arise, he would undo that by his own inane actions, fighting and vindictiveness. The author tells the tale in Jacob's own voice, and makes it take much easier to be swayed by his wild emotions and fantastical thinking, taking the reader in so many directions. It proves to be a wild ride...and even now I am not sure it was worth the effort! | 1 | neutral | [
"This has truly been one of the hardest books for me to review in the past several years.",
"The writing is more than fine, a nice commingling of 17th century vocabulary and tone, with some modern sensibility as well.",
"The pacing is deadly slow in many parts; do we really need to know the contents of each Cheapside meal over days and days, or so many other gritty details that, rather than enhancing, drag down the tale?",
"The story itself has legs; the conceit of a gay, almost-Brokeback Mountain tale set during the British Revolution is appealing and alluring.",
"But it is so detailed, drawn-out and prolonged that I actually almost forgot the first third of the book - where so much of the main character's motivations grow from his experiences.",
"I became too lost as I waded (or slogged) through the winter in London and the interminable days in the colonist fields.",
"Also, the two main characters veer dramatically in how they appeal to the book's audience.",
"For example, Ferris comes across as drastically different personalities, almost to the point of total confusion, at least for this reader.",
"The smart, gutsy soldier who rescues and nourishes the big semi-brutish Jacob seems far different from the blonde, fey founder of the colonists' enterprise six months later.",
"What made him love the men he loves?",
"What made him choose Jacob over Nathan?",
"Even given the vast antipathy toward a homosexual orientation in the 1600's, why the long delay before any physicality from Ferris is suggested?",
"And Jacob - what an enigma he is.",
"His gentle, loving, passionate side is not so much balanced as brutalized by the violent, vindictive man he is alternately portrayed as.",
"He never masters himself, he has so little sense of his own realities and personhood.",
"Is he bi-polar?",
"Is he possessed?",
"Is he incapable of sustaining a loving relationship or is relationship defined by him through violence?",
"And yet he weeps to be loved,\n\nI really wanted to like Jacob but it was just so hard.",
"Whenever sympathy for him would arise, he would undo that by his own inane actions, fighting and vindictiveness.",
"The author tells the tale in Jacob's own voice, and makes it take much easier to be swayed by his wild emotions and fantastical thinking, taking the reader in so many directions.",
"It proves to be a wild ride...",
"and even now I am not sure it was worth the effort!"
] |
This is a costume wig only. I bought it hoping I could work my magic and make it wearable as a regular synthetic wig, but there is no way. I got what I paid for. As a costume wig it’s pretty good, but it definitely would never pass for regular wig. It’s super synthetic, ultra shiny, the lowest heat setting will make it melt/shrink/frizz. Cap construction is basic, and good for the price of the wig. It sheds, what do you expect from a wig this cheap? I’ve been spoiled by buying some really good synthetic wigs on Amazon for really cheap, but this time no such luck. Can’t hate on it too much because it is a super cheap wig, therefore you get the quality of a super cheap wig. Just don’t buy for any purpose other than costume or you’ll be disappointed. | 1 | neutral | [
"This is a costume wig only.",
"I bought it hoping I could work my magic and make it wearable as a regular synthetic wig, but there is no way.",
"I got what I paid for.",
"As a costume wig it’s pretty good, but it definitely would never pass for regular wig.",
"It’s super synthetic, ultra shiny, the lowest heat setting will make it melt/shrink/frizz.",
"Cap construction is basic, and good for the price of the wig.",
"It sheds, what do you expect from a wig this cheap?",
"I’ve been spoiled by buying some really good synthetic wigs on Amazon for really cheap, but this time no such luck.",
"Can’t hate on it too much because it is a super cheap wig, therefore you get the quality of a super cheap wig.",
"Just don’t buy for any purpose other than costume or you’ll be disappointed."
] |
I purchased the Jabra BT125 back in January 2008 when I bought my Samsung Flipshot. Actually, we got two on a discount from Best Buy.
As of currently, I have lost the bluetooth for a few months and have no clue where it is. But when I was using it, here were some pros and cons:
Fit right into my ears and was comfortable...did not feel like it would slip off any second as compared to my old Plantronics, which would slip off constantly.
Sound quality was good, however the con here was that I could hear too much static in the background at times. Not something I want to hear when I'm using my bluetooth. I made sure my phone was not far from me and I could still hear static.
The distance you could stand between the bluetooth and the phone was good. I could walk to the kitchen in the other side of the house with the BT on and could still be in a conversation without losing the other person. My Plantronics could not even do that and would drop my call if I went to far from the cell.
Charged fast and stayed for a few days....no problem with the charger or with the phone dying so fast.
Still decent for its price, but since I lost it, I need to find one that will work for me. I'd much rather stick with the regular wired headsets rather then BTs, as BTs can emit radio emissions that may or may not be dangerous for our ears and brains.
If you want something to start off with, this Jabra is good. But beware of the static you can hear in the background - I hated using it while driving and talking because of the static. | 1 | neutral | [
"I purchased the Jabra BT125 back in January 2008 when I bought my Samsung Flipshot.",
"Actually, we got two on a discount from Best Buy.",
"As of currently, I have lost the bluetooth for a few months and have no clue where it is.",
"But when I was using it, here were some pros and cons:\n\nFit right into my ears and was comfortable...",
"did not feel like it would slip off any second as compared to my old Plantronics, which would slip off constantly.",
"Sound quality was good, however the con here was that I could hear too much static in the background at times.",
"Not something I want to hear when I'm using my bluetooth.",
"I made sure my phone was not far from me and I could still hear static.",
"The distance you could stand between the bluetooth and the phone was good.",
"I could walk to the kitchen in the other side of the house with the BT on and could still be in a conversation without losing the other person.",
"My Plantronics could not even do that and would drop my call if I went to far from the cell.",
"Charged fast and stayed for a few days....",
"no problem with the charger or with the phone dying so fast.",
"Still decent for its price, but since I lost it, I need to find one that will work for me.",
"I'd much rather stick with the regular wired headsets rather then BTs, as BTs can emit radio emissions that may or may not be dangerous for our ears and brains.",
"If you want something to start off with, this Jabra is good.",
"But beware of the static you can hear in the background - I hated using it while driving and talking because of the static."
] |
Set in the year 1985, SLC (Salt Lake City) Punk stars Matthew Lillard as Stevo, one of two punks caught in the heart of conservatism in Salt Lake City, or Salt Lake Sh*tty, as they would say.
Never being a big fan of Lillard (Scooby Doo, Wing Commander, Scream), I waited nearly two years before picking this movie up. I have to say I was impressed by his portrayal of Stevo, along with the rest of the movie.
Many of the ideals of punk are explored, a lot of times in narrative, such as anarchy, rebellion, fighting, drugs, changing the system, sell outs, poseurs, music, and random chaos. I really didn't get a sense of the true punk scene, not like I did with Sid and Nancy, but this movie was entertaining.
Basically the movie follows Stevo and his friend, Heroin Bob around and documents their existence. We get a view into their politics, social circles, lifestyle, relationships, and their difficulties in being a part of the counterculture in conservative America. The film tends to bounce around somewhat erratically, but that seemed in line to me with the subject matter. There are a number of very funny scenes, including one involving a trip to Wyoming for alcohol. Utah sells alcohol, but the sale of such spirits is highly restrictive. I especially enjoyed the ending, even though I did see it coming, but Lillard's performance during the scene really helped to make it work.
A good supporting cast, an excellent music score, and fine direction work together to make this movie worth looking into, especially if you have any interest in the punk scene in America during the 80's. I didn't get a sense that it was completely representative of the movement, but maybe it's not supposed to be...I don't know.
There are some decent extras, including a commentary track by the director and some of the stars, an isolated music score, a couple of trailers, production notes, and an SLC comic book (not an actual comic book, but one you can view on the screen). Oh yeah, if you are easily offened by the liberal use of profanity, you might skip this one as the cursing comes fast and furious. | 1 | neutral | [
"Set in the year 1985, SLC (Salt Lake City) Punk stars Matthew Lillard as Stevo, one of two punks caught in the heart of conservatism in Salt Lake City, or Salt Lake Sh*tty, as they would say.",
"Never being a big fan of Lillard (Scooby Doo, Wing Commander, Scream), I waited nearly two years before picking this movie up.",
"I have to say I was impressed by his portrayal of Stevo, along with the rest of the movie.",
"Many of the ideals of punk are explored, a lot of times in narrative, such as anarchy, rebellion, fighting, drugs, changing the system, sell outs, poseurs, music, and random chaos.",
"I really didn't get a sense of the true punk scene, not like I did with Sid and Nancy, but this movie was entertaining.",
"Basically the movie follows Stevo and his friend, Heroin Bob around and documents their existence.",
"We get a view into their politics, social circles, lifestyle, relationships, and their difficulties in being a part of the counterculture in conservative America.",
"The film tends to bounce around somewhat erratically, but that seemed in line to me with the subject matter.",
"There are a number of very funny scenes, including one involving a trip to Wyoming for alcohol.",
"Utah sells alcohol, but the sale of such spirits is highly restrictive.",
"I especially enjoyed the ending, even though I did see it coming, but Lillard's performance during the scene really helped to make it work.",
"A good supporting cast, an excellent music score, and fine direction work together to make this movie worth looking into, especially if you have any interest in the punk scene in America during the 80's.",
"I didn't get a sense that it was completely representative of the movement, but maybe it's not supposed to be...",
"I don't know.",
"There are some decent extras, including a commentary track by the director and some of the stars, an isolated music score, a couple of trailers, production notes, and an SLC comic book (not an actual comic book, but one you can view on the screen).",
"Oh yeah, if you are easily offened by the liberal use of profanity, you might skip this one as the cursing comes fast and furious."
] |
I purchased these units to replace some older ones by ExHart that seemed to be having troubles.
The ExHart and other units that I had purchased a while ago, emitted both a sound and a vibration. They had a synthetic cow moo-ing noise and a rattling vibration. Those operations lasted 5-10 seconds. They used 3 or 4 "C" batteries and had lasted about 4-5 years.
This season I saw some of the old mole chasers were not functioning correctly so I bought these. They were just installed last week so it is too early to judge their effectiveness. So this is based on my first impressions... I am very skeptical!!!
These P3 units make a small rattling noise cause by a tiny motor with an unbalanced weight. The noise lasts about 2-3 seconds. There is really no significant noise other than a quick rattle at maybe a one minute interval. The unit is large and needs 4 "D" batteries. I needed to dig down about 20 inches to get the body down into the soil. The noise is barely perceptible and it is hard to tell that they are working without touching them and waiting for the vibration.
One design positive is that the batteries are contained in a sleeve that is easy to remove for battery replacement and storage during the winter.
As I said, very skeptical and trying to be fair and patient. | 1 | neutral | [
"I purchased these units to replace some older ones by ExHart that seemed to be having troubles.",
"The ExHart and other units that I had purchased a while ago, emitted both a sound and a vibration.",
"They had a synthetic cow moo-ing noise and a rattling vibration.",
"Those operations lasted 5-10 seconds.",
"They used 3 or 4 \"C\" batteries and had lasted about 4-5 years.",
"This season I saw some of the old mole chasers were not functioning correctly so I bought these.",
"They were just installed last week so it is too early to judge their effectiveness.",
"So this is based on my first impressions...",
"I am very skeptical!!!",
"These P3 units make a small rattling noise cause by a tiny motor with an unbalanced weight.",
"The noise lasts about 2-3 seconds.",
"There is really no significant noise other than a quick rattle at maybe a one minute interval.",
"The unit is large and needs 4 \"D\" batteries.",
"I needed to dig down about 20 inches to get the body down into the soil.",
"The noise is barely perceptible and it is hard to tell that they are working without touching them and waiting for the vibration.",
"One design positive is that the batteries are contained in a sleeve that is easy to remove for battery replacement and storage during the winter.",
"As I said, very skeptical and trying to be fair and patient."
] |
A 17
ON SEPTEMBER 11th a 17-year-old girl was apprehended as she illegally crossed into America from Mexico. Now nearly 16 weeks pregnant the girlâknown as Jane Doe or J.D. to protect her privacyâwould like to have an abortion. But her custodian at a detention centre in Brownsville Texasâthe Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)âis refusing her request. The government will "protect the well-being of this minor and all children and their babies in our facilitiesâ an HHS spokesman explained. â[W]e will defend human dignity for all in our care." On October 18th a federal judge instructed the federal government to grant J.D. âs wish but two days later a three-judge panel on the Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit froze that order until October 31st by a 2-1 vote. If by that date the authorities have not found a sponsor âcapable of providing for the childâs physical and mental well-beingâ who could help her procure an abortion the court held J.D. may return to court to plead her case anew.
Meanwhile via her lawyers at the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) J.D. is asking the appeals court to reconsider her case âen bancââwith the full complement of judges. Time is of the essence: while bureaucrats and judges wrangle over her fate J.D.âs pregnancy rolls toward 20 weeks the point at which abortion is no longer available in Texas. The ACLU told the appeals court on October 22nd that its panel decision âviolates decades of well-settled Supreme Court precedentâ barring the government from imposing âan undue burden onâor as in this extraordinary case completely block[ing]âa womanâs ability to obtain an abortionâ.
The holding pattern for J.D. began nearly a month ago. âAll the while this young isolated woman remains pregnant against her will causing her irreparable harmâ the ACLU wrote. Every day J.D. faces a âsevere strain...both physically and emotionallyâ and abortion becomes a riskier more fraught procedure. The young womanâs lawyers ask the federal government to simply get out of the way: âHer court-appointed representatives or the shelter personnel stand ready to transport her; the health centre stands ready to provide the care; and private funds have been provided to pay for the procedureâ. In sum "[a]ll defendants must do is to step aside and stop blocking the doorâ.
The ACLU brief includes a few lines from a stinging opinion penned by Judge Patricia Millett the dissenter in the appeals court ruling on October 20th. The governmentâs refusal to grant the young womanâs wish âsacrificesâ her âconstitutional liberty autonomy and personal dignity for no justifiable governmental reasonâ Judge Millett wrote. Its decision represents âan astonishing power grabâ ignoring the fact that âthis child fled here all alone in a desperate effort to avoid severe abuseâ and embarked on âa life-imperiling trek for hundreds perhaps thousands of milesâ. J.D. and other â[u]naccompanied minor migrants are among the most vulnerable persons in the worldâ.
In its response to the young womanâs request for a court-wide re-hearing the Department of Justice (DoJ) raised three curious pointsânone of which interestingly denies that J.D. has a right to an abortion. First the DoJ explained that if J.D. were to find a sponsor she would be able to seek an abortion under his or her care and the complaint against the government would dissolve. But as the ACLU observed âthe notion that an appropriate sponsor for J.D. could be identified properly vetted and approved in an eleven day time frame is entirely unrealisticâ. Second the DoJ argued that J.D. brought her predicament on herself . âAny alleged âobstacleâ to Ms Doeâs ability to obtain an abortion is by her own choiceâ the brief asserts. She chose to flee oppression in her home country and enter America illegally so she is author of her own dilemma. The obstacle to her abortion is self-imposed. J.D. can decide to remove that obstacle âat any time by filing a request for voluntary departureâ.
This is a glaring insult to the young woman. Start with the implication that J.D. would enjoy the autonomy to have an abortion if only she were to give up on America and return to her home country: a choice between forced motherhood and a bus-ride back to the place she took great pains to escape. Actually it is worse: in Mexico where J.D. seems to be from (this information is sealed) she would not be able to secure a legal abortion at all. Self-deportation then would almost certainly be a lose-lose scenario.
The most jarring feature of the governmentâs argument comes near the end of its brief when it advances a novel theory of government âcomplicityâ in acts it finds reprehensible. Why does the Office of Refugee Resettlement refuse to release J.D. to court-appointed representatives to travel to a nearby abortion clinic? Because that would âentail facilitating an abortionâ the DoJ brief reads. Even if HHS does not drive J.D. to the clinic or pay for the procedure approving such a release âwould still require that HHS or its contractor devote time and staff towards maintaining appropriate custody over Ms Doe during her absenceâ and necessitate âexpend[ing] resources to monitorâ her health. Permitting J.D. to exercise her constitutional right to end her pregnancy would ârequire the federal government to be complicit in her abortion which the government has a significant and legitimate interest in refusing to doâ. | 1 | neutral | [
"A 17\nON SEPTEMBER 11th a 17-year-old girl was apprehended as she illegally crossed into America from Mexico.",
"Now nearly 16 weeks pregnant the girlâknown as Jane Doe or J.",
"D. to protect her privacyâwould like to have an abortion.",
"But her custodian at a detention centre in Brownsville Texasâthe Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)âis refusing her request.",
"The government will \"protect the well-being of this minor and all children and their babies in our facilitiesâ an HHS spokesman explained.",
"â[W]e will defend human dignity for all in our care.",
"\" On October 18th a federal judge instructed the federal government to grant J.",
"D. âs wish but two days later a three-judge panel on the Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit froze that order until October 31st by a 2-1 vote.",
"If by that date the authorities have not found a sponsor âcapable of providing for the childâs physical and mental well-beingâ who could help her procure an abortion the court held J.",
"D. may return to court to plead her case anew.",
"Meanwhile via her lawyers at the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) J.",
"D. is asking the appeals court to reconsider her case âen bancââwith the full complement of judges.",
"Time is of the essence: while bureaucrats and judges wrangle over her fate J.",
"D.âs pregnancy rolls toward 20 weeks the point at which abortion is no longer available in Texas.",
"The ACLU told the appeals court on October 22nd that its panel decision âviolates decades of well-settled Supreme Court precedentâ barring the government from imposing âan undue burden onâor as in this extraordinary case completely block[ing]âa womanâs ability to obtain an abortionâ.",
"The holding pattern for J.",
"D. began nearly a month ago.",
"âAll the while this young isolated woman remains pregnant against her will causing her irreparable harmâ the ACLU wrote.",
"Every day J.",
"D. faces a âsevere strain...",
"both physically and emotionallyâ and abortion becomes a riskier more fraught procedure.",
"The young womanâs lawyers ask the federal government to simply get out of the way: âHer court-appointed representatives or the shelter personnel stand ready to transport her; the health centre stands ready to provide the care; and private funds have been provided to pay for the procedureâ.",
"In sum \"[a]ll defendants must do is to step aside and stop blocking the doorâ.",
"The ACLU brief includes a few lines from a stinging opinion penned by Judge Patricia Millett the dissenter in the appeals court ruling on October 20th.",
"The governmentâs refusal to grant the young womanâs wish âsacrificesâ her âconstitutional liberty autonomy and personal dignity for no justifiable governmental reasonâ Judge Millett wrote.",
"Its decision represents âan astonishing power grabâ ignoring the fact that âthis child fled here all alone in a desperate effort to avoid severe abuseâ and embarked on âa life-imperiling trek for hundreds perhaps thousands of milesâ.",
"J.",
"D. and other â[u]naccompanied minor migrants are among the most vulnerable persons in the worldâ.",
"In its response to the young womanâs request for a court-wide re-hearing the Department of Justice (DoJ) raised three curious pointsânone of which interestingly denies that J.",
"D. has a right to an abortion.",
"First the DoJ explained that if J.",
"D. were to find a sponsor she would be able to seek an abortion under his or her care and the complaint against the government would dissolve.",
"But as the ACLU observed âthe notion that an appropriate sponsor for J.",
"D. could be identified properly vetted and approved in an eleven day time frame is entirely unrealisticâ.",
"Second the DoJ argued that J.",
"D. brought her predicament on herself.",
"âAny alleged âobstacleâ to Ms Doeâs ability to obtain an abortion is by her own choiceâ the brief asserts.",
"She chose to flee oppression in her home country and enter America illegally so she is author of her own dilemma.",
"The obstacle to her abortion is self-imposed.",
"J.",
"D. can decide to remove that obstacle âat any time by filing a request for voluntary departureâ.",
"This is a glaring insult to the young woman.",
"Start with the implication that J.",
"D. would enjoy the autonomy to have an abortion if only she were to give up on America and return to her home country: a choice between forced motherhood and a bus-ride back to the place she took great pains to escape.",
"Actually it is worse: in Mexico where J.",
"D. seems to be from (this information is sealed) she would not be able to secure a legal abortion at all.",
"Self-deportation then would almost certainly be a lose-lose scenario.",
"The most jarring feature of the governmentâs argument comes near the end of its brief when it advances a novel theory of government âcomplicityâ in acts it finds reprehensible.",
"Why does the Office of Refugee Resettlement refuse to release J.",
"D. to court-appointed representatives to travel to a nearby abortion clinic?",
"Because that would âentail facilitating an abortionâ the DoJ brief reads.",
"Even if HHS does not drive J.",
"D. to the clinic or pay for the procedure approving such a release âwould still require that HHS or its contractor devote time and staff towards maintaining appropriate custody over Ms Doe during her absenceâ and necessitate âexpend[ing] resources to monitorâ her health.",
"Permitting J.",
"D. to exercise her constitutional right to end her pregnancy would ârequire the federal government to be complicit in her abortion which the government has a significant and legitimate interest in refusing to doâ."
] |
When you talk about Def Leppard you can't think but associate the guys with legendary producer Mutt Lange.
It is no surprise that most of the material included here (and the best, i'd dare say) it's his.
The collection relies heavily on the singles off their 2 most successful albums: ANIMAL is the one track that got me into Def Leppard's music.
Still has a great part in my Summer 1987 memories
HYSTERIA and LOVE BITES are the power-ballads that bring emotions to this disc, along with HAVE YOU EVER NEEDED SOMEONE SO BAD?.
POUR SOME SUGAR ON ME is the most explicit song..honey and skin and all that's in bwetween...
And then WHEN LOVE AND HATE COLLIDES marks the new DL direction.
Some tune are embarassing..ROCKET and MAKE LOVE LIKE A MAN just plain ..., but most of the rest is good.
The band shows that there is more than the Queen coming from England for all the world to see..LOL | 1 | neutral | [
"When you talk about Def Leppard you can't think but associate the guys with legendary producer Mutt Lange.",
"It is no surprise that most of the material included here (and the best, i'd dare say) it's his.",
"The collection relies heavily on the singles off their 2 most successful albums: ANIMAL is the one track that got me into Def Leppard's music.",
"Still has a great part in my Summer 1987 memories\nHYSTERIA and LOVE BITES are the power-ballads that bring emotions to this disc, along with HAVE YOU EVER NEEDED SOMEONE SO BAD?.",
"POUR SOME SUGAR ON ME is the most explicit song..",
"honey and skin and all that's in bwetween...",
"And then WHEN LOVE AND HATE COLLIDES marks the new DL direction.",
"Some tune are embarassing..",
"ROCKET and MAKE LOVE LIKE A MAN just plain...",
", but most of the rest is good.",
"The band shows that there is more than the Queen coming from England for all the world to see..",
"LOL"
] |
'Unforgiven' is a good story which is bogged down by too much manly talk. Gene Hackman, of course, gives the best performance as a paranoid, dictatorial sheriff of the town of Old Whiskey. After kicking English Bob unconscious, Hackman is at his absolute scariest. But the scenes with Clint Eastwood are boorish and embarrasing. The worst is when Morgan Freeman asks Eastwood if he misses sex. It is supposed to be funny, but is unnecessary and bad. The film tries to make Eastwood, who was once an assasin, look like some born-again saint. Although it is plausable, I found it hard to believe because Eastwood was both the director and main actor.
The plot is about three assasins who are supposed to to kill one man. This man has slashed a woman's face, but wasn't punished for it. The film has some tense moments, espicially the final shootout between one man and an entire bar full of people (even though it was very unrealistic). 'Unforgiven' has a lot of talk about past shootouts and how once Eastwood was the best dualer of them all. Then there is more talk about some other shootouts. Some may find that interesting, but to me it was just boorish. See it for Hackman's performance though. | 1 | neutral | [
"'Unforgiven' is a good story which is bogged down by too much manly talk.",
"Gene Hackman, of course, gives the best performance as a paranoid, dictatorial sheriff of the town of Old Whiskey.",
"After kicking English Bob unconscious, Hackman is at his absolute scariest.",
"But the scenes with Clint Eastwood are boorish and embarrasing.",
"The worst is when Morgan Freeman asks Eastwood if he misses sex.",
"It is supposed to be funny, but is unnecessary and bad.",
"The film tries to make Eastwood, who was once an assasin, look like some born-again saint.",
"Although it is plausable, I found it hard to believe because Eastwood was both the director and main actor.",
"The plot is about three assasins who are supposed to to kill one man.",
"This man has slashed a woman's face, but wasn't punished for it.",
"The film has some tense moments, espicially the final shootout between one man and an entire bar full of people (even though it was very unrealistic).",
"'Unforgiven' has a lot of talk about past shootouts and how once Eastwood was the best dualer of them all.",
"Then there is more talk about some other shootouts.",
"Some may find that interesting, but to me it was just boorish.",
"See it for Hackman's performance though."
] |
Daggerspell is the first in what looks to be a very, very long series about a group of people and the intertwined fates they have with each other. In a magical land called Deverrey there is a system of magic called dweomer, which is sort of a Celtic-Jewish (I read it on her web site) mish mass of sympathetic magic and various electrical panes of life. The dweomer has caught up in its wyrd (destiny), about 400 years before this book begins, several people. One is a prince who wants to study the dweomer and leave his betrothed, who he does love, behind. One is the betrothed, who loves the prince to death. And there is her brother, who loves his sister in a creepy way and desperately wants to keep his honor.
It all gets screwed up and somehow these same people keep popping up together because they owe debts for faults in past lives. Several people live hundreds of years to accomplish the brining out of destiny.
This book sounds really interesting on its merits but it starts off very slowly and the first chapters are a little boring-which is bad because the chapters are hundreds of pages long. Some chapters take place hundreds of years in the past with stories of the characters past lives, but it feels disjointed from what's currently happening. There is an awful lot of talk of honor, and most of the book is people worrying about their honor, or fighting battles to save it. People even give up their kingdoms because they won't ask for forgiveness for something. It gets annoying, but there is something about the series that makes me think it could get really good in coming books.
At the end the book does pull together to be a cohesive and interesting story and so I will head on to the next book. If that one doesn't really pull me into the story more I may leave off.
Three Stars-but I am continuing on.
As a side note I think Sara Douglass probably got the idea for her Troy Game series from this series. | 1 | neutral | [
"Daggerspell is the first in what looks to be a very, very long series about a group of people and the intertwined fates they have with each other.",
"In a magical land called Deverrey there is a system of magic called dweomer, which is sort of a Celtic-Jewish (I read it on her web site) mish mass of sympathetic magic and various electrical panes of life.",
"The dweomer has caught up in its wyrd (destiny), about 400 years before this book begins, several people.",
"One is a prince who wants to study the dweomer and leave his betrothed, who he does love, behind.",
"One is the betrothed, who loves the prince to death.",
"And there is her brother, who loves his sister in a creepy way and desperately wants to keep his honor.",
"It all gets screwed up and somehow these same people keep popping up together because they owe debts for faults in past lives.",
"Several people live hundreds of years to accomplish the brining out of destiny.",
"This book sounds really interesting on its merits but it starts off very slowly and the first chapters are a little boring-which is bad because the chapters are hundreds of pages long.",
"Some chapters take place hundreds of years in the past with stories of the characters past lives, but it feels disjointed from what's currently happening.",
"There is an awful lot of talk of honor, and most of the book is people worrying about their honor, or fighting battles to save it.",
"People even give up their kingdoms because they won't ask for forgiveness for something.",
"It gets annoying, but there is something about the series that makes me think it could get really good in coming books.",
"At the end the book does pull together to be a cohesive and interesting story and so I will head on to the next book.",
"If that one doesn't really pull me into the story more I may leave off.",
"Three Stars-but I am continuing on.",
"As a side note I think Sara Douglass probably got the idea for her Troy Game series from this series."
] |
I have always preferred Schallers, even with the fact that you have to check the nut from time to time. But in the last several weeks I've found two additional failure modes. If you play a weighty guitar, the strap button on the neck end of the guitar can come loose. It can unscrew itself. A few weeks ago I found strap button half-way out of my LP Stnd! Then yesterday, my son's strap button on the neck end would not 'lock'. Why? The 'head' of the button was so worn down that the 'piston' would not engage. The strap lock was 3 years old. If you keep the above failure modes in mind (and don't play very much) and periodically check your strap locks, you should be OK. But if you're an active practicer/player and absent-minded...I think the other popular brand/design is a safer bet. Sorry Schallers. | 1 | neutral | [
"I have always preferred Schallers, even with the fact that you have to check the nut from time to time.",
"But in the last several weeks I've found two additional failure modes.",
"If you play a weighty guitar, the strap button on the neck end of the guitar can come loose.",
"It can unscrew itself.",
"A few weeks ago I found strap button half-way out of my LP Stnd!",
"Then yesterday, my son's strap button on the neck end would not 'lock'.",
"Why?",
"The 'head' of the button was so worn down that the 'piston' would not engage.",
"The strap lock was 3 years old.",
"If you keep the above failure modes in mind (and don't play very much) and periodically check your strap locks, you should be OK.",
"But if you're an active practicer/player and absent-minded...",
"I think the other popular brand/design is a safer bet.",
"Sorry Schallers."
] |
Horror is not my cup of tea. I generally avoid horror films, though I've watched a few over the years and maybe even enjoyed one or two. But I don't seek them, don't rent them, don't get into them around Halloween. Though I am fairly described as an avid reader, meaning I read and take a break to read some more, I have never read a Stephen King novel. Not my cup of tea.
But I just finished reading the original Dracula (1897) by Bram Stoker. I read this because I was recently given an e-reader for my birthday and on it discovered about 6 books installed for free. In this set was the eBook Dracula, a book now considered one of the classics. Since I recently decided to read a number of first edition classics I thought, "Why not start with the Count?"
It was a strange book, bloodier than I expected given the date and times in which it was written. For me, Stoker made his characters spend too much time traipsing through the woods or road to who knows where. I skipped some of these passages. But there's no question the book is a classic for several reasons: original ideas applied to scary storyline, interposition of religion, the occult, and outright fantasy, sexual overtones that were at once twisted and common, a building run to the finish.
Dracula has been adapted, presented, and re-adapted in story and film. Vampires in general are enjoying a new run in Stephenie Meyer's "Twilight Series" books and films, a storyline featuring youthful love and lust, vampires and wolves. And vampires lead the way in HBO's "True Blood," a television series that tries to outdo itself in picturing the occult, blood and gore, fractured relationships, witches, other assorted odd creatures, and a huge dose of sexuality mixed in with all this in a manner that reaches beyond kinky to creepy.
As I said, horror isn't my cup of tea. And I recommend Dracula only for those who want to experience a well-written story featuring distasteful topics. The Count is hateful and anti-religion. Indeed he is a satanic Antichrist archetype, and the book is filled with religious references, both respectful and disparaging.
I have no favorite characters in a book like this, even the heroes of the story. All in all, I can check if off my reading list and let the book, like the Count himself, vanish into dust particles and out of my life. | 1 | neutral | [
"Horror is not my cup of tea.",
"I generally avoid horror films, though I've watched a few over the years and maybe even enjoyed one or two.",
"But I don't seek them, don't rent them, don't get into them around Halloween.",
"Though I am fairly described as an avid reader, meaning I read and take a break to read some more, I have never read a Stephen King novel.",
"Not my cup of tea.",
"But I just finished reading the original Dracula (1897) by Bram Stoker.",
"I read this because I was recently given an e-reader for my birthday and on it discovered about 6 books installed for free.",
"In this set was the eBook Dracula, a book now considered one of the classics.",
"Since I recently decided to read a number of first edition classics I thought, \"Why not start with the Count?",
"\"\n\nIt was a strange book, bloodier than I expected given the date and times in which it was written.",
"For me, Stoker made his characters spend too much time traipsing through the woods or road to who knows where.",
"I skipped some of these passages.",
"But there's no question the book is a classic for several reasons: original ideas applied to scary storyline, interposition of religion, the occult, and outright fantasy, sexual overtones that were at once twisted and common, a building run to the finish.",
"Dracula has been adapted, presented, and re-adapted in story and film.",
"Vampires in general are enjoying a new run in Stephenie Meyer's \"Twilight Series\" books and films, a storyline featuring youthful love and lust, vampires and wolves.",
"And vampires lead the way in HBO's \"True Blood,\" a television series that tries to outdo itself in picturing the occult, blood and gore, fractured relationships, witches, other assorted odd creatures, and a huge dose of sexuality mixed in with all this in a manner that reaches beyond kinky to creepy.",
"As I said, horror isn't my cup of tea.",
"And I recommend Dracula only for those who want to experience a well-written story featuring distasteful topics.",
"The Count is hateful and anti-religion.",
"Indeed he is a satanic Antichrist archetype, and the book is filled with religious references, both respectful and disparaging.",
"I have no favorite characters in a book like this, even the heroes of the story.",
"All in all, I can check if off my reading list and let the book, like the Count himself, vanish into dust particles and out of my life."
] |
I bought this as an introduction to strategy games for my six-year-old year son. As others have said, this is different than the Stratego of the 1980's. The old pieces were etched with the soldier's profile and number; the new pieces have stickers. I no longer have the old version to compare it to, but the new pieces seem cheaply made. The board is okay and has decent artwork. The biggest difference is that all the numbers have been reversed. My first thought was why do I have so many Marshalls? How am I going to clear the enemy bombs with only two 8's?
The changes in numbers and the build quality do not make this an unplayable game by any means. If I'd never played Stratego before I wouldn't have noticed the numbering difference (my son certainly didn't care). So that change is just nostalgia kicking in and I won't knock the game down for that. I will knock it for the build quality. Stratego, for me, is a four-star game, but due to the quality of the pieces in this edition three stars seems fair.
My now eight year-old-son and I have moved on to more complex Eurogames, but we still play a round of Stratego every once in a while. For about a year, this was our go-to game and we enjoyed many hours of gameplay. | 1 | neutral | [
"I bought this as an introduction to strategy games for my six-year-old year son.",
"As others have said, this is different than the Stratego of the 1980's.",
"The old pieces were etched with the soldier's profile and number; the new pieces have stickers.",
"I no longer have the old version to compare it to, but the new pieces seem cheaply made.",
"The board is okay and has decent artwork.",
"The biggest difference is that all the numbers have been reversed.",
"My first thought was why do I have so many Marshalls?",
"How am I going to clear the enemy bombs with only two 8's?",
"The changes in numbers and the build quality do not make this an unplayable game by any means.",
"If I'd never played Stratego before I wouldn't have noticed the numbering difference (my son certainly didn't care).",
"So that change is just nostalgia kicking in and I won't knock the game down for that.",
"I will knock it for the build quality.",
"Stratego, for me, is a four-star game, but due to the quality of the pieces in this edition three stars seems fair.",
"My now eight year-old-son and I have moved on to more complex Eurogames, but we still play a round of Stratego every once in a while.",
"For about a year, this was our go-to game and we enjoyed many hours of gameplay."
] |
An interesting and rewarding read, but difficult in sections. Overall the good points, and unique views were worth it. I thought the author had some well thought-out ideas but meandered on the supporting arguments. The main idea being the ancient Greeks had four words for love depending on the type of love. C.S.Lewis analyses these types of love; Affection, Friendship Eros, and Charity. I suspect most readers will be surprised when they read what is included in each classification. I would recommend an audio version of book. The supporting arguments are better suited to the ears, which are more adept and can selectively tune-in. I plan on reading other books by C.S. Lewis. Hopefully the main thoughts put forth in the next book will also outweigh a writing style that does not seem to agree with me. | 1 | neutral | [
"An interesting and rewarding read, but difficult in sections.",
"Overall the good points, and unique views were worth it.",
"I thought the author had some well thought-out ideas but meandered on the supporting arguments.",
"The main idea being the ancient Greeks had four words for love depending on the type of love.",
"C.",
"S.Lewis analyses these types of love; Affection, Friendship Eros, and Charity.",
"I suspect most readers will be surprised when they read what is included in each classification.",
"I would recommend an audio version of book.",
"The supporting arguments are better suited to the ears, which are more adept and can selectively tune-in.",
"I plan on reading other books by C.",
"S. Lewis.",
"Hopefully the main thoughts put forth in the next book will also outweigh a writing style that does not seem to agree with me."
] |
KISS no doubt had an identity crisis in the late 70's and early 80's. 1979's "Dynasty" had hit big with the disco-laden "I Was Made For Loving You" and "new wave" music was on the horizon. Why KISS ever departed from just playing good rock music is another story, but obviously with "Unmasked" they were searching for something else. As goofy as some of it is, it's still KISS and it eventually grew on me in the day as my little 8-track player blasted the tunes. And just like "The Elder," I have the CD and still listen to it, maybe perhaps because they are so different. But even with bad material, it still contains Paul Stanley's incredible voice and Ace Frehley on lead guitar. And some are the tunes aren't bad, even if they are pop tunes. I will say this - the production and engineering on this album is awful. I would love to hear some of these tunes with a harder edge and good guitar tones - kinda' like the first time you heard some of the live versions of tunes off the first KISS albums on "Alive." My other main criticism is that some of the lyrics are simply horrendous - beyond silly.
1. Is That You - this could have been a really rocking song. Still not a bad KISS track.
2. Shandi - great pop tune.
3. Talk To Me - Has to have the most words ending in "tion" ever written. Great Ace lead vocal and backgrounds from Paul and Gene. I've always liked this song, vapid as the lyrics are.
4. Naked City - Gene's first track on the album. Not great, but tons better that some of the stuff of his KISS solo album. Listenable.
5. What Makes The World Go 'Round - A Paul disco tune. His vocal makes this song. Again, not classic KISS, but not a bad tune for what it is. Ace adds some cool riffs.
6. Tomorrow - I've always liked this Paul tune, might be my favorite track. Could have been on his solo album. Another tune that could have totally rocked - damn you, Vinnie Poncia!
