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Not the greatest game ever, but a really good game nonetheless. The same overview and gameplay as the other two, but Return of the King has a little special pizzazz.
Pros: Of course, one of the greatest story lines ever.
Gameplay is fantastic, orc killing for everyone.
Realistic; turns from movie to game scenes and you barely notice.
Level system, like the others, more killing moves and spells for Gandalf and the others
Easy to learn controls...of course, only six buttons.
Follows story line, as much as possible, and thank Sir Ian Mckellen for more game-exclusive dialogue than any of the others
Specials: movie stills, concept art, interviews and the like.
Cons: As with most all fighting games, one button or combo move is used excusively.
13 levels, and most can be played by multiple characters, but the game can be beat in one rental...that could also be a pro.
Not much bad can be said of the game; besides all the small petty stuff. Fantastic game, no blood or anything gory or vulgar, so fun for all ages. Good luck. | 2 | positive | [
"Not the greatest game ever, but a really good game nonetheless.",
"The same overview and gameplay as the other two, but Return of the King has a little special pizzazz.",
"Pros: Of course, one of the greatest story lines ever.",
"Gameplay is fantastic, orc killing for everyone.",
"Realistic; turns from movie to game scenes and you barely notice.",
"Level system, like the others, more killing moves and spells for Gandalf and the others\n Easy to learn controls...",
"of course, only six buttons.",
"Follows story line, as much as possible, and thank Sir Ian Mckellen for more game-exclusive dialogue than any of the others\n Specials: movie stills, concept art, interviews and the like.",
"Cons: As with most all fighting games, one button or combo move is used excusively.",
"13 levels, and most can be played by multiple characters, but the game can be beat in one rental...",
"that could also be a pro.",
"Not much bad can be said of the game; besides all the small petty stuff.",
"Fantastic game, no blood or anything gory or vulgar, so fun for all ages.",
"Good luck."
] |
Designed to accommodate most "standard" shaped guitar picks, this Dunlop pick holder is handy little spring loaded device, for storing picks. You can mix brands and types, but how many picks can fit inside, will vary from around three, to perhaps a dozen. As a guide, about 10 Dunlop 0.60mm nylon picks will fit, but only 4 Dunlop 1.50mm Delrin picks. Even thick irregular picks like the Dunlop 3.0 Big Stubby will fit, however the total number will be greatly reduced.
Build quality is good, but forcing too many picks inside, could cause the spring to fail, or the seam to split. A piece of double stick tape, shaped to match the pick holder, is included. The tape does a barely passable job of hold the device in place. I stuck mine on the backside of the headstock of my guitar, and while it stays in place, it's pretty wobbly.
Color options at this time seem to be limited to black, but if you have DIY skills, you could paint it whatever color you like. This is a decent buy, below the two dollar level. I prefer this model over the <a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Dunlop-5505-pick-holder/dp/B0002OOMU8/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Dunlop 5505 pick holder</a>, because it seems to be sturdier, and I like the more rounded appearance. | 2 | positive | [
"Designed to accommodate most \"standard\" shaped guitar picks, this Dunlop pick holder is handy little spring loaded device, for storing picks.",
"You can mix brands and types, but how many picks can fit inside, will vary from around three, to perhaps a dozen.",
"As a guide, about 10 Dunlop 0.",
"60mm nylon picks will fit, but only 4 Dunlop 1.",
"50mm Delrin picks.",
"Even thick irregular picks like the Dunlop 3.",
"0 Big Stubby will fit, however the total number will be greatly reduced.",
"Build quality is good, but forcing too many picks inside, could cause the spring to fail, or the seam to split.",
"A piece of double stick tape, shaped to match the pick holder, is included.",
"The tape does a barely passable job of hold the device in place.",
"I stuck mine on the backside of the headstock of my guitar, and while it stays in place, it's pretty wobbly.",
"Color options at this time seem to be limited to black, but if you have DIY skills, you could paint it whatever color you like.",
"This is a decent buy, below the two dollar level.",
"I prefer this model over the <a data-hook=\"product-link-linked\" class=\"a-link-normal\" href=\"/Dunlop-5505-pick-holder/dp/B0002OOMU8/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?",
"ie=UTF8\">Dunlop 5505 pick holder</a>, because it seems to be sturdier, and I like the more rounded appearance."
] |
If you cannot tell, I like the the G2.
Historically, cheap pens wrote poorly, bled, had a short life, and/or were not smooth. The Pilot G2 really changed all of that...it's really rewritten the book. It improves upon other disposable pens and inexpensive cartridges in every way imaginable, and it honestly writes as well as many refills I have used that cost $10+ per cartridge (like from Parker, Fisher, Schmidt, Mont Blanc, etc.) And it works in many different pen models. If you have not jumped on the G2 revolution yet, I suggest joining. The price of signing up is very inexpensive, and there are a lot of benefits.
WHY buy the G2/G2 refills? Well...
--smooth-this is the smoothest you get for the money by far, and many pens/refills costing 5x+ cannot match this!
--good life-unlike older gels/rollers, the life of these are greatly improved
--more practical-these do not bleed like older wet designs have
--fast drying-these smear very, very little (red and purple tends to smear more than the other colors, for whatever reason FYI)
--durable ink-this ink holds up better over time than older generation gel/rollerballs have and resists fading from UV light super well
--colors-blue, black, green, and red all use colors that are easy on the eyes, give good contrast, and aren't ugly. I think their green is the best looking green ink you can get.
--versatility-all levels of fine points work well, from standard bold to ultra fine (historically, fine point gels/rollers have stunk)
--write on most anything-these will write on paper products many other pens struggle with, such as Super Sticky PostIts
--value--try to find a pen that writes this well for anywhere remotely close to the price...least I haven't found anything that comes even close!
Ultimately, you really cannot beat this at the price. All of the colors offered here look great on paper (bold but not goofy/gaudy.)
These pens are the "fine" point (0.7mm AKA G2-07) and they are my favorite for all-around usage. The Ultra Fine (and to a lesser extent Extra Fine) are really specialty writing tools more so than general usage pens. Like most ultra fine tips, they limit practicality to some degree because the finer tip is by default harsher on paper and is not going to write as smoothly. I think for general usage that the fine .7mm (AKA G2-07) is really the best as it is super smooth but still fine tipped enough for smaller writing. The Ultra Fine .38mm is awesome for precision writing, drawing, plotting when you need a pen with a degree of fine for a freshly sharpened pencil tip, but its not nearly as good for general usage.
So overall, all that is left for you to do is buy these and enjoy them. You won't regret it. Use a G2 for a few days and it will be hard to go back... | 2 | positive | [
"If you cannot tell, I like the the G2.",
"Historically, cheap pens wrote poorly, bled, had a short life, and/or were not smooth.",
"The Pilot G2 really changed all of that...",
"it's really rewritten the book.",
"It improves upon other disposable pens and inexpensive cartridges in every way imaginable, and it honestly writes as well as many refills I have used that cost $10+ per cartridge (like from Parker, Fisher, Schmidt, Mont Blanc, etc.",
") And it works in many different pen models.",
"If you have not jumped on the G2 revolution yet, I suggest joining.",
"The price of signing up is very inexpensive, and there are a lot of benefits.",
"WHY buy the G2/G2 refills?",
"Well...",
"--smooth-this is the smoothest you get for the money by far, and many pens/refills costing 5x+ cannot match this!",
"--good life-unlike older gels/rollers, the life of these are greatly improved\n--more practical-these do not bleed like older wet designs have\n--fast drying-these smear very, very little (red and purple tends to smear more than the other colors, for whatever reason FYI)\n--durable ink-this ink holds up better over time than older generation gel/rollerballs have and resists fading from UV light super well\n--colors-blue, black, green, and red all use colors that are easy on the eyes, give good contrast, and aren't ugly.",
"I think their green is the best looking green ink you can get.",
"--versatility-all levels of fine points work well, from standard bold to ultra fine (historically, fine point gels/rollers have stunk)\n--write on most anything-these will write on paper products many other pens struggle with, such as Super Sticky PostIts\n--value--try to find a pen that writes this well for anywhere remotely close to the price...",
"least I haven't found anything that comes even close!",
"Ultimately, you really cannot beat this at the price.",
"All of the colors offered here look great on paper (bold but not goofy/gaudy.",
")\n\nThese pens are the \"fine\" point (0.",
"7mm AKA G2-07) and they are my favorite for all-around usage.",
"The Ultra Fine (and to a lesser extent Extra Fine) are really specialty writing tools more so than general usage pens.",
"Like most ultra fine tips, they limit practicality to some degree because the finer tip is by default harsher on paper and is not going to write as smoothly.",
"I think for general usage that the fine.",
"7mm (AKA G2-07) is really the best as it is super smooth but still fine tipped enough for smaller writing.",
"The Ultra Fine.",
"38mm is awesome for precision writing, drawing, plotting when you need a pen with a degree of fine for a freshly sharpened pencil tip, but its not nearly as good for general usage.",
"So overall, all that is left for you to do is buy these and enjoy them.",
"You won't regret it.",
"Use a G2 for a few days and it will be hard to go back..."