7. Two Sides Of The Coin - Perhaps one of Ace's worse songs ever. "Then you decide to pick a mate, because you're tired of all of those dates." Good lord.
8. She's So European - A Gene new wave tune, complete with Cars-like synthesizer. I don't mind this tune at all - makes me want to dance like Dieter from "Sprockets."
9. Easy As It Seems - not a great Paul tune. But the guy sings so friggin' well it ain't bad, either. If you want to dance to a KISS tune, not a bad choice - it has the beat.
10. Torpedo Girl - Classic Ace tune with some good guitar. Just ignore him shouting "C'mon and get your feet wet."
11. You're All That I Want - Gene closes out the album with a tune that would have fit nicely on his solo album. Not a demon song, but not a bad pop tune, either.
I don't know, I like this album better that most of the post-makeup stuff when KISS took another turn and tried to be hair metal. Even though Peter Criss does not play or sing on the album, it still seems to come across as a true classic KISS album. Maybe it's just nostalgia from those 8-track days, but I have no problem giving this album three stars. | 1 | neutral | [
"KISS no doubt had an identity crisis in the late 70's and early 80's.",
"1979's \"Dynasty\" had hit big with the disco-laden \"I Was Made For Loving You\" and \"new wave\" music was on the horizon.",
"Why KISS ever departed from just playing good rock music is another story, but obviously with \"Unmasked\" they were searching for something else.",
"As goofy as some of it is, it's still KISS and it eventually grew on me in the day as my little 8-track player blasted the tunes.",
"And just like \"The Elder,\" I have the CD and still listen to it, maybe perhaps because they are so different.",
"But even with bad material, it still contains Paul Stanley's incredible voice and Ace Frehley on lead guitar.",
"And some are the tunes aren't bad, even if they are pop tunes.",
"I will say this - the production and engineering on this album is awful.",
"I would love to hear some of these tunes with a harder edge and good guitar tones - kinda' like the first time you heard some of the live versions of tunes off the first KISS albums on \"Alive.",
"\" My other main criticism is that some of the lyrics are simply horrendous - beyond silly.",
"1.",
"Is That You - this could have been a really rocking song.",
"Still not a bad KISS track.",
"2.",
"Shandi - great pop tune.",
"3.",
"Talk To Me - Has to have the most words ending in \"tion\" ever written.",
"Great Ace lead vocal and backgrounds from Paul and Gene.",
"I've always liked this song, vapid as the lyrics are.",
"4.",
"Naked City - Gene's first track on the album.",
"Not great, but tons better that some of the stuff of his KISS solo album.",
"Listenable.",
"5.",
"What Makes The World Go 'Round - A Paul disco tune.",
"His vocal makes this song.",
"Again, not classic KISS, but not a bad tune for what it is.",
"Ace adds some cool riffs.",
"6.",
"Tomorrow - I've always liked this Paul tune, might be my favorite track.",
"Could have been on his solo album.",
"Another tune that could have totally rocked - damn you, Vinnie Poncia!",
"7.",
"Two Sides Of The Coin - Perhaps one of Ace's worse songs ever.",
"\"Then you decide to pick a mate, because you're tired of all of those dates.",
"\" Good lord.",
"8.",
"She's So European - A Gene new wave tune, complete with Cars-like synthesizer.",
"I don't mind this tune at all - makes me want to dance like Dieter from \"Sprockets.",
"\"\n\n9.",
"Easy As It Seems - not a great Paul tune.",
"But the guy sings so friggin' well it ain't bad, either.",
"If you want to dance to a KISS tune, not a bad choice - it has the beat.",
"10.",
"Torpedo Girl - Classic Ace tune with some good guitar.",
"Just ignore him shouting \"C'mon and get your feet wet.",
"\"\n\n11.",
"You're All That I Want - Gene closes out the album with a tune that would have fit nicely on his solo album.",
"Not a demon song, but not a bad pop tune, either.",
"I don't know, I like this album better that most of the post-makeup stuff when KISS took another turn and tried to be hair metal.",
"Even though Peter Criss does not play or sing on the album, it still seems to come across as a true classic KISS album.",
"Maybe it's just nostalgia from those 8-track days, but I have no problem giving this album three stars."
] |
...so I guess I'll have to wait for... CFS3? maybe. Seems strange though because torpedo planes played such a big part on both sides during the air war in the Pacific. It's a pity then that a flight simulator set in that theatre of war would not have modelled even one WWII torpedo bomber. Ah well, I am just a little disappointed with unmet expectations, but so what. The game never promised to be anything more than a flight sim depicting the main Japanese and American fighter planes. And that it is, and it does that very well indeed.
Microsoft's previous entry was CFS which depicted the European air war. Gamers had plenty of complaints and it is obvious that Microsoft listened and learned. One of the biggest critiques of the first game was it's graphics. The graphics here are gorgeous. The exterior of the planes are sufficiently weathered and oil stains and gunpowder streaks will appear. Look for nice little details such as moving canopies, folding wings and wheels that turn. The damage modelling is excellent. Bullet holes appear when shot and skin peels off exposing undersurfaces. Parts fall off according to the degree of damage and look for these visual clues. Black streaming smoke from the enemy means he's a goner for sure but grey spurts means he's still in the game. Same for you. Oily smoke smearing your screen, bail out! The fact that you can do so is a relief, and is a feature that was previously missing. Terrain, such as there is - blue sky, blue sea - is still lovingly rendered. Different types of weather and times of day are also detailed.
The flight modelling is adjustable from easy or novice to hard and very realistic. Try flying with some degree of realism and the planes will react according to their strengths and weaknesses. Close in on a Zero from his six in your Wildcat, lining him up, and then watch in amazement as he suddenly zooms into a power climb that you can never match, and then look on in horror as you see the tight circle he pulls to close in on your rear. Flying the Wildcat your strength is your weight. Push the nose down and dive into that enemy bomber formation, ripping through it with your guns. Just keep going though because in a dogfight your dead. There are multiple mission types, a semi dynamic campaign, battleships, carriers and other plane choices, most significantly 'Whistling Death' - The Corsair. All of this goes together to provide a satisfying flight for most sim fans - for a while. And therein lies the rub. Only for a little while before you start to get a sense of what could have been and notice small things missing. Why didn't they give the wingmen more commands? What's the objective of this mission? and back to my original beef - Why aren't there more planes to fly? I want to drop torpedos! | 1 | neutral | [
"...",
"so I guess I'll have to wait for...",
"CFS3?",
"maybe.",
"Seems strange though because torpedo planes played such a big part on both sides during the air war in the Pacific.",
"It's a pity then that a flight simulator set in that theatre of war would not have modelled even one WWII torpedo bomber.",
"Ah well, I am just a little disappointed with unmet expectations, but so what.",
"The game never promised to be anything more than a flight sim depicting the main Japanese and American fighter planes.",
"And that it is, and it does that very well indeed.",
"Microsoft's previous entry was CFS which depicted the European air war.",
"Gamers had plenty of complaints and it is obvious that Microsoft listened and learned.",
"One of the biggest critiques of the first game was it's graphics.",
"The graphics here are gorgeous.",
"The exterior of the planes are sufficiently weathered and oil stains and gunpowder streaks will appear.",
"Look for nice little details such as moving canopies, folding wings and wheels that turn.",
"The damage modelling is excellent.",
"Bullet holes appear when shot and skin peels off exposing undersurfaces.",
"Parts fall off according to the degree of damage and look for these visual clues.",
"Black streaming smoke from the enemy means he's a goner for sure but grey spurts means he's still in the game.",
"Same for you.",
"Oily smoke smearing your screen, bail out!",
"The fact that you can do so is a relief, and is a feature that was previously missing.",
"Terrain, such as there is - blue sky, blue sea - is still lovingly rendered.",
"Different types of weather and times of day are also detailed.",
"The flight modelling is adjustable from easy or novice to hard and very realistic.",
"Try flying with some degree of realism and the planes will react according to their strengths and weaknesses.",
"Close in on a Zero from his six in your Wildcat, lining him up, and then watch in amazement as he suddenly zooms into a power climb that you can never match, and then look on in horror as you see the tight circle he pulls to close in on your rear.",
"Flying the Wildcat your strength is your weight.",
"Push the nose down and dive into that enemy bomber formation, ripping through it with your guns.",
"Just keep going though because in a dogfight your dead.",
"There are multiple mission types, a semi dynamic campaign, battleships, carriers and other plane choices, most significantly 'Whistling Death' - The Corsair.",
"All of this goes together to provide a satisfying flight for most sim fans - for a while.",
"And therein lies the rub.",
"Only for a little while before you start to get a sense of what could have been and notice small things missing.",
"Why didn't they give the wingmen more commands?",
"What's the objective of this mission?",
"and back to my original beef - Why aren't there more planes to fly?",
"I want to drop torpedos!"
] |
I'm not convinced on this brand yet but we are trying it. A crf cat needs low protein and low phosphorous. The data on this from Tanya's guide for Crf cats shows this has pretty high phosphorous for a renal food. .72% vs .38% on the K/D. Also has 36% protein vs. 28% with the K/D. Its more equal to senior formula foods than the prescription foods. It might not be the best choice. It does have high fat though vs other brands which is my hope for keeping some weight on my 18 year old crf cat. | 1 | neutral | [
"I'm not convinced on this brand yet but we are trying it.",
"A crf cat needs low protein and low phosphorous.",
"The data on this from Tanya's guide for Crf cats shows this has pretty high phosphorous for a renal food.",
".",
"72% vs.",
"38% on the K/D.",
"Also has 36% protein vs.",
"28% with the K/D.",
"Its more equal to senior formula foods than the prescription foods.",
"It might not be the best choice.",
"It does have high fat though vs other brands which is my hope for keeping some weight on my 18 year old crf cat."
] |
All 4 Warner Brothers blu-ray movies I own that are rated Dolby TruHD only play as Dolby Digital 5.1 on my new Sony S-550 blu ray player and Denon 3808ci AV receiver, both updated with the latest firmware. The movies are "The Ultimate Matrix Collection", "The Dark Knight", "Batman Begins" and "Blade Runner". I have not had this problem with movies from other studios. For example, "Top Gun", "The Godfather", "Ironman", "The Hunt for Red October", "Men in Black", and "Transformers". However, these movies are also disappointing because while they play DolbyTrueHD sound, they are limited to 5.1 channels. However, I must say that despite that, "Transformers" has an awesome TrueHD sound track with unbelievable spatial resolution. The only movies I own which actually play 6.1ch or 7.1ch are "Wall-E", "The Curse of the Black Pearl (POC)", "Total Recall" and "Pan's Labyrinth". All are DTS HD, not Dolby Digital. It's a shame that blu-ray movies are not being made with audio to match the video. | 1 | neutral | [
"All 4 Warner Brothers blu-ray movies I own that are rated Dolby TruHD only play as Dolby Digital 5.",
"1 on my new Sony S-550 blu ray player and Denon 3808ci AV receiver, both updated with the latest firmware.",
"The movies are \"The Ultimate Matrix Collection\", \"The Dark Knight\", \"Batman Begins\" and \"Blade Runner\".",
"I have not had this problem with movies from other studios.",
"For example, \"Top Gun\", \"The Godfather\", \"Ironman\", \"The Hunt for Red October\", \"Men in Black\", and \"Transformers\".",
"However, these movies are also disappointing because while they play DolbyTrueHD sound, they are limited to 5.",
"1 channels.",
"However, I must say that despite that, \"Transformers\" has an awesome TrueHD sound track with unbelievable spatial resolution.",
"The only movies I own which actually play 6.",
"1ch or 7.",
"1ch are \"Wall-E\", \"The Curse of the Black Pearl (POC)\", \"Total Recall\" and \"Pan's Labyrinth\".",
"All are DTS HD, not Dolby Digital.",
"It's a shame that blu-ray movies are not being made with audio to match the video."
] |
It is very useful for toting groceries, primarily, from the car in garage into the house; or moving boxes around occasionally. Rare need however. My GIANT complaint is why they did not manufacture a screen or some way of filling in the GREAT open area of the lower, primary upright handle. Everything falls through it! I'm going to see if I can find a bungee cord thing that I could stretch across and connect to the two upright handles. Otherwise you'd have to place a board or thick cardboard between these to act as a barrier to prevent - for us - primarily groceries, from falling through and onto the floor the second you tip it back! POOR forethought by designers! Very disappointed in this. HOWEVER the only assembly required is to snap on the wheels - super easy. Could do with eyes shut. Is light weight. A great idea....EXCEPT for not thinking ahead about being Unable to carry anything not wider than the two upright handles, or else they will fall right through. DUH! | 1 | neutral | [
"It is very useful for toting groceries, primarily, from the car in garage into the house; or moving boxes around occasionally.",
"Rare need however.",
"My GIANT complaint is why they did not manufacture a screen or some way of filling in the GREAT open area of the lower, primary upright handle.",
"Everything falls through it!",
"I'm going to see if I can find a bungee cord thing that I could stretch across and connect to the two upright handles.",
"Otherwise you'd have to place a board or thick cardboard between these to act as a barrier to prevent - for us - primarily groceries, from falling through and onto the floor the second you tip it back!",
"POOR forethought by designers!",
"Very disappointed in this.",
"HOWEVER the only assembly required is to snap on the wheels - super easy.",
"Could do with eyes shut.",
"Is light weight.",
"A great idea....",
"EXCEPT for not thinking ahead about being Unable to carry anything not wider than the two upright handles, or else they will fall right through.",
"DUH!"
] |
This is a review of the hardware, not the gameplay (which is great BTW). I initially bought the Attache version but the blue and black colors were too similar and hurt the experience. So I decided to give this set a try.
CASE: 3 stars. Looks nice and clean when stored away and better than a cardboard box IMO. It can stand on its side or lie flat. The leatherette is pretty cheap and not that durable (there was already a tiny corner torn off when I got it), but it's fine for game storage purposes and light portability. The handle and latches work fine. The case is unadorned with any markings - it would have been nice if "Rummikub" was printed on it somewhere to make it identifiable. The inside of the case is empty with no straps or holders. A bag would have been helpful to hold all the tiles so they aren't bouncing around in the case. The Attache version has a nice bag to hold the tiles and straps to hold down the racks. In addition, the Attache size is smaller, has a Rummikub logo stitched on the front, and is a soft case. Whether you like the Attache or Deluxe case is more a matter of personal preference than any significant difference in quality or practicality. I think the Deluxe case looks nicer on the shelf but the Attache case is a bit better for traveling.
TILES: 5 stars. Large numbers with easily identifiable colors on a pure white background. The Attache version uses a dark blue that is hard to distinguish from black. Not a problem with the Deluxe as the blue is very light and the green/red are easy to see also. The Attache numbers are smaller and the background has an unattractive yellowish hue.
RACKS: 1 star. First of all, the racks are too big and awkward. Secondly, they require you to insert 2 flimsy, skinny feet every time you play because you can't store the racks with the feet attached. The feet are very difficult to attach - they feel like they will snap in half when you try to attach them - so this becomes an obstacle to getting a game started. During play, the feet are unstable so you have to hold the rack when you arrange your tiles. Overall, the racks are a disaster. The Attache version has far superior racks because they lie flat on the table, easily stack and store away, and have 3 rows (as opposed to the Deluxe's 2) which allow you to organize your tiles better.
OVERALL: It's hard to recommend this set given how poor the racks are. If I were to buy a single set, I'd probably get the <a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/non-deluxe-Rummikub-Large-Number-Edition/dp/B001TM0SYG/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">non-deluxe Rummikub Large Number Edition</a> which appears to have the superior flat racks. Since I now own both the Attache and this Deluxe version, I have combined the best parts of both sets which works out great. I use the Deluxe tiles, Attache tile bag, Attache racks, and store it all in the Deluxe case. | 1 | neutral | [
"This is a review of the hardware, not the gameplay (which is great BTW).",
"I initially bought the Attache version but the blue and black colors were too similar and hurt the experience.",
"So I decided to give this set a try.",
"CASE: 3 stars.",
"Looks nice and clean when stored away and better than a cardboard box IMO.",
"It can stand on its side or lie flat.",
"The leatherette is pretty cheap and not that durable (there was already a tiny corner torn off when I got it), but it's fine for game storage purposes and light portability.",
"The handle and latches work fine.",
"The case is unadorned with any markings - it would have been nice if \"Rummikub\" was printed on it somewhere to make it identifiable.",
"The inside of the case is empty with no straps or holders.",
"A bag would have been helpful to hold all the tiles so they aren't bouncing around in the case.",
"The Attache version has a nice bag to hold the tiles and straps to hold down the racks.",
"In addition, the Attache size is smaller, has a Rummikub logo stitched on the front, and is a soft case.",
"Whether you like the Attache or Deluxe case is more a matter of personal preference than any significant difference in quality or practicality.",
"I think the Deluxe case looks nicer on the shelf but the Attache case is a bit better for traveling.",
"TILES: 5 stars.",
"Large numbers with easily identifiable colors on a pure white background.",
"The Attache version uses a dark blue that is hard to distinguish from black.",
"Not a problem with the Deluxe as the blue is very light and the green/red are easy to see also.",
"The Attache numbers are smaller and the background has an unattractive yellowish hue.",
"RACKS: 1 star.",
"First of all, the racks are too big and awkward.",
"Secondly, they require you to insert 2 flimsy, skinny feet every time you play because you can't store the racks with the feet attached.",
"The feet are very difficult to attach - they feel like they will snap in half when you try to attach them - so this becomes an obstacle to getting a game started.",
"During play, the feet are unstable so you have to hold the rack when you arrange your tiles.",
"Overall, the racks are a disaster.",
"The Attache version has far superior racks because they lie flat on the table, easily stack and store away, and have 3 rows (as opposed to the Deluxe's 2) which allow you to organize your tiles better.",
"OVERALL: It's hard to recommend this set given how poor the racks are.",
"If I were to buy a single set, I'd probably get the <a data-hook=\"product-link-linked\" class=\"a-link-normal\" href=\"/non-deluxe-Rummikub-Large-Number-Edition/dp/B001TM0SYG/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?",
"ie=UTF8\">non-deluxe Rummikub Large Number Edition</a> which appears to have the superior flat racks.",
"Since I now own both the Attache and this Deluxe version, I have combined the best parts of both sets which works out great.",
"I use the Deluxe tiles, Attache tile bag, Attache racks, and store it all in the Deluxe case."
] |
I recently fired this game up again after having been lured away many, many months ago by broadband (and the resulting opportunities for Counter-Strike and the like). My first go-round with Morrowind had suffered from choppy framerates and blobby textures owing to my antique 3D card; my new Radeon card has made these issues neatly disappear, and the game now feels like a revelation.
Morrowind's flaws have been neatly dissected by innumerable reviewers: chief among these being the steep system requirements (on the PC, at least), the NPCs with their repetitive canned dialogue (which, as often as not, betrays a disappointingly blithe ignorance of ostensibly earth-shaking plot events), the small selection of background music, and the lack of urgency in the main plot.
Those things all bugged me in my first short bout with the game, back in July, but for whatever reason, this time I don't really mind at all. The game's virtues have made themselves much more apparent, especially in contrast with a lot of the stuff I've played in the interim. One of the biggies has to be the character advancement system. The creation system has gotten a lot more attention in reviews, and yeah, there's a vast constellation of starting options - from race, gender, and appearance to birthsign to skillsets - but that's par for the course, at least in Yanqui RPGs. But it's in the process of building your guy or gal up that the game really shines; every few-point improvement in your scores is actually noticeable, instead of merely theoretical, yet at the same time it's balanced so that you don't achieve the massively OTT levels of world-shattering power ("oh, look, another thirty-foot hellspawn") endemic to most other RPGs.
MORROWIND's gameplay itself is superb, with solid, intuitive first-person controls, manageable click-and-drag menus, and an unobtrusive HUD. The combat is particularly nice: unlike a straight RPG, you'll actually need quick reactions and a steady mouse hand, but (luckily for the club-handed among us) your character's numerical weapon skill is still a bigger determinant of his ability to hit an enemy than your prowess at punching a lot of buttons really quickly. It's an elegant hybridized system that allows for a lot of spontaneity and freedom - and it's always nice to be able to escape a losing fight by, for instance, vaulting off a bridge into a ravine, or hiding behind a boulder, or levitating out of reach.
The graphics are lovely, from the huge variety of architecture - Western half-timbered houses, yurts, giant ziggurats - to the monsters, many of which are genuinely scary, to the little details such as the dozens of different-looking shirts, pants, and shoes available to the fashion-conscious player. The graphics also play into what I really like about the game - the idea that, instead of having all the most memorable bits spoonfed to you in a pre-scripted event or plot twist, you have the freedom to experience your own. Like the other day, when I was exploring a desolate, mountainous coastline during a dark night and looked up to see a forty-foot-tall statue of a goddess overlooking the sea, just as she was sihouetted by the light of the newly-risen sun behind her. It's neat knowing that that's a moment that's purely my own - other players might have seen it, but not at the same time or in the exact same way.
Lastly, I love MORROWIND's atmosphere. It's not perky and poppy and pink-haired like a Japanese RPG, but it's not stolid and Tolkien-generic like a D&D or Might and Magic game, either - it's something new, for once. The Elder Scrolls gameworld is standard fantasy-medieval, but this takes place in a weird, gloomy corner of it, like the Elder Scrolls equivalent of Eastern Europe or the Middle East. We've got a distant Western empire (with a strong Byzantine flavor) ruling over an ancient and resentful people who do their best to stick to "the old ways"; most of the game's story emerges from this culture clash. There's lots of politics and paranoia, and while there is a main villain, there's no real clear-cut "force of good". And while MORROWIND has neither a well-characterized and understandably-motivated villain like Jon Irenicus in BALDUR'S GATE II or a larger-than-life fanbait champion like Sephiroth in FF7, its main nemesis feels genuinely vile, using as his weapons diseased beasts, mummified Oriental-style vampires, infectious plagues, and the very weather itself. The atmosphere is reinforced by the dozens of readable books in the game world which you can browse at leisure; many of these are texts giving you a better overview of the history of the Elder Scrolls world and the backstory of the principal MORROWIND characters, while others are merely well-written, entertaining, and often witty fantasy short stories that would not be out of place in a real-life publication.
On balance, MORROWIND is, like its predecessors, far from perfect - but vastly entertaining nonetheless, and well worth the time you'll invest in it. | 1 | neutral | [
"I recently fired this game up again after having been lured away many, many months ago by broadband (and the resulting opportunities for Counter-Strike and the like).",
"My first go-round with Morrowind had suffered from choppy framerates and blobby textures owing to my antique 3D card; my new Radeon card has made these issues neatly disappear, and the game now feels like a revelation.",
"Morrowind's flaws have been neatly dissected by innumerable reviewers: chief among these being the steep system requirements (on the PC, at least), the NPCs with their repetitive canned dialogue (which, as often as not, betrays a disappointingly blithe ignorance of ostensibly earth-shaking plot events), the small selection of background music, and the lack of urgency in the main plot.",
"Those things all bugged me in my first short bout with the game, back in July, but for whatever reason, this time I don't really mind at all.",
"The game's virtues have made themselves much more apparent, especially in contrast with a lot of the stuff I've played in the interim.",
"One of the biggies has to be the character advancement system.",
"The creation system has gotten a lot more attention in reviews, and yeah, there's a vast constellation of starting options - from race, gender, and appearance to birthsign to skillsets - but that's par for the course, at least in Yanqui RPGs.",
"But it's in the process of building your guy or gal up that the game really shines; every few-point improvement in your scores is actually noticeable, instead of merely theoretical, yet at the same time it's balanced so that you don't achieve the massively OTT levels of world-shattering power (\"oh, look, another thirty-foot hellspawn\") endemic to most other RPGs.",
"MORROWIND's gameplay itself is superb, with solid, intuitive first-person controls, manageable click-and-drag menus, and an unobtrusive HUD.",
"The combat is particularly nice: unlike a straight RPG, you'll actually need quick reactions and a steady mouse hand, but (luckily for the club-handed among us) your character's numerical weapon skill is still a bigger determinant of his ability to hit an enemy than your prowess at punching a lot of buttons really quickly.",
"It's an elegant hybridized system that allows for a lot of spontaneity and freedom - and it's always nice to be able to escape a losing fight by, for instance, vaulting off a bridge into a ravine, or hiding behind a boulder, or levitating out of reach.",
"The graphics are lovely, from the huge variety of architecture - Western half-timbered houses, yurts, giant ziggurats - to the monsters, many of which are genuinely scary, to the little details such as the dozens of different-looking shirts, pants, and shoes available to the fashion-conscious player.",
"The graphics also play into what I really like about the game - the idea that, instead of having all the most memorable bits spoonfed to you in a pre-scripted event or plot twist, you have the freedom to experience your own.",
"Like the other day, when I was exploring a desolate, mountainous coastline during a dark night and looked up to see a forty-foot-tall statue of a goddess overlooking the sea, just as she was sihouetted by the light of the newly-risen sun behind her.",
"It's neat knowing that that's a moment that's purely my own - other players might have seen it, but not at the same time or in the exact same way.",
"Lastly, I love MORROWIND's atmosphere.",
"It's not perky and poppy and pink-haired like a Japanese RPG, but it's not stolid and Tolkien-generic like a D&D or Might and Magic game, either - it's something new, for once.",
"The Elder Scrolls gameworld is standard fantasy-medieval, but this takes place in a weird, gloomy corner of it, like the Elder Scrolls equivalent of Eastern Europe or the Middle East.",
"We've got a distant Western empire (with a strong Byzantine flavor) ruling over an ancient and resentful people who do their best to stick to \"the old ways\"; most of the game's story emerges from this culture clash.",
"There's lots of politics and paranoia, and while there is a main villain, there's no real clear-cut \"force of good\".",
"And while MORROWIND has neither a well-characterized and understandably-motivated villain like Jon Irenicus in BALDUR'S GATE II or a larger-than-life fanbait champion like Sephiroth in FF7, its main nemesis feels genuinely vile, using as his weapons diseased beasts, mummified Oriental-style vampires, infectious plagues, and the very weather itself.",
"The atmosphere is reinforced by the dozens of readable books in the game world which you can browse at leisure; many of these are texts giving you a better overview of the history of the Elder Scrolls world and the backstory of the principal MORROWIND characters, while others are merely well-written, entertaining, and often witty fantasy short stories that would not be out of place in a real-life publication.",
"On balance, MORROWIND is, like its predecessors, far from perfect - but vastly entertaining nonetheless, and well worth the time you'll invest in it."
] |
This was a splurge gift for someone who loves to cook, grill, and camp. It's an impressive spectacle, with some major draw-backs. The cons are, the accessories don't work great with it- the Camp Chef bbq box (separate purchase but meant to go with this grill) lid slams shut when used on this with the back splash that comes with it. So...we're going to have to find a way to hold the bbq lid open by soldering something to it. The back splash is NOT easily removed and replaced on the grill, so doing that when using the bbq is not an option. The bbq box has MAJOR issues in and of itself, including not offering a grease trap. So, I thought I was buying a grill and bbq, and actually ended up with a grill only. The legs don't have anything holding them in a closed folded position, so when you are carrying this heavy object, the legs flap around. Even when you get the bag that goes with it, to make carrying easier, it's still hard to remove from the bag without the legs slamming around. And finally, after about three uses, one of the knobs broke and we have to use a wrench to ignite the burners... not okay for such a spendy product. I expected much more for my money. We're people who take care of our stuff, so this review isn't coming from someone who threw this around and didn't know what they were doing. I can't wholeheartedly dismiss this, as the grill itself is great. The grate is tight enough that you can set small objects on it and they won't fall through (like smaller water kettles). The materials it is made of are very heavy and sturdy (except for that plastic knob). So, instead of upgrading and throwing away money, we will likely be doing some metal work on this thing to make it more usable. I've since seen it at various outdoor gear stores. I would really recommend checking it out in a store and asking to try the accessories with it (try the bbq box on it to understand what you're up against). | 1 | neutral | [
"This was a splurge gift for someone who loves to cook, grill, and camp.",
"It's an impressive spectacle, with some major draw-backs.",
"The cons are, the accessories don't work great with it- the Camp Chef bbq box (separate purchase but meant to go with this grill) lid slams shut when used on this with the back splash that comes with it.",
"So...",
"we're going to have to find a way to hold the bbq lid open by soldering something to it.",
"The back splash is NOT easily removed and replaced on the grill, so doing that when using the bbq is not an option.",
"The bbq box has MAJOR issues in and of itself, including not offering a grease trap.",
"So, I thought I was buying a grill and bbq, and actually ended up with a grill only.",
"The legs don't have anything holding them in a closed folded position, so when you are carrying this heavy object, the legs flap around.",
"Even when you get the bag that goes with it, to make carrying easier, it's still hard to remove from the bag without the legs slamming around.",
"And finally, after about three uses, one of the knobs broke and we have to use a wrench to ignite the burners...",
"not okay for such a spendy product.",
"I expected much more for my money.",
"We're people who take care of our stuff, so this review isn't coming from someone who threw this around and didn't know what they were doing.",
"I can't wholeheartedly dismiss this, as the grill itself is great.",
"The grate is tight enough that you can set small objects on it and they won't fall through (like smaller water kettles).",
"The materials it is made of are very heavy and sturdy (except for that plastic knob).",
"So, instead of upgrading and throwing away money, we will likely be doing some metal work on this thing to make it more usable.",
"I've since seen it at various outdoor gear stores.",
"I would really recommend checking it out in a store and asking to try the accessories with it (try the bbq box on it to understand what you're up against)."
] |
This product debuted in 2016. Six bags in a flimsy box but very good value. First off.. It's a classic calorie switch. A 3oz bag contains two 1.5oz portions. Label says 150 calories. Eating the entire bag is 470 calories (more than 3 "portions" in a bag).
If you like the new Planter's "yogurt balls", this is the product for you. Featured ingredients include Vanilla, Strawberry, Chocolate yogurt balls plus some peanuts. Not featured ingredients include two types of "gum", wax, resin, soy, and 28 grams of added sugar. There is so much sugar that you can feel it by "rubbing the bag" with your fingers before opening.
Bring some baby wipes with you (even for adults). Unlike most other planters bag/mix products, the extraneous sugar granules coat your hand in sugary sticky goodness (or messiness..)
I have occasional hypoglycemia events (blood sugar crash). This product will bring up your blood sugar levels mighty quick. | 1 | neutral | [
"This product debuted in 2016.",
"Six bags in a flimsy box but very good value.",
"First off..",
"It's a classic calorie switch.",
"A 3oz bag contains two 1.",
"5oz portions.",
"Label says 150 calories.",
"Eating the entire bag is 470 calories (more than 3 \"portions\" in a bag).",
"If you like the new Planter's \"yogurt balls\", this is the product for you.",
"Featured ingredients include Vanilla, Strawberry, Chocolate yogurt balls plus some peanuts.",
"Not featured ingredients include two types of \"gum\", wax, resin, soy, and 28 grams of added sugar.",
"There is so much sugar that you can feel it by \"rubbing the bag\" with your fingers before opening.",
"Bring some baby wipes with you (even for adults).",
"Unlike most other planters bag/mix products, the extraneous sugar granules coat your hand in sugary sticky goodness (or messiness..",
")\n\nI have occasional hypoglycemia events (blood sugar crash).",
"This product will bring up your blood sugar levels mighty quick."
] |
The paradox of Cannibal Corpse is that they are supposedly to be taken seriously without taking them seriously. The best track on the album is Devoured by Vermin, which kind of makes me want to laugh, I have to admit. Track 2 is not that great. There is nothing that really stands out about it as far as everything else Cannibal Corpse had done up to this point. It does have a pretty cool breakdown, but it's one that I can go for years on end without missing. The major change of this album with respect to the sound of Cannibal Corpse is that Vile is the first album Cannibal Corpse put out with George "Corpse Grinder" Fisher. In my opinion, the change of vocalists doesn't add anything or subtract anything from the band, but rather adds more of the same old same old death metal. There once was a time when I used to go crazy for the new Cannibal Corpse album, when it came out, but those days ended when I got tired of listening to a band that was seemingly going nowhere with their sound. I will go this far; most people probably could not distinguish one Cannibal Corpse song from another, and it probably takes a trained ear to be able to do so. There once was a time when Vile was my favorite Cannibal Corpse album, but as they began to annoy me more and more with their songs. I think I fell out of love with this album when I realized track 4 seems to describe a man shaving his beard in the most extreme terminology. I have to wonder if this song was inspired by shaving one's beard of which the point of extremity that they take this to seems borderline absurd, especially since I don't recall anyone in the band having a beard when I saw them live in Brooklyn, NYC, when I was at college. The show was fun though and it did have a good mosh pit, which was a total blast to be dancing in. How does one take so seriously a song about shaving a beard if the band themselves doesn't seem to care whether or not they care if they have beards? What is the point? Is the point to be silly? I wouldn't even credit this album with as being one of the heavier albums I own. If heavy means writing lyrics of gore, stepping on a distortion pedal, and playing really heavy, then Vile definitely fills the bill.
As for the difference between Cannibal Corpse and Monstrosity, which was George "Corpse Grinder" Fisher's first band that I know of. I really can't tell the difference between the two, such that I have to wonder why he left Monstrosity, except so that he could be in one of the most popular death metal bands, as opposed to being more underground.
The reason this album gets 3 stars and not less is that there is most definitely some skill to playing this style of music. So, 3 stars for skill only, but when it comes to diversity, even from album to album, they don't deserve a lot of credit. Few people could listen to the same style sound over and over with no variation of the guitar tone of the distortion pedal and make an entire career out of the same sound.
As a teenager and in my early 20s, Cannibal Corpse seemed awesome. And, if I draw any criticism for this album, I can pretty much guess that their ID says that they are 21 years old or under. There may be a few Peter Pan's out there that might criticize me for saying that to me, in that listening to Cannibal Corpse is somewhat like Peter Pan, but that Never Never Land has gone horribly wrong, and is instead a place where young adults get to enjoy their nightmares until they grow up.
As far as being criticized for the doing the same thing over and over, someone who believes in that should fess up that it is possible to take and part of any Cannibal Corpse song on any of their albums and insert it into a different song, and that is exactly what I mean when I criticize Cannibal Corpse for lack of diversity. For example, any guitar riff that they write could go virtually anywhere in any of their songs, and on any of their albums. This begs the question: Why did they bother to give their songs and albums different titles? However, despite the conundrum of this rhetorical question, I can definitely say that I found these songs easily more recognizable than the songs on their breakthrough album, Tomb of the Mutilated. I can still remember listening to Tomb of the Mutilated in high school on the school bus with my cd walkman, after when the Tomb of the Mutilated actually made it on the Billboard charts after scoring a scene in a popular comedy movie. I saw the movie before I got the album that is, which is exceptionally rare, as usually the pattern is that I like a band as one of but a few fans, and then the band breaks through into popularity such as in the case of Rage Against the Machine. | 1 | neutral | [
"The paradox of Cannibal Corpse is that they are supposedly to be taken seriously without taking them seriously.",
"The best track on the album is Devoured by Vermin, which kind of makes me want to laugh, I have to admit.",
"Track 2 is not that great.",
"There is nothing that really stands out about it as far as everything else Cannibal Corpse had done up to this point.",
"It does have a pretty cool breakdown, but it's one that I can go for years on end without missing.",
"The major change of this album with respect to the sound of Cannibal Corpse is that Vile is the first album Cannibal Corpse put out with George \"Corpse Grinder\" Fisher.",
"In my opinion, the change of vocalists doesn't add anything or subtract anything from the band, but rather adds more of the same old same old death metal.",
"There once was a time when I used to go crazy for the new Cannibal Corpse album, when it came out, but those days ended when I got tired of listening to a band that was seemingly going nowhere with their sound.",
"I will go this far; most people probably could not distinguish one Cannibal Corpse song from another, and it probably takes a trained ear to be able to do so.",
"There once was a time when Vile was my favorite Cannibal Corpse album, but as they began to annoy me more and more with their songs.",
"I think I fell out of love with this album when I realized track 4 seems to describe a man shaving his beard in the most extreme terminology.",
"I have to wonder if this song was inspired by shaving one's beard of which the point of extremity that they take this to seems borderline absurd, especially since I don't recall anyone in the band having a beard when I saw them live in Brooklyn, NYC, when I was at college.",
"The show was fun though and it did have a good mosh pit, which was a total blast to be dancing in.",
"How does one take so seriously a song about shaving a beard if the band themselves doesn't seem to care whether or not they care if they have beards?",
"What is the point?",
"Is the point to be silly?",
"I wouldn't even credit this album with as being one of the heavier albums I own.",
"If heavy means writing lyrics of gore, stepping on a distortion pedal, and playing really heavy, then Vile definitely fills the bill.",
"As for the difference between Cannibal Corpse and Monstrosity, which was George \"Corpse Grinder\" Fisher's first band that I know of.",
"I really can't tell the difference between the two, such that I have to wonder why he left Monstrosity, except so that he could be in one of the most popular death metal bands, as opposed to being more underground.",
"The reason this album gets 3 stars and not less is that there is most definitely some skill to playing this style of music.",
"So, 3 stars for skill only, but when it comes to diversity, even from album to album, they don't deserve a lot of credit.",
"Few people could listen to the same style sound over and over with no variation of the guitar tone of the distortion pedal and make an entire career out of the same sound.",
"As a teenager and in my early 20s, Cannibal Corpse seemed awesome.",
"And, if I draw any criticism for this album, I can pretty much guess that their ID says that they are 21 years old or under.",
"There may be a few Peter Pan's out there that might criticize me for saying that to me, in that listening to Cannibal Corpse is somewhat like Peter Pan, but that Never Never Land has gone horribly wrong, and is instead a place where young adults get to enjoy their nightmares until they grow up.",
"As far as being criticized for the doing the same thing over and over, someone who believes in that should fess up that it is possible to take and part of any Cannibal Corpse song on any of their albums and insert it into a different song, and that is exactly what I mean when I criticize Cannibal Corpse for lack of diversity.",
"For example, any guitar riff that they write could go virtually anywhere in any of their songs, and on any of their albums.",
"This begs the question: Why did they bother to give their songs and albums different titles?",
"However, despite the conundrum of this rhetorical question, I can definitely say that I found these songs easily more recognizable than the songs on their breakthrough album, Tomb of the Mutilated.",
"I can still remember listening to Tomb of the Mutilated in high school on the school bus with my cd walkman, after when the Tomb of the Mutilated actually made it on the Billboard charts after scoring a scene in a popular comedy movie.",
"I saw the movie before I got the album that is, which is exceptionally rare, as usually the pattern is that I like a band as one of but a few fans, and then the band breaks through into popularity such as in the case of Rage Against the Machine."
] |
This is an odd document that would almost certainly not exist in printed form. It is a lengthy list of publications classified as or dealing with the "space opera" science fiction story. The list includes novels, collections, stories and nonfiction works about this subgenre. It is exhaustive. Who can say whether it is complete?
The list is formatted as a spreadsheet printout; it is not sortable but can be searched using the Kindle's search button. The first field classifies the entry by type of Space Opera: Elder, Modern, New, Pastiche, Spoof, Media Tie-In, Study, or Nonfiction. The second field classifies the nature of the material (Novel, Anthology, Short Story, etc.). The third field contains a 1 to 5 star rating. Presumably 5 is the high rating. It is not clear how the ratings were assigned. The author and title are listed last. The list is sorted by author.
I agree with another reviewer's observation that the spreadsheet version of this list would be more useful. In its current form it has some uses, though. Examining author clusters might help identify previously unknown works by known authors. An interesting way to expand a reader's knowledge of a particular writer.
One could also highlight sources as they are read, although the length of this list means that such highlighting would be sparse and cumbersome to use. If enough people did this, the shared popular highlights feature of the Kindle could identify popular works. If only the author had asked readers to do this. As of this writing there is only one popular highlight by three readers. Expansion in this direction seems unlikely.
I wish the author had told us a bit about the ratings. It would help to know their basis. It would be interesting if the author included an additional five fields for each entry that simply contain "1 2 3 4 5". Readers could be instructed to highlight their choice of rating for each entry they have read. The resulting shared highlights would be a distribution of ratings for each entry. If the author requested this in the introduction and publicized the request in other ways, it could turn the list into a shared rating system with participation across the science fiction community. Maybe "Blue" will do this. It's a nice dream.
Go ahead and download this. The price is right. Maybe you will think of other ways to use it. | 1 | neutral | [
"This is an odd document that would almost certainly not exist in printed form.",
"It is a lengthy list of publications classified as or dealing with the \"space opera\" science fiction story.",
"The list includes novels, collections, stories and nonfiction works about this subgenre.",
"It is exhaustive.",
"Who can say whether it is complete?",
"The list is formatted as a spreadsheet printout; it is not sortable but can be searched using the Kindle's search button.",
"The first field classifies the entry by type of Space Opera: Elder, Modern, New, Pastiche, Spoof, Media Tie-In, Study, or Nonfiction.",
"The second field classifies the nature of the material (Novel, Anthology, Short Story, etc.",
").",
"The third field contains a 1 to 5 star rating.",
"Presumably 5 is the high rating.",
"It is not clear how the ratings were assigned.",
"The author and title are listed last.",
"The list is sorted by author.",
"I agree with another reviewer's observation that the spreadsheet version of this list would be more useful.",
"In its current form it has some uses, though.",
"Examining author clusters might help identify previously unknown works by known authors.",
"An interesting way to expand a reader's knowledge of a particular writer.",
"One could also highlight sources as they are read, although the length of this list means that such highlighting would be sparse and cumbersome to use.",
"If enough people did this, the shared popular highlights feature of the Kindle could identify popular works.",
"If only the author had asked readers to do this.",
"As of this writing there is only one popular highlight by three readers.",
"Expansion in this direction seems unlikely.",
"I wish the author had told us a bit about the ratings.",
"It would help to know their basis.",
"It would be interesting if the author included an additional five fields for each entry that simply contain \"1 2 3 4 5\".",
"Readers could be instructed to highlight their choice of rating for each entry they have read.",
"The resulting shared highlights would be a distribution of ratings for each entry.",
"If the author requested this in the introduction and publicized the request in other ways, it could turn the list into a shared rating system with participation across the science fiction community.",
"Maybe \"Blue\" will do this.",
"It's a nice dream.",
"Go ahead and download this.",
"The price is right.",
"Maybe you will think of other ways to use it."
] |
I bought this game when it first came out in December 02. I had read a lot about it and was really expecting it to be awesome. After all, I am a huge SW fan. I even liked the game a lot after I had gotten it and had played through the first couple levels. The problem is, as you progress further in the game, you realize "I'm not having any fun." A lot of the levels make it totally unclear where to go, so much so that you'll find yourself wasting 1/2 hour just wandering around through areas where you've already been and wondering how to move on. And the lack of camera control is fine in the early levels, but once you've gotten the jetpack and you have to do a lot of jumping around from platform to platform, it really gets annoying when you can't see where to go next because the camera won't move while you're hanging from a ledge. My final criticism is that the actual bounty hunting seems cool at first, but winds up just being an annoyance. When you get your first 5-10 bounties, you think it's a great new idea that makes the game interesting. But then you go on, and you'll be in a situation where you have 20 guys shooting at you, and you can't take the time to scan for bounties without getting killed, and you can't control Jango's targeting efficiently enough to only shoot the guys who aren't bounties. And you start thinking, "how is the bounty hunting really adding anything to the game?" And you start wanting to just ignore that aspect of the game entirely and just treat it like a normal FPS. But then, if the central theme of the game (i.e. bounty hunting) seems pointless, that's a sign of a big flaw in the game design.
Now I'll talk about things I liked...
The FMVs, voice acting, sound effects, music, graphics
But in the end, this game just gets annoying because of poor level design, clumsy controls, and restrictive camera control.
My advice: You should rent this game and play it until you get past the level with the insane number of conveyors on it. If you pass that level and you're still not majorly annoyed with the game, go ahead and buy it. | 1 | neutral | [
"I bought this game when it first came out in December 02.",
"I had read a lot about it and was really expecting it to be awesome.",
"After all, I am a huge SW fan.",
"I even liked the game a lot after I had gotten it and had played through the first couple levels.",
"The problem is, as you progress further in the game, you realize \"I'm not having any fun.",
"\" A lot of the levels make it totally unclear where to go, so much so that you'll find yourself wasting 1/2 hour just wandering around through areas where you've already been and wondering how to move on.",
"And the lack of camera control is fine in the early levels, but once you've gotten the jetpack and you have to do a lot of jumping around from platform to platform, it really gets annoying when you can't see where to go next because the camera won't move while you're hanging from a ledge.",
"My final criticism is that the actual bounty hunting seems cool at first, but winds up just being an annoyance.",
"When you get your first 5-10 bounties, you think it's a great new idea that makes the game interesting.",
"But then you go on, and you'll be in a situation where you have 20 guys shooting at you, and you can't take the time to scan for bounties without getting killed, and you can't control Jango's targeting efficiently enough to only shoot the guys who aren't bounties.",
"And you start thinking, \"how is the bounty hunting really adding anything to the game?",
"\" And you start wanting to just ignore that aspect of the game entirely and just treat it like a normal FPS.",
"But then, if the central theme of the game (i.",
"e. bounty hunting) seems pointless, that's a sign of a big flaw in the game design.",
"Now I'll talk about things I liked...",
"The FMVs, voice acting, sound effects, music, graphics\nBut in the end, this game just gets annoying because of poor level design, clumsy controls, and restrictive camera control.",
"My advice: You should rent this game and play it until you get past the level with the insane number of conveyors on it.",
"If you pass that level and you're still not majorly annoyed with the game, go ahead and buy it."
] |
Isabelle "Izzy" Ballantine has moved to Coconut Bay, Florida so she can live her own life. She is tired of her very wealthy father interfering in every aspect of her life. Bartending is not her dream job, but for now she is happy, and independent - or so she thinks.
Unknown to Izzy, her father has hired ex-marine Adam Marcellus to not only keep an eye on Izzy's safety, but to also convince her to move back to her hometown of Savannah, Georgia. If Adam is successful, Izzy's father has agreed to give Adam a big security contract. Adam and his brother have been working so hard to get their security company off the ground. This could just be the break they need. Adam has to start putting the pressure on Izzy, since he only has five weeks to make this happen. When he starts working at her bar, and starts spending time with her, all thoughts of the deal with her dad go out the window. He is very attracted to her and the guilt of lying lays heavy on his shoulders.
Izzy has never felt this way about a man. She starts to really enjoy the time spent with him, but outside conflict starts to make her life difficult. There is a sexual predator on the loose in their small town. Izzy is getting prank phone calls, and soon too many things happen to make it a coincidence. Izzy is the next target, and Adam will do anything to keep her safe.
Dangerous Secrets is the first book I have read by Katie Reus. I enjoy romantic suspense books and in this one we get a very creepy sexual predator. One where his confidence rises with each girl he captures. When Izzy screws up his plans one night, she becomes his next target, and he starts to become more violent. We get his point of view throughout the book, making him a man that is very scary and repulsive.
Adam is one of those southern gentlemen. Always opening the door, always putting Izzy first. He is a man of few words, but his actions speak very loud. He has that low rumble of a laugh, and is very intense in the bedroom. The sex scenes in this book are very hot and plentiful. Hello to sex in the ocean! Adam keeps the secret of being Izzy's guardian for a long time. I felt like the way it played out is very predictable which took away a bit from the ending.
I liked Izzy in that she comes from a very wealthy background, and although likes to be independent, once in awhile Adam or even herself catches her falling back into the spoiled,wealthy life she used to live in. It made her seem more real and not so perfect. I didn't love a move she makes at the end resulting in a big conflict, again I felt it to be predictable. But I think the ending resolution with the villain eventually plays out well.
Overall though, this is a sexy suspense book and I will definitely be checking out the next in the series.
Rating: C+ | 1 | neutral | [
"Isabelle \"Izzy\" Ballantine has moved to Coconut Bay, Florida so she can live her own life.",
"She is tired of her very wealthy father interfering in every aspect of her life.",
"Bartending is not her dream job, but for now she is happy, and independent - or so she thinks.",
"Unknown to Izzy, her father has hired ex-marine Adam Marcellus to not only keep an eye on Izzy's safety, but to also convince her to move back to her hometown of Savannah, Georgia.",
"If Adam is successful, Izzy's father has agreed to give Adam a big security contract.",
"Adam and his brother have been working so hard to get their security company off the ground.",
"This could just be the break they need.",
"Adam has to start putting the pressure on Izzy, since he only has five weeks to make this happen.",
"When he starts working at her bar, and starts spending time with her, all thoughts of the deal with her dad go out the window.",
"He is very attracted to her and the guilt of lying lays heavy on his shoulders.",
"Izzy has never felt this way about a man.",
"She starts to really enjoy the time spent with him, but outside conflict starts to make her life difficult.",
"There is a sexual predator on the loose in their small town.",
"Izzy is getting prank phone calls, and soon too many things happen to make it a coincidence.",
"Izzy is the next target, and Adam will do anything to keep her safe.",
"Dangerous Secrets is the first book I have read by Katie Reus.",
"I enjoy romantic suspense books and in this one we get a very creepy sexual predator.",
"One where his confidence rises with each girl he captures.",
"When Izzy screws up his plans one night, she becomes his next target, and he starts to become more violent.",
"We get his point of view throughout the book, making him a man that is very scary and repulsive.",
"Adam is one of those southern gentlemen.",
"Always opening the door, always putting Izzy first.",
"He is a man of few words, but his actions speak very loud.",
"He has that low rumble of a laugh, and is very intense in the bedroom.",
"The sex scenes in this book are very hot and plentiful.",
"Hello to sex in the ocean!",
"Adam keeps the secret of being Izzy's guardian for a long time.",
"I felt like the way it played out is very predictable which took away a bit from the ending.",
"I liked Izzy in that she comes from a very wealthy background, and although likes to be independent, once in awhile Adam or even herself catches her falling back into the spoiled,wealthy life she used to live in.",
"It made her seem more real and not so perfect.",
"I didn't love a move she makes at the end resulting in a big conflict, again I felt it to be predictable.",
"But I think the ending resolution with the villain eventually plays out well.",
"Overall though, this is a sexy suspense book and I will definitely be checking out the next in the series.",
"Rating: C+"
] |
I have to give MADAME BOVARY a mixed review.
It's interesting to note that a film based on a French classic had only one Oscar nomination in a technical category--none for the direction or performances. That's probably because despite all the painstaking care that went into this version of MADAME BOVARY, it seems to make a surface connection with the viewer.
JENNIFER JONES has the role of a woman even more selfish than Scarlett O'Hara--dazzled by her own romantic illusions to the point where she has lost all connection with reality. She has a faithful husband (VAN HEFLIN) whom she treats with contempt or totally ignores in favor of more interesting prospects--and almost finds one in LOUIS JOURDAN, once again playing a Frenchman who abandons his sweetheart when he realizes she will make too many demands on him.
Vincente Minnelli has directed the whole affair with a rather sluggish pace, relieved occasionally by well-staged scenes such as the ballroom moment where the music of Miklos Rozsa reaches a crescendo of emotion amid whirling camera movements. It's a great moment but unfortunately most of the film's remaining scenes seem to pale by comparison with that stunning triumph of music and photography.
JENNIFER JONES is unable to make her Madame Bovary appear anything more than vain and foolish and, as usual, there's something alienating about her personality--which should have suited the role but keeps her from becoming the victim she's supposed to be.
The JAMES MASON courtroom prologue with the actor as Flaubert seems to be operating from a different film and doesn't blend well into the actual story. Perhaps a different approach would have worked better.
Still, this is a better than average melodrama of a woman scorned who turns out to be her own worst enemy. While all the performances around her are more than adequate, none of them really stand out the way they should in an adaptation of a classic story.
Fans of Jones, Jourdan or Heflin will no doubt find the film fascinating despite its flaws and the Miklos Rozsa score is worth hearing for the ballroom sequence alone. | 1 | neutral | [
"I have to give MADAME BOVARY a mixed review.",
"It's interesting to note that a film based on a French classic had only one Oscar nomination in a technical category--none for the direction or performances.",
"That's probably because despite all the painstaking care that went into this version of MADAME BOVARY, it seems to make a surface connection with the viewer.",
"JENNIFER JONES has the role of a woman even more selfish than Scarlett O'Hara--dazzled by her own romantic illusions to the point where she has lost all connection with reality.",
"She has a faithful husband (VAN HEFLIN) whom she treats with contempt or totally ignores in favor of more interesting prospects--and almost finds one in LOUIS JOURDAN, once again playing a Frenchman who abandons his sweetheart when he realizes she will make too many demands on him.",
"Vincente Minnelli has directed the whole affair with a rather sluggish pace, relieved occasionally by well-staged scenes such as the ballroom moment where the music of Miklos Rozsa reaches a crescendo of emotion amid whirling camera movements.",
"It's a great moment but unfortunately most of the film's remaining scenes seem to pale by comparison with that stunning triumph of music and photography.",
"JENNIFER JONES is unable to make her Madame Bovary appear anything more than vain and foolish and, as usual, there's something alienating about her personality--which should have suited the role but keeps her from becoming the victim she's supposed to be.",
"The JAMES MASON courtroom prologue with the actor as Flaubert seems to be operating from a different film and doesn't blend well into the actual story.",
"Perhaps a different approach would have worked better.",
"Still, this is a better than average melodrama of a woman scorned who turns out to be her own worst enemy.",
"While all the performances around her are more than adequate, none of them really stand out the way they should in an adaptation of a classic story.",
"Fans of Jones, Jourdan or Heflin will no doubt find the film fascinating despite its flaws and the Miklos Rozsa score is worth hearing for the ballroom sequence alone."
] |
I ordered two of these- coral and apricot. Both plants arrived COMPLETELY bare (no leaves- just stalks and thorns) with just a tiny bit of growth left on the tip of one stalk. The soil they were in was absolutely soaked so thoroughly that if the plants sat at the post office one extra day, I'd be very very concerned about root rot. I'll admit that two leaves left on each plant (literally two leaves on each plant) does look very healthy, but it's going to take these plants quite a bit of time and TLC to get growing again, and after they stabilize and grow out, it will take a bit of time after that for them to begin blooming. So these roses are definitely a bit of a DIY situation. These are NOT the kind of plant you give for gifts, or starter plants to get you going with gardening. You'd be much better off going to your local nursery/garden center and starting out there. I love Drift roses (they do well in container gardens in the humid, hot Florida climate) and they are difficult to find locally, so I order them online. I order a ton of plants online, and I have to say that the four drift roses (coral, peach, apricot, and popcorn) have all arrived in really bad condition when compared to all of the other plants I have ordered in my eight years gardening. But the last two Drift roses I ordered bounced back within two or three months, and I really *love* them, so I went ahead and got the coral and peach to add to my collection. The first two looked like they got torched with fire, and then these two came completely bald, so none of the four arrived in good condition. But, like I said, I think with a bit of TLC, an immediate repot (get them out of that soggy soil and plastic container ASAP!) and some patience, the Drift roses do tend to bounce back. Just be ready to do some digging and repotting and tending to when they arrive- don't leave them sitting in the box a few days. | 1 | neutral | [
"I ordered two of these- coral and apricot.",
"Both plants arrived COMPLETELY bare (no leaves- just stalks and thorns) with just a tiny bit of growth left on the tip of one stalk.",
"The soil they were in was absolutely soaked so thoroughly that if the plants sat at the post office one extra day, I'd be very very concerned about root rot.",
"I'll admit that two leaves left on each plant (literally two leaves on each plant) does look very healthy, but it's going to take these plants quite a bit of time and TLC to get growing again, and after they stabilize and grow out, it will take a bit of time after that for them to begin blooming.",
"So these roses are definitely a bit of a DIY situation.",
"These are NOT the kind of plant you give for gifts, or starter plants to get you going with gardening.",
"You'd be much better off going to your local nursery/garden center and starting out there.",
"I love Drift roses (they do well in container gardens in the humid, hot Florida climate) and they are difficult to find locally, so I order them online.",
"I order a ton of plants online, and I have to say that the four drift roses (coral, peach, apricot, and popcorn) have all arrived in really bad condition when compared to all of the other plants I have ordered in my eight years gardening.",
"But the last two Drift roses I ordered bounced back within two or three months, and I really *love* them, so I went ahead and got the coral and peach to add to my collection.",
"The first two looked like they got torched with fire, and then these two came completely bald, so none of the four arrived in good condition.",
"But, like I said, I think with a bit of TLC, an immediate repot (get them out of that soggy soil and plastic container ASAP!",
") and some patience, the Drift roses do tend to bounce back.",
"Just be ready to do some digging and repotting and tending to when they arrive- don't leave them sitting in the box a few days."
] |
Got this phone as a replacement phone but had issues: 1. It is not just me alone but most reviews state that when you restart the phone, what's app needs to be updated constantly, which when done still doesn't work either. 2. When you are getting a call, it should normally show who's calling, but it shows the wrong information. 3. I liked the color advertised, they sent a kinda light blue, which I don't want. I want the same one that is advertised in the pictures. Call quality is okay and so is most other operations. The makers don't seem to read or pay attention to the reviews. Anyhow, it is still a ok phone once it works. But I had to return this one until the seller or makers fix with an update or whatever is needed. | 1 | neutral | [
"Got this phone as a replacement phone but had issues: 1.",
"It is not just me alone but most reviews state that when you restart the phone, what's app needs to be updated constantly, which when done still doesn't work either.",
"2.",
"When you are getting a call, it should normally show who's calling, but it shows the wrong information.",
"3.",
"I liked the color advertised, they sent a kinda light blue, which I don't want.",
"I want the same one that is advertised in the pictures.",
"Call quality is okay and so is most other operations.",
"The makers don't seem to read or pay attention to the reviews.",
"Anyhow, it is still a ok phone once it works.",
"But I had to return this one until the seller or makers fix with an update or whatever is needed."
] |
This is a good bra for what it is. Not great, but good. It's comfortable, supportive, full coverage, and has a good look. Yes, it's pretty conical, but I'm one of those that likes that look. Of course, not everyone does, so know this before you consider buying. I'm not usually a fan of minimizers, but this is one of the better ones out there that doesn't make your breasts look like smushed in jellybeans. Now for the real flaw. Owning a few of these over the years, through various body size changes, I find that they don't seem to last that long. The band stretches out fairly quickly, making it too loose to be comfortable. Not only that, but owning this latest one for less than a year, it already looks like I've had it for much longer than that. Had it been worn every other day for the past few months, I'd understand, but it wasn't. At least the wire hasn't poked out yet, which is good. With that being said, yes, this is a good bra, but because of how quickly it wears out, I wouldn't pay anymore than $15 for it. | 1 | neutral | [
"This is a good bra for what it is.",
"Not great, but good.",
"It's comfortable, supportive, full coverage, and has a good look.",
"Yes, it's pretty conical, but I'm one of those that likes that look.",
"Of course, not everyone does, so know this before you consider buying.",
"I'm not usually a fan of minimizers, but this is one of the better ones out there that doesn't make your breasts look like smushed in jellybeans.",
"Now for the real flaw.",
"Owning a few of these over the years, through various body size changes, I find that they don't seem to last that long.",
"The band stretches out fairly quickly, making it too loose to be comfortable.",
"Not only that, but owning this latest one for less than a year, it already looks like I've had it for much longer than that.",
"Had it been worn every other day for the past few months, I'd understand, but it wasn't.",
"At least the wire hasn't poked out yet, which is good.",
"With that being said, yes, this is a good bra, but because of how quickly it wears out, I wouldn't pay anymore than $15 for it."
] |
had the opportunity to read Blood Heavy this past week through GoodReads R2R. My review is unbiased though. This book starts with 17 yr old orphaned Daniel finishing his junior in high school with his best friend Goose. They're typical teenage boys, until they discover that there is something mysterious is Daniel's blood. It causes vampires, to become uber-powerful.
Up until he was attacked Daniel had no idea that anything like vampires, werewolves, fairies, etc existed. He is shoved into this world and will have to learn to swim on his own, well with the help of his uncle Joe and close friends. He is aided by a powerful pureblood vampire, Sophinia and those vampires who are under her, while another pureblood Selena rules over a mercenary group called Black Forest that will stop at nothing to obtain Daniel.
I read a lot of fantasy books, and this is one of a handful that focuses on boys as the heroes vs girls. I think it's a great market that isn't completely saturated. The story line itself was interesting, in the fact the Daniel's blood can make vampires even more powerful, his saliva and scent is a powerful aphrodisiac, and when his blood is out of body it will explode when exposed to electricity. That being said, I felt like the boys in this book were extremely immature. Goose is a walking bag of hormones, and Daniel takes no time to think about what repercussions his actions will cause. They seemed closer to 14 than almost 18. The other YA books I've read that feature a boy as the protagonist incorporate girls into the story as well, and that seems to provide a good offset to the lack of maturity on the boys' part. For whatever reason, I had a difficult time connecting to the characters in this book. I'm not sure if it's because they weren't fully developed, or because the author didn't share what Daniel and his friends were really feeling. The author shared that he wanted Daniel to share some of the same characteristics that Dean from Supernatural has; however in Daniel it just came across as immaturity. Hopefully the 2nd book will show Daniel and Goose in a more mature light.
I do think the mystery surrounding the woman in the white business suit that made an appearance at the end of the book will be enough to keep readers hooked. My guess is that is Daniel's mother, or relative from her side. I am curious to find out who she is. She seemed to want to protect Daniel, yet she also seems to be a monster in her own right given her actions with the vampires. It will be interesting to find out what Daniel is; is a human hybrid or just a human that inherited some interesting blood?
You can definitely see the influence of the TV show Supernatural in the book, as well as True Blood (even if the author didn't intend for the 2nd part).
There were numerous typos in the book. Words that should have been plural missing the letter "s" as well as words that didn't belong in the sentence at all. I'm guessing Word changed "typos" into these words, instead of the proper word. It wasn't a huge deal, but enough that it was distracting.
While I won't be rushing out to get the 2nd book once it comes out, hopefully it will appeal to younger boys. | 1 | neutral | [
"had the opportunity to read Blood Heavy this past week through GoodReads R2R.",
"My review is unbiased though.",
"This book starts with 17 yr old orphaned Daniel finishing his junior in high school with his best friend Goose.",
"They're typical teenage boys, until they discover that there is something mysterious is Daniel's blood.",
"It causes vampires, to become uber-powerful.",
"Up until he was attacked Daniel had no idea that anything like vampires, werewolves, fairies, etc existed.",
"He is shoved into this world and will have to learn to swim on his own, well with the help of his uncle Joe and close friends.",
"He is aided by a powerful pureblood vampire, Sophinia and those vampires who are under her, while another pureblood Selena rules over a mercenary group called Black Forest that will stop at nothing to obtain Daniel.",
"I read a lot of fantasy books, and this is one of a handful that focuses on boys as the heroes vs girls.",
"I think it's a great market that isn't completely saturated.",
"The story line itself was interesting, in the fact the Daniel's blood can make vampires even more powerful, his saliva and scent is a powerful aphrodisiac, and when his blood is out of body it will explode when exposed to electricity.",
"That being said, I felt like the boys in this book were extremely immature.",
"Goose is a walking bag of hormones, and Daniel takes no time to think about what repercussions his actions will cause.",
"They seemed closer to 14 than almost 18.",
"The other YA books I've read that feature a boy as the protagonist incorporate girls into the story as well, and that seems to provide a good offset to the lack of maturity on the boys' part.",
"For whatever reason, I had a difficult time connecting to the characters in this book.",
"I'm not sure if it's because they weren't fully developed, or because the author didn't share what Daniel and his friends were really feeling.",
"The author shared that he wanted Daniel to share some of the same characteristics that Dean from Supernatural has; however in Daniel it just came across as immaturity.",
"Hopefully the 2nd book will show Daniel and Goose in a more mature light.",
"I do think the mystery surrounding the woman in the white business suit that made an appearance at the end of the book will be enough to keep readers hooked.",
"My guess is that is Daniel's mother, or relative from her side.",
"I am curious to find out who she is.",
"She seemed to want to protect Daniel, yet she also seems to be a monster in her own right given her actions with the vampires.",
"It will be interesting to find out what Daniel is; is a human hybrid or just a human that inherited some interesting blood?",
"You can definitely see the influence of the TV show Supernatural in the book, as well as True Blood (even if the author didn't intend for the 2nd part).",
"There were numerous typos in the book.",
"Words that should have been plural missing the letter \"s\" as well as words that didn't belong in the sentence at all.",
"I'm guessing Word changed \"typos\" into these words, instead of the proper word.",
"It wasn't a huge deal, but enough that it was distracting.",
"While I won't be rushing out to get the 2nd book once it comes out, hopefully it will appeal to younger boys."
] |
Trump targets book threatens ex
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Donald Trump’s lawyer said on Thursday he would try to stop publication of a book that portrays an inept president in a fumbling White House and threatened legal action against former top aide Steve Bannon over “defamatory” comments in the book.
Harder also told Reuters “legal action is imminent” against Bannon .
Trump cut ties with Bannon on Wednesday saying his former adviser had “lost his mind ” in a blistering statement issued after comments attributed to Bannon in the book were made public.
Trump lawyers sent a cease-and-desist letter to Bannon on Wednesday asking him not to disclose any confidential information. They said Bannon had breached an agreement by communicating with Wolff about Trump his family and the campaign and made “disparaging statements and in some cases outright defamatory statements” about them.
In the book Bannon was quoted as describing a June 2016 meeting with a group of Russians at Trump Tower in New York as “treasonous” and “unpatriotic.” The meeting held after the Russians promised damaging information on Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton was attended by Donald Trump Jr. Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner and Paul Manafort who was Trump’s campaign manager at the time.
Trump’s statement also diminished Bannon ’s role in the election victory and accused him of leaking to the media. Before joining the campaign Bannon had headed conservative Breitbart News website and he proved to be a divisive figure in the White House. He returned to Breitbart after being fired although he reportedly continued to talk with Trump.
FILE PHOTO: White House Chief Strategist Stephen Bannon (L) attends a meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and congressional leaders to discuss trade deals at the at the Roosevelt room of the White House in Washington U.S. February 2 2017. REUTERS/Carlos Barria/File Photo
Bannon ’s reaction to the book controversy has been muted. In interviews with Breitbart News after the news broke he called Trump a “great man” and pledged continued support for his agenda.
Bradley Moss a Washington lawyer specializing in national security law said any non-disclosure agreement would not apply to Bannon once he became a government employee. The government has far less power to limit speech by employees than private companies Moss said.
A lawsuit could hurt Trump because Bannon ’s lawyers would be entitled to interview White House officials and collect potentially damaging documents from them in his defense Moss said.
On Thursday the White House said no personal devices including cellphones would be allowed in the West Wing beginning next week for security purposes. The moves followed the Bannon split but had been considered for some time.
Bannon helped Trump shape a populist anti-establishment message and had been the president’s link to his hard-line conservative base of support which is often at odds with the Republican Party establishment. | 1 | neutral | [
"Trump targets book threatens ex\nWASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Donald Trump’s lawyer said on Thursday he would try to stop publication of a book that portrays an inept president in a fumbling White House and threatened legal action against former top aide Steve Bannon over “defamatory” comments in the book.",
"Harder also told Reuters “legal action is imminent” against Bannon.",
"Trump cut ties with Bannon on Wednesday saying his former adviser had “lost his mind ” in a blistering statement issued after comments attributed to Bannon in the book were made public.",
"Trump lawyers sent a cease-and-desist letter to Bannon on Wednesday asking him not to disclose any confidential information.",
"They said Bannon had breached an agreement by communicating with Wolff about Trump his family and the campaign and made “disparaging statements and in some cases outright defamatory statements” about them.",
"In the book Bannon was quoted as describing a June 2016 meeting with a group of Russians at Trump Tower in New York as “treasonous” and “unpatriotic.",
"” The meeting held after the Russians promised damaging information on Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton was attended by Donald Trump Jr.",
"Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner and Paul Manafort who was Trump’s campaign manager at the time.",
"Trump’s statement also diminished Bannon ’s role in the election victory and accused him of leaking to the media.",
"Before joining the campaign Bannon had headed conservative Breitbart News website and he proved to be a divisive figure in the White House.",
"He returned to Breitbart after being fired although he reportedly continued to talk with Trump.",
"FILE PHOTO: White House Chief Strategist Stephen Bannon (L) attends a meeting between U.",
"S. President Donald Trump and congressional leaders to discuss trade deals at the at the Roosevelt room of the White House in Washington U.",
"S. February 2 2017.",
"REUTERS/Carlos Barria/File Photo\n Bannon ’s reaction to the book controversy has been muted.",
"In interviews with Breitbart News after the news broke he called Trump a “great man” and pledged continued support for his agenda.",
"Bradley Moss a Washington lawyer specializing in national security law said any non-disclosure agreement would not apply to Bannon once he became a government employee.",
"The government has far less power to limit speech by employees than private companies Moss said.",
"A lawsuit could hurt Trump because Bannon ’s lawyers would be entitled to interview White House officials and collect potentially damaging documents from them in his defense Moss said.",
"On Thursday the White House said no personal devices including cellphones would be allowed in the West Wing beginning next week for security purposes.",
"The moves followed the Bannon split but had been considered for some time.",
"Bannon helped Trump shape a populist anti-establishment message and had been the president’s link to his hard-line conservative base of support which is often at odds with the Republican Party establishment."
] |
I previously reviewed on Amazon the first book in this trilogy: Call of the Herald. Everything I said in that review basically stands for this book and the next as well. Understandably so, since it's apparent that all 3 books were likely written at the same time as a single book and split for convenience.
Now books 2 and 3 being the same as book 1 has good and bad points. The good is that the story is still interesting and the main character is still engaging.
However, the deficiencies become increasingly distracting. We still have secondary characters who have no apparent reason for existing, minor storylines that contribute little to the overall narrative, and a main character whose erratic swings between helpless/juvenile/incompetent behavior and Wonderwoman are sometimes annoying.
Having said all that...I read book 2 and then bought book 3 and read it too. Go figure.
Just make this a book to read on an airplane or during or between some other light activity. It's generally interesting and enjoyable and a good bargain on Kindle. I'm not sorry I bought the books. | 1 | neutral | [
"I previously reviewed on Amazon the first book in this trilogy: Call of the Herald.",
"Everything I said in that review basically stands for this book and the next as well.",
"Understandably so, since it's apparent that all 3 books were likely written at the same time as a single book and split for convenience.",
"Now books 2 and 3 being the same as book 1 has good and bad points.",
"The good is that the story is still interesting and the main character is still engaging.",
"However, the deficiencies become increasingly distracting.",
"We still have secondary characters who have no apparent reason for existing, minor storylines that contribute little to the overall narrative, and a main character whose erratic swings between helpless/juvenile/incompetent behavior and Wonderwoman are sometimes annoying.",
"Having said all that...",
"I read book 2 and then bought book 3 and read it too.",
"Go figure.",
"Just make this a book to read on an airplane or during or between some other light activity.",
"It's generally interesting and enjoyable and a good bargain on Kindle.",
"I'm not sorry I bought the books."
] |
You could say that this is the definitive version of Onimusha because it's got extras and the best visuals. However, I can't help but wonder why Capcom didn't decide to loosen up the controls a little more. This game controls like the original Resident Evil where you press up to move forward and left and right make your character rotate. It's not a game breaking control scheme, obviously, but it could have been updated to make moving the character easier. Visually it's great and I can't complain. The added bonus would be the ogre tower that has floor after floor of enemies and bonus treasure as you work your way to the top. I think this game is entertaining with some really great cutscenes and an impressive ending but I still have one question after all of it. In this game, Nobunaga is this demonic emperor that your trying to stop. In real life I thought he was supposed to be some sort of Japanese legend or something. Why did they make Nobunaga a bad guy? Perhaps I just need to research what I heard a bit more... | 1 | neutral | [
"You could say that this is the definitive version of Onimusha because it's got extras and the best visuals.",
"However, I can't help but wonder why Capcom didn't decide to loosen up the controls a little more.",
"This game controls like the original Resident Evil where you press up to move forward and left and right make your character rotate.",
"It's not a game breaking control scheme, obviously, but it could have been updated to make moving the character easier.",
"Visually it's great and I can't complain.",
"The added bonus would be the ogre tower that has floor after floor of enemies and bonus treasure as you work your way to the top.",
"I think this game is entertaining with some really great cutscenes and an impressive ending but I still have one question after all of it.",
"In this game, Nobunaga is this demonic emperor that your trying to stop.",
"In real life I thought he was supposed to be some sort of Japanese legend or something.",
"Why did they make Nobunaga a bad guy?",
"Perhaps I just need to research what I heard a bit more..."
] |
Was looking for a case for my HTC Rezound and considered the cheapy silicone cases, Otterbox Defender, and commuter.
Here is a rundown of how I came to try this and how it has performed over the month that I have had it. -
The Otterbox Defender (Which my wife uses) is the Best for Protection but adds a lot of bulk, and the plastic screen sits above the actual screen on the phone- Don't like the feel of that. In addition the 2 mic holes on the back of the phone were covered. Don't know why Otterbox didn't provide holes for these as they did with the others ? The biggest deal breaker was - LINK GETS UNDER THE SCREEN ! - you are constantly opening to clean. Otter shell also collects lint like crazy - So that was out.
The Otterbox commuter is more slim, and does not come with a plastic screen. You would use a screen protector. (I am using a Zagg Invisi-shield and am very happy with it)
I was all set to go with the Commuter until I saw the Incipio Silicrylic HT-223.
Looked exactally like what I wanted, was a few dollars less than the Otterbox Commuter, and seeing how many things I didn't like about my wife's Defender, I gave Incipio Silicrylic HT-223 a try.
Here Goes:
Easy install - just 2 parts (a soft silicone inner shell and a hard ruberized plastic outter shell that clips ont top.
1st- put silicone on phone - line up holes (Fit is very loose), then snap outter shell on top (This locks it all together)
It came with a screen protector, but I had my Zagg protector on already. The Zagg is probably better anyway - so I left it.
Thats all - EASY AS PIE
Now after a month of solid real world, everyday use - an honest, accurate evaluation ......
PROS:
- Adds minimal bulk
- Does not collect too much lint (Some, but less than most I've seen)
- Seems to be a good combination of grip and slip (Will go into a pocket pretty well)
- Silicone wraps around to front edges - (so if laid screen down - the silicone contacts the surface not the screen)
- Has cut-outs for ALL holes and ports - and they line up Perfectly
- Easy to take off and put back (When you need battery, Micro SD card access)
- Headphone, charging jacks are unobstructed
CONS:
- The Inner Shell(Silicone), is definitely too loose fitting...
The Hard Shell holds everything in place - so the phone does not slide around, but the sides, top and bottom (More so the sides) of the silicone edge that wrap to the front are not rigid enough and easily pull away from phone edges. This could allow dirt an lint to build up unereneath (That has not been an issue for me, but my phone it in pretty clean environments). I do find this to be annoying, and is the Only reason it does not get 5 stars.
If Incipio would have made the inner shell tighter and the wrap around parts more dense, and/or add side tabs to the hard shell, not just corners; that would probably fix this issue.
Incipio - FIX THIS !! and you will have a perfect case.