] |
I have acne-prone, combination skin. I have dark spots from previous break outs. I've tried "fade" creams and other lightening products to no avail. So I didn't expect much from this one. But I was wrong. After two consecutive nights of using this product, my entire face looks more even. I used it over my entire face, not just the dark spots. My face looks more even and my discoloration less noticeable. I remember seeing Obagi products at my dermatologist's office several years ago. I believe they used to offer the Obaji Blue peel as therapy for discoloration and acne. I trust this brand, especially now I've seen how effective it is. | 2 | positive | [
"I have acne-prone, combination skin.",
"I have dark spots from previous break outs.",
"I've tried \"fade\" creams and other lightening products to no avail.",
"So I didn't expect much from this one.",
"But I was wrong.",
"After two consecutive nights of using this product, my entire face looks more even.",
"I used it over my entire face, not just the dark spots.",
"My face looks more even and my discoloration less noticeable.",
"I remember seeing Obagi products at my dermatologist's office several years ago.",
"I believe they used to offer the Obaji Blue peel as therapy for discoloration and acne.",
"I trust this brand, especially now I've seen how effective it is."
] |
These are the heroes of the Las Vegas shooting
Jack and Laurie Beaton attended the Route 91 Harvest festival in Las Vegas to celebrate their 23rd wedding anniversary. They sat sipping beers and enjoying the concert on the grass.
Laurie posted to Facebook 'Here's to 23 wonderful years and looking forward to 23 more.'
Less than an hour later Laurie felt a bullet fly by her shoulder. Jerry Cook Laurie 's father recalled a conversation with her in an interview with the Los Angeles Times.
'Jack got on top of Laurie to protect her . He laid on top of her and said ' Laurie I love you.' She said 'I love you too ' and boom -- he got hit. I don't know how many times ' Cook said.
Rescue workers ushered Laurie and others members of her group to safety. Jack had already been removed from the scene when she returned looking for his body. | 2 | positive | [
"These are the heroes of the Las Vegas shooting\nJack and Laurie Beaton attended the Route 91 Harvest festival in Las Vegas to celebrate their 23rd wedding anniversary.",
"They sat sipping beers and enjoying the concert on the grass.",
"Laurie posted to Facebook 'Here's to 23 wonderful years and looking forward to 23 more.",
"'\nLess than an hour later Laurie felt a bullet fly by her shoulder.",
"Jerry Cook Laurie 's father recalled a conversation with her in an interview with the Los Angeles Times.",
"'Jack got on top of Laurie to protect her.",
"He laid on top of her and said ' Laurie I love you.",
"' She said 'I love you too ' and boom -- he got hit.",
"I don't know how many times ' Cook said.",
"Rescue workers ushered Laurie and others members of her group to safety.",
"Jack had already been removed from the scene when she returned looking for his body."
] |
...to be honest, prospective purchasers would be better served by purchasing a copy of the novel and the DVD separately. The book included with the set is very cheaply printed, is often difficult to read because of poor typesetting (facsimile of the original printing?), and doesn't even include a copyright. My suggestion is to find a good-quality paperback (Everyman's is probably fine and is certain to be priced right) that includes critiques, some annotation, and all the other goodies included with contemporary printings of literary classics. There's a reason why Jane Austen has been in print for 200 years, and it's not due to her being a "dead white chick." First-time readers are to be envied.
Austen translates very well to the screen, and this film joins a group of other very enjoyable screen adaptations of her works. The only extras on this disk are a trailer, two commentaries (both fun and informative), and a few deleted scenes that really would've served no purpose other than disturbing the pace of the film. There are a number of subtitle options, including various Asian languages (perhaps a concession to Ang Lee fans). The print is nice and sharp, and is widescreen but not--unfortunately--anamorphic, the sound is clear, and the soundtrack is beautiful and sparingly utilized.
The movie itself is a joy, and I'm delighted that something of this quality is actually produced these days. It's very true to the spirit, if not the exact letter, of the novel, and contains not one expletive or hint of innuendo (except of manners). Ms. Thompson and Mr. Lee manage to treat us to a consistently engaging slice of Regency life that reminds us that the reason why classics are still read is that they're relevant, ultimately, to the human experience in general. Virtually anyone, regardless of background, can relate to these characters and their situations.
Ignore quibblers who complain that Thompson is too old for the part; these are the same types who'd complain that Mary Martin was too old to play Maria in The Sound of Music. My advice is to always judge a performance, ultimately, as the sum of its parts, which often really is greater than scrutiny of its individual components would indicate. This film is a winner any way you add it up, and is definitely worth owning. | 2 | positive | [
"...",
"to be honest, prospective purchasers would be better served by purchasing a copy of the novel and the DVD separately.",
"The book included with the set is very cheaply printed, is often difficult to read because of poor typesetting (facsimile of the original printing?",
"), and doesn't even include a copyright.",
"My suggestion is to find a good-quality paperback (Everyman's is probably fine and is certain to be priced right) that includes critiques, some annotation, and all the other goodies included with contemporary printings of literary classics.",
"There's a reason why Jane Austen has been in print for 200 years, and it's not due to her being a \"dead white chick.",
"\" First-time readers are to be envied.",
"Austen translates very well to the screen, and this film joins a group of other very enjoyable screen adaptations of her works.",
"The only extras on this disk are a trailer, two commentaries (both fun and informative), and a few deleted scenes that really would've served no purpose other than disturbing the pace of the film.",
"There are a number of subtitle options, including various Asian languages (perhaps a concession to Ang Lee fans).",
"The print is nice and sharp, and is widescreen but not--unfortunately--anamorphic, the sound is clear, and the soundtrack is beautiful and sparingly utilized.",
"The movie itself is a joy, and I'm delighted that something of this quality is actually produced these days.",
"It's very true to the spirit, if not the exact letter, of the novel, and contains not one expletive or hint of innuendo (except of manners).",
"Ms.",
"Thompson and Mr.",
"Lee manage to treat us to a consistently engaging slice of Regency life that reminds us that the reason why classics are still read is that they're relevant, ultimately, to the human experience in general.",
"Virtually anyone, regardless of background, can relate to these characters and their situations.",
"Ignore quibblers who complain that Thompson is too old for the part; these are the same types who'd complain that Mary Martin was too old to play Maria in The Sound of Music.",
"My advice is to always judge a performance, ultimately, as the sum of its parts, which often really is greater than scrutiny of its individual components would indicate.",
"This film is a winner any way you add it up, and is definitely worth owning."
] |
Yep this game has lived up to every ounce of the hype and praise it has received. Everyone pretty much told you about the game but I'll give you a breakdown.
Pros:
*Osmosis---this cat is THE TRUTH...he can completely change the course of a game in two or three plays
Street Legends such as MJ, Magic, Pistol Pete, Earl The Pearl Monroe and Tiny Archibald
More and better moves and dunks ( Off The Heezay, back 2 Papa)
Custom moves--- now every player doesn't have the same moves and each legend and street player has their own custom move...you can mix and match these different dunks and moves on your created player
Trick Points- now the game rewards you for those sick moves and then pulling up for a sweet jumper right in someone's eye. No longer do you have to finish the play with a dunk to get lots of trick points...I picked up 50,000 pts. off a regular play..no gamebreaker involved. Level 2 GB are also welcomed.
Be A Legend Mode-now the game has EXPONENTIALLY more replay value...this mode is long
The difficulty has been raised (until you max out like three characters )...no longer can you get Bonafide and just rip through the defense with very little trouble...nope now they can trick counter to steal the ball
Better defense
Better music and commentary (thank the lord) Just Blaze, Nate Dogg, Talib Kweli, MC Lyte...they even include the classic masterpiece Pete Rock & CL Smooth's T.R.O.Y.!!!
Cons:
You can only put 5 players on a team
The legends pretty much suck when you get them on your team...they are good when you play them but it seems like they get sorrier when you add them to your team. Whitewater just plain out sucks.
Rebounds...when the computer wants the rebound they get it. One time I had my custom player who's specialty is boards, Kobe Bryant, and ben Wallace vying for a board at the same time and Biggie Little who is 5'4'' 90lbs comes up with the rebound. Ridiculous!
It seems like once you get the gamebreaker it is impossible to steal the ball from the computer, even though you had been stealing the ball all game, they manage to keep it away from you...then they shoot it from half court and get the rebound therefore successfully running out your GB.
Hookups aint what they used to be---you are lucky to get 15000 pts. Off a hookup alley oop with all members involved
Crowds are wack and unexcited
As you have read the Pros far outweigh the Cons. This is probably the best game I have ever played and it's even more fun when you have friends to play it with. This is a greater game than the first one by far. 5 stars...must have. | 2 | positive | [
"Yep this game has lived up to every ounce of the hype and praise it has received.",
"Everyone pretty much told you about the game but I'll give you a breakdown.",
"Pros:\n*Osmosis---this cat is THE TRUTH...",
"he can completely change the course of a game in two or three plays\n Street Legends such as MJ, Magic, Pistol Pete, Earl The Pearl Monroe and Tiny Archibald\n More and better moves and dunks ( Off The Heezay, back 2 Papa)\n Custom moves--- now every player doesn't have the same moves and each legend and street player has their own custom move...",
"you can mix and match these different dunks and moves on your created player\n Trick Points- now the game rewards you for those sick moves and then pulling up for a sweet jumper right in someone's eye.",
"No longer do you have to finish the play with a dunk to get lots of trick points...",
"I picked up 50,000 pts.",
"off a regular play..",
"no gamebreaker involved.",
"Level 2 GB are also welcomed.",
"Be A Legend Mode-now the game has EXPONENTIALLY more replay value...",
"this mode is long\n The difficulty has been raised (until you max out like three characters )...",
"no longer can you get Bonafide and just rip through the defense with very little trouble...",
"nope now they can trick counter to steal the ball\n Better defense\n Better music and commentary (thank the lord) Just Blaze, Nate Dogg, Talib Kweli, MC Lyte...",
"they even include the classic masterpiece Pete Rock & CL Smooth's T.",
"R.O.Y.!!!",
"Cons:\n You can only put 5 players on a team\n The legends pretty much suck when you get them on your team...",
"they are good when you play them but it seems like they get sorrier when you add them to your team.",
"Whitewater just plain out sucks.",
"Rebounds...",
"when the computer wants the rebound they get it.",
"One time I had my custom player who's specialty is boards, Kobe Bryant, and ben Wallace vying for a board at the same time and Biggie Little who is 5'4'' 90lbs comes up with the rebound.",
"Ridiculous!",
"It seems like once you get the gamebreaker it is impossible to steal the ball from the computer, even though you had been stealing the ball all game, they manage to keep it away from you...",
"then they shoot it from half court and get the rebound therefore successfully running out your GB.",
"Hookups aint what they used to be---you are lucky to get 15000 pts.",
"Off a hookup alley oop with all members involved\n Crowds are wack and unexcited\nAs you have read the Pros far outweigh the Cons.",
"This is probably the best game I have ever played and it's even more fun when you have friends to play it with.",
"This is a greater game than the first one by far.",
"5 stars...",
"must have."
] |
I decided that I simply must read the book before I saw the movie. It has been my experience movie versions are typically vastly inferior to the books themselves. With that in mind, let's move on to the book review.
When the book begins, Gregory introduces us to Mary Boleyn, the younger sister of the much more famous Anne Boleyn, or Queen Anne of England and second wife of Henry VIII. Mary was married at the tender age of twelve to William Carey, yet another courtier. As a member of the powerful Boleyn family, Mary's marriage to William Carey was arranged and in reality was not much of a marriage at all. By the age of fourteen, Mary was King Henry's lover and confidante. We learn that she went on to (supposedly) bear him two children: a boy and a girl.
Mary's favor in Henry's court, however, burns out quickly after the birth of her son. She discovers that dancing to the Boleyn family's tune is not what she wants and her disinterest in Henry rapidly turns his interest toward Anne. It is then that Mary becomes the other Boleyn girl.
Anne spends six long years courting Henry, and her efforts clearly exhaust her. Mary is expected to answer her sister's every whim, her every beck and call. She is of no import to her family other than what she can do for Anne.
Anne is not someone you'd wish to know in your daily life. She's scheming, backstabbing, temperamental, witty, charming, clever, and too confident for her own good. All of those traits are what ultimately lead her to her fall from grace. But Mary has a love-hate relationship with her sister. They are each other's best friend but worst enemy as well.
George, Mary and Anne's brother, throws another wrench into the equation. It's clear that he has homosexual desires, which was a deadly sin in those days when the Catholic Church ruled the western European world. Yet he also has a disturbingly close relationship with Anne, and the book implies that it could have been an incestuous one.
Gregory managed to throw so many twists and turns into her historically based novel that I never really knew what was coming next. I knew the Anne Boleyn story from history classes in high school and college, but I actually find her sister Mary's story more intriguing. After all, Mary was the only Boleyn sibling who managed to survive during the period of Anne and George's trials. Was it a survival instinct on her part? Or was it wisdom? Perhaps it was self-preservation?
We'll never know.
Gregory certainly has a gripping writing style, and for most of the book, I felt as if I were reading Mary's intimate diary and not a historically based fictionalized account of her life. Kudos to Gregory. I can't wait to read the second book in the series. | 2 | positive | [
"I decided that I simply must read the book before I saw the movie.",
"It has been my experience movie versions are typically vastly inferior to the books themselves.",
"With that in mind, let's move on to the book review.",
"When the book begins, Gregory introduces us to Mary Boleyn, the younger sister of the much more famous Anne Boleyn, or Queen Anne of England and second wife of Henry VIII.",
"Mary was married at the tender age of twelve to William Carey, yet another courtier.",
"As a member of the powerful Boleyn family, Mary's marriage to William Carey was arranged and in reality was not much of a marriage at all.",
"By the age of fourteen, Mary was King Henry's lover and confidante.",
"We learn that she went on to (supposedly) bear him two children: a boy and a girl.",
"Mary's favor in Henry's court, however, burns out quickly after the birth of her son.",
"She discovers that dancing to the Boleyn family's tune is not what she wants and her disinterest in Henry rapidly turns his interest toward Anne.",
"It is then that Mary becomes the other Boleyn girl.",
"Anne spends six long years courting Henry, and her efforts clearly exhaust her.",
"Mary is expected to answer her sister's every whim, her every beck and call.",
"She is of no import to her family other than what she can do for Anne.",
"Anne is not someone you'd wish to know in your daily life.",
"She's scheming, backstabbing, temperamental, witty, charming, clever, and too confident for her own good.",
"All of those traits are what ultimately lead her to her fall from grace.",
"But Mary has a love-hate relationship with her sister.",
"They are each other's best friend but worst enemy as well.",
"George, Mary and Anne's brother, throws another wrench into the equation.",
"It's clear that he has homosexual desires, which was a deadly sin in those days when the Catholic Church ruled the western European world.",
"Yet he also has a disturbingly close relationship with Anne, and the book implies that it could have been an incestuous one.",
"Gregory managed to throw so many twists and turns into her historically based novel that I never really knew what was coming next.",
"I knew the Anne Boleyn story from history classes in high school and college, but I actually find her sister Mary's story more intriguing.",
"After all, Mary was the only Boleyn sibling who managed to survive during the period of Anne and George's trials.",
"Was it a survival instinct on her part?",
"Or was it wisdom?",
"Perhaps it was self-preservation?",
"We'll never know.",
"Gregory certainly has a gripping writing style, and for most of the book, I felt as if I were reading Mary's intimate diary and not a historically based fictionalized account of her life.",
"Kudos to Gregory.",
"I can't wait to read the second book in the series."