Sorry for the long winded review - Hope it helps | 1 | neutral | [
"Was looking for a case for my HTC Rezound and considered the cheapy silicone cases, Otterbox Defender, and commuter.",
"Here is a rundown of how I came to try this and how it has performed over the month that I have had it.",
"-\n\nThe Otterbox Defender (Which my wife uses) is the Best for Protection but adds a lot of bulk, and the plastic screen sits above the actual screen on the phone- Don't like the feel of that.",
"In addition the 2 mic holes on the back of the phone were covered.",
"Don't know why Otterbox didn't provide holes for these as they did with the others?",
"The biggest deal breaker was - LINK GETS UNDER THE SCREEN!",
"- you are constantly opening to clean.",
"Otter shell also collects lint like crazy - So that was out.",
"The Otterbox commuter is more slim, and does not come with a plastic screen.",
"You would use a screen protector.",
"(I am using a Zagg Invisi-shield and am very happy with it)\nI was all set to go with the Commuter until I saw the Incipio Silicrylic HT-223.",
"Looked exactally like what I wanted, was a few dollars less than the Otterbox Commuter, and seeing how many things I didn't like about my wife's Defender, I gave Incipio Silicrylic HT-223 a try.",
"Here Goes:\nEasy install - just 2 parts (a soft silicone inner shell and a hard ruberized plastic outter shell that clips ont top.",
"1st- put silicone on phone - line up holes (Fit is very loose), then snap outter shell on top (This locks it all together)\nIt came with a screen protector, but I had my Zagg protector on already.",
"The Zagg is probably better anyway - so I left it.",
"Thats all - EASY AS PIE\n\nNow after a month of solid real world, everyday use - an honest, accurate evaluation....",
"..",
"PROS:\n- Adds minimal bulk\n- Does not collect too much lint (Some, but less than most I've seen)\n- Seems to be a good combination of grip and slip (Will go into a pocket pretty well)\n- Silicone wraps around to front edges - (so if laid screen down - the silicone contacts the surface not the screen)\n- Has cut-outs for ALL holes and ports - and they line up Perfectly\n- Easy to take off and put back (When you need battery, Micro SD card access)\n- Headphone, charging jacks are unobstructed\n\nCONS:\n- The Inner Shell(Silicone), is definitely too loose fitting...",
"The Hard Shell holds everything in place - so the phone does not slide around, but the sides, top and bottom (More so the sides) of the silicone edge that wrap to the front are not rigid enough and easily pull away from phone edges.",
"This could allow dirt an lint to build up unereneath (That has not been an issue for me, but my phone it in pretty clean environments).",
"I do find this to be annoying, and is the Only reason it does not get 5 stars.",
"If Incipio would have made the inner shell tighter and the wrap around parts more dense, and/or add side tabs to the hard shell, not just corners; that would probably fix this issue.",
"Incipio - FIX THIS!!",
"and you will have a perfect case.",
"Sorry for the long winded review - Hope it helps"
] |
I tried this lens out when looking for a low-cost telephoto lens for my Digital Rebel XT, side-by-side with the USM version, the IS version, and several L-series lenses in similar focal lengths (the latter being but a pipe dream and way out of my budget at the time).
In short, if you want a lens with a long reach and have next to nothing to spend, this might be the lens for you. I'd suggest spending the extra money on the USM version for the slightly-faster focusing--it's really just a pittance more, unlike the IS lens (although not appreciably sharper than this lens).
Photos are remarkably soft, particularly toward the 300mm end. If you want this lens for nature and sports photography, be prepared for a lot of work in Photoshop to get something sharp enough to use (and forget about professional-quality prints).
The focus is very slow, and the lens itself rather slow throughout its range--and particularly at 300mm, where you're going to be locked into f5.6. This means longer exposure times and/or requires better lighting, which limits its usefulness for capturing action at any distance.
Personally, I'd save up a bit more or else rent a better lens if you immediately need something in this focal range. However, if you're okay with the softness--perhaps you're only doing portraiture and want to put your camera halfway across the room?--and can deal with the other limitations, the lens is very affordable. | 1 | neutral | [
"I tried this lens out when looking for a low-cost telephoto lens for my Digital Rebel XT, side-by-side with the USM version, the IS version, and several L-series lenses in similar focal lengths (the latter being but a pipe dream and way out of my budget at the time).",
"In short, if you want a lens with a long reach and have next to nothing to spend, this might be the lens for you.",
"I'd suggest spending the extra money on the USM version for the slightly-faster focusing--it's really just a pittance more, unlike the IS lens (although not appreciably sharper than this lens).",
"Photos are remarkably soft, particularly toward the 300mm end.",
"If you want this lens for nature and sports photography, be prepared for a lot of work in Photoshop to get something sharp enough to use (and forget about professional-quality prints).",
"The focus is very slow, and the lens itself rather slow throughout its range--and particularly at 300mm, where you're going to be locked into f5.",
"6. This means longer exposure times and/or requires better lighting, which limits its usefulness for capturing action at any distance.",
"Personally, I'd save up a bit more or else rent a better lens if you immediately need something in this focal range.",
"However, if you're okay with the softness--perhaps you're only doing portraiture and want to put your camera halfway across the room?",
"--and can deal with the other limitations, the lens is very affordable."
] |
I enjoyed this yarn, overall, as I do most of Clancy's stuff. But I wish he wouldn't put so many obstacles in the way of buying into his premise. First, of course, by the time Ryan has saved the world this many times over, shouldn't he be wearing a cape? Secondly, I'm having a real hard time imagining a Palestinian Gandhi right now; this part of his premise sounds so American. Third, the idea that most everybody really wants peace, is hard to pretend to believe, not only after 9/11, but in view of what we have learned about Saudi pop and government culture. Third, enough of this "all religions are equally well-meaning, to prove it I'll point out some bad Christians and some good Muslims" stuff. The president has to say it, but Clancy's a smart guy; can't he shoot for a deeper level of analysis?
Maybe I should stop complaining and enjoy the ride. The story does pick up at the end. But if Clancy wants us to suspend our doubts, he'd do better to encourage them less in the set-up phase of his next story. | 1 | neutral | [
"I enjoyed this yarn, overall, as I do most of Clancy's stuff.",
"But I wish he wouldn't put so many obstacles in the way of buying into his premise.",
"First, of course, by the time Ryan has saved the world this many times over, shouldn't he be wearing a cape?",
"Secondly, I'm having a real hard time imagining a Palestinian Gandhi right now; this part of his premise sounds so American.",
"Third, the idea that most everybody really wants peace, is hard to pretend to believe, not only after 9/11, but in view of what we have learned about Saudi pop and government culture.",
"Third, enough of this \"all religions are equally well-meaning, to prove it I'll point out some bad Christians and some good Muslims\" stuff.",
"The president has to say it, but Clancy's a smart guy; can't he shoot for a deeper level of analysis?",
"Maybe I should stop complaining and enjoy the ride.",
"The story does pick up at the end.",
"But if Clancy wants us to suspend our doubts, he'd do better to encourage them less in the set-up phase of his next story."
] |
I tried this Bose after reading the rave reviews. I tried the Jawbone ERA first, returned it immediately. The Bose has a nice size & weight to it. I drive a semi truck (noisy environment). I used this Bose with an iPhone 4. Using voice commands, via Vlingo app, with this Bose is nice. While driving my noisy truck down the interstate, people would say that overall it sounded good, not great. They said that there were times that the Bose was crystal clear sounding & other times they would think that I had my window open because they could hear "running water" sound in the background. The soft gel earpiece is nice, but after having it in my ear for after a half hour, my ear would get sore. The battery life isn't the greatest on this Bose. It comes with a soft carrying case. Overall this headset is good, not great. Highly overpriced for what it is & what you get. | 1 | neutral | [
"I tried this Bose after reading the rave reviews.",
"I tried the Jawbone ERA first, returned it immediately.",
"The Bose has a nice size & weight to it.",
"I drive a semi truck (noisy environment).",
"I used this Bose with an iPhone 4.",
"Using voice commands, via Vlingo app, with this Bose is nice.",
"While driving my noisy truck down the interstate, people would say that overall it sounded good, not great.",
"They said that there were times that the Bose was crystal clear sounding & other times they would think that I had my window open because they could hear \"running water\" sound in the background.",
"The soft gel earpiece is nice, but after having it in my ear for after a half hour, my ear would get sore.",
"The battery life isn't the greatest on this Bose.",
"It comes with a soft carrying case.",
"Overall this headset is good, not great.",
"Highly overpriced for what it is & what you get."
] |
Ok, now I know that I will probably get blasted by this but, this game was really not that great. I was SO looking forward to this game for the past few months. My main complaints are as follows: GRAPHICS: now don't get me wrong the cars look great, it's just everything else. Scenery, or lack thereof, lacks detail and there really is nothing else to look at but the cars. PHYSICS: these cars are WAY to sensitive. Just about any amount of pressure is enough to make you spin out if your not careful. CHALLENGE: ok something is wrong if you can finish all the races and only lose one of them (late spinout - see physics statement). Lastly, the CUSTOMIZE section: this was the one part of the game that was hyped the most and I'm sure most people were looking forward too, but let's face it, there really isn't that much to it. Except for rims, you basically have just a few parts for each section of your car (all cars use the same parts). The one thing I did like was the two player and online modes. They are about the only thing that I can recommend this game for. As long as people online use broadband like it says to. Nothing more irritating than trying to play against a dial-up competitor. If your looking for a driving game stick to Gran Turismo or Midnight Club. | 1 | neutral | [
"Ok, now I know that I will probably get blasted by this but, this game was really not that great.",
"I was SO looking forward to this game for the past few months.",
"My main complaints are as follows: GRAPHICS: now don't get me wrong the cars look great, it's just everything else.",
"Scenery, or lack thereof, lacks detail and there really is nothing else to look at but the cars.",
"PHYSICS: these cars are WAY to sensitive.",
"Just about any amount of pressure is enough to make you spin out if your not careful.",
"CHALLENGE: ok something is wrong if you can finish all the races and only lose one of them (late spinout - see physics statement).",
"Lastly, the CUSTOMIZE section: this was the one part of the game that was hyped the most and I'm sure most people were looking forward too, but let's face it, there really isn't that much to it.",
"Except for rims, you basically have just a few parts for each section of your car (all cars use the same parts).",
"The one thing I did like was the two player and online modes.",
"They are about the only thing that I can recommend this game for.",
"As long as people online use broadband like it says to.",
"Nothing more irritating than trying to play against a dial-up competitor.",
"If your looking for a driving game stick to Gran Turismo or Midnight Club."
] |
Edward Fitzgerald was a mediocre Orientalist with a faulty command of Farsi, and his translations of Spanish poetry are forgotten. Why he is still considered a competent - even brilliant - translator of this work of Persian poetry is a bit of a mystery to me. Omar Khayyam's work is a multidimensional set of meditations on many topics, most notably the impermanence of all things, and is admittedly a hard nut to crack for any translator due to the amount of controversy around which manuscripts are genuine and how many quatrains Omar Khayyam actually wrote (various editions run from just over one hundred to well over one thousand). As a result, even a serious poet like Robert Graves <a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/The-Original-Rubaiyyat-of-Omar-Khayyam/dp/B000IVIRGK/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">The Original Rubaiyyat of Omar Khayyam</a> and a serious Orientalist like A.J. Arberry have been taken in by forgeries or frauds. I very much like the Friedrich Rosen translation <a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Quatrains-of-Omar-Khayyam/dp/B001B3HLWU/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Quatrains of Omar Khayyam</a>, which is unfortunately out of print and can only be had for a great deal of money on Amazon. I have glanced at the much more easily accessible translation by Avery and Heath-Stubbs <a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/The-Ruba-iyat-of-Omar-Khayyam-Penguin-Classics/dp/0140443843/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">The Ruba'iyat of Omar Khayyam (Penguin Classics)</a>, and it seems to be worth recommending, too. | 1 | neutral | [
"Edward Fitzgerald was a mediocre Orientalist with a faulty command of Farsi, and his translations of Spanish poetry are forgotten.",
"Why he is still considered a competent - even brilliant - translator of this work of Persian poetry is a bit of a mystery to me.",
"Omar Khayyam's work is a multidimensional set of meditations on many topics, most notably the impermanence of all things, and is admittedly a hard nut to crack for any translator due to the amount of controversy around which manuscripts are genuine and how many quatrains Omar Khayyam actually wrote (various editions run from just over one hundred to well over one thousand).",
"As a result, even a serious poet like Robert Graves <a data-hook=\"product-link-linked\" class=\"a-link-normal\" href=\"/The-Original-Rubaiyyat-of-Omar-Khayyam/dp/B000IVIRGK/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?",
"ie=UTF8\">The Original Rubaiyyat of Omar Khayyam</a> and a serious Orientalist like A.",
"J. Arberry have been taken in by forgeries or frauds.",
"I very much like the Friedrich Rosen translation <a data-hook=\"product-link-linked\" class=\"a-link-normal\" href=\"/Quatrains-of-Omar-Khayyam/dp/B001B3HLWU/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?",
"ie=UTF8\">Quatrains of Omar Khayyam</a>, which is unfortunately out of print and can only be had for a great deal of money on Amazon.",
"I have glanced at the much more easily accessible translation by Avery and Heath-Stubbs <a data-hook=\"product-link-linked\" class=\"a-link-normal\" href=\"/The-Ruba-iyat-of-Omar-Khayyam-Penguin-Classics/dp/0140443843/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?",
"ie=UTF8\">The Ruba'iyat of Omar Khayyam (Penguin Classics)</a>, and it seems to be worth recommending, too."
] |
Suppressed in the early sixties, translated into English in the mid-eighties, and published under Gorbachev's rule, Vasily Grossman's Life and Fate is the most famous Russian novel of the Second World war. Historians such as Richard Overy, Catherine Merridale and Robert Conquest have praised it for its realistic account of Soviet life and its courage in Stalinism. Reviewers from Italy to France to Britain praised Grossman and compared him to Dostoyevsky and Tolstoy.
Now as Christopher Hitchens once pointed out, to be even compared to Tolstoy is no small achievement, so saying that Grossman does not meet this standard is hardly a damning criticism. Grossman, during the war a prominent journalist and later a novelists, was understandably horrified at the infinite cruelties and callousness of the Stalinist regime. That he is unsparing of the interrogations, the deportations, the tortures, the bureaucratic spite and viciousness, the way that political correctness encouraged cowardice and despair does credit to his courage. But courage is not enough, and one should beware those who believe it is a substitute for art. To say, as George Steiner, that Solzhenitsyn and Grossman "eclipse almost all that passes for serious fiction in the West today," is unfair. These subjects are powerful and moving is true, but beside the point. How could such they not be? Grossman must do more, and ultimately he does not do it.
Grossman suffers the vices of a journalist. His writing resembles romantic magazine cliches ("His love for Marya Ivanova was the deepest truth of his soul. How could it have given birth to so many lies?) The sententious title, all too reminiscent of War and Peace, does not help. Passages are suffused with rhetoric ("No, whatever life holds in store...they will live as human beings and die as human beings, the same as those who have already perished; and in this alone lies man's eternal and bitter victory over all the grandiose and inhuman forces that every have been or will be.") and the comments about freedom are particularly hollow. ("Does man lose his innate yearning for freedom?" "Man's innate yearning for freedom can be suppressed but never destroyed.") Behind the suppressed liberal, a middlebrow is waiting to come out.
Grossman writes at one point of how in totalitarian countries a small minority is able to bully or brainwash the rest of the country. This point has two flaws: it is a simplistic description of how modern terror works and Grossman does not bring it aesthetically to life. True, there are some stirring passages as the protagonist Viktor Shtrum finds all his colleagues at the scientific institute he works with drop away from him once he is criticized for supporting modern physics. But Grossman cannot portray the mind of an Anti-Semite or a Stalinist torturer. This failure is particularly damaging when one considers that Russian literature has no shortage of profound portraits of this sort of corrupt mindset (Dostoyevsky, Gogol, Saltykov-Shchedrin, Chekhov, Tolstoy, even Nabokov's Humbert Humbert). While it is true that Hitler was not the product of a primordial German anti-semitism, Grossman's picture of the Holocaust where almost none of the perpetrators are actually anti-Semites, just cogs in an automatic system, is seriously misleading. (One thinks of Omer Bartov's Hitler's Army in contrast).
Stalinism per se seems to be a caste separate from the population. This is misleading because it does not deal sufficiently with the internalization of Stalinism among the Soviet population. Viktor Shtrum seems surprisingly calm and composed towards the Germans who murdered his mother because she was a Jew. What is really odd is that most of the rest of the Soviet characters feel the same way. On both sides there is stoicism, a sense of comradely duty, thoughts about loved ones. There is not on the German side violent racist loathing towards the enemy. Likewise, there is surprisingly little rage, indignation, heartbroken grief and anger or lust for vengeance on the Russian side, though God knows there was no lack of provocation from the Germans. It would have been very easy, indeed one would think it unavoidable, to show reasonably decent Russians consumed with rage against the Germans. But that would complicate Grossman's picture of evil flowing down from a totalitarian state. It also says something that the Communists never win an argument in this book. (When a Russian prisoner of Tolstoyan pacifist opinions speaks of redeeming the world with acts of spontaneous kindness, no one actually points out that a lot more is needed to stop the Nazis.)
A comparison to Aharon Appelfeld's novels, or Gunter Grass's The Danzig Trilogy, or This way to the Gas Ladies and Gentlemen, shows Grossman's weakness as a writer of character. He assumes that most people are like himself. (Consider the failure in his portraits of Hitler and Stalin). And so there are endless scenes of people thinking about their loved ones, because Grossman cannot provide much more. They are endless scenes of women portrayed as the objects of men's affections, rarely as subjects, and certainly without the depth of other writers. (One notices that in Stalingrad the German soldiers have love affairs with Russian girls. They do not rape them). Strikingly, Grossman's characters are overwhelmingly Russian. Although the Soviet Union was a multinational state, other nationalities are usually only mentioned as reminders of Soviet persecution. In the end one is reminded that whereas Dostoyevsky could convince a reader that it is just and humane for Dimitri Karamazov to suffer the punishment for a murder that was actually committed by someone else, Vasily Grossman is unable to bring many of his liberal good wishes to life. | 1 | neutral | [
"Suppressed in the early sixties, translated into English in the mid-eighties, and published under Gorbachev's rule, Vasily Grossman's Life and Fate is the most famous Russian novel of the Second World war.",
"Historians such as Richard Overy, Catherine Merridale and Robert Conquest have praised it for its realistic account of Soviet life and its courage in Stalinism.",
"Reviewers from Italy to France to Britain praised Grossman and compared him to Dostoyevsky and Tolstoy.",
"Now as Christopher Hitchens once pointed out, to be even compared to Tolstoy is no small achievement, so saying that Grossman does not meet this standard is hardly a damning criticism.",
"Grossman, during the war a prominent journalist and later a novelists, was understandably horrified at the infinite cruelties and callousness of the Stalinist regime.",
"That he is unsparing of the interrogations, the deportations, the tortures, the bureaucratic spite and viciousness, the way that political correctness encouraged cowardice and despair does credit to his courage.",
"But courage is not enough, and one should beware those who believe it is a substitute for art.",
"To say, as George Steiner, that Solzhenitsyn and Grossman \"eclipse almost all that passes for serious fiction in the West today,\" is unfair.",
"These subjects are powerful and moving is true, but beside the point.",
"How could such they not be?",
"Grossman must do more, and ultimately he does not do it.",
"Grossman suffers the vices of a journalist.",
"His writing resembles romantic magazine cliches (\"His love for Marya Ivanova was the deepest truth of his soul.",
"How could it have given birth to so many lies?",
") The sententious title, all too reminiscent of War and Peace, does not help.",
"Passages are suffused with rhetoric (\"No, whatever life holds in store...",
"they will live as human beings and die as human beings, the same as those who have already perished; and in this alone lies man's eternal and bitter victory over all the grandiose and inhuman forces that every have been or will be.",
"\") and the comments about freedom are particularly hollow.",
"(\"Does man lose his innate yearning for freedom?",
"\" \"Man's innate yearning for freedom can be suppressed but never destroyed.",
"\") Behind the suppressed liberal, a middlebrow is waiting to come out.",
"Grossman writes at one point of how in totalitarian countries a small minority is able to bully or brainwash the rest of the country.",
"This point has two flaws: it is a simplistic description of how modern terror works and Grossman does not bring it aesthetically to life.",
"True, there are some stirring passages as the protagonist Viktor Shtrum finds all his colleagues at the scientific institute he works with drop away from him once he is criticized for supporting modern physics.",
"But Grossman cannot portray the mind of an Anti-Semite or a Stalinist torturer.",
"This failure is particularly damaging when one considers that Russian literature has no shortage of profound portraits of this sort of corrupt mindset (Dostoyevsky, Gogol, Saltykov-Shchedrin, Chekhov, Tolstoy, even Nabokov's Humbert Humbert).",
"While it is true that Hitler was not the product of a primordial German anti-semitism, Grossman's picture of the Holocaust where almost none of the perpetrators are actually anti-Semites, just cogs in an automatic system, is seriously misleading.",
"(One thinks of Omer Bartov's Hitler's Army in contrast).",
"Stalinism per se seems to be a caste separate from the population.",
"This is misleading because it does not deal sufficiently with the internalization of Stalinism among the Soviet population.",
"Viktor Shtrum seems surprisingly calm and composed towards the Germans who murdered his mother because she was a Jew.",
"What is really odd is that most of the rest of the Soviet characters feel the same way.",
"On both sides there is stoicism, a sense of comradely duty, thoughts about loved ones.",
"There is not on the German side violent racist loathing towards the enemy.",
"Likewise, there is surprisingly little rage, indignation, heartbroken grief and anger or lust for vengeance on the Russian side, though God knows there was no lack of provocation from the Germans.",
"It would have been very easy, indeed one would think it unavoidable, to show reasonably decent Russians consumed with rage against the Germans.",
"But that would complicate Grossman's picture of evil flowing down from a totalitarian state.",
"It also says something that the Communists never win an argument in this book.",
"(When a Russian prisoner of Tolstoyan pacifist opinions speaks of redeeming the world with acts of spontaneous kindness, no one actually points out that a lot more is needed to stop the Nazis.",
")\nA comparison to Aharon Appelfeld's novels, or Gunter Grass's The Danzig Trilogy, or This way to the Gas Ladies and Gentlemen, shows Grossman's weakness as a writer of character.",
"He assumes that most people are like himself.",
"(Consider the failure in his portraits of Hitler and Stalin).",
"And so there are endless scenes of people thinking about their loved ones, because Grossman cannot provide much more.",
"They are endless scenes of women portrayed as the objects of men's affections, rarely as subjects, and certainly without the depth of other writers.",
"(One notices that in Stalingrad the German soldiers have love affairs with Russian girls.",
"They do not rape them).",
"Strikingly, Grossman's characters are overwhelmingly Russian.",
"Although the Soviet Union was a multinational state, other nationalities are usually only mentioned as reminders of Soviet persecution.",
"In the end one is reminded that whereas Dostoyevsky could convince a reader that it is just and humane for Dimitri Karamazov to suffer the punishment for a murder that was actually committed by someone else, Vasily Grossman is unable to bring many of his liberal good wishes to life."
] |
When Nintendogs came out a few years ago, it practically sold out immediately. It was a godsend for kids who couldn't have a real dog, and as dumb as it might sound, it was a fairly good dog simulator, especially considering it came out so early in the DS' life. Unfortunately, it suffers from the main thing all virtual pet/simulation games do- as time goes on, there's less to do and less reason to keep playing. Still, this is definitely a fun game for younger kids, but you might want to wait a few more months before dropping your dollars on this version.
Nintendogs is a simple game: you start out by picking the dog you want to take home, then you'll get to name it once it warms up to you. Once that's done, you're all set to start taking care of it. Feeding it, giving it water, taking it for walks, teaching it tricks, going to the park, and finding presents while out and about, there's always something to do. If your dog gets dirty, you can give it a bath and brush its hair. If it wants to play at home, you can select various toys to play with once you buy some, or find them in mystery presents. In order to get money for more food, water, toys and clothing, you have two main options: sell the extra stuff you find at the pet shop, or enter contests. Competing in contests is the more practical way to earn money, and pretty fun. There are three different kinds: frisbee, agility and command. The frisbee one is easy, since all you do is throw a frisbee and hope your dog catches it, earning big points if you throw it far. The agility one takes some practice, and has your dog running an obstacle course that gets harder as you rank up, throwing in things like a teeter totter. The command one puts the voice recognition bit to the test, as you have to make your dog do select commands for the judges. Some of the tricks your dog can learn include sneezing (crazy, I know), spinning, shake and other classics. To prepare for any of these contests, you'll have to practice at home or at the park, and it might take some time, but once you get good, coming in first place in any of the contests is pretty easy.
There's also a kind of dumb multiplayer bit where you can interact with another person's dog if they're in Bark Mode. This is mostly there to trade presents with a friend if they have something you want, or if they just want to be nice. Unfortunately, there's nothing else to do in Bark Mode. You can't compete in contests with or against eachother, which seems like a missed opportunity to me. This is one of a few problems I had with the game even when I first played it a few years ago. There also isn't much else to do in the game after you've gotten every toy, hat, collar and accessory. It may take a while to get them, but once you get 3 dogs at once and take them for walks every chance you get, it lessens the time. The voice recognition is usually good, but you might want to make some commands like 'spin' be different when you say them into the microphone, since the dogs will get confused every now and then, regardless of how clearly you speak. Finally, there's not much reason to buy Nintendogs now since there's going to be a new game coming out for the 3DS sometime next year: Nintendogs and Cats. I never got why there wasn't a sequel for Nintendogs on the DS or even the Wii, since a lot could be added into the game after all these years, but I guess they were waiting for the next step in technology. If you can get this game for around half the original price, then it's a good deal.
The graphics still look good, and there's rarely any slowdown. The dogs look realistic while being a little bit cartoony, if that makes any sense. And I love how dramatic the camera angles get during the frisbee competition in the later ranks. Believe it or not, the game's soundtrack, while very limited, is good too. Some of these tracks will get stuck in your head, especially the walking theme. It's such a happy, yet proud track that will have you nodding along as your dog tries to eat garbage or mark its territory.
Nintendogs is a fun game and all, but it's not the kind of game that will keep kids interested for more than 2-3 weeks. After that, they might check up on the dogs every now and then, or go for a new hat or something, but there just isn't enough substance. I'll admit, I put a ton of hours into this thing so I could buy all the themes for my house, but it was mostly out of boredom. Buy it used so you save a few bucks, or borrow it from a friend and wait for the 3DS game, which will have a lot more to offer. | 1 | neutral | [
"When Nintendogs came out a few years ago, it practically sold out immediately.",
"It was a godsend for kids who couldn't have a real dog, and as dumb as it might sound, it was a fairly good dog simulator, especially considering it came out so early in the DS' life.",
"Unfortunately, it suffers from the main thing all virtual pet/simulation games do- as time goes on, there's less to do and less reason to keep playing.",
"Still, this is definitely a fun game for younger kids, but you might want to wait a few more months before dropping your dollars on this version.",
"Nintendogs is a simple game: you start out by picking the dog you want to take home, then you'll get to name it once it warms up to you.",
"Once that's done, you're all set to start taking care of it.",
"Feeding it, giving it water, taking it for walks, teaching it tricks, going to the park, and finding presents while out and about, there's always something to do.",
"If your dog gets dirty, you can give it a bath and brush its hair.",
"If it wants to play at home, you can select various toys to play with once you buy some, or find them in mystery presents.",
"In order to get money for more food, water, toys and clothing, you have two main options: sell the extra stuff you find at the pet shop, or enter contests.",
"Competing in contests is the more practical way to earn money, and pretty fun.",
"There are three different kinds: frisbee, agility and command.",
"The frisbee one is easy, since all you do is throw a frisbee and hope your dog catches it, earning big points if you throw it far.",
"The agility one takes some practice, and has your dog running an obstacle course that gets harder as you rank up, throwing in things like a teeter totter.",
"The command one puts the voice recognition bit to the test, as you have to make your dog do select commands for the judges.",
"Some of the tricks your dog can learn include sneezing (crazy, I know), spinning, shake and other classics.",
"To prepare for any of these contests, you'll have to practice at home or at the park, and it might take some time, but once you get good, coming in first place in any of the contests is pretty easy.",
"There's also a kind of dumb multiplayer bit where you can interact with another person's dog if they're in Bark Mode.",
"This is mostly there to trade presents with a friend if they have something you want, or if they just want to be nice.",
"Unfortunately, there's nothing else to do in Bark Mode.",
"You can't compete in contests with or against eachother, which seems like a missed opportunity to me.",
"This is one of a few problems I had with the game even when I first played it a few years ago.",
"There also isn't much else to do in the game after you've gotten every toy, hat, collar and accessory.",
"It may take a while to get them, but once you get 3 dogs at once and take them for walks every chance you get, it lessens the time.",
"The voice recognition is usually good, but you might want to make some commands like 'spin' be different when you say them into the microphone, since the dogs will get confused every now and then, regardless of how clearly you speak.",
"Finally, there's not much reason to buy Nintendogs now since there's going to be a new game coming out for the 3DS sometime next year: Nintendogs and Cats.",
"I never got why there wasn't a sequel for Nintendogs on the DS or even the Wii, since a lot could be added into the game after all these years, but I guess they were waiting for the next step in technology.",
"If you can get this game for around half the original price, then it's a good deal.",
"The graphics still look good, and there's rarely any slowdown.",
"The dogs look realistic while being a little bit cartoony, if that makes any sense.",
"And I love how dramatic the camera angles get during the frisbee competition in the later ranks.",
"Believe it or not, the game's soundtrack, while very limited, is good too.",
"Some of these tracks will get stuck in your head, especially the walking theme.",
"It's such a happy, yet proud track that will have you nodding along as your dog tries to eat garbage or mark its territory.",
"Nintendogs is a fun game and all, but it's not the kind of game that will keep kids interested for more than 2-3 weeks.",
"After that, they might check up on the dogs every now and then, or go for a new hat or something, but there just isn't enough substance.",
"I'll admit, I put a ton of hours into this thing so I could buy all the themes for my house, but it was mostly out of boredom.",
"Buy it used so you save a few bucks, or borrow it from a friend and wait for the 3DS game, which will have a lot more to offer."
] |
Honey's closes abruptly lays off staff
Claire Smyth former executive pastry chef at Honeyâs said Honeyâs staff members were called into a meeting Jan. 9 and told by Furman that they âcould just no longer do it anymoreâ and that as of that day Honeyâs was done for business.
âI mean itâs a little bit of a shock â Smyth said. âItâs really really hard to let go of 30 people in January after Christmas but I mean itâs the industry.â
All staff members were given their final checks and sent home that day she said. Smyth remembers feeling fortunate because she âd driven her own car that day so she could take her things home.
âIt was very very abrupt â she said.
Smyth had only been at Honeyâs for about a month about the same time as executive chef Johnny Anderes. Anderes formerly of Avec Reno Telegraph Wine Bar and The Kitchen was brought on in December after chef Charles Welch and pastry chef Alison Cates left.
But Smyth said she wonders if predictions about the imminent restaurant crash in Chicago are true citing the recently closed GreenRiver restaurant in Streeterville.
âI think there are too many restaurants in Chicago and itâs hard to stay open when everyone is doing the same thing in the same area â Smyth said.
Smyth said she plans to take some time to herself before looking for a new job. | 1 | neutral | [
"Honey's closes abruptly lays off staff\nClaire Smyth former executive pastry chef at Honeyâs said Honeyâs staff members were called into a meeting Jan.",
"9 and told by Furman that they âcould just no longer do it anymoreâ and that as of that day Honeyâs was done for business.",
"âI mean itâs a little bit of a shock â Smyth said.",
"âItâs really really hard to let go of 30 people in January after Christmas but I mean itâs the industry.",
"â\nAll staff members were given their final checks and sent home that day she said.",
"Smyth remembers feeling fortunate because she âd driven her own car that day so she could take her things home.",
"âIt was very very abrupt â she said.",
"Smyth had only been at Honeyâs for about a month about the same time as executive chef Johnny Anderes.",
"Anderes formerly of Avec Reno Telegraph Wine Bar and The Kitchen was brought on in December after chef Charles Welch and pastry chef Alison Cates left.",
"But Smyth said she wonders if predictions about the imminent restaurant crash in Chicago are true citing the recently closed GreenRiver restaurant in Streeterville.",
"âI think there are too many restaurants in Chicago and itâs hard to stay open when everyone is doing the same thing in the same area â Smyth said.",
"Smyth said she plans to take some time to herself before looking for a new job."
] |
I'm not sure what I can say that hasn't been said before. I've been crying off and on since I finished this book over 24 hours ago. I have yet to eat and my friends keep wanting to know what's wrong.
This book broke my heart.
The Author herself in a forum stated that the ending kind of took a life of it's own. That her projected ending (when she started writing) changed by the time she actually got around to writing this. This happens to writers and I can't fault her that. It's her creation and her baby.
However, the ending is so tragic to me that I can find little solace in it. I am undable to follow her train of thought to what she deems to be the "natural ending". I follow the trail originally set out by her and arrive at my own conclusions.
The ending with SPOILERS
Molly is, IMO an cop out. We are told over and over again that she is his 'lost love'. And also we know that she could never accept him with the Wit, could never accept him with Nighteyes - that he would have to choose. The Fool believes she would do the same with his love/bond with Fitz. So how is this true love? The Fool's love for Fitz "knows no boundaries". It's unconditional. It is the purest love, the most monumental love, the kind of love that transcends physical and mental bounds -- that has been committed to page in the fantasy genre -- IMO. And yet it is pushed aside at the end for Molly. I never expected a happy compact ending. But for Fitz to say, "Molly is enough, more than enough for me." makes me want to break something.
Perhaps the Catalyst and the Changer could not stay together indefinitely without changing the world over and over again -- but why did we have to have the ending we did?
I feel awful for the Fool at the end of this. He has his life and the knowledge that Fitz would have followed him and the knowledge that he was loved, oh so loved by him.... but I'm not sure that's enough considering he may think Fitz dead.
I'm rambling. The point is I don't know if I recommend to read this book. If you're going to take it the way I have, you may have to see a shrink.
I'm going to go back to crying now. | 1 | neutral | [
"I'm not sure what I can say that hasn't been said before.",
"I've been crying off and on since I finished this book over 24 hours ago.",
"I have yet to eat and my friends keep wanting to know what's wrong.",
"This book broke my heart.",
"The Author herself in a forum stated that the ending kind of took a life of it's own.",
"That her projected ending (when she started writing) changed by the time she actually got around to writing this.",
"This happens to writers and I can't fault her that.",
"It's her creation and her baby.",
"However, the ending is so tragic to me that I can find little solace in it.",
"I am undable to follow her train of thought to what she deems to be the \"natural ending\".",
"I follow the trail originally set out by her and arrive at my own conclusions.",
"The ending with SPOILERS\n\nMolly is, IMO an cop out.",
"We are told over and over again that she is his 'lost love'.",
"And also we know that she could never accept him with the Wit, could never accept him with Nighteyes - that he would have to choose.",
"The Fool believes she would do the same with his love/bond with Fitz.",
"So how is this true love?",
"The Fool's love for Fitz \"knows no boundaries\".",
"It's unconditional.",
"It is the purest love, the most monumental love, the kind of love that transcends physical and mental bounds -- that has been committed to page in the fantasy genre -- IMO.",
"And yet it is pushed aside at the end for Molly.",
"I never expected a happy compact ending.",
"But for Fitz to say, \"Molly is enough, more than enough for me.",
"\" makes me want to break something.",
"Perhaps the Catalyst and the Changer could not stay together indefinitely without changing the world over and over again -- but why did we have to have the ending we did?",
"I feel awful for the Fool at the end of this.",
"He has his life and the knowledge that Fitz would have followed him and the knowledge that he was loved, oh so loved by him....",
"but I'm not sure that's enough considering he may think Fitz dead.",
"I'm rambling.",
"The point is I don't know if I recommend to read this book.",
"If you're going to take it the way I have, you may have to see a shrink.",
"I'm going to go back to crying now."
] |
UPDATE 1: After 5 years of use, the harmonica came out of the cap, so it no longer signals boiling water. For this price, it should have lasted at least 10 years.
UPDATE 2: After 6 years of use, the spring-loaded spout no longer flips out of the way. Pouring water is clumsy at best without a way of having it out of the way and staying there. The kettle is still pretty, and I loved the harmonica when it worked, but we will get a cheaper, larger one and throw this one out.
This 1.8 qt teakettle is a bit small, maybe 2/3 the size of a typical teakettle. One kettle of boiling water is not enough for morning tea for the two of us, as it was with earlier kettles.
PROS: stylish; nice choice of colors; reasonably well-made; unique harmonica whistle which is the main reason for paying a higher price; includes mitt for easy handling (see CONS).
CONS: expensive; smallish size; enamel can chip on enamel kettles; must use mitt on the metal handle when pouring hot water (or wait until it cools).
The whistle blows at a good volume, so we can hear it from the second floor when it boils in the kitchen. The two-note harmonica sound is much more pleasant than the shrill whistle of a traditional kettle, but ours is a bit dissonant, not a chord; this seems to vary from kettle to kettle, judging by other reports. It starts with one steady note, gets louder, then the second note comes in.
Because the kettle is smallish, the base is a bit smaller too, and we cannot turn the flame up full force without having it lick up the sides. Still, it seems to boil water fairly fast, about right for its smaller size.
We were originally shopping for one on ebay (where some other colors are available), but found that older kettles did not come with the hot-kettle mitt that is included with new units, and this mitt is essential, because the metal handle does get hot when it boils. Also, the ebay prices end up without much savings over a new one, and you can't usually return it (for example, if it does not whistle). I suggest that you do not put the mitt on the handle when the pot is heating; instead, wait until you have turned off the flame.
If you search froogle, you will find at least one online store that sells the unit for eleven dollars less than amazon, with fair shipping fees.