] |
Anthrax unleased this monster of a album on the unsuspecting public in 1987. Many fans would probably agree that this is by far the absolute peak of Anthrax's creative and musical genius. I myself would agree, since i have worn-out at least 4 copys of this album from repeated listenings. This was were Anthrax found themselves after a generic "Spreading The Dieses",unfortuanatly "State Of Euphoria" wasn't so good.
The first thing is that this album has the coolest cover art ever(that is if you are a Stephen King fan like i am), a illustration of Randall Flagg in the middle of a crowd of faceless people, just smiling. If you have ever read The Stand by Stephen King, you will know that he is one of the most evil characters in modern fictional literature. That was one of the things i have always liked about the guys in Anthrax, while their contemporarys were writing about gruesome subjects (like Slayer and Megadeth namely), these guys wrote songs about pop-culture, movies/books/people that they liked and some things that they hated. This album has all of that and more, some of the most clever song subjects and lyrics call this album home, and it is all put to the best thrash(w/ a dash of hardcore)you will hear in your life. The album kicks of with the title track which lyrically is inspired by The Stand from Stephen King, going from a haunting crawl to an all out thrash fest. CAUGHT IN A MOSH is one of thier most famous songs, it argueabley invented the term "mosh" and moshpits. I AM THE LAW is one of my all time favorites! they decided that they needed to write a song about the exploits of the bands favorite comic book character, DUDGE DREDD. I gotta tell you that Dredd is one of my all time favorite characters, and this song makes me estatic. N.F.L.(EFILNEKUFESIN) was venting anger over the death of comedian legend John Belushi. SKELETON IN THE CLOSET is another Stepen King song, based on his novella Apt Pupil. INDIANS is the first song where the band tried to tackel a world issue, in this case, the treatment of Native Americans by the U.S. goverment. This is IMHO the best song Anthrax ever wrote, just listen to the chorus and the power of Joe Bellodonna's voice on this, add to that, that Joe is of Native American decent and it only adds to the songs genuiness. ONE WORLD is another serious song, although it's lyricaly a bit dated. It was an attack on Ronald Reagan and his policies, but one could easily apply this to the idiot in the oval office right now. After all of the awesome songs on this album which almost plays out like a greatest hits, the only complaint i have (a minor one at that) is that it ends on a rather bland note. A.D.I./HORROR OF IT ALL is 7 minutes of pure filler, i listen to that hypnotic acoutic intro, then skip it. IMATATION OF LIFE had potential but let me down. Even though the last two tracks are duds, that does not diminish the power of AMOUNG THE LIVING in the least bit. This is simpley one of the greatest things i have listened to in my life. When people name greatest thrash albums of all time, some will say "Reign in Blood", others "Peace Sells", most say "Master of Puppets" and a minority will say "Bonded by Blood", but i always think AMOUNG THE LIVING when the mention of the gendre comes up, to me, this is the essential thrash album. All of the songs are fist pumping, with angry shout-outs to boot, its got that essence of hardcore in it as well, mainly because of Charlie Benante's drumming and the backing vocals. I was disapointed with the follow up STATE OF EUPHORIA, which sounded like a watered down version of ATL, and don't even get me started on that clown John Bush. The thing is that i think that all of their other albums are just average to this, it has kind of spoiled me to the rest of Anthrax's music, oh well!
Get this if you know whats good for you! I brought this over to my freind Tony's place, and he S H I T a brick when he heard it. This was much differant from his standard rotaion stack of Pantera,Whitezombie/Rob zombie,Static X and Manson. I tell you that fans were born that day! | 2 | positive | [
"Anthrax unleased this monster of a album on the unsuspecting public in 1987.",
"Many fans would probably agree that this is by far the absolute peak of Anthrax's creative and musical genius.",
"I myself would agree, since i have worn-out at least 4 copys of this album from repeated listenings.",
"This was were Anthrax found themselves after a generic \"Spreading The Dieses\",unfortuanatly \"State Of Euphoria\" wasn't so good.",
"The first thing is that this album has the coolest cover art ever(that is if you are a Stephen King fan like i am), a illustration of Randall Flagg in the middle of a crowd of faceless people, just smiling.",
"If you have ever read The Stand by Stephen King, you will know that he is one of the most evil characters in modern fictional literature.",
"That was one of the things i have always liked about the guys in Anthrax, while their contemporarys were writing about gruesome subjects (like Slayer and Megadeth namely), these guys wrote songs about pop-culture, movies/books/people that they liked and some things that they hated.",
"This album has all of that and more, some of the most clever song subjects and lyrics call this album home, and it is all put to the best thrash(w/ a dash of hardcore)you will hear in your life.",
"The album kicks of with the title track which lyrically is inspired by The Stand from Stephen King, going from a haunting crawl to an all out thrash fest.",
"CAUGHT IN A MOSH is one of thier most famous songs, it argueabley invented the term \"mosh\" and moshpits.",
"I AM THE LAW is one of my all time favorites!",
"they decided that they needed to write a song about the exploits of the bands favorite comic book character, DUDGE DREDD.",
"I gotta tell you that Dredd is one of my all time favorite characters, and this song makes me estatic.",
"N.",
"F.L.(EFILNEKUFESIN) was venting anger over the death of comedian legend John Belushi.",
"SKELETON IN THE CLOSET is another Stepen King song, based on his novella Apt Pupil.",
"INDIANS is the first song where the band tried to tackel a world issue, in this case, the treatment of Native Americans by the U.",
"S. goverment.",
"This is IMHO the best song Anthrax ever wrote, just listen to the chorus and the power of Joe Bellodonna's voice on this, add to that, that Joe is of Native American decent and it only adds to the songs genuiness.",
"ONE WORLD is another serious song, although it's lyricaly a bit dated.",
"It was an attack on Ronald Reagan and his policies, but one could easily apply this to the idiot in the oval office right now.",
"After all of the awesome songs on this album which almost plays out like a greatest hits, the only complaint i have (a minor one at that) is that it ends on a rather bland note.",
"A.",
"D.I./HORROR OF IT ALL is 7 minutes of pure filler, i listen to that hypnotic acoutic intro, then skip it.",
"IMATATION OF LIFE had potential but let me down.",
"Even though the last two tracks are duds, that does not diminish the power of AMOUNG THE LIVING in the least bit.",
"This is simpley one of the greatest things i have listened to in my life.",
"When people name greatest thrash albums of all time, some will say \"Reign in Blood\", others \"Peace Sells\", most say \"Master of Puppets\" and a minority will say \"Bonded by Blood\", but i always think AMOUNG THE LIVING when the mention of the gendre comes up, to me, this is the essential thrash album.",
"All of the songs are fist pumping, with angry shout-outs to boot, its got that essence of hardcore in it as well, mainly because of Charlie Benante's drumming and the backing vocals.",
"I was disapointed with the follow up STATE OF EUPHORIA, which sounded like a watered down version of ATL, and don't even get me started on that clown John Bush.",
"The thing is that i think that all of their other albums are just average to this, it has kind of spoiled me to the rest of Anthrax's music, oh well!",
"Get this if you know whats good for you!",
"I brought this over to my freind Tony's place, and he S H I T a brick when he heard it.",
"This was much differant from his standard rotaion stack of Pantera,Whitezombie/Rob zombie,Static X and Manson.",
"I tell you that fans were born that day!"
] |
Just like Windows 7 Ultimate for my dual-booting Intel Macs, Windows 7 Professional on my former Vista laptop makes for a great Internet access terminal from the comfort of our futon. It also makes for a great secondary Windows 7 laptop for trips to my Aunt Wilda and Uncle Eay's house. When we are there it sits in their living room with an external Microsoft mouse and it is perfect for that too.
You see, I insist on optimum software for my computers, so that they can do everything I need. Windows Vista Home Premium on that laptop just was not providing it. It wasn't as terrible as some people say it is, because I spent more money for better hardware. But there were times when I wanted to take it back-and one time I almost did. They didn't accept it though, and that was most fortunate as it turned out.
And yes, I found out that Windows Vista Home Premium couldn't be upgraded in place to Windows 7 Professional. But unlike some people, I had seen that, for me at least, Windows 7 was worth the hassle, and sure enough it has been.
I use Office 2007 on the Professional laptop as well as the Ultimate MacBook Pro, and it has pleased me to all get out. I however don't have any more resources for legal Office 2007, so the iMac will get 2010 Professional through that student offer once I get enough money. Windows 7 and Office 2007, especially on the Professional laptop, seems to be plenty sufficient though-Daddy is the resident March Madness Bracketologist at his workplace and Windows 7 Professional amd Office 2007 Professional's cooperation has really benefited him in that.
I love being able to Remote Desktop the Windows 7 laptop from the iMac or MacBook Pro, although I might have to try Windows Live Mesh from Windows Live Essentials to see if it can remote desktop in Aero like on the commercials.
I like Windows 7 Professional on the former Windows 7 laptop just as much as I do Windows 7 Ultimate on the Intel Macs, considering their respective purposes. Their roles are different, but each fulfills it's role perfectly, and Windows 7 Professional facilitates that in a way Windows 7 Home Premium just wouldn't.
Update 1-17-2013: I will be updating all of the reviews for all of the Windows 7 installers I have on tap to reflect a certain difference betweem me and the average reviewer:
I to date have done all of my installs (whether of Ultimate Full Purchase Product, Ultimate Upgrade, Professional Upgrade through the Windows 7 Student Offer, Home Premium Upgrade, or Home Premium Upgrade Family Pack) through the clean install method and it never fails to grab all of the updates, update to SP1, and then grab the missing post-SP1 updates.
I therefore believe that the people who can't fully update Windows didn't do the clean install method, and while I don't blame them, I don't have the time personally for a system that behaves strangely because Windows Vista was trying to be transmuted into Windows 7, when it's hard enough for one service pack of Windows 7 to be successfully transmuted into another.
I hope that if you are blaming Windows 7 for your issues when upgrading from Vista, that this advice can be of use.
Update 2-3-2014:
Windows 7 is a good OS for those people who don't want a Mac but don't want Windows 8 either. It does do Classic appearance differently from Windows Vista and earlier, instead using the square buttons even in Classic appearance, but that's OK, because I dreamed of an OS with this functionality in the taskbar since Windows 95. And the redesigned taskbar is even in Windows 7 Home Premium. Sure you may lose some of the features in the Ultimate Edition, but you get everything you absolutely have to have-although Windows 7 Anytime Upgrade is no longer available to Windows 7 users, so buying the right edition of Windows 7 is extra-crucial. If you buy Windows 7 Home Premium and later find out you need XP Mode, you're going to have to sell your copy of Home Premium (assuming you're using the retail copy) and replace it with a retail copy of Ultimate or Professional.
Windows XP may have been great in 2001, but Windows 7 is as close to XP as you can make Vista-and has proven worthwhile ever since 2009.
For further proof, look at how Microsoft released Internet Explorer 10 and 11 for Windows 7, they sure didn't have to do that. But they realized Windows 7 was still popular (so popular I have 7 copies of it, including a Family Pack of Home Premium) and so they released as many of their updated components as they could for Windows 7 without totally making Windows 8/8.1 a non-issue.
End Update 2-3-2014
Update 2-21-2014:
The laptop I feared was dead just needed someone to show it was still important and cared for. Once done, it's now back working and let me tell you, I don't care that the laptop I'm currently running this copy of Windows 7 Professional on is 32-bit only and is a Pentium Dual-Core version of a Core Duo with 2GB of memory. I will take it and leave Windows 8 regular edition craptops for those who feel like playing with their digital lives.
Me? I want something that no matter how old, was highly regarded upon release, and not a zoo's worth of headaches from the underpinnings to the bifurcated UI and everything in the middle.
Windows 7 Professional may not have all the features it did when I initially penned this review, but the inexcusable waste of Windows 7 profits to release the Vista 2.0 that is 8 saddens me. It's not quality. And when the interior of the OS is rotten, there's only so much painting the outside edifice of the OS can do.
As a Windows 7 user in the post-Sinofsky era, I can attest to getting the supposedly Windows 8 exclusive of .NET Framework 4.5 in 4.5 SP1 implementation on Windows 7, thus showing that while Windows 8 may have more powerful hardware, you know the fusion of mobile and desktop means more apps running simultaneously and that means systems that had plenty of RAM for a compelling desktop experience in Windows 7 (witness this laptop) suddenly are getting out of memory errors with Windows 8-it's like trying to install Vista Home Basic (not Home Premium, because Home Premium has Aero which Windows 8 of any edition lacks because Microsoft felt it was "obsolete" when in reality I still measure a Windows XP or later computer's worth by "Is it able to display Aero and do so with full 7 drivers?"
This laptop I am posting today's update on may not be much, but I wouldn't take the most popular HP laptop with 8 on Amazon for it, no matter how positive the reviews may be.
End Update 2-21-2014.
Update 2-27-2014:
I configured a spare 1TB hard drive in a $400 Gateway PC that had received a clean install of Windows 7 Home Premium from the Family Pack to be a remote network backup destination for my Windows 7 PCs (since the Time Capsule was designed primarily for Macs, which it's cross-platform support is not really there, at least as of the revision that was most compatible with my main Mac, even though it's 2008 vintage) and Windows 7 Professional is busy backing up along with Windows 7 Ultimate Upgrade and full install on the other two main PCs, and I am surprised at how easy it was.
A similar update will be posted under Windows 7 Ultimate Full Install and Windows 7 Ultimate Upgrade.
End Update 2-27-2014
Update 9-16-2013 (Critical Windows 9 Status Update):
Well, consider what I uncovered about the supposedly awesome Windows 9, that's supposed to "replace" 7:
I also heard that Windows 9 may look like Windows 7, but this mini-start menu (based on a Microsoft press photo) has Live Tiles where links to local computer items once stood in 7. Plus Aero is still out for lunch (defenders say skeumorphism is dead, I say long live skeumorphism!), and Microsoft ties your activation to the Windows Store, so that means that they have a much more swift and sure means of sending your computer into reduced functionality mode even if you have a truly legal key!
I want my computer being rendered illegal for a good reason (at least not for something trivial like Windows 9 allows for), not because I didn't buy enough apps from the Windows Store in a given day, week, month, or year. How are you supposed to use the Metro-limited Windows 9 when not using Metro apps early and often could be grounds for your computer to be rendered illegal according to Microsoft? In effect, they've made Metro mandatory and inaccessible, rather than optional (from the ability to legally use Windows point of view, not from the it's in your face while you're using it point of view) and far too readily accessible?