We chose the enamel kettle for its look and color (onyx, which is slightly darker than stainless steel). The disadvantage of enamel, according to other reports, is that it can chip and, when it does, it can rust. This is more of a problem for the interior. The stainless-steel and copper models have a stainless-steel interior, and should never rust. The exterior of those models has a coating to keep it looking nice and make it easier to clean, but I assume with time this clear coating will peel, scratch, or otherwise deteriorate.
Washing it once every few weeks with a non-scratch sponge and regular dishwashing liquid (not when it's real hot) will keep it looking nice. There is also a special ceramic cleaner that we bought, but I have my doubts that it is needed.
To get long life out of any kettle, it is important to turn off the fire after it comes to a boil. Boiling water for a long time will eventually heat the plastic parts and cause them to melt or warp. The Chantal is mostly metal, but there is a gasket in the water-fill hole, and there might be some plastic in the flip-up whistle assembly at the end of the spout.
We fill the kettle from the spout. It does not take any longer, and that way you won't wear out the gasket in the water-fill hole. If you wear out the gasket, or if the flip-up whistle-cover for the spout warps or is bent, you won't get a good seal, and the kettle won't whistle. Without the whistle you're in danger of overheating the kettle, and that leads to rapid deterioration.
The Chantal kettle is well-made, and with proper care, could last many years [see UPDATE above: ours broke after 5 years]. You can buy replacement parts, for example if the gasket needs to be replaced.
Why three stars? I took one star off for the price, which I think is high for a teakettle. I took one star off for the relatively smaller size, and because the tone is dissonant. [UPDATE: I think the kettle should have lasted longer than 5-6 years at this price, but I did not take off another star for the failures.] I'm happy with this unique kettle, but a bit stingy with my stars: only a few of the finest products get five stars. | 1 | neutral | [
"UPDATE 1: After 5 years of use, the harmonica came out of the cap, so it no longer signals boiling water.",
"For this price, it should have lasted at least 10 years.",
"UPDATE 2: After 6 years of use, the spring-loaded spout no longer flips out of the way.",
"Pouring water is clumsy at best without a way of having it out of the way and staying there.",
"The kettle is still pretty, and I loved the harmonica when it worked, but we will get a cheaper, larger one and throw this one out.",
"This 1.",
"8 qt teakettle is a bit small, maybe 2/3 the size of a typical teakettle.",
"One kettle of boiling water is not enough for morning tea for the two of us, as it was with earlier kettles.",
"PROS: stylish; nice choice of colors; reasonably well-made; unique harmonica whistle which is the main reason for paying a higher price; includes mitt for easy handling (see CONS).",
"CONS: expensive; smallish size; enamel can chip on enamel kettles; must use mitt on the metal handle when pouring hot water (or wait until it cools).",
"The whistle blows at a good volume, so we can hear it from the second floor when it boils in the kitchen.",
"The two-note harmonica sound is much more pleasant than the shrill whistle of a traditional kettle, but ours is a bit dissonant, not a chord; this seems to vary from kettle to kettle, judging by other reports.",
"It starts with one steady note, gets louder, then the second note comes in.",
"Because the kettle is smallish, the base is a bit smaller too, and we cannot turn the flame up full force without having it lick up the sides.",
"Still, it seems to boil water fairly fast, about right for its smaller size.",
"We were originally shopping for one on ebay (where some other colors are available), but found that older kettles did not come with the hot-kettle mitt that is included with new units, and this mitt is essential, because the metal handle does get hot when it boils.",
"Also, the ebay prices end up without much savings over a new one, and you can't usually return it (for example, if it does not whistle).",
"I suggest that you do not put the mitt on the handle when the pot is heating; instead, wait until you have turned off the flame.",
"If you search froogle, you will find at least one online store that sells the unit for eleven dollars less than amazon, with fair shipping fees.",
"We chose the enamel kettle for its look and color (onyx, which is slightly darker than stainless steel).",
"The disadvantage of enamel, according to other reports, is that it can chip and, when it does, it can rust.",
"This is more of a problem for the interior.",
"The stainless-steel and copper models have a stainless-steel interior, and should never rust.",
"The exterior of those models has a coating to keep it looking nice and make it easier to clean, but I assume with time this clear coating will peel, scratch, or otherwise deteriorate.",
"Washing it once every few weeks with a non-scratch sponge and regular dishwashing liquid (not when it's real hot) will keep it looking nice.",
"There is also a special ceramic cleaner that we bought, but I have my doubts that it is needed.",
"To get long life out of any kettle, it is important to turn off the fire after it comes to a boil.",
"Boiling water for a long time will eventually heat the plastic parts and cause them to melt or warp.",
"The Chantal is mostly metal, but there is a gasket in the water-fill hole, and there might be some plastic in the flip-up whistle assembly at the end of the spout.",
"We fill the kettle from the spout.",
"It does not take any longer, and that way you won't wear out the gasket in the water-fill hole.",
"If you wear out the gasket, or if the flip-up whistle-cover for the spout warps or is bent, you won't get a good seal, and the kettle won't whistle.",
"Without the whistle you're in danger of overheating the kettle, and that leads to rapid deterioration.",
"The Chantal kettle is well-made, and with proper care, could last many years [see UPDATE above: ours broke after 5 years].",
"You can buy replacement parts, for example if the gasket needs to be replaced.",
"Why three stars?",
"I took one star off for the price, which I think is high for a teakettle.",
"I took one star off for the relatively smaller size, and because the tone is dissonant.",
"[UPDATE: I think the kettle should have lasted longer than 5-6 years at this price, but I did not take off another star for the failures.",
"] I'm happy with this unique kettle, but a bit stingy with my stars: only a few of the finest products get five stars."
] |
I grew up with this brand of soy suace and have always used it. However, I just realized how salty the "original" it is. I know what you are thinking, "it is soy sauce, of course it is salty".
However, years ago, I switched to low sodium kikkoman (the green bottle). Recently, I ran out and needed soy sauce fast, for a recipe. I ordered this bottle because of Prime and, honestly, it was way cheaper. Big mistake. I used it for a marinade and the saltiness was overpowering.
Still, I have to give it 3 stars because it is better than other brands
And, it's fine to use if you are just adding a little soy sauce to a dish or recipe. Plus, the salt content is a matter of personal preference. I highly reccommend the low sodium variety of kikkoman though. | 1 | neutral | [
"I grew up with this brand of soy suace and have always used it.",
"However, I just realized how salty the \"original\" it is.",
"I know what you are thinking, \"it is soy sauce, of course it is salty\".",
"However, years ago, I switched to low sodium kikkoman (the green bottle).",
"Recently, I ran out and needed soy sauce fast, for a recipe.",
"I ordered this bottle because of Prime and, honestly, it was way cheaper.",
"Big mistake.",
"I used it for a marinade and the saltiness was overpowering.",
"Still, I have to give it 3 stars because it is better than other brands\nAnd, it's fine to use if you are just adding a little soy sauce to a dish or recipe.",
"Plus, the salt content is a matter of personal preference.",
"I highly reccommend the low sodium variety of kikkoman though."
] |
Many times this book turned into more of a "reference" Some of the descriptions were too detailed and it skipped around a lot. I probably would have enjoyed it more if it didn't skip back and forth to different time periods.(and I'm not talking about back story) It just could have been a lot smoother.
I would definitely recommend this book to others who enjoy history.
Little Hot Mama and her family were very talented. They traveled all over performing in the circus along with other venues.
At times, they made a lot of money, but they spent it or their father gambled it away. The lean times were VERY lean.
I felt terrible for the children that were subjected to the man they called father. I realize it was a different time, but I still can't understand why their mother would stay with someone who made their lives so much worse.
I commend Flossie for getting her education regardless of her age. | 1 | neutral | [
"Many times this book turned into more of a \"reference\" Some of the descriptions were too detailed and it skipped around a lot.",
"I probably would have enjoyed it more if it didn't skip back and forth to different time periods.",
"(and I'm not talking about back story) It just could have been a lot smoother.",
"I would definitely recommend this book to others who enjoy history.",
"Little Hot Mama and her family were very talented.",
"They traveled all over performing in the circus along with other venues.",
"At times, they made a lot of money, but they spent it or their father gambled it away.",
"The lean times were VERY lean.",
"I felt terrible for the children that were subjected to the man they called father.",
"I realize it was a different time, but I still can't understand why their mother would stay with someone who made their lives so much worse.",
"I commend Flossie for getting her education regardless of her age."
] |
Update: I used it for the second time at rehearsal last night and the height adjustment just won't hold; The cam latch appears defective. I missed Amazon's return window by 2 days, so I would apparently eat the shipping. I've emailed Ultimate Support. If they replace it under warranty, I'll probably just give it away, as I can't stand using it regardless of the defective height cam. I've ordered a third K&M Memphis Pro instead. Further update: Amazon came through promptly authorizing a return after emailing them as well. Ultimate Support customer support also responded very quickly with a suggestion to check that the lever pin was seated evenly (it was), and if not to send them a picture and a copy of my receipt- they would take care of it. It was very reassuring to hear from them so quickly; I emailed K&M about a defective stand a few months back and never heard back from them.
Out of the box, I really like the simple design, easy opening and adjustment, and how compact it folds up. In use, though I find this much more flimsy than two others that I currently have. Every joint has more flex than I'd like. The other two I own have automatic gripping or "locking" mechanisms, which I believe are not necessary, given the angle at which the instrument rests (the force required to dislodge any of my instruments from the stand would certainly tip the whole stand over). This one just has an optional rubber strap which cleverly has a tab to hold it out of the way when not in use. I like the design, but for my basses the shape of the yoke doesn't work so well- it holds them fine, the problem is removing them the neck is sort of wedged onto the vee shape of the yoke, so lifting the bass lifts the yoke up too and you kind of have to jerk it free. The height locking cam, while a super simple and clever design doesn't hold very securely. But the joint flexes so much when extended fully to accommodate my 5 string Jazz basses that when I set the bass down, the weight isn't pushing directly down on the lower portion, so it doesn't appear to slip. But the stand is brand new, and I imagine the cam will only get weaker, as it is plastic, and it latches against the metal tube. I'm not sure this is by design or if mine is outside manufacturing tolerances. This and the flimsiness may cause this one to be sent back. I should note, it doesn't appear the flex in all the joints weakens its stability much. In fact it could potentially make it more resistant to tipping. But to me it suggests either poor quality control, poor materials, poor design or corners cut. Edit: given my defective height adjustment cam, much of the flex I noticed could have been a result of that particular defect in mine. Overall, the materials and construction seem well thought out.
I've been on a hanging stand buying spree of sorts lately. In the past month or two, I've picked up this one, plus an <a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Ultimate-Support-17232-Guitar-Stand/dp/B005L0WZN4/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Ultimate Support 17232 Guitar Stand</a> (cheap double stand, sent back, totally unstable with just one bass on it and very cheaply made), two <a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/K-M-Memphis-Pro-Guitar-Stand/dp/B0016ZT60S/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">K & M Memphis Pro Guitar Stand</a>s, and one <a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Hercules-GS414B-A-G-Guitar-Stand/dp/B000EEHKVY/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Hercules GS414B A/G Guitar Stand</a>. I loved the first K&M, but the second had critical defects out of the box. The Hercules is very good, but is much bulkier than the K&M and Ultimate when folded (not including the non-folding yoke on the Hercules, I'm aware they sell one with that- in this case it is the girth and length of which I speak).
If it weren't for the flimsiness of this compared to the others (Edit: which could be simply due to a faulty height adjustment latch lever), I'd say it is very competitive with the other two- especially considering the price. The K&M is the lightest, most compact when folded, and the most enjoyable to use - however it is somewhat fragile (be careful not to open it too forcefully, or the height stop in the top tube will snap off). This one, the Ultimate GS100 is the second lightest, and almost as small folded as the K&M. I'd really like the way the legs fold on the Ultimate, if the joints didn't flex so much in use. The hanging yoke of the K&M is also my favorite, as the arms rotate inwards with weight applied, basically automatically adjusting for your neck width. For some necks, the Ultimate GS100 yoke may work better than it does for mine. Again, I think a simple yoke is all that is needed for most instruments on this type of stand. The number of moving pieces on the K&M appears much fewer than the Hercules yoke, and the arms of the K&M seem more durable too. The Hercules stand's frame seems the most stout with the least flex, and for mostly stationary use, it might be my favorite of these three. For packing in and out at rehearsal or the gig, the K&M is the winner for me, as it fits the front pocket of my bass gig bags (well 3/4 of the way at least).
Bottom line on this one? Others have had great success with it, but having tried the other two, I can't say I'd recommend it over them. But if saving $10 or so is important, and you don't mind a little flex, or plan to use it with lighter instruments (my heaviest is just shy of 11lbs), this might not be that bad of a choice. It does fold up very nicely- and folds, unfolds very easily. | 1 | neutral | [
"Update: I used it for the second time at rehearsal last night and the height adjustment just won't hold; The cam latch appears defective.",
"I missed Amazon's return window by 2 days, so I would apparently eat the shipping.",
"I've emailed Ultimate Support.",
"If they replace it under warranty, I'll probably just give it away, as I can't stand using it regardless of the defective height cam.",
"I've ordered a third K&M Memphis Pro instead.",
"Further update: Amazon came through promptly authorizing a return after emailing them as well.",
"Ultimate Support customer support also responded very quickly with a suggestion to check that the lever pin was seated evenly (it was), and if not to send them a picture and a copy of my receipt- they would take care of it.",
"It was very reassuring to hear from them so quickly; I emailed K&M about a defective stand a few months back and never heard back from them.",
"Out of the box, I really like the simple design, easy opening and adjustment, and how compact it folds up.",
"In use, though I find this much more flimsy than two others that I currently have.",
"Every joint has more flex than I'd like.",
"The other two I own have automatic gripping or \"locking\" mechanisms, which I believe are not necessary, given the angle at which the instrument rests (the force required to dislodge any of my instruments from the stand would certainly tip the whole stand over).",
"This one just has an optional rubber strap which cleverly has a tab to hold it out of the way when not in use.",
"I like the design, but for my basses the shape of the yoke doesn't work so well- it holds them fine, the problem is removing them the neck is sort of wedged onto the vee shape of the yoke, so lifting the bass lifts the yoke up too and you kind of have to jerk it free.",
"The height locking cam, while a super simple and clever design doesn't hold very securely.",
"But the joint flexes so much when extended fully to accommodate my 5 string Jazz basses that when I set the bass down, the weight isn't pushing directly down on the lower portion, so it doesn't appear to slip.",
"But the stand is brand new, and I imagine the cam will only get weaker, as it is plastic, and it latches against the metal tube.",
"I'm not sure this is by design or if mine is outside manufacturing tolerances.",
"This and the flimsiness may cause this one to be sent back.",
"I should note, it doesn't appear the flex in all the joints weakens its stability much.",
"In fact it could potentially make it more resistant to tipping.",
"But to me it suggests either poor quality control, poor materials, poor design or corners cut.",
"Edit: given my defective height adjustment cam, much of the flex I noticed could have been a result of that particular defect in mine.",
"Overall, the materials and construction seem well thought out.",
"I've been on a hanging stand buying spree of sorts lately.",
"In the past month or two, I've picked up this one, plus an <a data-hook=\"product-link-linked\" class=\"a-link-normal\" href=\"/Ultimate-Support-17232-Guitar-Stand/dp/B005L0WZN4/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?",
"ie=UTF8\">Ultimate Support 17232 Guitar Stand</a> (cheap double stand, sent back, totally unstable with just one bass on it and very cheaply made), two <a data-hook=\"product-link-linked\" class=\"a-link-normal\" href=\"/K-M-Memphis-Pro-Guitar-Stand/dp/B0016ZT60S/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?",
"ie=UTF8\">K & M Memphis Pro Guitar Stand</a>s, and one <a data-hook=\"product-link-linked\" class=\"a-link-normal\" href=\"/Hercules-GS414B-A-G-Guitar-Stand/dp/B000EEHKVY/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?",
"ie=UTF8\">Hercules GS414B A/G Guitar Stand</a>.",
"I loved the first K&M, but the second had critical defects out of the box.",
"The Hercules is very good, but is much bulkier than the K&M and Ultimate when folded (not including the non-folding yoke on the Hercules, I'm aware they sell one with that- in this case it is the girth and length of which I speak).",
"If it weren't for the flimsiness of this compared to the others (Edit: which could be simply due to a faulty height adjustment latch lever), I'd say it is very competitive with the other two- especially considering the price.",
"The K&M is the lightest, most compact when folded, and the most enjoyable to use - however it is somewhat fragile (be careful not to open it too forcefully, or the height stop in the top tube will snap off).",
"This one, the Ultimate GS100 is the second lightest, and almost as small folded as the K&M.",
"I'd really like the way the legs fold on the Ultimate, if the joints didn't flex so much in use.",
"The hanging yoke of the K&M is also my favorite, as the arms rotate inwards with weight applied, basically automatically adjusting for your neck width.",
"For some necks, the Ultimate GS100 yoke may work better than it does for mine.",
"Again, I think a simple yoke is all that is needed for most instruments on this type of stand.",
"The number of moving pieces on the K&M appears much fewer than the Hercules yoke, and the arms of the K&M seem more durable too.",
"The Hercules stand's frame seems the most stout with the least flex, and for mostly stationary use, it might be my favorite of these three.",
"For packing in and out at rehearsal or the gig, the K&M is the winner for me, as it fits the front pocket of my bass gig bags (well 3/4 of the way at least).",
"Bottom line on this one?",
"Others have had great success with it, but having tried the other two, I can't say I'd recommend it over them.",
"But if saving $10 or so is important, and you don't mind a little flex, or plan to use it with lighter instruments (my heaviest is just shy of 11lbs), this might not be that bad of a choice.",
"It does fold up very nicely- and folds, unfolds very easily."
] |
THE BLUE RIDGE RANGERS RIDES AGAIN has quite a few flaws (starting with the tongue-twisting, grammar-defying title): much of the song selection is ho-hum (John Denver? Really?); the arrangements are often uninspired ("Never Ending Song of Love" sounds just like every other country-tinged bluegrass love song); and even Fogerty himself tends to slack off a bit here and there.
But you should still listen to this album. Why? Because, despite its flaws, there are still a few career-defining moments here. Fogerty's take on "Haunted House" is truly inspired; as is his collaboration with the Boss on "When Will I Be Loved" (talk about a final double-whammy). His duet (can I call it that?) with Don Henley and Timothy Schmidt on "Garden Party" plays out like a sixties/seventies country-rock wet dream (the Eagles and CCR collide; it's just as amazing as you would expect).
The problem is, Fogerty never really sounds like himself. I have yet to hear the original BLUE RIDGE RANGERS album; it was on my shopping list at one point, but got knocked aside for whatever reasons. I still intend to purchase it; John Fogerty is a musical icon, a true rock/country legend who deserves every bit of respect (and, yes, disrespect) he's garnered. But THE BLUE RIDGE RANGERS RIDES AGAIN just doesn't sound much like a Fogerty record; we get the lovable, happily-married guy on a few tracks, and he sounds genuinely blissful (bliss is boring, as the rock adage goes), but we don't get much of the angry rocker; he comes close on John Prine's "Paradise," though he gives the tune a more up-tempo melody than it necessitates (check out Johnny Cash's PERSONAL FILE for a very haunting version of the tune). Still, it's nice to hear Fogerty's take on the classic; and it's nice to hear his interpretations of all these songs. The record is heavily flawed in spots, but when it shines, it's blinding. If you're a fan of Fogerty or CCR, you need to pick up a copy of this album. If you're new to the man, you might want to start elsewhere and work your way back here. | 1 | neutral | [
"THE BLUE RIDGE RANGERS RIDES AGAIN has quite a few flaws (starting with the tongue-twisting, grammar-defying title): much of the song selection is ho-hum (John Denver?",
"Really?",
"); the arrangements are often uninspired (\"Never Ending Song of Love\" sounds just like every other country-tinged bluegrass love song); and even Fogerty himself tends to slack off a bit here and there.",
"But you should still listen to this album.",
"Why?",
"Because, despite its flaws, there are still a few career-defining moments here.",
"Fogerty's take on \"Haunted House\" is truly inspired; as is his collaboration with the Boss on \"When Will I Be Loved\" (talk about a final double-whammy).",
"His duet (can I call it that?",
") with Don Henley and Timothy Schmidt on \"Garden Party\" plays out like a sixties/seventies country-rock wet dream (the Eagles and CCR collide; it's just as amazing as you would expect).",
"The problem is, Fogerty never really sounds like himself.",
"I have yet to hear the original BLUE RIDGE RANGERS album; it was on my shopping list at one point, but got knocked aside for whatever reasons.",
"I still intend to purchase it; John Fogerty is a musical icon, a true rock/country legend who deserves every bit of respect (and, yes, disrespect) he's garnered.",
"But THE BLUE RIDGE RANGERS RIDES AGAIN just doesn't sound much like a Fogerty record; we get the lovable, happily-married guy on a few tracks, and he sounds genuinely blissful (bliss is boring, as the rock adage goes), but we don't get much of the angry rocker; he comes close on John Prine's \"Paradise,\" though he gives the tune a more up-tempo melody than it necessitates (check out Johnny Cash's PERSONAL FILE for a very haunting version of the tune).",
"Still, it's nice to hear Fogerty's take on the classic; and it's nice to hear his interpretations of all these songs.",
"The record is heavily flawed in spots, but when it shines, it's blinding.",
"If you're a fan of Fogerty or CCR, you need to pick up a copy of this album.",
"If you're new to the man, you might want to start elsewhere and work your way back here."
] |
If I had a young teen who wanted a smartwatch this is what I would get them. It's simple cheap and does what it says it does. It's nothing overly incredible but it's not horrible. The Application that needs to be installed and syncs with the watch is okay. I had to buy a third party app that allowed me to do a lot more with the watch then the actually application itself did. Overall workout tracking was nice but limited. It has a really cool GPS tracking feature but to use it takes a few minutes to get the GPS coordinates. I wouldn't rely on the heartbeat monitor. The watch gave notifications on specific applications. With the third party application I could control my music, call certain people, be notified for applications, open specific applications. This all had to be done by the number of times I clicked the only button. So 2 clicks could call 1 friend, 3 clicks could open my SMS app, 4 clicks could open my music, 5 clicks could change the song. This wasn't bad but it's a lot to try and remember for a smart watch. The battery life was great though, I charged it fully once and used it for about 4 days and it only got to about 75%. The image on the screen wasn't incredibly sharp. It reminded me of a phone pre-smart phone era, if that makes sense. I only returned this watch because it didn't have as much functionality as I wanted. It was incredibly comfortable though. | 1 | neutral | [
"If I had a young teen who wanted a smartwatch this is what I would get them.",
"It's simple cheap and does what it says it does.",
"It's nothing overly incredible but it's not horrible.",
"The Application that needs to be installed and syncs with the watch is okay.",
"I had to buy a third party app that allowed me to do a lot more with the watch then the actually application itself did.",
"Overall workout tracking was nice but limited.",
"It has a really cool GPS tracking feature but to use it takes a few minutes to get the GPS coordinates.",
"I wouldn't rely on the heartbeat monitor.",
"The watch gave notifications on specific applications.",
"With the third party application I could control my music, call certain people, be notified for applications, open specific applications.",
"This all had to be done by the number of times I clicked the only button.",
"So 2 clicks could call 1 friend, 3 clicks could open my SMS app, 4 clicks could open my music, 5 clicks could change the song.",
"This wasn't bad but it's a lot to try and remember for a smart watch.",
"The battery life was great though, I charged it fully once and used it for about 4 days and it only got to about 75%.",
"The image on the screen wasn't incredibly sharp.",
"It reminded me of a phone pre-smart phone era, if that makes sense.",
"I only returned this watch because it didn't have as much functionality as I wanted.",
"It was incredibly comfortable though."
] |
A very interesting album from the Scorps. . .The cover was polarizing enough, stretching the boundaries of 1980's good taste with its' exotic, animalistic, sexually provocative imagery, not to mention the bizarre inner sleeve photo(for those of you who have an original LP pressing).
Although song lyrics and structure clearly suggests the Scorps are trying to ascend the same sexually charged thematic heights reached on Lovedrive, this album in comparison tends to fall short.
My major complaint about this album has always been the production. Klaus Meine's vocals seem tinny and buried in each song. Perhaps Meine was already experiencing some major problems with his voice with the final mix adjusted to compensate for it? "Make it Real" has lead guitar buried at the center of the mix. Whose idea was that? It seems only to achieved giving the mix a mushy quality, which can also be said of the bass sound in many songs.
Secondly, a certain little brother's writing, and specifically solo work, are missing here and leave a demonstrable void when compared to "Lovedrive". It is interesting to consider what might have been were Michael still on board as writing is so similar on each album.
Despite these problems, the album does manage to come to its' feet and put up a good fight. Tunes such as "Don't Make No Promises your Body Can't Keep", (a rare writing credit to Matthias Jabs), "The Zoo", "make it Real" and "Only a Man" keep the swaggering sexuality moving forward. Then there is my personal favorite, "Falling in Love", whose simple guitar line understates a very straightforward theme every young rocker can relate to: lust. It's another example of the Scorp's ability to meld clever lyrics with a sharp rhythmic hook at just the right moment.
The Scorps toyed with themes of misogyny/objectification of women in their lyrics, and pointedly displayed them in their album artwork. I think this album is arguably the zenith of that sexual energy, and despite some obvious production flaws, shows this band in a very interesting period of their career: standing on their own in the lineup that would lead to world wide fame. Highly Recommended despite my technical criticisms. 3.5 stars. | 1 | neutral | [
"A very interesting album from the Scorps.",
".",
".",
"The cover was polarizing enough, stretching the boundaries of 1980's good taste with its' exotic, animalistic, sexually provocative imagery, not to mention the bizarre inner sleeve photo(for those of you who have an original LP pressing).",
"Although song lyrics and structure clearly suggests the Scorps are trying to ascend the same sexually charged thematic heights reached on Lovedrive, this album in comparison tends to fall short.",
"My major complaint about this album has always been the production.",
"Klaus Meine's vocals seem tinny and buried in each song.",
"Perhaps Meine was already experiencing some major problems with his voice with the final mix adjusted to compensate for it?",
"\"Make it Real\" has lead guitar buried at the center of the mix.",
"Whose idea was that?",
"It seems only to achieved giving the mix a mushy quality, which can also be said of the bass sound in many songs.",
"Secondly, a certain little brother's writing, and specifically solo work, are missing here and leave a demonstrable void when compared to \"Lovedrive\".",
"It is interesting to consider what might have been were Michael still on board as writing is so similar on each album.",
"Despite these problems, the album does manage to come to its' feet and put up a good fight.",
"Tunes such as \"Don't Make No Promises your Body Can't Keep\", (a rare writing credit to Matthias Jabs), \"The Zoo\", \"make it Real\" and \"Only a Man\" keep the swaggering sexuality moving forward.",
"Then there is my personal favorite, \"Falling in Love\", whose simple guitar line understates a very straightforward theme every young rocker can relate to: lust.",
"It's another example of the Scorp's ability to meld clever lyrics with a sharp rhythmic hook at just the right moment.",
"The Scorps toyed with themes of misogyny/objectification of women in their lyrics, and pointedly displayed them in their album artwork.",
"I think this album is arguably the zenith of that sexual energy, and despite some obvious production flaws, shows this band in a very interesting period of their career: standing on their own in the lineup that would lead to world wide fame.",
"Highly Recommended despite my technical criticisms.",
"3.",
"5 stars."
] |
It's exactly the same as they made them 15 years ago. This thing is solid and not going to tear up any time soon. But, it's not exactly ideal for your beginning walker. It rolls way too fast for little ones learning to walk. My daughter pushes it sideways instead of from the front or back. That's the only way to keep it from rolling right out from under her. My mom bought her a pink dump truck riding toy with a telescopic steering column. It has six wheels and is far better suited for learners. Plus her feet don't get caught on that one because the wheels are closer together I think. This one is ok, and pretty reasonably priced, but would be better suited as an outside in the grass toy. Somewhere it had a little friction... definitely not on our sloped concrete drive! | 1 | neutral | [
"It's exactly the same as they made them 15 years ago.",
"This thing is solid and not going to tear up any time soon.",
"But, it's not exactly ideal for your beginning walker.",
"It rolls way too fast for little ones learning to walk.",
"My daughter pushes it sideways instead of from the front or back.",
"That's the only way to keep it from rolling right out from under her.",
"My mom bought her a pink dump truck riding toy with a telescopic steering column.",
"It has six wheels and is far better suited for learners.",
"Plus her feet don't get caught on that one because the wheels are closer together I think.",
"This one is ok, and pretty reasonably priced, but would be better suited as an outside in the grass toy.",
"Somewhere it had a little friction...",
"definitely not on our sloped concrete drive!"
] |
Marina's slowly coming to terms with her family's secrets when another huge secret is revealed. Feeling betrayed from multiple angles, Marina seeks comfort in surfing with Lorelei. This brings its own dangers, and when an enemy finds them, Marina must try to save herself and her mermaid family.
Following the first book, I was slightly disappointed in this one. The storyline was great, with lots of action, but it was definitely aimed at a teenaged girl audience, and not just YA lovers in general. I found the teenage drama to be overwhelming and annoying.
Marina and Ethan swung from overly sweet continuous makeout sessions to full out ignoring each other break-ups. The teenaged drama of "I love you" turning to "I hate you" over the slightest small misunderstanding was annoying and frustrating. Very realistic, but not very satisfying to read.
While the drama was never ending, I did find that portayal of a teen caught between being an adult and a child was very realistic and well done. Marina had some profound insights into the people around her, which helped to offset the selfishness and self-centeredness her actions often portrayed.
Overall, this was a good follow-up book, however it was a little heavy on teenaged drama for me. I've never been one for drama, and I have a hard time enjoying it while reading. The story itself is good, still very original and fresh. I'd recommend this book to readers who enjoy angst in their stories. | 1 | neutral | [
"Marina's slowly coming to terms with her family's secrets when another huge secret is revealed.",
"Feeling betrayed from multiple angles, Marina seeks comfort in surfing with Lorelei.",
"This brings its own dangers, and when an enemy finds them, Marina must try to save herself and her mermaid family.",
"Following the first book, I was slightly disappointed in this one.",
"The storyline was great, with lots of action, but it was definitely aimed at a teenaged girl audience, and not just YA lovers in general.",
"I found the teenage drama to be overwhelming and annoying.",
"Marina and Ethan swung from overly sweet continuous makeout sessions to full out ignoring each other break-ups.",
"The teenaged drama of \"I love you\" turning to \"I hate you\" over the slightest small misunderstanding was annoying and frustrating.",
"Very realistic, but not very satisfying to read.",
"While the drama was never ending, I did find that portayal of a teen caught between being an adult and a child was very realistic and well done.",
"Marina had some profound insights into the people around her, which helped to offset the selfishness and self-centeredness her actions often portrayed.",
"Overall, this was a good follow-up book, however it was a little heavy on teenaged drama for me.",
"I've never been one for drama, and I have a hard time enjoying it while reading.",
"The story itself is good, still very original and fresh.",
"I'd recommend this book to readers who enjoy angst in their stories."
] |
Oscar Wilde wrote: "In this world there are only two tragedies. One is not getting what you wants, and the other is getting it."
To rephrase his thought, Jill suggests there are likewise only two joys... One is having God answer all your prayers, the other is not receiving the answer to all your prayers...
The four words: Your injury is permanent' slam into Jill Kinmont's consciousness like a bullet... She was a ski champion, full of life, action and beauty... Now, almost totally paralyzed after a bad fall...
Being Quadraplegic, means that every aspect in her life is different from that point on... Her total care is left up to other people: She cannot bathe herself, feed herself, or dress herself... Jill automatically suffers the effects of having no arms and no legs, and becomes incontenant as well...
Marilyn Hassett makes Kinmont a fighter whose determination initially explodes and inspires some to have unreasonable expectations of her limited recovery... She tries to reach a state of empowerment, the right to feel proud of herself, and what she is, and what she does, and to have that pride recognized as acceptable by her love ones... The tender romance between her and Beau Bridges provides some fine moments...
The film, a tearjerker based on a real case, is altogether too much of a good thing... | 1 | neutral | [
"Oscar Wilde wrote: \"In this world there are only two tragedies.",
"One is not getting what you wants, and the other is getting it.",
"\"\n\nTo rephrase his thought, Jill suggests there are likewise only two joys...",
"One is having God answer all your prayers, the other is not receiving the answer to all your prayers...",
"The four words: Your injury is permanent' slam into Jill Kinmont's consciousness like a bullet...",
"She was a ski champion, full of life, action and beauty...",
"Now, almost totally paralyzed after a bad fall...",
"Being Quadraplegic, means that every aspect in her life is different from that point on...",
"Her total care is left up to other people: She cannot bathe herself, feed herself, or dress herself...",
"Jill automatically suffers the effects of having no arms and no legs, and becomes incontenant as well...",
"Marilyn Hassett makes Kinmont a fighter whose determination initially explodes and inspires some to have unreasonable expectations of her limited recovery...",
"She tries to reach a state of empowerment, the right to feel proud of herself, and what she is, and what she does, and to have that pride recognized as acceptable by her love ones...",
"The tender romance between her and Beau Bridges provides some fine moments...",
"The film, a tearjerker based on a real case, is altogether too much of a good thing..."
] |
The idea of this is great, execution needs work (not as much through flaw in design but through a flaw in actual application/foreword thinking). I readily admit my complaint lies in it simply not being what I wish it was more than it lacking at being what it is. 1. The zipper comes off track literally every time I open it. While it’s fairly simple to remedy each time, it’d be nice if it reliably worked as intended 2. It purports to have the capacity to hold about 10 cards. It currently has 5 cards and a few dollars (here, a few genuinely means 3) and still the zipper takes several minutes of coaxing to work 3. As a female and business professional, I already have (obviously not this phone case’s fault) issues finding pants with pockets (dear god why is it a pipe dream to carry a phone, wallet, and keys {or, seriously, any ONE of those things} without carrying a purse?! Why?!), and was hopeful that a phone case that conviently doubled as a wallet would cut my issues from three to one. So while yes, it does easily hold the amount of things I’d put in a wallet, the fact that the zipper takes serious bargaining, shouting, and sometimes under my breath cursing to work makes me downright NUTS (yes, total first world problem. But hey, I like the things I have to do the things they’re supposed to do). For a case that seems to be marketed to women (based on wristlet), it’d be amazing if it overcame the pocket conspiracy. 0 stars in my heart because it doesn’t make pants pockets a thing and doesn’t magically anticipate that a phone case wallet for a phone that requires an adapter to use headphones doesn’t hold said adapter (unless it’s the only thing you want it to hold) BUT because I’m a fair person and this phone case doesn’t purport to be anything beyond a phone case, I give 3 stars because it doesn’t meet my expectation that the one moving part reliably, you know, move. TLDR; if you’re not against a few minutes of work to get the zipper to close each time you open it, this thing is perfect. | 1 | neutral | [
"The idea of this is great, execution needs work (not as much through flaw in design but through a flaw in actual application/foreword thinking).",
"I readily admit my complaint lies in it simply not being what I wish it was more than it lacking at being what it is.",
"1.",
"The zipper comes off track literally every time I open it.",
"While it’s fairly simple to remedy each time, it’d be nice if it reliably worked as intended 2.",
"It purports to have the capacity to hold about 10 cards.",
"It currently has 5 cards and a few dollars (here, a few genuinely means 3) and still the zipper takes several minutes of coaxing to work 3.",
"As a female and business professional, I already have (obviously not this phone case’s fault) issues finding pants with pockets (dear god why is it a pipe dream to carry a phone, wallet, and keys {or, seriously, any ONE of those things} without carrying a purse?!",
"Why?!",
"), and was hopeful that a phone case that conviently doubled as a wallet would cut my issues from three to one.",
"So while yes, it does easily hold the amount of things I’d put in a wallet, the fact that the zipper takes serious bargaining, shouting, and sometimes under my breath cursing to work makes me downright NUTS (yes, total first world problem.",
"But hey, I like the things I have to do the things they’re supposed to do).",
"For a case that seems to be marketed to women (based on wristlet), it’d be amazing if it overcame the pocket conspiracy.",
"0 stars in my heart because it doesn’t make pants pockets a thing and doesn’t magically anticipate that a phone case wallet for a phone that requires an adapter to use headphones doesn’t hold said adapter (unless it’s the only thing you want it to hold) BUT because I’m a fair person and this phone case doesn’t purport to be anything beyond a phone case, I give 3 stars because it doesn’t meet my expectation that the one moving part reliably, you know, move.",
"TLDR; if you’re not against a few minutes of work to get the zipper to close each time you open it, this thing is perfect."
] |
Stevie Wonder is a musical genius. I've said that many times and will continue to say it. But even geniuses have a bad day sometimes. After 15 years of changing the world of music, Stevie becomes a concerned citizen of the world. As he dove himself head first, heart, soul, mind and body into his music through the 70's and half of the 80's, he now began to dive into more worldly things like injustices and the like. Using his fame and fortune to make people aware of the many wrongs taking place in this world. As usual, let's look at the album song by song.