I'd rather have a minor bug, as critical as the bug in question may be to the use of the computer, in the form of bad UI, than a horrible show-stopping bug that makes Windows 8's UI crimes (awful as they might have been) seem minor!
I love that they're bringing back the Start button, but what they really needed to do was scrap the Windows Store and modern apps. Not make your computer depend on them but be unable to use them because it's a desktop (known as Win32) SKU. I'm sticking with Windows 7 and as soon as it's toast no more Internet for me. I would suggest you do the same.
End Update 9-16-2014 (Critical Windows 9 Status Update) | 2 | positive | [
"Just like Windows 7 Ultimate for my dual-booting Intel Macs, Windows 7 Professional on my former Vista laptop makes for a great Internet access terminal from the comfort of our futon.",
"It also makes for a great secondary Windows 7 laptop for trips to my Aunt Wilda and Uncle Eay's house.",
"When we are there it sits in their living room with an external Microsoft mouse and it is perfect for that too.",
"You see, I insist on optimum software for my computers, so that they can do everything I need.",
"Windows Vista Home Premium on that laptop just was not providing it.",
"It wasn't as terrible as some people say it is, because I spent more money for better hardware.",
"But there were times when I wanted to take it back-and one time I almost did.",
"They didn't accept it though, and that was most fortunate as it turned out.",
"And yes, I found out that Windows Vista Home Premium couldn't be upgraded in place to Windows 7 Professional.",
"But unlike some people, I had seen that, for me at least, Windows 7 was worth the hassle, and sure enough it has been.",
"I use Office 2007 on the Professional laptop as well as the Ultimate MacBook Pro, and it has pleased me to all get out.",
"I however don't have any more resources for legal Office 2007, so the iMac will get 2010 Professional through that student offer once I get enough money.",
"Windows 7 and Office 2007, especially on the Professional laptop, seems to be plenty sufficient though-Daddy is the resident March Madness Bracketologist at his workplace and Windows 7 Professional amd Office 2007 Professional's cooperation has really benefited him in that.",
"I love being able to Remote Desktop the Windows 7 laptop from the iMac or MacBook Pro, although I might have to try Windows Live Mesh from Windows Live Essentials to see if it can remote desktop in Aero like on the commercials.",
"I like Windows 7 Professional on the former Windows 7 laptop just as much as I do Windows 7 Ultimate on the Intel Macs, considering their respective purposes.",
"Their roles are different, but each fulfills it's role perfectly, and Windows 7 Professional facilitates that in a way Windows 7 Home Premium just wouldn't.",
"Update 1-17-2013: I will be updating all of the reviews for all of the Windows 7 installers I have on tap to reflect a certain difference betweem me and the average reviewer:\n\nI to date have done all of my installs (whether of Ultimate Full Purchase Product, Ultimate Upgrade, Professional Upgrade through the Windows 7 Student Offer, Home Premium Upgrade, or Home Premium Upgrade Family Pack) through the clean install method and it never fails to grab all of the updates, update to SP1, and then grab the missing post-SP1 updates.",
"I therefore believe that the people who can't fully update Windows didn't do the clean install method, and while I don't blame them, I don't have the time personally for a system that behaves strangely because Windows Vista was trying to be transmuted into Windows 7, when it's hard enough for one service pack of Windows 7 to be successfully transmuted into another.",
"I hope that if you are blaming Windows 7 for your issues when upgrading from Vista, that this advice can be of use.",
"Update 2-3-2014:\n\nWindows 7 is a good OS for those people who don't want a Mac but don't want Windows 8 either.",
"It does do Classic appearance differently from Windows Vista and earlier, instead using the square buttons even in Classic appearance, but that's OK, because I dreamed of an OS with this functionality in the taskbar since Windows 95.",
"And the redesigned taskbar is even in Windows 7 Home Premium.",
"Sure you may lose some of the features in the Ultimate Edition, but you get everything you absolutely have to have-although Windows 7 Anytime Upgrade is no longer available to Windows 7 users, so buying the right edition of Windows 7 is extra-crucial.",
"If you buy Windows 7 Home Premium and later find out you need XP Mode, you're going to have to sell your copy of Home Premium (assuming you're using the retail copy) and replace it with a retail copy of Ultimate or Professional.",
"Windows XP may have been great in 2001, but Windows 7 is as close to XP as you can make Vista-and has proven worthwhile ever since 2009.",
"For further proof, look at how Microsoft released Internet Explorer 10 and 11 for Windows 7, they sure didn't have to do that.",
"But they realized Windows 7 was still popular (so popular I have 7 copies of it, including a Family Pack of Home Premium) and so they released as many of their updated components as they could for Windows 7 without totally making Windows 8/8.",
"1 a non-issue.",
"End Update 2-3-2014\n\nUpdate 2-21-2014:\n\nThe laptop I feared was dead just needed someone to show it was still important and cared for.",
"Once done, it's now back working and let me tell you, I don't care that the laptop I'm currently running this copy of Windows 7 Professional on is 32-bit only and is a Pentium Dual-Core version of a Core Duo with 2GB of memory.",
"I will take it and leave Windows 8 regular edition craptops for those who feel like playing with their digital lives.",
"Me?",
"I want something that no matter how old, was highly regarded upon release, and not a zoo's worth of headaches from the underpinnings to the bifurcated UI and everything in the middle.",
"Windows 7 Professional may not have all the features it did when I initially penned this review, but the inexcusable waste of Windows 7 profits to release the Vista 2.",
"0 that is 8 saddens me.",
"It's not quality.",
"And when the interior of the OS is rotten, there's only so much painting the outside edifice of the OS can do.",
"As a Windows 7 user in the post-Sinofsky era, I can attest to getting the supposedly Windows 8 exclusive of.",
"NET Framework 4.",
"5 in 4.",
"5 SP1 implementation on Windows 7, thus showing that while Windows 8 may have more powerful hardware, you know the fusion of mobile and desktop means more apps running simultaneously and that means systems that had plenty of RAM for a compelling desktop experience in Windows 7 (witness this laptop) suddenly are getting out of memory errors with Windows 8-it's like trying to install Vista Home Basic (not Home Premium, because Home Premium has Aero which Windows 8 of any edition lacks because Microsoft felt it was \"obsolete\" when in reality I still measure a Windows XP or later computer's worth by \"Is it able to display Aero and do so with full 7 drivers?",
"\"\n\nThis laptop I am posting today's update on may not be much, but I wouldn't take the most popular HP laptop with 8 on Amazon for it, no matter how positive the reviews may be.",
"End Update 2-21-2014.",
"Update 2-27-2014:\n\nI configured a spare 1TB hard drive in a $400 Gateway PC that had received a clean install of Windows 7 Home Premium from the Family Pack to be a remote network backup destination for my Windows 7 PCs (since the Time Capsule was designed primarily for Macs, which it's cross-platform support is not really there, at least as of the revision that was most compatible with my main Mac, even though it's 2008 vintage) and Windows 7 Professional is busy backing up along with Windows 7 Ultimate Upgrade and full install on the other two main PCs, and I am surprised at how easy it was.",
"A similar update will be posted under Windows 7 Ultimate Full Install and Windows 7 Ultimate Upgrade.",
"End Update 2-27-2014\n\nUpdate 9-16-2013 (Critical Windows 9 Status Update):\n\nWell, consider what I uncovered about the supposedly awesome Windows 9, that's supposed to \"replace\" 7:\n\nI also heard that Windows 9 may look like Windows 7, but this mini-start menu (based on a Microsoft press photo) has Live Tiles where links to local computer items once stood in 7.",
"Plus Aero is still out for lunch (defenders say skeumorphism is dead, I say long live skeumorphism!",
"), and Microsoft ties your activation to the Windows Store, so that means that they have a much more swift and sure means of sending your computer into reduced functionality mode even if you have a truly legal key!",
"I want my computer being rendered illegal for a good reason (at least not for something trivial like Windows 9 allows for), not because I didn't buy enough apps from the Windows Store in a given day, week, month, or year.",
"How are you supposed to use the Metro-limited Windows 9 when not using Metro apps early and often could be grounds for your computer to be rendered illegal according to Microsoft?",
"In effect, they've made Metro mandatory and inaccessible, rather than optional (from the ability to legally use Windows point of view, not from the it's in your face while you're using it point of view) and far too readily accessible?",
"I'd rather have a minor bug, as critical as the bug in question may be to the use of the computer, in the form of bad UI, than a horrible show-stopping bug that makes Windows 8's UI crimes (awful as they might have been) seem minor!",
"I love that they're bringing back the Start button, but what they really needed to do was scrap the Windows Store and modern apps.",
"Not make your computer depend on them but be unable to use them because it's a desktop (known as Win32) SKU.",
"I'm sticking with Windows 7 and as soon as it's toast no more Internet for me.",
"I would suggest you do the same.",
"End Update 9-16-2014 (Critical Windows 9 Status Update)"
] |
very important, nonetheless. This book had me in tears at times due to the very emotional way Ms. Wurts has in writing about some of the characters' relationships--Arithon & Jieret's for example. Sure the text is a little wordy, but I think that without all the descriptions, we may not have as good a grasp on the landscape & world as possible.