You Will Know: A nice song sprinkled with a beautiful melody, a nice starlight sound effect and a great message of knowing God and your place in this great world of his. It does unfortunately lose something by the end of the song though because it becomes too repetitive. Overall though, a pretty good album opener and a pretty good song. Dark And Lovely: Even though he took the title from a hair product, this is a pretty jammin' song. It's another anti-apartheid song but it can't even touch the great It's Wrong from In Square Circle, just one album before it. It features some good keyboard work. In Your Corner: Hands down the worse song Stevie's ever done. What is it about anyway? And why do we need to know about whatever it is? The song is supposed to be fun in the same mold as Don't You Worry 'Bout A Thing or I Ain't Gonna Stand For It, but it's not even on the same planet as these great songs. Skip it. With Each Beat OF My Heart: An overlooked classic. Stevie mixes a beautiful melody, great background vocal arrangments, a great harmonica solo and a sample of his heartbeat (filling in for the kick drum part) together to create this beautiful peice of music. His creative juices were really flowing in this one. It took the world 20 years to catch up and fall in love with Overjoyed and it took us 23 years to fall in love with and really understand Lately. So I guess we need at least 4 more years before we start hearing covers of With Each Beat from Hip Hop artist and the like. Maybe then we will appreciate this great song which shines as one of the beacons on this album. One Of A Kind: An ok song wherein Stevie is professing his love to his woman. Nothing special, especially not for Stevie, just ok. Skeletons: A very good political song about the skeletons that can sometimes fall out of a politicians closet. The song was written and released around the time of the Contra-Gate scandal with Oliver North and Reagan. And it worked perfectly in that atmosphere. A funky beat matched with a scratchy keybaord line, Skeletons is very dancable and yet thinkable at the same time. Get It: From 1982 to about 1988 Michael Jackson was the artist to perform with. Stevie jumped on that bandwagon with this so-so song. Again, nothing special going on here just an ok song. The only thing remotely interesting is the fact that Stevie and Michael were on oppisite sides of the world when they recorded their parts. Michael was in Asia on tour and Stevie here in the States. But that's more of a wonder of modern technology more than of songwriting. Galaxy Paradise: A very different song for Stevie. Something completely out of his style. it's not terrible but it's not great either. Let's say it's good, and for sure interesting. He uses a lot of synth sounds here and the starlight again too. Check it out and see what you think. Cryin' Through The Night: Another ok song ala One Of A Kind from earlier in this album. Free: Another overlooked classic from The Man. On the original album, this was the last song and it is one of the best album finales he's ever had. Albeit for a mediocre album. In it you can hear traces of Songs In The Key Of Life. With it's Hari Krishna rhythm and sound, and the lyrics harking back to Pasttime Paradise, it's a joyous sound. Unfortunately, on the CD, it's not the finale, it gets jumbled into the rest of the album and even worse, gets followed by two more just so-so songs. But please don't be blinded by that fact. It is, with With Each Beat Of My Heart, another highlight of not only the album, but of Stevie's great career. A must hear. Come Let Me Make Your Love Come Down: Stevie and B.B. King doing a song together? It's got to be hot right? Eh, wrong. It's just another song. Not a very good one at that. There's no inspiration here. Their both just kind of there. My Eyes Don't Cry: This is Stevie as the "cheap" one man band. On this one, it's all done on the synthesizer. Drums, horns, bass, everything. And it sounds like it too. The only redeeming part of this song is where Stevie pulls out a kazoo (Yes! A kazoo!!) and plays it along with the rest of the song. As silly as it may sound, that kazoo to me represents the creative chances that not only Stevie has taken in the past but all of our greatest artists have and will take in the future. It's a form of irreverence but yet love for an art that only those of us who love and enjoy it can really appreciate. It's like a mothers hard love. She loves you so much she'll whoop your butt and ground you for a week to protect you from harm.
Characters is not an essential Stevie album to have so I can't say BUY THIS CD as I usually say about his stuff. You can skip it, BUT..... you'd miss the message of You Will Know, the shear beauty and creativity of With Each Beat Of My Heart (which I know is just waiting to be recognized for the classic that it is) and the joy and enlightment of Free. So, with all things said and done, I hate to do this to you but.....you make the call! | 1 | neutral | [
"Stevie Wonder is a musical genius.",
"I've said that many times and will continue to say it.",
"But even geniuses have a bad day sometimes.",
"After 15 years of changing the world of music, Stevie becomes a concerned citizen of the world.",
"As he dove himself head first, heart, soul, mind and body into his music through the 70's and half of the 80's, he now began to dive into more worldly things like injustices and the like.",
"Using his fame and fortune to make people aware of the many wrongs taking place in this world.",
"As usual, let's look at the album song by song.",
"You Will Know: A nice song sprinkled with a beautiful melody, a nice starlight sound effect and a great message of knowing God and your place in this great world of his.",
"It does unfortunately lose something by the end of the song though because it becomes too repetitive.",
"Overall though, a pretty good album opener and a pretty good song.",
"Dark And Lovely: Even though he took the title from a hair product, this is a pretty jammin' song.",
"It's another anti-apartheid song but it can't even touch the great It's Wrong from In Square Circle, just one album before it.",
"It features some good keyboard work.",
"In Your Corner: Hands down the worse song Stevie's ever done.",
"What is it about anyway?",
"And why do we need to know about whatever it is?",
"The song is supposed to be fun in the same mold as Don't You Worry 'Bout A Thing or I Ain't Gonna Stand For It, but it's not even on the same planet as these great songs.",
"Skip it.",
"With Each Beat OF My Heart: An overlooked classic.",
"Stevie mixes a beautiful melody, great background vocal arrangments, a great harmonica solo and a sample of his heartbeat (filling in for the kick drum part) together to create this beautiful peice of music.",
"His creative juices were really flowing in this one.",
"It took the world 20 years to catch up and fall in love with Overjoyed and it took us 23 years to fall in love with and really understand Lately.",
"So I guess we need at least 4 more years before we start hearing covers of With Each Beat from Hip Hop artist and the like.",
"Maybe then we will appreciate this great song which shines as one of the beacons on this album.",
"One Of A Kind: An ok song wherein Stevie is professing his love to his woman.",
"Nothing special, especially not for Stevie, just ok.",
"Skeletons: A very good political song about the skeletons that can sometimes fall out of a politicians closet.",
"The song was written and released around the time of the Contra-Gate scandal with Oliver North and Reagan.",
"And it worked perfectly in that atmosphere.",
"A funky beat matched with a scratchy keybaord line, Skeletons is very dancable and yet thinkable at the same time.",
"Get It: From 1982 to about 1988 Michael Jackson was the artist to perform with.",
"Stevie jumped on that bandwagon with this so-so song.",
"Again, nothing special going on here just an ok song.",
"The only thing remotely interesting is the fact that Stevie and Michael were on oppisite sides of the world when they recorded their parts.",
"Michael was in Asia on tour and Stevie here in the States.",
"But that's more of a wonder of modern technology more than of songwriting.",
"Galaxy Paradise: A very different song for Stevie.",
"Something completely out of his style.",
"it's not terrible but it's not great either.",
"Let's say it's good, and for sure interesting.",
"He uses a lot of synth sounds here and the starlight again too.",
"Check it out and see what you think.",
"Cryin' Through The Night: Another ok song ala One Of A Kind from earlier in this album.",
"Free: Another overlooked classic from The Man.",
"On the original album, this was the last song and it is one of the best album finales he's ever had.",
"Albeit for a mediocre album.",
"In it you can hear traces of Songs In The Key Of Life.",
"With it's Hari Krishna rhythm and sound, and the lyrics harking back to Pasttime Paradise, it's a joyous sound.",
"Unfortunately, on the CD, it's not the finale, it gets jumbled into the rest of the album and even worse, gets followed by two more just so-so songs.",
"But please don't be blinded by that fact.",
"It is, with With Each Beat Of My Heart, another highlight of not only the album, but of Stevie's great career.",
"A must hear.",
"Come Let Me Make Your Love Come Down: Stevie and B.",
"B. King doing a song together?",
"It's got to be hot right?",
"Eh, wrong.",
"It's just another song.",
"Not a very good one at that.",
"There's no inspiration here.",
"Their both just kind of there.",
"My Eyes Don't Cry: This is Stevie as the \"cheap\" one man band.",
"On this one, it's all done on the synthesizer.",
"Drums, horns, bass, everything.",
"And it sounds like it too.",
"The only redeeming part of this song is where Stevie pulls out a kazoo (Yes!",
"A kazoo!!",
") and plays it along with the rest of the song.",
"As silly as it may sound, that kazoo to me represents the creative chances that not only Stevie has taken in the past but all of our greatest artists have and will take in the future.",
"It's a form of irreverence but yet love for an art that only those of us who love and enjoy it can really appreciate.",
"It's like a mothers hard love.",
"She loves you so much she'll whoop your butt and ground you for a week to protect you from harm.",
"Characters is not an essential Stevie album to have so I can't say BUY THIS CD as I usually say about his stuff.",
"You can skip it, BUT....",
".",
"you'd miss the message of You Will Know, the shear beauty and creativity of With Each Beat Of My Heart (which I know is just waiting to be recognized for the classic that it is) and the joy and enlightment of Free.",
"So, with all things said and done, I hate to do this to you but....",
".",
"you make the call!"
] |
The theme for Terminator 2 is really good. The only bad part is that it is way underused. Instead, most of the music is mainly filler music that while supporting the action on screen, doesn't quite stand as an outstanding listening experience. Brad Fiedel, as in the first Terminator film, scores this one all on synthesizers for that futuristic and metallic sound. While that is fine and dandy, and orchestra would have really added to the music. The 5 note thematic motif is found in "Main Title", a hint of it in "John and Dyson in the Vault", and the end track "It's Over". "Sarah on the Run" is a decent action cue with racing synth percussion. "Escape from the Hospital" utilizes the T-1000 sound, which is low droning noises on the synthesizer. "Sarah's Dream" is a schizophrenic cue with a lot of strange noises and funky synth sounds. "Trust Me" is a cool action cue with hard hitting metallic percussion. The rest of the music has really nothing that great worth mentioning, except the final track, "It's Over", which contains a different theme which is good, but it's the last track so that's it. Still, a decent 53 minutes worth of music (or noises in some cases) that is way, way better than the first score, which was terrible in my opinion. | 1 | neutral | [
"The theme for Terminator 2 is really good.",
"The only bad part is that it is way underused.",
"Instead, most of the music is mainly filler music that while supporting the action on screen, doesn't quite stand as an outstanding listening experience.",
"Brad Fiedel, as in the first Terminator film, scores this one all on synthesizers for that futuristic and metallic sound.",
"While that is fine and dandy, and orchestra would have really added to the music.",
"The 5 note thematic motif is found in \"Main Title\", a hint of it in \"John and Dyson in the Vault\", and the end track \"It's Over\".",
"\"Sarah on the Run\" is a decent action cue with racing synth percussion.",
"\"Escape from the Hospital\" utilizes the T-1000 sound, which is low droning noises on the synthesizer.",
"\"Sarah's Dream\" is a schizophrenic cue with a lot of strange noises and funky synth sounds.",
"\"Trust Me\" is a cool action cue with hard hitting metallic percussion.",
"The rest of the music has really nothing that great worth mentioning, except the final track, \"It's Over\", which contains a different theme which is good, but it's the last track so that's it.",
"Still, a decent 53 minutes worth of music (or noises in some cases) that is way, way better than the first score, which was terrible in my opinion."
] |
I was Sooo disappointed with this book. It got rave reviews. One reviewer was Johanna Lindsey - so I was led to expect something from that genre. Another reviewer was Anne Rice - who made it sound like it was something she would have written.
First of all, I would NOT call this a paranormal romance, of the sort written by Kresley Cole, or Sherrilyn Kenyon, Susan Krinard, or J.R. Ward.
What this IS is a literary-esq, fantasy about werewolves at the time of the fall of the Roman Empire. It is a fascinating period in Human history. Brabarism meets Civilization. Witchcraft meets Christianity. The main characters are werewolves who unite their tribes to support Charlemagne as he consolidates his hold on the territory that would become France.
The closest thing I can compare it to is the great classic, Ivanhoe. Complete with the opening with the clown characters who you wonder how they relate to the story at all. Unlike Ivanhoe, however, which is a GREAT romance as well as GREAT adventure, as well as literary in the sense of a GREAT vehicle to show you the times, the cultural clashes at the center of political conflict of the times, with GREAT sympathetic characters that are the stuff of legend, Silver Wolf is not a great romance, neither is it a great adventure - just luke warm. It does a fairly good job of conveying a sense of the times, and for that it is worth reading, because the lyrical way the times are handled is very good. However I did not find the characters to be sympathetic - unlike with Ivanhoe, where you have Rebecca (one of my favorite heroines of all time), Rowena, Sir Wilfred, Cedric, and of course, the great Locksely, and the Black Knight! In fact I was quite disappointed in Regeane. The first time she opens her mouth to actually talk as opposed to having inner dialog, she snaps 'shut up' to someone. And it just got worse from there.
That doesn't mean it is all bad. This story is one that unfolds over 3-4 books, and there is a large cast of characters. So the author has to spend a lot of time developing these secondary characters, and the plot suffers (as well as the characterization, in my view).
If you make an adjustment to your expectations, then you might be able to enjoy this work for what it does have to offer. Just don't be fooled by what the reviews on the cover have to say. Pay attention to readers in these pages who say that the opening is slow, the romance between Regeane and Maeniel isn't handled very well, but it does present an interesting picure of 8th century society. | 1 | neutral | [
"I was Sooo disappointed with this book.",
"It got rave reviews.",
"One reviewer was Johanna Lindsey - so I was led to expect something from that genre.",
"Another reviewer was Anne Rice - who made it sound like it was something she would have written.",
"First of all, I would NOT call this a paranormal romance, of the sort written by Kresley Cole, or Sherrilyn Kenyon, Susan Krinard, or J.",
"R. Ward.",
"What this IS is a literary-esq, fantasy about werewolves at the time of the fall of the Roman Empire.",
"It is a fascinating period in Human history.",
"Brabarism meets Civilization.",
"Witchcraft meets Christianity.",
"The main characters are werewolves who unite their tribes to support Charlemagne as he consolidates his hold on the territory that would become France.",
"The closest thing I can compare it to is the great classic, Ivanhoe.",
"Complete with the opening with the clown characters who you wonder how they relate to the story at all.",
"Unlike Ivanhoe, however, which is a GREAT romance as well as GREAT adventure, as well as literary in the sense of a GREAT vehicle to show you the times, the cultural clashes at the center of political conflict of the times, with GREAT sympathetic characters that are the stuff of legend, Silver Wolf is not a great romance, neither is it a great adventure - just luke warm.",
"It does a fairly good job of conveying a sense of the times, and for that it is worth reading, because the lyrical way the times are handled is very good.",
"However I did not find the characters to be sympathetic - unlike with Ivanhoe, where you have Rebecca (one of my favorite heroines of all time), Rowena, Sir Wilfred, Cedric, and of course, the great Locksely, and the Black Knight!",
"In fact I was quite disappointed in Regeane.",
"The first time she opens her mouth to actually talk as opposed to having inner dialog, she snaps 'shut up' to someone.",
"And it just got worse from there.",
"That doesn't mean it is all bad.",
"This story is one that unfolds over 3-4 books, and there is a large cast of characters.",
"So the author has to spend a lot of time developing these secondary characters, and the plot suffers (as well as the characterization, in my view).",
"If you make an adjustment to your expectations, then you might be able to enjoy this work for what it does have to offer.",
"Just don't be fooled by what the reviews on the cover have to say.",
"Pay attention to readers in these pages who say that the opening is slow, the romance between Regeane and Maeniel isn't handled very well, but it does present an interesting picure of 8th century society."
] |
A fair portion of our half acre has planters, a "design" area of ice plant, a hedge, and a 15 x 40 garden. A previous home up in the foothills had numerous planters as well. Point is we have been using a lot of drip irrigation and the various tube sizes, emitters, sprinklers, etc. We have found that for our type of vegetation, too much water comes out of this particular style. So be sure you are using this for the correct type of water volume need. Also, we are finding that the openings clog and sometimes wear to where there is a find stream (similar to what you would see with a puncture leak) instead of a drip, which in some cases seems to be a wearing of the emitter portion.
The 12-inch spacing will also be an issue if you use this on the wrong type of irrigation. We thought our ice plant spacing would be a good match but there were gaps in water area coverage. Not an issue with the product, more an issue with using it for the wrong irrigation need. We have changed to using the adjustable spray sprinklers on a stake (all one piece and .97 cents at Home Depot) because they are adjustable and are a better match for our needs. | 1 | neutral | [
"A fair portion of our half acre has planters, a \"design\" area of ice plant, a hedge, and a 15 x 40 garden.",
"A previous home up in the foothills had numerous planters as well.",
"Point is we have been using a lot of drip irrigation and the various tube sizes, emitters, sprinklers, etc.",
"We have found that for our type of vegetation, too much water comes out of this particular style.",
"So be sure you are using this for the correct type of water volume need.",
"Also, we are finding that the openings clog and sometimes wear to where there is a find stream (similar to what you would see with a puncture leak) instead of a drip, which in some cases seems to be a wearing of the emitter portion.",
"The 12-inch spacing will also be an issue if you use this on the wrong type of irrigation.",
"We thought our ice plant spacing would be a good match but there were gaps in water area coverage.",
"Not an issue with the product, more an issue with using it for the wrong irrigation need.",
"We have changed to using the adjustable spray sprinklers on a stake (all one piece and.",
"97 cents at Home Depot) because they are adjustable and are a better match for our needs."
] |
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 | neutral | [
"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."
] |
There is a lot of great historical footage here but as far as learning goes this set really is counter-productive. In fact you could go so far as to say this is interesting but when are we going to talk about Vietnam? This is a warhawk set where the enemy are all evil and the allies are all saints. The world is not like that.
The problem is that like it or not, the Vietnam War was about politics as much as anything else (some say it was really about the oil). You cannot make a competent overview and ignore the home front. Younger people who were not around at the time will frankly learn next to nothing from this set, beyond some logistics. Let me put it this way. Many Americans want to blame the protests at home for losing the war. If this is true, how can anyone pretend to cover the war and ignore this? It is like WWII with no Stalingrad, no D-Day and no Atom Bomb.
In summary, if you ALREADY know much about the Vietnam War, you might learn more. For a military historian, focusing on the military and the military only, it is darn good. If you are younger and not familiar with everything that was happening at the time, you will learn close to nothing. Because NOTHING in these period documentaries has anything to do with the real reasons why we lost. The topic is taboo. This set is going to give people the complete wrong idea about the time.
Twenty three hours of vintage TV footage and decent quality, I cannot say it is a bad deal. Actually it is an excellent deal for the prices here. Just know what you are getting. | 1 | neutral | [
"There is a lot of great historical footage here but as far as learning goes this set really is counter-productive.",
"In fact you could go so far as to say this is interesting but when are we going to talk about Vietnam?",
"This is a warhawk set where the enemy are all evil and the allies are all saints.",
"The world is not like that.",
"The problem is that like it or not, the Vietnam War was about politics as much as anything else (some say it was really about the oil).",
"You cannot make a competent overview and ignore the home front.",
"Younger people who were not around at the time will frankly learn next to nothing from this set, beyond some logistics.",
"Let me put it this way.",
"Many Americans want to blame the protests at home for losing the war.",
"If this is true, how can anyone pretend to cover the war and ignore this?",
"It is like WWII with no Stalingrad, no D-Day and no Atom Bomb.",
"In summary, if you ALREADY know much about the Vietnam War, you might learn more.",
"For a military historian, focusing on the military and the military only, it is darn good.",
"If you are younger and not familiar with everything that was happening at the time, you will learn close to nothing.",
"Because NOTHING in these period documentaries has anything to do with the real reasons why we lost.",
"The topic is taboo.",
"This set is going to give people the complete wrong idea about the time.",
"Twenty three hours of vintage TV footage and decent quality, I cannot say it is a bad deal.",
"Actually it is an excellent deal for the prices here.",
"Just know what you are getting."
] |
I recieved this ebook for review from the author.
I'll admit my bookshelf doesn't have many contemporary books with a strong sports theme. I dunno why, I like sports, I just don't read about them. I guess I'm a little afraid they will be boring or just go on and on about how good the athlete is. I was happy that HARDBALL didn't do that. In fact, most of the time I forgot that Nate played baseball for a pro team. Sure part of the struggle with the relationship has to do with the team he plays for, it's not a forefront issue in the book.
Holly Bell is a new surgeon at the Children's Hospital in Philly. I liked her, but I felt like she could have been a little more. She's got a plan and doesn't want to deviate. She's a workaholic for sure. I like the intensity and dedication she has to her patients, and I think it shows through to the relationship with Nate. To some degree I felt like she could have held Nate back a little more. She comes across as the type that won't budge, but she falls for Nate hard and quick-- it didn't fit her personality 100%.
Nate. I liked Nate. He's an All Star, but doesn't act like it. He's facing a huge decision with his career, and even though he's single and doesn't have any blood relatives in town those friends around him that he cares for play a role in his decision. Meeting Holly throws a wrench in his plan, and I like how flustered she makes him. It's kind of nice to see the girl really mess a guy up.
Overall this is a quick read. The additional trouble that Holly faces moves pretty quick, and was kind of expected. I'd recommend it for something different. | 1 | neutral | [
"I recieved this ebook for review from the author.",
"I'll admit my bookshelf doesn't have many contemporary books with a strong sports theme.",
"I dunno why, I like sports, I just don't read about them.",
"I guess I'm a little afraid they will be boring or just go on and on about how good the athlete is.",
"I was happy that HARDBALL didn't do that.",
"In fact, most of the time I forgot that Nate played baseball for a pro team.",
"Sure part of the struggle with the relationship has to do with the team he plays for, it's not a forefront issue in the book.",
"Holly Bell is a new surgeon at the Children's Hospital in Philly.",
"I liked her, but I felt like she could have been a little more.",
"She's got a plan and doesn't want to deviate.",
"She's a workaholic for sure.",
"I like the intensity and dedication she has to her patients, and I think it shows through to the relationship with Nate.",
"To some degree I felt like she could have held Nate back a little more.",
"She comes across as the type that won't budge, but she falls for Nate hard and quick-- it didn't fit her personality 100%.",
"Nate.",
"I liked Nate.",
"He's an All Star, but doesn't act like it.",
"He's facing a huge decision with his career, and even though he's single and doesn't have any blood relatives in town those friends around him that he cares for play a role in his decision.",
"Meeting Holly throws a wrench in his plan, and I like how flustered she makes him.",
"It's kind of nice to see the girl really mess a guy up.",
"Overall this is a quick read.",
"The additional trouble that Holly faces moves pretty quick, and was kind of expected.",
"I'd recommend it for something different."
] |
Man accused of rape reportedly wanted time to drink beers before woman called police
The woman reportedly told police that Russell L. Burd 45 knocked on her door around 4 a.m. saying he needed to talk. When she opened the door she said Burd appeared drunk and upset.
She said he then got on top of her and handcuffed her. During the attack she alleged Burd told her more than once to âpretend to enjoy this or I will kill you in front of your son.â
After it was over Burd reportedly asked the woman wait a bit âbefore you contact the cops so I can down a couple beers before I go to jail.â He also reportedly said to âtell the cops to watch out for my motherâs ashes.â
Police later arrested Burd and said he did not cooperate with authorities according to the documents.
Burd was charged with first degree rape first degree sexual abuse second degree burglary and third degree kidnapping Fox4KC reported. He is being held in jail on a $100 000 bond. | 1 | neutral | [
"Man accused of rape reportedly wanted time to drink beers before woman called police\nThe woman reportedly told police that Russell L.",
"Burd 45 knocked on her door around 4 a.",
"m. saying he needed to talk.",
"When she opened the door she said Burd appeared drunk and upset.",
"She said he then got on top of her and handcuffed her.",
"During the attack she alleged Burd told her more than once to âpretend to enjoy this or I will kill you in front of your son.",
"â\nAfter it was over Burd reportedly asked the woman wait a bit âbefore you contact the cops so I can down a couple beers before I go to jail.",
"â He also reportedly said to âtell the cops to watch out for my motherâs ashes.",
"â\nPolice later arrested Burd and said he did not cooperate with authorities according to the documents.",
"Burd was charged with first degree rape first degree sexual abuse second degree burglary and third degree kidnapping Fox4KC reported.",
"He is being held in jail on a $100 000 bond."
] |
Dance Factory lets you play a dance game style game with any music CD you own. This would be great if it worked - but more often than not it is off just enough to drive you completely insane.
The game does come with five built in songs, and these are good to get you practicing on "well done" songs. They are I Like It, I Love It; I Like the Way; Pon de Replay; Don't Cha; Get Down On It. So far so good - these are fun to dance to, although DDR fans will find the up and down are REVERSED which will probably really bug you. People who have never played DDR probably won't care - but then it will really bug you when you then try to play DDR games :)
The real problem comes when you put in your own CDs. I had brought a pile of CDs over to the machine. I was actually lucky - I've given away most of my CDs at this point because everything is in iTunes. I've only kept my favorite CDs around - maybe 50 - for backup reasons. Luckily these have some of my favorite dance songs on them.
So I began popping them in. These songs had solid beats in them. You would think the game could easily pick out those beats. But NO! It was pretty close but most of the time it was off just enough to bug you completely. Sometimes it would get the half beat. Sometimes it was just off the main beat.
It got to the point that I would dance along to the music and accept the "poor" ratings just to have fun. It was more frustrating than anything else to dance off beat to try to hit the arrows.
Also there'd be a nice strong obvious part of the song that had no steps at all - and then a bridge or something with hardly any playing that would have a lot of steps. It just made no sense.
I realize completely that you can get bored of songs in DDR games. I was really looking forward to this game for that reason. However, they just don't have the technology down. Maybe in another release or two they'll figure this out and the game will become a must-have. I'm afraid the game really is just not up to that level yet. | 1 | neutral | [
"Dance Factory lets you play a dance game style game with any music CD you own.",
"This would be great if it worked - but more often than not it is off just enough to drive you completely insane.",
"The game does come with five built in songs, and these are good to get you practicing on \"well done\" songs.",
"They are I Like It, I Love It; I Like the Way; Pon de Replay; Don't Cha; Get Down On It.",
"So far so good - these are fun to dance to, although DDR fans will find the up and down are REVERSED which will probably really bug you.",
"People who have never played DDR probably won't care - but then it will really bug you when you then try to play DDR games :)\n\nThe real problem comes when you put in your own CDs.",
"I had brought a pile of CDs over to the machine.",
"I was actually lucky - I've given away most of my CDs at this point because everything is in iTunes.",
"I've only kept my favorite CDs around - maybe 50 - for backup reasons.",
"Luckily these have some of my favorite dance songs on them.",
"So I began popping them in.",
"These songs had solid beats in them.",
"You would think the game could easily pick out those beats.",
"But NO!",
"It was pretty close but most of the time it was off just enough to bug you completely.",
"Sometimes it would get the half beat.",
"Sometimes it was just off the main beat.",
"It got to the point that I would dance along to the music and accept the \"poor\" ratings just to have fun.",
"It was more frustrating than anything else to dance off beat to try to hit the arrows.",
"Also there'd be a nice strong obvious part of the song that had no steps at all - and then a bridge or something with hardly any playing that would have a lot of steps.",
"It just made no sense.",
"I realize completely that you can get bored of songs in DDR games.",
"I was really looking forward to this game for that reason.",
"However, they just don't have the technology down.",
"Maybe in another release or two they'll figure this out and the game will become a must-have.",
"I'm afraid the game really is just not up to that level yet."
] |
2 stars would probably be more accurate. But since a mediocre Bon Jovi record is better than none at all, I'll be generous. Like "Blaze of Glory," "Destination Anywhere" was made without his band. However, while "Blaze of Glory" would make it seem that Bon Jovi could hold his own and that the return of his group was optional, this solo record "Destination Anywhere" would make it appear that the reunion of his band was essential to his survival. Most of you know they did regroup afterwards to make "Crush." Well, onto the subject at hand. The first thing you will notice is that Bon Jovi does NOT really sound like himself on this record for the most part. Sadly, the change does not seem for the better as Bon Jovi slips into a grunge type tone. If you like old school Bon Jovi, chances are you will not like the first several songs on this record. In addition, Bon Jovi always seemed to be able to prevent his clicheish songs from sounding so. But that does not seem to be the case on this record. But even this mediocre Bon Jovi record does have a few moments. The record gets 1 star for the title track: "Destination Anywhere." On this track Bon Jovi starts to sound like his old self again, and rather than just sounding like a radio tune, this song does reflect effort. It sounds like a track that would have been on "Keep the Faith" or "These Days." This record gets a 2nd star for 'Little City.' While this song is different from anything Bon Jovi has done, this is a case where different seems to work. It's a low key song, but a good one. Finally, like on his "Crush," Bon Jovi saves the best for last. The 3rd star is for 'August 7, 4:15.' This track really saves the record. This song reflects the tragic death of the daughter of Bon Jovi's manager. This song is done tastefully and with dignity. In addition, on this track Bon Jovi really does sound like his old self again. The power of this track falls somewhere between that of "New Jersey" and "Slippery When Wet." To Bon Jovi's virtue, he does two good things with this song. (1) He gives his old school 80s fans one song. (2) While this song does have a tragic story behind it, we really do get the impression that Bon Jovi honestly feels for this girl and that he is NOT trying to just make another song. Being perfectly honest, this is quite arguably Bon Jovi's weakest record. But do be warned. If you skip it, you will miss out on one good song, one great song, and one phenomenal song. | 1 | neutral | [
"2 stars would probably be more accurate.",
"But since a mediocre Bon Jovi record is better than none at all, I'll be generous.",
"Like \"Blaze of Glory,\" \"Destination Anywhere\" was made without his band.",
"However, while \"Blaze of Glory\" would make it seem that Bon Jovi could hold his own and that the return of his group was optional, this solo record \"Destination Anywhere\" would make it appear that the reunion of his band was essential to his survival.",
"Most of you know they did regroup afterwards to make \"Crush.",
"\" Well, onto the subject at hand.",
"The first thing you will notice is that Bon Jovi does NOT really sound like himself on this record for the most part.",
"Sadly, the change does not seem for the better as Bon Jovi slips into a grunge type tone.",
"If you like old school Bon Jovi, chances are you will not like the first several songs on this record.",
"In addition, Bon Jovi always seemed to be able to prevent his clicheish songs from sounding so.",
"But that does not seem to be the case on this record.",
"But even this mediocre Bon Jovi record does have a few moments.",
"The record gets 1 star for the title track: \"Destination Anywhere.",
"\" On this track Bon Jovi starts to sound like his old self again, and rather than just sounding like a radio tune, this song does reflect effort.",
"It sounds like a track that would have been on \"Keep the Faith\" or \"These Days.",
"\" This record gets a 2nd star for 'Little City.",
"' While this song is different from anything Bon Jovi has done, this is a case where different seems to work.",
"It's a low key song, but a good one.",
"Finally, like on his \"Crush,\" Bon Jovi saves the best for last.",
"The 3rd star is for 'August 7, 4:15.",
"' This track really saves the record.",
"This song reflects the tragic death of the daughter of Bon Jovi's manager.",
"This song is done tastefully and with dignity.",
"In addition, on this track Bon Jovi really does sound like his old self again.",
"The power of this track falls somewhere between that of \"New Jersey\" and \"Slippery When Wet.",
"\" To Bon Jovi's virtue, he does two good things with this song.",
"(1) He gives his old school 80s fans one song.",
"(2) While this song does have a tragic story behind it, we really do get the impression that Bon Jovi honestly feels for this girl and that he is NOT trying to just make another song.",
"Being perfectly honest, this is quite arguably Bon Jovi's weakest record.",
"But do be warned.",
"If you skip it, you will miss out on one good song, one great song, and one phenomenal song."
] |
I have had my well water tested several times in the past, but am concerned as the quality changes seasonally. Commercial testing labs charge over a hundred dollars and take at least a week, sometimes several. Our local health department also tests, but only for biological contamination, and the cost is about the same as this test kit, so I thought that I would give this a try.
There are several test strips included and a vial for the biological test. Some tests take a minute, some several minutes and the biological test takes 48 hours. All were simple, and the directions very clear. The only thing that I would add is that you need to take your sample from a faucet without a hose or aerator (or unscrew it) and wash the outer parts of the faucet and threads with a 50/50 bleach/water solution. I have learned this with previous testing instructions that I have done. Let the water run for several minutes before gathering a sample and use only cold water.
Some of the test strips are compared to a color chart for results, while some are a yes/no indicator.
The results seem consistant with previous tests that I have done, and I was pleased with the results of the ones that I was wondering about.
This kit is worth the price for piece of mind alone.
Update on 4/13/2013:
I degraded from five stars to three.
I am still pleased with results of this test kit, however, after just purchasing my 4th in as many years, I am disappointed in two things:
- the price seems to have increased substantially
- this particular kit was missing the test strip for iron, but had two test strips for copper.
Okay, so everything is increasing in cost, but the quality should remain consistent or get better. Just how hard is it to add items to a box and snap it shut? Who is doing this, people that can't read? I'll try to call the manufacturer to obtain the proper test strip. Failing that, I'll just go back the taking samples to the health department. | 1 | neutral | [
"I have had my well water tested several times in the past, but am concerned as the quality changes seasonally.",
"Commercial testing labs charge over a hundred dollars and take at least a week, sometimes several.",
"Our local health department also tests, but only for biological contamination, and the cost is about the same as this test kit, so I thought that I would give this a try.",
"There are several test strips included and a vial for the biological test.",
"Some tests take a minute, some several minutes and the biological test takes 48 hours.",
"All were simple, and the directions very clear.",
"The only thing that I would add is that you need to take your sample from a faucet without a hose or aerator (or unscrew it) and wash the outer parts of the faucet and threads with a 50/50 bleach/water solution.",
"I have learned this with previous testing instructions that I have done.",
"Let the water run for several minutes before gathering a sample and use only cold water.",
"Some of the test strips are compared to a color chart for results, while some are a yes/no indicator.",
"The results seem consistant with previous tests that I have done, and I was pleased with the results of the ones that I was wondering about.",
"This kit is worth the price for piece of mind alone.",
"Update on 4/13/2013:\n\nI degraded from five stars to three.",
"I am still pleased with results of this test kit, however, after just purchasing my 4th in as many years, I am disappointed in two things:\n\n- the price seems to have increased substantially\n- this particular kit was missing the test strip for iron, but had two test strips for copper.",
"Okay, so everything is increasing in cost, but the quality should remain consistent or get better.",
"Just how hard is it to add items to a box and snap it shut?",
"Who is doing this, people that can't read?",
"I'll try to call the manufacturer to obtain the proper test strip.",
"Failing that, I'll just go back the taking samples to the health department."
] |
I recently got this at a mass retailer during one of their super sales and I'm very glad I paid way less than list price. I have a feeling I'll be hiding this one from the kids very soon, and if I'd spent more than a few bucks on it then I'd be pretty upset about that.
Here's the issue: my 4-yr-old son and his 5-yr-old friend played with it earlier today for the about ten minutes. They loved it and keep cheering for MORE, MORE, MORE! I put the pieces back together and set it up for them six times... in ten minutes. I have a feeling that if I hadn't put a time limit on it, they'd have wanted to play it all afternoon and, unfortunately, my sanity can't handle that.
The game relies on someone with relatively strong fingers putting all the "ice" blocks in the plastic frame in order to get it set up. This takes about a minute and a half. The game itself takes about 35 seconds. See where I'm going with this?
To its advantage, the game does reinforce taking turns, and it does use hand-eye coordination to keep the little hammer tapping on one single block. There is a bit of strategy involved as well. However, my son and his friend were more interested in smashing in the blocks than trying to keep the skating bear afloat and that kept me one busy "helper". My hopes of pulling out a game to keep them occupied for ten minutes while I cleaned up lunch? Completely dashed. :(
My guess is that once a kid is old enough to set the game up himself, he'd probably be too old to enjoy playing the game. | 1 | neutral | [
"I recently got this at a mass retailer during one of their super sales and I'm very glad I paid way less than list price.",
"I have a feeling I'll be hiding this one from the kids very soon, and if I'd spent more than a few bucks on it then I'd be pretty upset about that.",
"Here's the issue: my 4-yr-old son and his 5-yr-old friend played with it earlier today for the about ten minutes.",
"They loved it and keep cheering for MORE, MORE, MORE!",
"I put the pieces back together and set it up for them six times...",
"in ten minutes.",
"I have a feeling that if I hadn't put a time limit on it, they'd have wanted to play it all afternoon and, unfortunately, my sanity can't handle that.",
"The game relies on someone with relatively strong fingers putting all the \"ice\" blocks in the plastic frame in order to get it set up.",
"This takes about a minute and a half.",
"The game itself takes about 35 seconds.",
"See where I'm going with this?",
"To its advantage, the game does reinforce taking turns, and it does use hand-eye coordination to keep the little hammer tapping on one single block.",
"There is a bit of strategy involved as well.",
"However, my son and his friend were more interested in smashing in the blocks than trying to keep the skating bear afloat and that kept me one busy \"helper\".",
"My hopes of pulling out a game to keep them occupied for ten minutes while I cleaned up lunch?",
"Completely dashed.",
":(\n\nMy guess is that once a kid is old enough to set the game up himself, he'd probably be too old to enjoy playing the game."
] |
Kiss of the Devil's Breath ISBN 139781466254616, e-book by Lawrence Kelter is unique in the fact that it introduces use of a substance in the plot that, in many years of reading, I have not previously encountered in the mystery genre.
The story is set in Los Angeles County where Frank Mango, a short, grossly overweight, Italian PI, lives in a small two bedroom house with Carla, his thin Irish girlfriend who is a cook in a local restaurant. He is not particularly affluent but drives a jaguar that is his most treasured object.
Frank is hired by a beautiful young woman, Amy Lloyd, to find her missing sister Maggie. Her concern results from the fact that two young women recently have been murdered. As Frank wheels around town in his investigative efforts, he meets a number of characters in both the seamier and more exclusive areas of the county. Most of them are associated in some manner with the Hollywood Motion Picture action. There is Keynote, a formerly respected Senator who is now a drunk living in a hotel populated by junkies and prostitute. Elmore Potter, a transplanted, well-to-do but bored 29-year-old with a mission. Sin, his porno-producing girlfriend who lives in a studio that overlooks the theatre where the imminent Academy Awards are to take place. Mike Cohen, a police officer. Paula Henry, his partner of two years. Taft, a top producer and Bartholomew Spode, his hated rival, Sapp, a former laboratory tech and Bondo, who is into everything.