Some of the best sub-plots, I thought were the ones with Lirenda. Sure, she's annoying and a complete witch, but at least she got what she deserved. I loved the increase of Ath's adepts in this book. I think they add something to the life of the book--I mean, they can disappear into thin air! How cool is that? Most annoying character in this book has to be Elaira. She was really interesting at one point, but then about 1/3 of the way through, she got really boring and annoying.
The most entertaining characters in this book awards have to go to our favorite discorporate sorcerers--Luhaine and Karamandon (?). With mediation by Sethvir and Dakar, the interplay between these two surely show their talent. Add to that mix the introduction of Davien, and the players are all there.
As for Davien, I think the best part of the book, where we really got to see into Arithon's mind, was when he is with Davien. But I don't want to spoil that...
I think this is a great series, and many things happen in this book alone to change the way the rest of the series may run. I can't wait for the next book! | 2 | positive | [
"very important, nonetheless.",
"This book had me in tears at times due to the very emotional way Ms.",
"Wurts has in writing about some of the characters' relationships--Arithon & Jieret's for example.",
"Sure the text is a little wordy, but I think that without all the descriptions, we may not have as good a grasp on the landscape & world as possible.",
"Some of the best sub-plots, I thought were the ones with Lirenda.",
"Sure, she's annoying and a complete witch, but at least she got what she deserved.",
"I loved the increase of Ath's adepts in this book.",
"I think they add something to the life of the book--I mean, they can disappear into thin air!",
"How cool is that?",
"Most annoying character in this book has to be Elaira.",
"She was really interesting at one point, but then about 1/3 of the way through, she got really boring and annoying.",
"The most entertaining characters in this book awards have to go to our favorite discorporate sorcerers--Luhaine and Karamandon (?",
").",
"With mediation by Sethvir and Dakar, the interplay between these two surely show their talent.",
"Add to that mix the introduction of Davien, and the players are all there.",
"As for Davien, I think the best part of the book, where we really got to see into Arithon's mind, was when he is with Davien.",
"But I don't want to spoil that...",
"I think this is a great series, and many things happen in this book alone to change the way the rest of the series may run.",
"I can't wait for the next book!"
] |
I will admit that the 9 1/2" dish was a bit big for my purpose but I love it. The dish is quite heavy. While I need both hands to lift it (I'm a weakling) it works perfect for my kitties as they cannot push it around. Even our big Ragdoll doesn't move it, which is a Good Thing. At the same time, the sides are low enough to not be problematic for the smaller kitties. That was a big problem with most metal dishes in the sizes I was looking for as normal cat bowls are just too tiny for my needs. My cats actually prefer drinking out of this over our metal bowls so I ordered another one (a smaller version) to replace the other metal water dish. However, it is still not good enough to keep them from drinking out of the sink, but cats are very picky about those sort of things.
As someone commented on packaging, I will say my dish came solidly wrapped in bubble wrap both inside the box and the outside as well. As our UPS people are not kind to boxes in general, this one survived the gauntlet of UPS hell and thus was received with no damage whatsoever. I was fearful it would come cracked or damaged in some other way but it wasn't. Thank you whoever did the packaging! | 2 | positive | [
"I will admit that the 9 1/2\" dish was a bit big for my purpose but I love it.",
"The dish is quite heavy.",
"While I need both hands to lift it (I'm a weakling) it works perfect for my kitties as they cannot push it around.",
"Even our big Ragdoll doesn't move it, which is a Good Thing.",
"At the same time, the sides are low enough to not be problematic for the smaller kitties.",
"That was a big problem with most metal dishes in the sizes I was looking for as normal cat bowls are just too tiny for my needs.",
"My cats actually prefer drinking out of this over our metal bowls so I ordered another one (a smaller version) to replace the other metal water dish.",
"However, it is still not good enough to keep them from drinking out of the sink, but cats are very picky about those sort of things.",
"As someone commented on packaging, I will say my dish came solidly wrapped in bubble wrap both inside the box and the outside as well.",
"As our UPS people are not kind to boxes in general, this one survived the gauntlet of UPS hell and thus was received with no damage whatsoever.",
"I was fearful it would come cracked or damaged in some other way but it wasn't.",
"Thank you whoever did the packaging!"
] |
The cd is just a flat out classic.
I own every cd pac released while alive and this one, and The 7 Day Theory is my favorite of them all. This is a cd that you can easily play from start to finish without skipping any tracks. The album starts out strong with 3 classics: Hail Mary, Toss It Up, and To Live & Die in L.A. Then goes into a mix of social and fun songs, and finishes off with some political songs and a strong ending that compliments the intro.
The worst part of this album, imo, is this stupid part in the song Me and My Girlfriend when you hear this girl shooting a gun yelling out things, just lame, but only a short part.
The Tracks.
1. Bomb First (Intro): 10/10 - Great intro, sets the stage.
2. Hail Mary: 10/10 - Classic
3. Toss It Up: 10/10 - Classic
4. To Live & Die in L.A.: 10/10 - Classic
5. Blasphemy: 10/10 - M.O.B. (I like the following part lol)
"They say Moses split the Red Sea
I split the blunt and rolled the fat one, I'm deadly"
6. Life Of a New Outlaw: 9.5/10 - Good song
7. Just Like Daddy: 9.5/10 - Another good song
8. Krazy: 10/10 - I really like this song. This song is definitely in my top 5 favorite 2pac songs.
9. White Man'z World: 9/10 - Pretty good song
10. Me and My Girlfriend: 9/10 - Silly part that is annoying forced a 9 here.
11. Hold ya Head: 10/10 - Another one of my favorites
12. Against All Odds: 9.5/10 - Good song that finishes off the mood started in the intro, great way to end this cd imo. | 2 | positive | [
"The cd is just a flat out classic.",
"I own every cd pac released while alive and this one, and The 7 Day Theory is my favorite of them all.",
"This is a cd that you can easily play from start to finish without skipping any tracks.",
"The album starts out strong with 3 classics: Hail Mary, Toss It Up, and To Live & Die in L.",
"A. Then goes into a mix of social and fun songs, and finishes off with some political songs and a strong ending that compliments the intro.",
"The worst part of this album, imo, is this stupid part in the song Me and My Girlfriend when you hear this girl shooting a gun yelling out things, just lame, but only a short part.",
"The Tracks.",
"1.",
"Bomb First (Intro): 10/10 - Great intro, sets the stage.",
"2.",
"Hail Mary: 10/10 - Classic\n3.",
"Toss It Up: 10/10 - Classic\n4.",
"To Live & Die in L.",
"A.: 10/10 - Classic\n5.",
"Blasphemy: 10/10 - M.",
"O.B. (I like the following part lol)\n\"They say Moses split the Red Sea\nI split the blunt and rolled the fat one, I'm deadly\"\n6.",
"Life Of a New Outlaw: 9.",
"5/10 - Good song\n7.",
"Just Like Daddy: 9.",
"5/10 - Another good song\n8.",
"Krazy: 10/10 - I really like this song.",
"This song is definitely in my top 5 favorite 2pac songs.",
"9.",
"White Man'z World: 9/10 - Pretty good song\n10.",
"Me and My Girlfriend: 9/10 - Silly part that is annoying forced a 9 here.",
"11.",
"Hold ya Head: 10/10 - Another one of my favorites\n12.",
"Against All Odds: 9.",
"5/10 - Good song that finishes off the mood started in the intro, great way to end this cd imo."