I believe readers will enjoy Kelter's story. The action moves along at an accelerated pace, the plot has a very interesting twist and, as stated earlier, he introduces use of an unusual substance. A cautionary note might be offered for the sensitive reader - although totally in character, verbalization is raunchy, at best. Reviewed by John H. Manhold, award winning fiction/non-fiction author. | 1 | neutral | [
"Kiss of the Devil's Breath ISBN 139781466254616, e-book by Lawrence Kelter is unique in the fact that it introduces use of a substance in the plot that, in many years of reading, I have not previously encountered in the mystery genre.",
"The story is set in Los Angeles County where Frank Mango, a short, grossly overweight, Italian PI, lives in a small two bedroom house with Carla, his thin Irish girlfriend who is a cook in a local restaurant.",
"He is not particularly affluent but drives a jaguar that is his most treasured object.",
"Frank is hired by a beautiful young woman, Amy Lloyd, to find her missing sister Maggie.",
"Her concern results from the fact that two young women recently have been murdered.",
"As Frank wheels around town in his investigative efforts, he meets a number of characters in both the seamier and more exclusive areas of the county.",
"Most of them are associated in some manner with the Hollywood Motion Picture action.",
"There is Keynote, a formerly respected Senator who is now a drunk living in a hotel populated by junkies and prostitute.",
"Elmore Potter, a transplanted, well-to-do but bored 29-year-old with a mission.",
"Sin, his porno-producing girlfriend who lives in a studio that overlooks the theatre where the imminent Academy Awards are to take place.",
"Mike Cohen, a police officer.",
"Paula Henry, his partner of two years.",
"Taft, a top producer and Bartholomew Spode, his hated rival, Sapp, a former laboratory tech and Bondo, who is into everything.",
"I believe readers will enjoy Kelter's story.",
"The action moves along at an accelerated pace, the plot has a very interesting twist and, as stated earlier, he introduces use of an unusual substance.",
"A cautionary note might be offered for the sensitive reader - although totally in character, verbalization is raunchy, at best.",
"Reviewed by John H.",
"Manhold, award winning fiction/non-fiction author."
] |
Any fan of industrial probably already owns this album so my review is somewhat superfluous but for anyone out there that hasn't already got this here are my two cents worth.
Trent Reznors baby, Nine Inch Nails, hit the zeitgeist of 1994 perfectly with massive use of electronica to form what would go on to be a major foundation of the entire industrial genre. Of course Reznor wasn't a pioneer in this area, prog bands as far back as the 70's had been using electronica and getting the attention of rock afficianados but Reznor deserves credit for creating a more complete package. The attention to detail here is inspiring and the fact that the whole commercial juggernaut had to rest on the shoulders of one guy makes you wonder how he managed it all and came out the other side, I mean Reznor was a pop culture deity circa 1994 - 1995.
As to the music itself it's dense in many parts, a claustrophobic feel that was quite deliberate being very much part of the experience. The effect of grunge can be felt in the plethora of one word song titles and the pessimism of the entire affair may grate with some readers. There is hardly a joyous outburst to be found and certainly no thoughts of inspiring the listener to achieve anything. Except perhaps to buy some more black hair dye.
What will interest the more academically minded is the ground breaking way Reznor was able to create soundscapes via electronic means. Sure, there must of been someone doing it earlier but when something like this album breaks there is usually a watershed moment where it becomes possible to trace those earlier bands. With this release that never really happened and that to me shows that Reznor, while taking what others had done, really took things and upped the ante by several levels all in one hit. My best advice is to listen to a couple of samples of this album to hear (and feel) what I mean here.
As to actual tracks that I'd point out as very indicative of what's going on here - well Piggy is interesting and March of the Pigs also. Big Man With A Gun might also be a good one to sample. The title track for some reason never stood out for me which is strange and it would be remiss of me not to mention the visceral Closer, the song that to an extent made this album with it's vicious self examination and explicit lyrics to create just the right amount of shock value to get the listeners attention.
Ultimately Reznor here constructed the quintessential industrial release. His heavily treated vocals lay over the top of electronically generated guitar sounds that are both jarring and totally in keeping with the vocals. There isn't a heck of a lot of melody here as things machine gun along, battering the listener with waves of distorted, tortured vocals spitting all sorts of despair. Some of the introspection on display is pretty scary and in latter day interviews Reznor has been pretty candid about the sort of headspace he was in at the time.
But in the interests of balance it should also be noted that musical attention to detail, passion and an inspired muse are not all that's on offer. There are also some problems. Firstly the lack of any melodies may make it hard for some listeners to get into it. In fact this is a problem for the industrial genre to start with and it's not helped by the treated vocals which can make for a cold listening experience. Personally it's a plus, but it's easy to see others not really warming to a voice that sounds to have so little humanity present. Further, the muse of our hero is a wandering one, song structures are continued over and over and there seems to have been somewhat of an inability to know when to knock a song on the head as being done. Even the megahit Closer suffers from this - it should be noted that there is/was a single edit of this wandering around - the album version here is blighted with a seeming never ending extra minute or so of mindless electronic riffing which just drags things out and makes the song less special by wearing out it's welcome. Not to mention the fact that much of the nastiness in the lyrics, sorry, perhaps for a younger teenage audience it would be more arresting but I can see stuff this horrific on the news most nights.
Despite the fact he had nothing in common with the grunge genre Reznor can probably thank it for creating an acceptance of mindless, sceptical unhappiness as entertainment and paving the way for his own peculiar brand of angst ridden despair. This is certainly an album that had an effect on much of the 90's in general and easily one of the most important hard `n' heavy albums of that decade. Just how worthy of such adulation the album is when taken in isolation is more debateable. | 1 | neutral | [
"Any fan of industrial probably already owns this album so my review is somewhat superfluous but for anyone out there that hasn't already got this here are my two cents worth.",
"Trent Reznors baby, Nine Inch Nails, hit the zeitgeist of 1994 perfectly with massive use of electronica to form what would go on to be a major foundation of the entire industrial genre.",
"Of course Reznor wasn't a pioneer in this area, prog bands as far back as the 70's had been using electronica and getting the attention of rock afficianados but Reznor deserves credit for creating a more complete package.",
"The attention to detail here is inspiring and the fact that the whole commercial juggernaut had to rest on the shoulders of one guy makes you wonder how he managed it all and came out the other side, I mean Reznor was a pop culture deity circa 1994 - 1995.",
"As to the music itself it's dense in many parts, a claustrophobic feel that was quite deliberate being very much part of the experience.",
"The effect of grunge can be felt in the plethora of one word song titles and the pessimism of the entire affair may grate with some readers.",
"There is hardly a joyous outburst to be found and certainly no thoughts of inspiring the listener to achieve anything.",
"Except perhaps to buy some more black hair dye.",
"What will interest the more academically minded is the ground breaking way Reznor was able to create soundscapes via electronic means.",
"Sure, there must of been someone doing it earlier but when something like this album breaks there is usually a watershed moment where it becomes possible to trace those earlier bands.",
"With this release that never really happened and that to me shows that Reznor, while taking what others had done, really took things and upped the ante by several levels all in one hit.",
"My best advice is to listen to a couple of samples of this album to hear (and feel) what I mean here.",
"As to actual tracks that I'd point out as very indicative of what's going on here - well Piggy is interesting and March of the Pigs also.",
"Big Man With A Gun might also be a good one to sample.",
"The title track for some reason never stood out for me which is strange and it would be remiss of me not to mention the visceral Closer, the song that to an extent made this album with it's vicious self examination and explicit lyrics to create just the right amount of shock value to get the listeners attention.",
"Ultimately Reznor here constructed the quintessential industrial release.",
"His heavily treated vocals lay over the top of electronically generated guitar sounds that are both jarring and totally in keeping with the vocals.",
"There isn't a heck of a lot of melody here as things machine gun along, battering the listener with waves of distorted, tortured vocals spitting all sorts of despair.",
"Some of the introspection on display is pretty scary and in latter day interviews Reznor has been pretty candid about the sort of headspace he was in at the time.",
"But in the interests of balance it should also be noted that musical attention to detail, passion and an inspired muse are not all that's on offer.",
"There are also some problems.",
"Firstly the lack of any melodies may make it hard for some listeners to get into it.",
"In fact this is a problem for the industrial genre to start with and it's not helped by the treated vocals which can make for a cold listening experience.",
"Personally it's a plus, but it's easy to see others not really warming to a voice that sounds to have so little humanity present.",
"Further, the muse of our hero is a wandering one, song structures are continued over and over and there seems to have been somewhat of an inability to know when to knock a song on the head as being done.",
"Even the megahit Closer suffers from this - it should be noted that there is/was a single edit of this wandering around - the album version here is blighted with a seeming never ending extra minute or so of mindless electronic riffing which just drags things out and makes the song less special by wearing out it's welcome.",
"Not to mention the fact that much of the nastiness in the lyrics, sorry, perhaps for a younger teenage audience it would be more arresting but I can see stuff this horrific on the news most nights.",
"Despite the fact he had nothing in common with the grunge genre Reznor can probably thank it for creating an acceptance of mindless, sceptical unhappiness as entertainment and paving the way for his own peculiar brand of angst ridden despair.",
"This is certainly an album that had an effect on much of the 90's in general and easily one of the most important hard `n' heavy albums of that decade.",
"Just how worthy of such adulation the album is when taken in isolation is more debateable."
] |
On the plus side, Tim Burton's remake of PLANET OF THE APES is a technological achievement. Rick Baker's amazing makeup transforms actors into apes without losing their faces (and, thus, their own performances). With the exception of David Warner (as the elderly ape senator), none of the apes feel like actors walking around with masks on. These apes have articulated feet; they can leap and climb with dizzying speed.
This opens up a lot of vocabulary in the action scenes - chases through the woods are surprising and scary; the apes are everywhere and they are very strong. (A little too strong for us to believe Mark Wahlberg can take the beatings he does.) The fights have a brutal quality, but the emphasis is all on impact and speed - there is very little gore.
There is no excuse for the lousy character development. The film is constantly bringing our attention to parallels between the ape planet and our own society. (At one point, an ape even quotes Barry Goldwater.) Yet there is very little emotional impact or change in the characters. Histories and relationships are suggested but never developed. The sacrifices seem inconsequential rather than heroic. A sexy blonde jiggles along with the hero, but no romantic situation develops, or any real storyline at all. Is she just eye candy for the dads? It seems like a pointless, almost demeaning bit of baggage. Give her something to do in the story!
Mark Wahlberg is hunky and personable, but not distinctive or divided in any way. When he rouses the humans to fight the apes, the speech is far from "St. Crispin's day" - lacking in rouse or commitment, it is yet another dramatic event that doesn't really take place. If the human interactions are less realistic than the special effects, something is very wrong!
Without any real drama, the movie feels preachy. The handgun is introduced as the single corrupting influence of human culture. The ending is also very heavy on commentary, but fails as storytelling and will leave many moviegoers baffled.
Fans of composer Danny Elfman will not be disappointed - this is one of his most dynamic and versatile scores ever, utilizing a full symphony, african and electronic drums, musically conveying the heat and pulse of the jungle, the jackboots and terror of war, and the majesty of space. (Classical music fans should listen for a distinct quote from Holst's THE PLANETS!) | 1 | neutral | [
"On the plus side, Tim Burton's remake of PLANET OF THE APES is a technological achievement.",
"Rick Baker's amazing makeup transforms actors into apes without losing their faces (and, thus, their own performances).",
"With the exception of David Warner (as the elderly ape senator), none of the apes feel like actors walking around with masks on.",
"These apes have articulated feet; they can leap and climb with dizzying speed.",
"This opens up a lot of vocabulary in the action scenes - chases through the woods are surprising and scary; the apes are everywhere and they are very strong.",
"(A little too strong for us to believe Mark Wahlberg can take the beatings he does.",
") The fights have a brutal quality, but the emphasis is all on impact and speed - there is very little gore.",
"There is no excuse for the lousy character development.",
"The film is constantly bringing our attention to parallels between the ape planet and our own society.",
"(At one point, an ape even quotes Barry Goldwater.",
") Yet there is very little emotional impact or change in the characters.",
"Histories and relationships are suggested but never developed.",
"The sacrifices seem inconsequential rather than heroic.",
"A sexy blonde jiggles along with the hero, but no romantic situation develops, or any real storyline at all.",
"Is she just eye candy for the dads?",
"It seems like a pointless, almost demeaning bit of baggage.",
"Give her something to do in the story!",
"Mark Wahlberg is hunky and personable, but not distinctive or divided in any way.",
"When he rouses the humans to fight the apes, the speech is far from \"St.",
"Crispin's day\" - lacking in rouse or commitment, it is yet another dramatic event that doesn't really take place.",
"If the human interactions are less realistic than the special effects, something is very wrong!",
"Without any real drama, the movie feels preachy.",
"The handgun is introduced as the single corrupting influence of human culture.",
"The ending is also very heavy on commentary, but fails as storytelling and will leave many moviegoers baffled.",
"Fans of composer Danny Elfman will not be disappointed - this is one of his most dynamic and versatile scores ever, utilizing a full symphony, african and electronic drums, musically conveying the heat and pulse of the jungle, the jackboots and terror of war, and the majesty of space.",
"(Classical music fans should listen for a distinct quote from Holst's THE PLANETS!",
")"
] |
Third in the Guardians of Eternity paranormal romance series based in Chicago and revolving around a group of vampires and their friends.
My Take
I do love how Gina blows off the mighty Salvatore and Frick and Frack! As much as I enjoyed the romance that arises, it feels off. Too soon, too fast, too easy. I know it's the whole point of the book, but, c'mon, I'd like to feel they weren't simply meeting the deadline. Although, I do like Darcy's feistiness. She instinctively knows that Salvatore means her no good no matter how he tries to placate her. And he's definitely handicapped with mom around.
Really, Salvatore's arrogance is what costs him. Thirty years of hunting and he spoils it all by being much too noticeable. Duh. I know there's supposed to be something important about her "friends", the plants, but Ivy just doesn't follow through on this.
Too funny...the scary, strong vampires are...I know, I know, this is politically incorrect, and as a woman, I should know better, but, c'mon, it's perfect...these vamps are pussy-whipped! And the ladies are all plotting against the vamps. Hey, I know whose side I'm bettin' on...!
Part of me wants to just gag over the too-easy manipulation with the photograph. Gimme a break. Is Darcy really that much of a dingbat? Well, obviously, because that's how she's written...that or Ivy was unwilling to put the effort into something more believable! It's just clumsy. Darcy is sometimes very smart and other times just so dumb...words fail me. Ivy really has a good concept if she would only work at the clumsy bits in between.
Oh, crack me up! A vegetarian werewolf! You can imagine how that goes down..! Oh, isn't that sweet. Salvatore is willing to wait a day or two to get to know Darcy and for her to get to know him before he rapes her. Ahh, romance...gag. Lord, it just keeps going downhill...all drama queeny. Other than a few dramatic bits, the story is all surface and too easy.
The Story
Mmm, seems Styx is beginning to be "fish" for Viper's clan. A guest who has stayed too long. Now these disrespectful Weres are threatening the balance between their world and the humans. Except that Styx has discovered some interesting new leverage. By the name of Darcy Smith.
And Styx kidnaps her right out from under Salvatore's nose. But she seems more worried about the politically correct term for a supernatural, at least, until Darcy finds out Styx's plans for her. Plans that are swiftly melting away, just as Levet's trek through the snow to retrieve her things leaves him melting.
It's that dancing back and forth as Salvatore tries to entice her into his protection. He should have done his homework. For every step he takes forward, his mouth pushes him ten steps back.
The Characters
Darcy Smith has been shuffled from pillar to post her entire life from one foster home to another. Never fitting in anywhere. No family. Gina is a friend from work.
Styx has taken over leadership of the vampires with Anasso's death; his Ravens now act as his bodyguards with DeAngelo at their head. Viper has been his friend for centuries; Shay is Viper's mate (see <a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Embrace-the-Darkness-Guardians-of-Eternity-2/dp/1420124811/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Embrace the Darkness (Guardians of Eternity, #2)</a>). Levet is the French gargoyle who keeps insinuating himself.
Salvatore Giuliani is the new Were leader in Chicago from Rome. Seems he's forgotten how the hierarchy works in the world of demons. He and his Weres are too reckless, too disrespectful. Jade is a very jealous shifter and she doesn't like Salvatore's attentions straying. Hess is another shifter and part of his bodyguard. Sophia is Darcy's so unmotherly mother. Yeah, she's a mother all right.
Victoria and Uther are a couple of vampires from Australia with a petition for Styx; their king, Desmond, has his own views on things. Dante and Abbey have a cameo appearance.
The Cover
The cover has a rather thoughtful feel to it as Styx is raising his head up from where he had previously had it resting against his forearm.
I can only assume the title, Darkness Everlasting, refers to Styx being a vampire... | 1 | neutral | [
"Third in the Guardians of Eternity paranormal romance series based in Chicago and revolving around a group of vampires and their friends.",
"My Take\nI do love how Gina blows off the mighty Salvatore and Frick and Frack!",
"As much as I enjoyed the romance that arises, it feels off.",
"Too soon, too fast, too easy.",
"I know it's the whole point of the book, but, c'mon, I'd like to feel they weren't simply meeting the deadline.",
"Although, I do like Darcy's feistiness.",
"She instinctively knows that Salvatore means her no good no matter how he tries to placate her.",
"And he's definitely handicapped with mom around.",
"Really, Salvatore's arrogance is what costs him.",
"Thirty years of hunting and he spoils it all by being much too noticeable.",
"Duh.",
"I know there's supposed to be something important about her \"friends\", the plants, but Ivy just doesn't follow through on this.",
"Too funny...",
"the scary, strong vampires are...",
"I know, I know, this is politically incorrect, and as a woman, I should know better, but, c'mon, it's perfect...",
"these vamps are pussy-whipped!",
"And the ladies are all plotting against the vamps.",
"Hey, I know whose side I'm bettin' on...",
"!",
"Part of me wants to just gag over the too-easy manipulation with the photograph.",
"Gimme a break.",
"Is Darcy really that much of a dingbat?",
"Well, obviously, because that's how she's written...",
"that or Ivy was unwilling to put the effort into something more believable!",
"It's just clumsy.",
"Darcy is sometimes very smart and other times just so dumb...",
"words fail me.",
"Ivy really has a good concept if she would only work at the clumsy bits in between.",
"Oh, crack me up!",
"A vegetarian werewolf!",
"You can imagine how that goes down..",
"!",
"Oh, isn't that sweet.",
"Salvatore is willing to wait a day or two to get to know Darcy and for her to get to know him before he rapes her.",
"Ahh, romance...",
"gag.",
"Lord, it just keeps going downhill...",
"all drama queeny.",
"Other than a few dramatic bits, the story is all surface and too easy.",
"The Story\nMmm, seems Styx is beginning to be \"fish\" for Viper's clan.",
"A guest who has stayed too long.",
"Now these disrespectful Weres are threatening the balance between their world and the humans.",
"Except that Styx has discovered some interesting new leverage.",
"By the name of Darcy Smith.",
"And Styx kidnaps her right out from under Salvatore's nose.",
"But she seems more worried about the politically correct term for a supernatural, at least, until Darcy finds out Styx's plans for her.",
"Plans that are swiftly melting away, just as Levet's trek through the snow to retrieve her things leaves him melting.",
"It's that dancing back and forth as Salvatore tries to entice her into his protection.",
"He should have done his homework.",
"For every step he takes forward, his mouth pushes him ten steps back.",
"The Characters\nDarcy Smith has been shuffled from pillar to post her entire life from one foster home to another.",
"Never fitting in anywhere.",
"No family.",
"Gina is a friend from work.",
"Styx has taken over leadership of the vampires with Anasso's death; his Ravens now act as his bodyguards with DeAngelo at their head.",
"Viper has been his friend for centuries; Shay is Viper's mate (see <a data-hook=\"product-link-linked\" class=\"a-link-normal\" href=\"/Embrace-the-Darkness-Guardians-of-Eternity-2/dp/1420124811/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?",
"ie=UTF8\">Embrace the Darkness (Guardians of Eternity, #2)</a>).",
"Levet is the French gargoyle who keeps insinuating himself.",
"Salvatore Giuliani is the new Were leader in Chicago from Rome.",
"Seems he's forgotten how the hierarchy works in the world of demons.",
"He and his Weres are too reckless, too disrespectful.",
"Jade is a very jealous shifter and she doesn't like Salvatore's attentions straying.",
"Hess is another shifter and part of his bodyguard.",
"Sophia is Darcy's so unmotherly mother.",
"Yeah, she's a mother all right.",
"Victoria and Uther are a couple of vampires from Australia with a petition for Styx; their king, Desmond, has his own views on things.",
"Dante and Abbey have a cameo appearance.",
"The Cover\nThe cover has a rather thoughtful feel to it as Styx is raising his head up from where he had previously had it resting against his forearm.",
"I can only assume the title, Darkness Everlasting, refers to Styx being a vampire..."
] |
So disappointed about the audio for the Todd version. The video is gorgeous, but the audio is really jacked up. You notice it right away in the opening scenes. All the vocal dialogue is extremely subdued compared to the music all through the feature. And no, it's not my speaker system. The Todd DVD doesn't have this problem, but then again, the video can't compare at all... no where close. Now, the Bluray Cinemascope version is only just a little bit better than it's DVD counterpart with an awful lot of grain throughout the video. This would have been a really great video to have if not for the just plain awful audio soundtrack in the Todd version. It ruined it for me having to try to readjust all my speaker settings just for this feature alone, which still didn't solve the problem. And believe me, if you don't, you won't hear most of the dialogue. I give the Bluray Todd version video a very strong 5 stars, but it's audio soundtrack a very disappointing one star. The other three discs are just so-so... I've watched all of them. | 1 | neutral | [
"So disappointed about the audio for the Todd version.",
"The video is gorgeous, but the audio is really jacked up.",
"You notice it right away in the opening scenes.",
"All the vocal dialogue is extremely subdued compared to the music all through the feature.",
"And no, it's not my speaker system.",
"The Todd DVD doesn't have this problem, but then again, the video can't compare at all...",
"no where close.",
"Now, the Bluray Cinemascope version is only just a little bit better than it's DVD counterpart with an awful lot of grain throughout the video.",
"This would have been a really great video to have if not for the just plain awful audio soundtrack in the Todd version.",
"It ruined it for me having to try to readjust all my speaker settings just for this feature alone, which still didn't solve the problem.",
"And believe me, if you don't, you won't hear most of the dialogue.",
"I give the Bluray Todd version video a very strong 5 stars, but it's audio soundtrack a very disappointing one star.",
"The other three discs are just so-so...",
"I've watched all of them."
] |
Ok, I AM a diehard KISS fan, and a member of the KISS Army, but...even KISS has afew turkeys. When this came out I was waiting with baited breath, but I knew I was in trouble when the first single on the radio was SHANDI. While, its not a terrible song lyrically, execution is everything! That unmistakable electronic 80's production feel is prevellent through the whole album. The best songs on the album are 2 ACE Frehley tunes: Two sides of the coin, and Torpedo Girl(which is good only because it dose not take itself seriously...its for fun!) This is remarkable because ACE, while I admire his ability to play guitar; HE IS NOT KNOWN FOR HIS SONG WRITING ABILITY!( I am not trying to insult ACE, or his fans.) The only other cool thing about this album was the poster that came in the LP! | 1 | neutral | [
"Ok, I AM a diehard KISS fan, and a member of the KISS Army, but...",
"even KISS has afew turkeys.",
"When this came out I was waiting with baited breath, but I knew I was in trouble when the first single on the radio was SHANDI.",
"While, its not a terrible song lyrically, execution is everything!",
"That unmistakable electronic 80's production feel is prevellent through the whole album.",
"The best songs on the album are 2 ACE Frehley tunes: Two sides of the coin, and Torpedo Girl(which is good only because it dose not take itself seriously...",
"its for fun!",
") This is remarkable because ACE, while I admire his ability to play guitar; HE IS NOT KNOWN FOR HIS SONG WRITING ABILITY!",
"( I am not trying to insult ACE, or his fans.",
") The only other cool thing about this album was the poster that came in the LP!"
] |
I liked this short story well enough, but I probably would have liked it more if I had not felt like I had read it before. Sure, the details are different, but the basic plot treads very familiar ground: woman comes to man's home to be governess to his child. The man is a widower. His marriage was loveless. People think he killed his wife. There is an attraction between the man and the governess. Is it real or just a dalliance? Is he really a good man or are the whispers true?
It's like Dangerous Lord, Innocent Governess and This Perfect Kiss, had a love child... sprinkled a little Jane Eyre on top... put a kilt on it... and this novella was the result.
It's a short, easy read; and I'm always a sucker for a Scotsman with a brogue (and a kilt.) We're just not treading any new ground. 3 stars.
*ARC Provided by NetGalley | 1 | neutral | [
"I liked this short story well enough, but I probably would have liked it more if I had not felt like I had read it before.",
"Sure, the details are different, but the basic plot treads very familiar ground: woman comes to man's home to be governess to his child.",
"The man is a widower.",
"His marriage was loveless.",
"People think he killed his wife.",
"There is an attraction between the man and the governess.",
"Is it real or just a dalliance?",
"Is he really a good man or are the whispers true?",
"It's like Dangerous Lord, Innocent Governess and This Perfect Kiss, had a love child...",
"sprinkled a little Jane Eyre on top...",
"put a kilt on it...",
"and this novella was the result.",
"It's a short, easy read; and I'm always a sucker for a Scotsman with a brogue (and a kilt.",
") We're just not treading any new ground.",
"3 stars.",
"*ARC Provided by NetGalley"
] |
I thought that all of the reviews saying the armband was small were probably by people who are ripped and have huge biceps, I figured I'd be safe with my fairly lean arms. I was wrong! It is definitely a tight fit and only gets worse once your blood gets pumping. I feel like they made it small on purpose to force people to buy the extender, but I refuse, I'll just wear the thing on my forearm if I have to. The plastic window can get a bit of condensation on it after a hot, sweaty workout but disappears after you have the armband off for a bit. I'm not too worried about it affecting my phone at all though. The window sits a little bit above the phone's screen so don't plan on using too many touchscreen functions once your workout is in full gear. The little flap to tuck in headphone cords is a nice touch. The built in access holes to plug in headphones don't seem like they would work with any phone at all, but the stretchy material can be manipulated to make it work. I wish it had some sort of reflective material on it, that would be a nice addition for night activities.
Pros:
Fits my large phone (Samsung Captivate )
Reasonably priced.
Has a flap to tuck in excess headphone wires
Cons:
Tiny armband
Condensation forms on plastic window after long work out.
Holes don't line up to plug in headphones (but can be made to work)
Summary:
If you own a larger phone you don't have too many other choices when it comes to an armband, so this one will definitely work just fine and it's relatively inexpensive. Build quality seems pretty good, the seams look solid. But if you have arms bigger than an anorexic 5 year old you may want to consider the armband extender which the same company conveniently happens to sell...hmmmm... | 1 | neutral | [
"I thought that all of the reviews saying the armband was small were probably by people who are ripped and have huge biceps, I figured I'd be safe with my fairly lean arms.",
"I was wrong!",
"It is definitely a tight fit and only gets worse once your blood gets pumping.",
"I feel like they made it small on purpose to force people to buy the extender, but I refuse, I'll just wear the thing on my forearm if I have to.",
"The plastic window can get a bit of condensation on it after a hot, sweaty workout but disappears after you have the armband off for a bit.",
"I'm not too worried about it affecting my phone at all though.",
"The window sits a little bit above the phone's screen so don't plan on using too many touchscreen functions once your workout is in full gear.",
"The little flap to tuck in headphone cords is a nice touch.",
"The built in access holes to plug in headphones don't seem like they would work with any phone at all, but the stretchy material can be manipulated to make it work.",
"I wish it had some sort of reflective material on it, that would be a nice addition for night activities.",
"Pros:\nFits my large phone (Samsung Captivate )\nReasonably priced.",
"Has a flap to tuck in excess headphone wires\n\nCons:\nTiny armband\nCondensation forms on plastic window after long work out.",
"Holes don't line up to plug in headphones (but can be made to work)\n\nSummary:\nIf you own a larger phone you don't have too many other choices when it comes to an armband, so this one will definitely work just fine and it's relatively inexpensive.",
"Build quality seems pretty good, the seams look solid.",
"But if you have arms bigger than an anorexic 5 year old you may want to consider the armband extender which the same company conveniently happens to sell...",
"hmmmm..."
] |
This was said to be producer Robert Stigwood's home movie and it sure seems like it. It virtually ruined nearly every musicians career that was in it. It's wildly bright, boisterous, flashy and tacky all at once. Besides the music, (of which, most are pretty good Beatles covers), there is no dialogue, save for the narration by George Burns (who even sings a song - don't ask).
The plot is simply a bunch of the Beatles sixties songs strung together for kind of a story - that's it. Simple and silly with a happy ending. Blah, blah, blah! The majority of the music is sung by the acts with great studio musicians. However, there are some real bad renditions which will either offend or cause one to roll their eyes.
Let me put it this way. The day production began, the Bee Gees reportedly begged to be taken out of the film. Sorry guys. A contract is a contract. They were one of the few survivors. | 1 | neutral | [
"This was said to be producer Robert Stigwood's home movie and it sure seems like it.",
"It virtually ruined nearly every musicians career that was in it.",
"It's wildly bright, boisterous, flashy and tacky all at once.",
"Besides the music, (of which, most are pretty good Beatles covers), there is no dialogue, save for the narration by George Burns (who even sings a song - don't ask).",
"The plot is simply a bunch of the Beatles sixties songs strung together for kind of a story - that's it.",
"Simple and silly with a happy ending.",
"Blah, blah, blah!",
"The majority of the music is sung by the acts with great studio musicians.",
"However, there are some real bad renditions which will either offend or cause one to roll their eyes.",
"Let me put it this way.",
"The day production began, the Bee Gees reportedly begged to be taken out of the film.",
"Sorry guys.",
"A contract is a contract.",
"They were one of the few survivors."
] |
This is a lot of fun, and I love using it. Really glad I bought it. A few things though. The pencil shaft is really only a little smaller and maneuverable than just the dremel. Now this is really a testament to how small the dremel actually is, but the stiffness of the flex shaft makes it only a marginal improvement. Also, now that you have it hooked up, you have to find somewhere to put the dremel tool itself, which takes a crucial second hand. You cant really just set it down either because the shaft is not unlimitedly flexible. It is fine, given the mechanical limitations, but it does have limitations in how far it flexes. The picture is a good representation of its degree of flex.
Now the big thing, despite being well constructed and lubricated, the rotation through the flex attachment adds a lot of friction. This plays out in several ways, first, its possible on tough materials that the Dremel doesnt have enough torque and gets slowed. It takes a lot less than without it. And the big one, I was using this to cut a piece of plywood, and my dremel got very hot and burned out. Now it was old, and might have been due anyway, but I do believe the additional load that this attachment put on it contributed, if not caused it to burn out.
All that said, its still fun to use, and once I buy a new Dremel, Ill still use it. Even when I don't need to. | 1 | neutral | [
"This is a lot of fun, and I love using it.",
"Really glad I bought it.",
"A few things though.",
"The pencil shaft is really only a little smaller and maneuverable than just the dremel.",
"Now this is really a testament to how small the dremel actually is, but the stiffness of the flex shaft makes it only a marginal improvement.",
"Also, now that you have it hooked up, you have to find somewhere to put the dremel tool itself, which takes a crucial second hand.",
"You cant really just set it down either because the shaft is not unlimitedly flexible.",
"It is fine, given the mechanical limitations, but it does have limitations in how far it flexes.",
"The picture is a good representation of its degree of flex.",
"Now the big thing, despite being well constructed and lubricated, the rotation through the flex attachment adds a lot of friction.",
"This plays out in several ways, first, its possible on tough materials that the Dremel doesnt have enough torque and gets slowed.",
"It takes a lot less than without it.",
"And the big one, I was using this to cut a piece of plywood, and my dremel got very hot and burned out.",
"Now it was old, and might have been due anyway, but I do believe the additional load that this attachment put on it contributed, if not caused it to burn out.",
"All that said, its still fun to use, and once I buy a new Dremel, Ill still use it.",
"Even when I don't need to."
] |
This CD contains a combination of music that is very inconsistent, ranging from wonderful combinations that really work to sounding like a local band trying their hardest to play country with rock instruments. The end result is tracks that you wish would last longer and tracks that make you feel ill.
The opening track, "Walk Softly on this Heart of Mine," is one of the best on the CD. This wailing song is improved by its rock reinterpretation. I can say this because I liked Bill Monroe's version first. The song "Dumas Walker" has throwaway lyrics, but they are easy to remember and have a line dance beat that just begs to be played down at the local honky-tonk; slap your knees, stomp your feet and have a beer!
Then the music moves onto some less memorable music. "Rag Top" has a nice beat, but the lyrics are awful, a country equivalent of bubblegum music. Each time I hear this song I want to cringe or skip over it. This song is probably fine for the Saturday night crowd after nine PM. On the other hand, the Saturday night crowd might be throwing the band out after this one. Things get no better with "Rock `n' Roll Angel." The less said about that song the better.
I probably should like "Smooth" no more than I liked the previous couple of songs, but I do like this song. I think it's probably because this song has more of a classic country song with the rock and pop elements lower key than the previous couple of songs. The lyrics are relatively simple and easy to remember, so this song would be a good one for a variety of occasions. Another song that affects a classic style, with a solid rock backbeat, is "High Steppin' Daddy." Once again, this song is so basic and so clearly derivative that I probably should dislike it, but how can you dislike music this fun?
On the other hand, I do not care for the Kentucky Headhunters' cover of "Skip a Rope" at all. The original was introspective and dramatic. This version is sped up and loses all the charm of the original. This song is a slow country sung on uppers, and the Headhunters bring nothing to the table on this song.
Once again the Headhunters redeem themselves on "Some Folks like to Steal." This blues song has a number of wonderful elements and real style. The Kentucky Headhunters would be better served to sing music like this.
While I was severely unimpressed with the cover of "Skip a Rope," I enjoyed the cover of "Oh Lonesome Me" a lot. This song keeps within the feeling of the original, and yet with enough of a new interpretation that the song is interesting. Of course, the original already had rock and roll elements and the Headhunters have just taken that style a bit further, but still close enough to the original for this version to be exciting.
This CD closes with a rocker, "Daddy Was a Milkman." One of the jokes that went around frequently many years ago was that this person's daddy or that person's daddy was the milkman. The Kentucky Headhunters have taken this concept to a musical conception. This song is probably the fastest and most rock-infused of any song on this CD. However, it is also one of the better songs as well. Many country fans will probably not like this song because it has too much rock in it, but fans of country-rock may find this song intriguing.
The Kentucky Headhunters is not likely to make to any of my favorites lists. However, there are some interesting tracks, and some interesting interpretations. My impression is that this is a group that is still trying to find itself. There are suggestions in this music as to where this group should go, but in the meantime they are all over the map in style and consistency, and those characteristics make this CD difficult to recommend and difficult to enjoy without qualifications. This CD is absolutely one that you should try before you buy. | 1 | neutral | [
"This CD contains a combination of music that is very inconsistent, ranging from wonderful combinations that really work to sounding like a local band trying their hardest to play country with rock instruments.",
"The end result is tracks that you wish would last longer and tracks that make you feel ill.",
"The opening track, \"Walk Softly on this Heart of Mine,\" is one of the best on the CD.",
"This wailing song is improved by its rock reinterpretation.",
"I can say this because I liked Bill Monroe's version first.",
"The song \"Dumas Walker\" has throwaway lyrics, but they are easy to remember and have a line dance beat that just begs to be played down at the local honky-tonk; slap your knees, stomp your feet and have a beer!",
"Then the music moves onto some less memorable music.",
"\"Rag Top\" has a nice beat, but the lyrics are awful, a country equivalent of bubblegum music.",
"Each time I hear this song I want to cringe or skip over it.",
"This song is probably fine for the Saturday night crowd after nine PM.",
"On the other hand, the Saturday night crowd might be throwing the band out after this one.",
"Things get no better with \"Rock `n' Roll Angel.",
"\" The less said about that song the better.",
"I probably should like \"Smooth\" no more than I liked the previous couple of songs, but I do like this song.",
"I think it's probably because this song has more of a classic country song with the rock and pop elements lower key than the previous couple of songs.",
"The lyrics are relatively simple and easy to remember, so this song would be a good one for a variety of occasions.",
"Another song that affects a classic style, with a solid rock backbeat, is \"High Steppin' Daddy.",
"\" Once again, this song is so basic and so clearly derivative that I probably should dislike it, but how can you dislike music this fun?",
"On the other hand, I do not care for the Kentucky Headhunters' cover of \"Skip a Rope\" at all.",
"The original was introspective and dramatic.",
"This version is sped up and loses all the charm of the original.",
"This song is a slow country sung on uppers, and the Headhunters bring nothing to the table on this song.",
"Once again the Headhunters redeem themselves on \"Some Folks like to Steal.",
"\" This blues song has a number of wonderful elements and real style.",
"The Kentucky Headhunters would be better served to sing music like this.",
"While I was severely unimpressed with the cover of \"Skip a Rope,\" I enjoyed the cover of \"Oh Lonesome Me\" a lot.",
"This song keeps within the feeling of the original, and yet with enough of a new interpretation that the song is interesting.",
"Of course, the original already had rock and roll elements and the Headhunters have just taken that style a bit further, but still close enough to the original for this version to be exciting.",
"This CD closes with a rocker, \"Daddy Was a Milkman.",
"\" One of the jokes that went around frequently many years ago was that this person's daddy or that person's daddy was the milkman.",
"The Kentucky Headhunters have taken this concept to a musical conception.",
"This song is probably the fastest and most rock-infused of any song on this CD.",
"However, it is also one of the better songs as well.",
"Many country fans will probably not like this song because it has too much rock in it, but fans of country-rock may find this song intriguing.",
"The Kentucky Headhunters is not likely to make to any of my favorites lists.",
"However, there are some interesting tracks, and some interesting interpretations.",
"My impression is that this is a group that is still trying to find itself.",
"There are suggestions in this music as to where this group should go, but in the meantime they are all over the map in style and consistency, and those characteristics make this CD difficult to recommend and difficult to enjoy without qualifications.",
"This CD is absolutely one that you should try before you buy."
] |
First of all, people need to realize that many Xbox games are produced for adults, hence the warnings. Complaining about the blood in this game is understandable but keep in mind that this is an adult game. If I had a son I would not allow him to play.
With that in mind, the game is very film noir and has a pretty decent story. I do hate the voice overs however, some serious over-acting. I like the sound and the lights in the game, they complement the mood nicely.
However, I am in the minority in regards to the bullet time. For me, it doesn't go well with this game and I did not use it very often. Perhaps it got so much pub. because it's a novelty. I guess that is a matter of personal taste. I am glad the game is hard as I love a good challenge but I know some people may be turned off by it. The one thing that irked me though is that the levels seemed rather repetitive.
All in all I liked the game and I can understand why it is very popular. Simple button mashing will get you wasted in a NY minute. It's nice to see some stratgey in shooter games from time to time. :) | 1 | neutral | [
"First of all, people need to realize that many Xbox games are produced for adults, hence the warnings.",
"Complaining about the blood in this game is understandable but keep in mind that this is an adult game.",
"If I had a son I would not allow him to play.",
"With that in mind, the game is very film noir and has a pretty decent story.",
"I do hate the voice overs however, some serious over-acting.",
"I like the sound and the lights in the game, they complement the mood nicely.",
"However, I am in the minority in regards to the bullet time.",
"For me, it doesn't go well with this game and I did not use it very often.",
"Perhaps it got so much pub.",
"because it's a novelty.",
"I guess that is a matter of personal taste.",
"I am glad the game is hard as I love a good challenge but I know some people may be turned off by it.",
"The one thing that irked me though is that the levels seemed rather repetitive.",
"All in all I liked the game and I can understand why it is very popular.",
"Simple button mashing will get you wasted in a NY minute.",
"It's nice to see some stratgey in shooter games from time to time.",
":)"
] |
When I first read a review of this product online, I was quite impressed...finally, an iPod mount that would work. When I received it and put it together, I was disappointed.
Allow me to elaborate...Griffin has a good idea here; instead of a goose-neck, it uses a ball-and-socket joint-type system of arms to position your iPod touch/iPhone. The problem here is that you have a limited amount of positions to put your iPod in.
Second, the suction cup is not as strong as it needs to be; it's a good idea on paper (instead of a snap-down toggle like most mounts, it's a screw-down type that should hold the suction cup more securely to the windshield), but the suction cup is very difficult to get to stick to the windshield, and you have to really press hard against it while screwing it down, and even then it would detach from my windshield at the worst possible moment (driving down the Garden State Parkway at 70 miles an hour).
Third, it will not work with iPods/iPhones in cases...I don't want to have to remove my iTouch from its case every time I want to take it on the road.
Griffin has a decent product here that just has a few problems that prevent it from being a great one. If they address the suction-cup issue, and make a mount that allows for holding an iPod in a case, this would be a much better product. | 1 | neutral | [
"When I first read a review of this product online, I was quite impressed...",
"finally, an iPod mount that would work.",
"When I received it and put it together, I was disappointed.",
"Allow me to elaborate...",
"Griffin has a good idea here; instead of a goose-neck, it uses a ball-and-socket joint-type system of arms to position your iPod touch/iPhone.",
"The problem here is that you have a limited amount of positions to put your iPod in.",
"Second, the suction cup is not as strong as it needs to be; it's a good idea on paper (instead of a snap-down toggle like most mounts, it's a screw-down type that should hold the suction cup more securely to the windshield), but the suction cup is very difficult to get to stick to the windshield, and you have to really press hard against it while screwing it down, and even then it would detach from my windshield at the worst possible moment (driving down the Garden State Parkway at 70 miles an hour).",
"Third, it will not work with iPods/iPhones in cases...",
"I don't want to have to remove my iTouch from its case every time I want to take it on the road.",
"Griffin has a decent product here that just has a few problems that prevent it from being a great one.",
"If they address the suction-cup issue, and make a mount that allows for holding an iPod in a case, this would be a much better product."
] |
I live in the tropics where we do have serious battles with ticks and fleas. My dogs love the taste but it does nothing to ward off ticks or fleas. Their coats are not any shinier than before they started taking it. But i still give it to them since it has vitamins and other stuff that is good for them. My vet advised me to try upping the dosage to see if it would work. Did that and still not helping.
My cat loves this stuff as well. He still has fleas even though he gets his daily dosage. I have not upped his dosage since cats are more sensitive to everything than dogs. His coat is much healthier though, thicker and shinier. | 1 | neutral | [
"I live in the tropics where we do have serious battles with ticks and fleas.",
"My dogs love the taste but it does nothing to ward off ticks or fleas.",
"Their coats are not any shinier than before they started taking it.",
"But i still give it to them since it has vitamins and other stuff that is good for them.",
"My vet advised me to try upping the dosage to see if it would work.",
"Did that and still not helping.",
"My cat loves this stuff as well.",
"He still has fleas even though he gets his daily dosage.",
"I have not upped his dosage since cats are more sensitive to everything than dogs.",
"His coat is much healthier though, thicker and shinier."
] |
There is no doubt about it within the rankings of live performaces from VH1. Still, they've been able to do a whole lot of good with their annual Divas benefits since 1998. It has raised millions of dollars for the VH1 Save The Music Foundation. Still, there is such a thing about when a live concert is flawed with certain missed performances. Sometimes, you want to see it in full on VH1, if they can re-broadcast it again.
The VH1 Divas Live '99, was a wonderfully filled Diva night with so many great perfformances with Whitney Houston, Faith Hill, and a whole cast of divas to match. The performances range from showstopping ballads, like Whitney Houston performing her mega-hit I Will Always Love You, to surprise collaborations including Cher, Tina Turner and Elton John taking to the stage with Proud Mary. Unfortunately, like the live album, I was very, very dissapointed because there was a few songs that weren't set on this DVD that should've been there. They included Elton John and Leann Rimes performing Written In The Stars, Cher performing her comeback hit Believe, and Whitney Houston also had two extra songs that were not included. My Love Is Your Love and It's Not Right But Its Okay from My Love Is Your Love, were also performed that evening. Perhaps that next time VH1 does a Divas benefit, they can include all the performances.
It was just a shame that it wasn't in the fullest form with Divas Live '99. Still, is you recorded it the night it was aired, you didn't miss a thing. Here, the DVD misses a lot. Still, if you don't have VH1 and you want to get the Diva mode, try renting this collection and watch it on video. | 1 | neutral | [
"There is no doubt about it within the rankings of live performaces from VH1.",
"Still, they've been able to do a whole lot of good with their annual Divas benefits since 1998.",
"It has raised millions of dollars for the VH1 Save The Music Foundation.",
"Still, there is such a thing about when a live concert is flawed with certain missed performances.",
"Sometimes, you want to see it in full on VH1, if they can re-broadcast it again.",
"The VH1 Divas Live '99, was a wonderfully filled Diva night with so many great perfformances with Whitney Houston, Faith Hill, and a whole cast of divas to match.",
"The performances range from showstopping ballads, like Whitney Houston performing her mega-hit I Will Always Love You, to surprise collaborations including Cher, Tina Turner and Elton John taking to the stage with Proud Mary.",
"Unfortunately, like the live album, I was very, very dissapointed because there was a few songs that weren't set on this DVD that should've been there.",
"They included Elton John and Leann Rimes performing Written In The Stars, Cher performing her comeback hit Believe, and Whitney Houston also had two extra songs that were not included.",
"My Love Is Your Love and It's Not Right But Its Okay from My Love Is Your Love, were also performed that evening.",
"Perhaps that next time VH1 does a Divas benefit, they can include all the performances.",
"It was just a shame that it wasn't in the fullest form with Divas Live '99.",
"Still, is you recorded it the night it was aired, you didn't miss a thing.",
"Here, the DVD misses a lot.",
"Still, if you don't have VH1 and you want to get the Diva mode, try renting this collection and watch it on video."
] |
I've been playing the game for over a week now, and I quit whenever it gets me so angry I could smash the computer! The lack of saves and the extremely poor controls over Indy's movements as well as the terrible camera views really ruin this game! I have to buy a new keyboard after slamming my fists down on the keyboard so much... He doesn't jump or punch or roll when you hit the buttons, not all the time. I've played each level probably fifty times, at least, because of his mistakes at critical moments. Yes, the graphics are beautiful and the fight sequences CAN be fun, as long as you manage to keep him in front of the opponent! In every single scene where he's shooting at planes or people with a machine gun, or sliding down some trap-infested corridors, the controls are very slow to react, thus causing you to start ALL OVER AGAIN FROM THE BEGINNING!!! It's exactly the same problem encountered with the original IGI and Hitman 47. The same feature that made them well-hated. I loved Infernal Machine and hoped this would be an improvement on that game. But, instead, it takes a step back. I won't say Don't buy the game. There ARE some fun parts in it, but, you have to have a lot of patience or maybe "tolerance" is a better word. Repeating the sequences from the beginning, over and over and over again takes the fun out of the game! Now, if the designers could make a patch to add saves and fix the lousy controls, you'd have a great game! Wish I could give it rave reviews, but, I can't... | 1 | neutral | [
"I've been playing the game for over a week now, and I quit whenever it gets me so angry I could smash the computer!",
"The lack of saves and the extremely poor controls over Indy's movements as well as the terrible camera views really ruin this game!",
"I have to buy a new keyboard after slamming my fists down on the keyboard so much...",
"He doesn't jump or punch or roll when you hit the buttons, not all the time.",
"I've played each level probably fifty times, at least, because of his mistakes at critical moments.",
"Yes, the graphics are beautiful and the fight sequences CAN be fun, as long as you manage to keep him in front of the opponent!",
"In every single scene where he's shooting at planes or people with a machine gun, or sliding down some trap-infested corridors, the controls are very slow to react, thus causing you to start ALL OVER AGAIN FROM THE BEGINNING!!!",
"It's exactly the same problem encountered with the original IGI and Hitman 47.",
"The same feature that made them well-hated.",
"I loved Infernal Machine and hoped this would be an improvement on that game.",
"But, instead, it takes a step back.",
"I won't say Don't buy the game.",
"There ARE some fun parts in it, but, you have to have a lot of patience or maybe \"tolerance\" is a better word.",
"Repeating the sequences from the beginning, over and over and over again takes the fun out of the game!",
"Now, if the designers could make a patch to add saves and fix the lousy controls, you'd have a great game!",
"Wish I could give it rave reviews, but, I can't..."
] |
I think it's safe to say that people looking at this product may be confused into thinking this is Norton's 360 Multi-Device product but it isn't. That said, there are some things to consider about this product.
1) It's main claim to fame is the convenience it offers in protecting multiple devices in a relatively painless manor.
2) This is really a product for multiple WINDOWS devices, although you can add iOS and Android devices, but I wouldn't recommend it, especially on iOS devices. iPhones, iPads, etc., really have their own set of protection services that makes Norton unnecessary. The only advantage to using this on a iOS device is you can wipe, locate, or lock an iPhone or iPad remotely from one central web interface, but you can already do that via Apple anyway, so it's a bit redundant.
3) Protection is not created equal across all devices. There's no browser support for safe web surfing or phishing protection for Google Chrome on Mac.
4) Only Norton Internet Security is installed on Windows, and not the full suite offered in Norton 360, which costs less. Not sure why I should pay more for less.
If you're a small business or organization with Windows devices, Norton Small Business will provide you with a bit more protection and security than you can hobble together on your own, but not much. | 1 | neutral | [
"I think it's safe to say that people looking at this product may be confused into thinking this is Norton's 360 Multi-Device product but it isn't.",
"That said, there are some things to consider about this product.",
"1) It's main claim to fame is the convenience it offers in protecting multiple devices in a relatively painless manor.",
"2) This is really a product for multiple WINDOWS devices, although you can add iOS and Android devices, but I wouldn't recommend it, especially on iOS devices.",
"iPhones, iPads, etc.",
", really have their own set of protection services that makes Norton unnecessary.",
"The only advantage to using this on a iOS device is you can wipe, locate, or lock an iPhone or iPad remotely from one central web interface, but you can already do that via Apple anyway, so it's a bit redundant.",
"3) Protection is not created equal across all devices.",
"There's no browser support for safe web surfing or phishing protection for Google Chrome on Mac.",
"4) Only Norton Internet Security is installed on Windows, and not the full suite offered in Norton 360, which costs less.",
"Not sure why I should pay more for less.",
"If you're a small business or organization with Windows devices, Norton Small Business will provide you with a bit more protection and security than you can hobble together on your own, but not much."
] |
Journalist could be called to stand at hearing on the Laquan McDonald shooting
Ahead of a potential First Amendment showdown Wednesday in the cityâs most closely watched murder case a lawyer for independent journalist Jamie Kalven says an attempt to force his testimony amounts to little more than an âunjustified fishing expeditionâ by indicted Chicago police Officer Jason Van Dykeâs attorneys.
Van Dykeâs attorneys have alleged that Kalven â the first journalist to detail the fatal shooting of Laquan McDonald â received leaked documents containing legally protected information.
âGiven the fatal lack of evidence to support Defendantâs lynchpin factual claim one is left to wonder the perceived point of (his) efforts â Matthew Topic Kalven âs attorney wrote in a document filed Tuesday.
Kalven is expected to be in court for the 9 a.m. Wednesday hearing but it is unclear if he will be called to the the stand. He has vowed not to disclose sources.
None of the filings on this issue by Van Dykeâs legal team have been made public. But at a court hearing in October the officerâs lead attorney Daniel Herbert alleged that Kalven obtained leaked documents containing information protected by long-standing legal precedent from being used against Van Dyke in a criminal case.
Herbert suggested that Kalven used that information to interview witnesses â with the assistance of the FBI â in a way that shaped the witnessesâ statements to authorities.
In court filings Kalven âs attorney called Herbertâs efforts âscattershot unsupported and irrelevant.â The only reports about the case in Kalven âs possession were obtained from the city through Freedom of Information Act requests more than a year after the shooting according to Topic.
In addition as a journalist Kalven cannot be forced to disclose his sources except in certain specific circumstances his attorney stated. | 1 | neutral | [
"Journalist could be called to stand at hearing on the Laquan McDonald shooting\nAhead of a potential First Amendment showdown Wednesday in the cityâs most closely watched murder case a lawyer for independent journalist Jamie Kalven says an attempt to force his testimony amounts to little more than an âunjustified fishing expeditionâ by indicted Chicago police Officer Jason Van Dykeâs attorneys.",
"Van Dykeâs attorneys have alleged that Kalven â the first journalist to detail the fatal shooting of Laquan McDonald â received leaked documents containing legally protected information.",
"âGiven the fatal lack of evidence to support Defendantâs lynchpin factual claim one is left to wonder the perceived point of (his) efforts â Matthew Topic Kalven âs attorney wrote in a document filed Tuesday.",
"Kalven is expected to be in court for the 9 a.",
"m. Wednesday hearing but it is unclear if he will be called to the the stand.",
"He has vowed not to disclose sources.",
"None of the filings on this issue by Van Dykeâs legal team have been made public.",
"But at a court hearing in October the officerâs lead attorney Daniel Herbert alleged that Kalven obtained leaked documents containing information protected by long-standing legal precedent from being used against Van Dyke in a criminal case.",
"Herbert suggested that Kalven used that information to interview witnesses â with the assistance of the FBI â in a way that shaped the witnessesâ statements to authorities.",
"In court filings Kalven âs attorney called Herbertâs efforts âscattershot unsupported and irrelevant.",
"â The only reports about the case in Kalven âs possession were obtained from the city through Freedom of Information Act requests more than a year after the shooting according to Topic.",
"In addition as a journalist Kalven cannot be forced to disclose his sources except in certain specific circumstances his attorney stated."
] |
As a former Marine, I looked forward to applying what I learned in the military to this simulation especially since I'm a big fan of Clancy's novels. The missions start with briefings and insertion into the drop site. How they got the team to the site isn't shown (Transporters??). I control two 3-man teams, Alpha and Bravo. Before the mission begins I go to the Dossier Room to set up your team. I assign a sniper and machine gunner to each squad since they are going to be sepearated. The game is realistic but takes a great deal of time to complete a mission. I advise saving games at each small milestone to reduce the frustration factor. The tank weapon can only be fire in kneeling and standing position and most be reloacded after each shot. This explains the freezing problem. Here's the cons and these are big ones in my book. Although the AI team members communciates with you such as they've sighted enemy. They don't give enemy positions left right etc. You can't call for your gunner to lay down fire to cover for the asaulting squad. You have to do it yourself. The squads are bunched together a lot making it easy for all to be killed by a single grenade. Squad have formations when on patrol such as Wedge, Echolon Left, Echolon Right etc. Just a running mob. The snipers don't cover for the men doing the assaulting a position and must be manual controled by you. And the biggest of them all - the graphics. Yes the graphics are good but the enemy ARE difficult to locate even swiping side to side visually. You can be shot at several times before seeing a muzzel flash if at all. The enemy indicator is sometimes wrong and I have on many occasions had enemy standing 3 feet away from me shooting. The problem is sound and peripheral vision. I need surround sound to hear where the shots are coming from and well 3-d TV to look out the corner of my eye. Also, you don't get a radio operator to call base for updates or support. Your men can be wounded and killed even after the mission is over so be careful using your best men. Again, the enemy are very difficult to locate and I have on occasion shot tree tops thinking enemy were on the ridge. My eyes on many occasions were sore because of staring at the screen looking for movement in the brush. The snipers aren't doing their job except on the ending credits when a sniper saved a soldier escorting prisoners from an enemy sniper. Brought a tear to my eye. The graphics may be to blame since the grass seems to grow as I move forward. The best missions are the airfield and urban combat. This is not a shoot em up game like Counter Strike. So don't even think you can do a "Rambo" here. | 1 | neutral | [
"As a former Marine, I looked forward to applying what I learned in the military to this simulation especially since I'm a big fan of Clancy's novels.",
"The missions start with briefings and insertion into the drop site.",
"How they got the team to the site isn't shown (Transporters??",
").",
"I control two 3-man teams, Alpha and Bravo.",
"Before the mission begins I go to the Dossier Room to set up your team.",
"I assign a sniper and machine gunner to each squad since they are going to be sepearated.",
"The game is realistic but takes a great deal of time to complete a mission.",
"I advise saving games at each small milestone to reduce the frustration factor.",
"The tank weapon can only be fire in kneeling and standing position and most be reloacded after each shot.",
"This explains the freezing problem.",
"Here's the cons and these are big ones in my book.",
"Although the AI team members communciates with you such as they've sighted enemy.",
"They don't give enemy positions left right etc.",
"You can't call for your gunner to lay down fire to cover for the asaulting squad.",
"You have to do it yourself.",
"The squads are bunched together a lot making it easy for all to be killed by a single grenade.",
"Squad have formations when on patrol such as Wedge, Echolon Left, Echolon Right etc.",
"Just a running mob.",
"The snipers don't cover for the men doing the assaulting a position and must be manual controled by you.",
"And the biggest of them all - the graphics.",
"Yes the graphics are good but the enemy ARE difficult to locate even swiping side to side visually.",
"You can be shot at several times before seeing a muzzel flash if at all.",
"The enemy indicator is sometimes wrong and I have on many occasions had enemy standing 3 feet away from me shooting.",
"The problem is sound and peripheral vision.",
"I need surround sound to hear where the shots are coming from and well 3-d TV to look out the corner of my eye.",
"Also, you don't get a radio operator to call base for updates or support.",
"Your men can be wounded and killed even after the mission is over so be careful using your best men.",
"Again, the enemy are very difficult to locate and I have on occasion shot tree tops thinking enemy were on the ridge.",
"My eyes on many occasions were sore because of staring at the screen looking for movement in the brush.",
"The snipers aren't doing their job except on the ending credits when a sniper saved a soldier escorting prisoners from an enemy sniper.",
"Brought a tear to my eye.",
"The graphics may be to blame since the grass seems to grow as I move forward.",
"The best missions are the airfield and urban combat.",
"This is not a shoot em up game like Counter Strike.",
"So don't even think you can do a \"Rambo\" here."
] |
I use this as a lip mask overnight. It works wonders. It has a vaseline feel to it. It leaves a sheen but it doesn't get everywhere which is why it's a perfect moisture mask. BUT the smell and taste is almost too much for me. It tastes like bad lipstick or something like that. It tastes like how my Grandmother's house smelled. Weird but I can't really describe it in any other way. If it didn't work so well I'd give this away because of the smell/taste. My lips are super soft in the morning. There is a slight tingle to it but nothing crazy and you don't even really notice it unless you look for it. | 1 | neutral | [
"I use this as a lip mask overnight.",
"It works wonders.",
"It has a vaseline feel to it.",
"It leaves a sheen but it doesn't get everywhere which is why it's a perfect moisture mask.",
"BUT the smell and taste is almost too much for me.",
"It tastes like bad lipstick or something like that.",
"It tastes like how my Grandmother's house smelled.",
"Weird but I can't really describe it in any other way.",
"If it didn't work so well I'd give this away because of the smell/taste.",
"My lips are super soft in the morning.",
"There is a slight tingle to it but nothing crazy and you don't even really notice it unless you look for it."
] |
I bought this game strictly because of the awesome reviews I have read about it. When I got it and popped it into my DS I was slightly disappointed. The story mode is absolutely useless. There are 3 modes where you travel to different planets, but it's generally all the same thing. There is nothing motivating you to keep going. I enjoyed playing against my friend who owns a DS, but other then that, this game doesn't really hold it's own. I tend to gravitate toward puzzle games that have story lines like 7 Wonders of the Ancient World. I am a huge puzzle fan and Meteos just doesn't hold it's own in my opinion. The graphics and sounds are cute though. Not horrible, just not the best. | 1 | neutral | [
"I bought this game strictly because of the awesome reviews I have read about it.",
"When I got it and popped it into my DS I was slightly disappointed.",
"The story mode is absolutely useless.",
"There are 3 modes where you travel to different planets, but it's generally all the same thing.",
"There is nothing motivating you to keep going.",
"I enjoyed playing against my friend who owns a DS, but other then that, this game doesn't really hold it's own.",
"I tend to gravitate toward puzzle games that have story lines like 7 Wonders of the Ancient World.",
"I am a huge puzzle fan and Meteos just doesn't hold it's own in my opinion.",
"The graphics and sounds are cute though.",
"Not horrible, just not the best."
] |
I've tried a few different language learning packages. Instant Immersion makes the mistake (for me, anyway) of going through all the basics first - numbers, months, days, blah blah. Useful but boring. Pimsleur says the same phrase umpteen times. And so on. So this approach seems the best so far in terms of interest, and some of my comments will seem like nitpicking, but it could be better.
Rosetta starts with matching words to pictures, and includes hearing, speaking, reading, and writing. You can choose which of these activities to include, but you can't fine tune it to have just reading and no writing. You have the option of displaying simplified Chinese, traditional Chinese, pinyin, or both. If you choose both, however, the pinyin is shown above the script in a font that's a little too small for easy reading on a 13.1" or 14.1" laptop screen. The title text at the top is also unclear, even on fullscreen, because it's antialiased, but that's not a huge problem, since it doesn't affect the lesson. Other than that, the interface is bright and pleasant and refreshingly different from the normal Windows dialogs.
The lessons available are limited to about half the full content until you activate the product, i.e. tie it to one PC. I've heard horror stories about transferring the activation, so be warned.
The picture/word matching thing seems to work for the most part, but there are sometimes problems. Is that a boy or a girl? What are they doing? Hard to say at first glance, since they use a couple of different pictures for the same word. Also feels strange to match "he is not doing this"-type phrases to the pictures of someone ... er ... not doing it.
Because it's an immersion-type course, sometimes you have to figure out what's going on with little or no explanation - for example the different numeratives ("one tail of fish"). You aren't told why a bicycle is called what it is. But that's part of the immersive learning process.
The program defaults to moving along automatically. Problem is, there are pages where it should stop for you to review, but it doesn't - it moves along after a second or two. If you set it to manual, you have to advance by clicking on the button for the next lesson - from a tiny row of boxes at the bottom. That could've been designed better.
In general, response is slow - a couple of seconds to get to the next page, for instance. It's a little annoying because you're not sure if the program recognized your input, so ... get used to it, or get used to clicking twice just in case.
I've heard many actors simply butcher Mandarin in movies or on TV (Serenity *cough*). For those of you having trouble with the accent, may I suggest that you think of it in terms of singing the phrase, see if that helps.
Is it worth it? If you want to learn the language at your own pace, and the price is within your budget, I would say yes. I give it three stars because of the price and the room for improvement - and the activation requirement. Considering what you pay for it, you shouldn't be treated like a criminal or inconvenienced in that way. | 1 | neutral | [
"I've tried a few different language learning packages.",
"Instant Immersion makes the mistake (for me, anyway) of going through all the basics first - numbers, months, days, blah blah.",
"Useful but boring.",
"Pimsleur says the same phrase umpteen times.",
"And so on.",
"So this approach seems the best so far in terms of interest, and some of my comments will seem like nitpicking, but it could be better.",
"Rosetta starts with matching words to pictures, and includes hearing, speaking, reading, and writing.",
"You can choose which of these activities to include, but you can't fine tune it to have just reading and no writing.",
"You have the option of displaying simplified Chinese, traditional Chinese, pinyin, or both.",
"If you choose both, however, the pinyin is shown above the script in a font that's a little too small for easy reading on a 13.",
"1\" or 14.",
"1\" laptop screen.",
"The title text at the top is also unclear, even on fullscreen, because it's antialiased, but that's not a huge problem, since it doesn't affect the lesson.",
"Other than that, the interface is bright and pleasant and refreshingly different from the normal Windows dialogs.",
"The lessons available are limited to about half the full content until you activate the product, i.",
"e. tie it to one PC.",
"I've heard horror stories about transferring the activation, so be warned.",
"The picture/word matching thing seems to work for the most part, but there are sometimes problems.",
"Is that a boy or a girl?",
"What are they doing?",
"Hard to say at first glance, since they use a couple of different pictures for the same word.",
"Also feels strange to match \"he is not doing this\"-type phrases to the pictures of someone...",
"er...",
"not doing it.",
"Because it's an immersion-type course, sometimes you have to figure out what's going on with little or no explanation - for example the different numeratives (\"one tail of fish\").",
"You aren't told why a bicycle is called what it is.",
"But that's part of the immersive learning process.",
"The program defaults to moving along automatically.",
"Problem is, there are pages where it should stop for you to review, but it doesn't - it moves along after a second or two.",
"If you set it to manual, you have to advance by clicking on the button for the next lesson - from a tiny row of boxes at the bottom.",
"That could've been designed better.",
"In general, response is slow - a couple of seconds to get to the next page, for instance.",
"It's a little annoying because you're not sure if the program recognized your input, so...",
"get used to it, or get used to clicking twice just in case.",
"I've heard many actors simply butcher Mandarin in movies or on TV (Serenity *cough*).",
"For those of you having trouble with the accent, may I suggest that you think of it in terms of singing the phrase, see if that helps.",
"Is it worth it?",
"If you want to learn the language at your own pace, and the price is within your budget, I would say yes.",
"I give it three stars because of the price and the room for improvement - and the activation requirement.",
"Considering what you pay for it, you shouldn't be treated like a criminal or inconvenienced in that way."
] |
There are a lot of bugs in this game. If you visit the creators website at: [..]
you can find a patch. I installed the patch and it displayed errors. This patch didn't seem to fix anything.
If you like Startrek games the absolute best choice is Starfleet Command Orion Pirates also known as SFC Orion Pirates.
- - - -
Startrek Legacy:
The keyboard layout was ok with me, but layout doesn't matter when the controls don't seem to work properly. Good luck targeting ships, and keeping them targeted, when your ship decides to lose interest in them for no reason. Be ready to buy a new keyboard after desperately cramming keys trying to get ships and weapons to do what they should. The overhead tactical map, crucial to the game, is nearly unuseable because of mouse-control flaws. And some of the the sparse in-game tutorial instructions still refer to game console paddle controls rather than PC controls, further proof of how rushed the game was.
STRATEGY: The main strategy is opening a menu of 5 ship areas you can repair, clicking on what is damaged, which you have to do for each ship one at a time as they won't start repairs themselves. If you want to get really technical you can scoot a slider to move power from engines to weapons or hull. The "Subsytem Targeting" is too difficult. To see mission Objectives you have to ESC out of the battle to the game menu, click on the Objectives button fighting sluggish mouse movement, exit that twice to get back to the game. You can't save the game during a mission so after an hour of struggling with poor controls a message pops up saying "Mission Has Failed" and you spend another hour getting back to where you were while being forced through lengthy in-game cut-scenes over and over. This is an old tactic for making a short game seem longer. Don't expect to issue interesting or complex commands to your ships, or any role-playing, this is a very simple shooter, and cannot compare to Klingon Academy in depth of control.
I never tried multiplayer, the complaints scared me away.
Instead you should look at Starfleet Command Orion Pirates. It is the best Startrek game out there. I highly recommend it. ***** stars and the multiplayer works well. Great fun on the LAN.
Do not waste your time or money on Startrek Legacy.
If you like my review please 'review my review'
Contact me if you would like. greg_88888 at yahoo dot com | 1 | neutral | [
"There are a lot of bugs in this game.",
"If you visit the creators website at: [..",
"]\nyou can find a patch.",
"I installed the patch and it displayed errors.",
"This patch didn't seem to fix anything.",
"If you like Startrek games the absolute best choice is Starfleet Command Orion Pirates also known as SFC Orion Pirates.",
"- - - -\n\nStartrek Legacy:\nThe keyboard layout was ok with me, but layout doesn't matter when the controls don't seem to work properly.",
"Good luck targeting ships, and keeping them targeted, when your ship decides to lose interest in them for no reason.",
"Be ready to buy a new keyboard after desperately cramming keys trying to get ships and weapons to do what they should.",
"The overhead tactical map, crucial to the game, is nearly unuseable because of mouse-control flaws.",
"And some of the the sparse in-game tutorial instructions still refer to game console paddle controls rather than PC controls, further proof of how rushed the game was.",
"STRATEGY: The main strategy is opening a menu of 5 ship areas you can repair, clicking on what is damaged, which you have to do for each ship one at a time as they won't start repairs themselves.",
"If you want to get really technical you can scoot a slider to move power from engines to weapons or hull.",
"The \"Subsytem Targeting\" is too difficult.",
"To see mission Objectives you have to ESC out of the battle to the game menu, click on the Objectives button fighting sluggish mouse movement, exit that twice to get back to the game.",
"You can't save the game during a mission so after an hour of struggling with poor controls a message pops up saying \"Mission Has Failed\" and you spend another hour getting back to where you were while being forced through lengthy in-game cut-scenes over and over.",
"This is an old tactic for making a short game seem longer.",
"Don't expect to issue interesting or complex commands to your ships, or any role-playing, this is a very simple shooter, and cannot compare to Klingon Academy in depth of control.",
"I never tried multiplayer, the complaints scared me away.",
"Instead you should look at Starfleet Command Orion Pirates.",
"It is the best Startrek game out there.",
"I highly recommend it.",
"***** stars and the multiplayer works well.",
"Great fun on the LAN.",
"Do not waste your time or money on Startrek Legacy.",
"If you like my review please 'review my review'\n Contact me if you would like.",
"greg_88888 at yahoo dot com"
] |
For many people who are currently jumping on to the PDA bandwagon, you really cant go wrong with this little device. Depending on how you look at it, when it comes to PDA's generally what you pay for is what you get. This holds true for the m100. It will do pretty much everything every other palm will do. The only difference is that you have only about 2mb of storage space compared to the 8mb most Palm units will have now. Also the other main difference is that instead of a cradle, this unit has a plug in type of sync.
Its a great gift to give someone considering how much you can get them these days. Its a great entry level PDA.
As a last piece of advice i highly recommend that you do your research before you go and by any PDA. Dont believe the PocketPC ads or even the Palm ads. Talk to a lot of people and read a lot of reviews, particularly reviews that are made my people like you or me who aren't on Palm's or Microsoft's payroll.(Unfortunately) They will really tell you a lot of things that you will really want to know.
Good Luck! Overall again this is a good introductory palm for those who don't have any type of PDA. Again it really depend on your needs in a PDA. If all you need is a place to write telephone numbers, keep a calendar, a to do list and maybe a few games, this would be adequate. However if you need to view documents, e-books, web clippings, spreadsheets, and even listen to music, you might want to go another direction. Also be prepared to part with a few more dollars. | 1 | neutral | [
"For many people who are currently jumping on to the PDA bandwagon, you really cant go wrong with this little device.",
"Depending on how you look at it, when it comes to PDA's generally what you pay for is what you get.",
"This holds true for the m100.",
"It will do pretty much everything every other palm will do.",
"The only difference is that you have only about 2mb of storage space compared to the 8mb most Palm units will have now.",
"Also the other main difference is that instead of a cradle, this unit has a plug in type of sync.",
"Its a great gift to give someone considering how much you can get them these days.",
"Its a great entry level PDA.",
"As a last piece of advice i highly recommend that you do your research before you go and by any PDA.",
"Dont believe the PocketPC ads or even the Palm ads.",
"Talk to a lot of people and read a lot of reviews, particularly reviews that are made my people like you or me who aren't on Palm's or Microsoft's payroll.",
"(Unfortunately) They will really tell you a lot of things that you will really want to know.",
"Good Luck!",
"Overall again this is a good introductory palm for those who don't have any type of PDA.",
"Again it really depend on your needs in a PDA.",
"If all you need is a place to write telephone numbers, keep a calendar, a to do list and maybe a few games, this would be adequate.",
"However if you need to view documents, e-books, web clippings, spreadsheets, and even listen to music, you might want to go another direction.",
"Also be prepared to part with a few more dollars."
] |
Bought these to drill Porcelian Tile. This Tile is extremely hard. My Tile guy also installed Shower doors. Took him half a day to drill 10 holes for the wall frames and went through 2 Diamond Bits ( $26.00 each ) I wanted these to install a grab bar myself. (they do say for Tile) However, These Bit's walked all over the place. and were useless. Ended up getting a 1/4 " Diamond Bit from Home Depot for the 6 holes I needed. ( Milwaukee 15.00) Slow going.. about 10 to 15 Minutes for each hole, but it did the job. Bit was also wearing down though and last hole took longer. Note: Don't bother with these. Maybe they work on Ceramic and Glass. Get a Diamond bit and you need to start at a 45 degree angle to start the hole (score) and gradually move it up to 90 Degrees. Keep dipping in water too, to keep the Bit cool. | 1 | neutral | [
"Bought these to drill Porcelian Tile.",
"This Tile is extremely hard.",
"My Tile guy also installed Shower doors.",
"Took him half a day to drill 10 holes for the wall frames and went through 2 Diamond Bits ( $26.",
"00 each ) I wanted these to install a grab bar myself.",
"(they do say for Tile) However, These Bit's walked all over the place.",
"and were useless.",
"Ended up getting a 1/4 \" Diamond Bit from Home Depot for the 6 holes I needed.",
"( Milwaukee 15.",
"00) Slow going..",
"about 10 to 15 Minutes for each hole, but it did the job.",
"Bit was also wearing down though and last hole took longer.",
"Note: Don't bother with these.",
"Maybe they work on Ceramic and Glass.",
"Get a Diamond bit and you need to start at a 45 degree angle to start the hole (score) and gradually move it up to 90 Degrees.",
"Keep dipping in water too, to keep the Bit cool."
] |
To be fair, I haven't had marzipan for almost 40 years, so I don't know what it's supposed to taste like or whether what I had back then was considered good. Some relatives made marzipan for Christmas, and as a kid, I thought it was delicious. I'm not sure why I never bothered finding any for so long. When I saw this brand available through Prime Pantry, I thought I'd try it.
These confections are soft and fresh but almost sickeningly sweet--and I have a sweet tooth. I'm not a fan of the flavor. From what I read, I guess that is a strong rosewater-and-sugar taste. I will say that if you're craving something sweet, one of these babies will knock that craving right out, and two are far too many. Perhaps this quality has some value as a diet aid; after all, one piece is less than 100 calories.
Bottom line: I don't think I will buy this again, but I might try to make my own at home. | 1 | neutral | [
"To be fair, I haven't had marzipan for almost 40 years, so I don't know what it's supposed to taste like or whether what I had back then was considered good.",
"Some relatives made marzipan for Christmas, and as a kid, I thought it was delicious.",
"I'm not sure why I never bothered finding any for so long.",
"When I saw this brand available through Prime Pantry, I thought I'd try it.",
"These confections are soft and fresh but almost sickeningly sweet--and I have a sweet tooth.",
"I'm not a fan of the flavor.",
"From what I read, I guess that is a strong rosewater-and-sugar taste.",
"I will say that if you're craving something sweet, one of these babies will knock that craving right out, and two are far too many.",
"Perhaps this quality has some value as a diet aid; after all, one piece is less than 100 calories.",
"Bottom line: I don't think I will buy this again, but I might try to make my own at home."
] |
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