] |
A popular competitor makes one comparable that is 34 inches high. This one is 30 or 31 depending if you leave the upper half of the top on. A comfortable work height is 34 inches. The advantage to these storehorse 10008-1's is that you can easily remove the upper half of the top cap, and neatly and snugly fit a 2x4 into the top of it, to bring it up to 34 inches. You could also make two small holes in each side of the black top cupping the two by's and add a couple of short decking screws to give it all the more stability. I have seen the competitors model at 34 inches of plastic, and unfortunately it is all chewed up due to saw blades running into it. This Storehorse, has the advantage of the 2x4 that you supply being the sacrificial, and easily replaceable work surface. You could use a 2x6, and shorten it to the exact height that you need. That is nice when you are using it to support and outfeed plank for example on your table saw.
These have the advantage of holding up to 1500 pounds per pair, which is 500 more than most of the competitors. Yet they are surprisingly light, and store away taking up only 2" of depth.
They look good, fold away very easy, and definitely deserve 5 stars. | 2 | positive | [
"A popular competitor makes one comparable that is 34 inches high.",
"This one is 30 or 31 depending if you leave the upper half of the top on.",
"A comfortable work height is 34 inches.",
"The advantage to these storehorse 10008-1's is that you can easily remove the upper half of the top cap, and neatly and snugly fit a 2x4 into the top of it, to bring it up to 34 inches.",
"You could also make two small holes in each side of the black top cupping the two by's and add a couple of short decking screws to give it all the more stability.",
"I have seen the competitors model at 34 inches of plastic, and unfortunately it is all chewed up due to saw blades running into it.",
"This Storehorse, has the advantage of the 2x4 that you supply being the sacrificial, and easily replaceable work surface.",
"You could use a 2x6, and shorten it to the exact height that you need.",
"That is nice when you are using it to support and outfeed plank for example on your table saw.",
"These have the advantage of holding up to 1500 pounds per pair, which is 500 more than most of the competitors.",
"Yet they are surprisingly light, and store away taking up only 2\" of depth.",
"They look good, fold away very easy, and definitely deserve 5 stars."
] |
Edit: Jlab has stood by their product, and replaced any defective ones I had. I appreciate that, and will continue to use Jlab products in the future.
My experience with the J3's was mixed. I was extremely happy with multiple pairs of J2's that I had orderd, so I decided to grab the J3's on sale.
My first pair were extremely tinny, even after burn-in. After 2 weeks, the one earbud started snapping and popping. I returned the buds for a replacement pair.
My second pair sounded much better after burn-in, but had the same snapping/pop sound issue after a few days of use. I returned the buds again for another pair.
My third pair has been fine so far, and I've had them for a few months. Finally!
In comparison to the J2's, the J3's have much clearer sound, but do not isolate noise as well (everyone can hear what you're listening to) The J2's also have a longer cord, which I prefer, though I do prefer the J3's cord quality. The J2's have a MUCH softer cushion than the J3's, and the J3's can be mildly uncomfortable if you like to sleep with them in (I do/did all the time with my J2's)
I like the design of the J3's over the J2's, and I much prefer the overall build of the J3's, but there's still a few things about the J2's that make me not want to get a second set of J3's. (I use a pair of J2's at work, and the J3's at home) | 2 | positive | [
"Edit: Jlab has stood by their product, and replaced any defective ones I had.",
"I appreciate that, and will continue to use Jlab products in the future.",
"My experience with the J3's was mixed.",
"I was extremely happy with multiple pairs of J2's that I had orderd, so I decided to grab the J3's on sale.",
"My first pair were extremely tinny, even after burn-in.",
"After 2 weeks, the one earbud started snapping and popping.",
"I returned the buds for a replacement pair.",
"My second pair sounded much better after burn-in, but had the same snapping/pop sound issue after a few days of use.",
"I returned the buds again for another pair.",
"My third pair has been fine so far, and I've had them for a few months.",
"Finally!",
"In comparison to the J2's, the J3's have much clearer sound, but do not isolate noise as well (everyone can hear what you're listening to) The J2's also have a longer cord, which I prefer, though I do prefer the J3's cord quality.",
"The J2's have a MUCH softer cushion than the J3's, and the J3's can be mildly uncomfortable if you like to sleep with them in (I do/did all the time with my J2's)\n\nI like the design of the J3's over the J2's, and I much prefer the overall build of the J3's, but there's still a few things about the J2's that make me not want to get a second set of J3's.",
"(I use a pair of J2's at work, and the J3's at home)"
] |
Whoa. I was used to hearing Brecker in your average funk-fusion (a bit smoother than I like sometimes), and straight-ahead blowing sessions, so this one really took me by surprise. Here he assembled a unique combination of instruments - among them strings, guitar and a somewhat unique (including French horn and Baritone) brass section - which gives the music a kind of heft and richness that is just a joy to hear. The arrangements are great - interesting horn/string lines underneath Brecker's usual masterful and fiery soloing. My faves are "Night Jessamine", and "Modus Operandi" which are two of the grooviest and funkinest jazz songs I've heard in quite a while. The only tiny complaint I have is that Brecker is virtually the only soloist. He gives bassist Pattituci a few spots, as well as a couple for the guitarist and trumpeter, but most of the time it is him wailing on and on. Mind you, he is an awesome soloist, I love his playing, but sometimes you need to break it up a bit and let the other guys shine for a while, too - that is what Jazz is about, individual expression, while still serving the collective. Not even the great Coltrane had a problem letting Eric Dolphy, Don Cherry, or his own McCoy Tyner shine for a while. But, aside from that, this is a superb effort from one of the most important saxophonists since Coltrane. Keep it up, Mike. | 2 | positive | [
"Whoa.",
"I was used to hearing Brecker in your average funk-fusion (a bit smoother than I like sometimes), and straight-ahead blowing sessions, so this one really took me by surprise.",
"Here he assembled a unique combination of instruments - among them strings, guitar and a somewhat unique (including French horn and Baritone) brass section - which gives the music a kind of heft and richness that is just a joy to hear.",
"The arrangements are great - interesting horn/string lines underneath Brecker's usual masterful and fiery soloing.",
"My faves are \"Night Jessamine\", and \"Modus Operandi\" which are two of the grooviest and funkinest jazz songs I've heard in quite a while.",
"The only tiny complaint I have is that Brecker is virtually the only soloist.",
"He gives bassist Pattituci a few spots, as well as a couple for the guitarist and trumpeter, but most of the time it is him wailing on and on.",
"Mind you, he is an awesome soloist, I love his playing, but sometimes you need to break it up a bit and let the other guys shine for a while, too - that is what Jazz is about, individual expression, while still serving the collective.",
"Not even the great Coltrane had a problem letting Eric Dolphy, Don Cherry, or his own McCoy Tyner shine for a while.",
"But, aside from that, this is a superb effort from one of the most important saxophonists since Coltrane.",
"Keep it up, Mike."
] |
By this point four albums into his solo career Luther was in a very strange place. For some reason no one understands his musical career seemed stuck in a holding pattern. He was poised to be able to earn the same "pop pass" as a Michael Jackson or a Billy Ocean of this time period. But somehow it just didn't happen and he continued to rely primarily on R&B radio and R&B audiences for support. So here he was in the mid 80's where even the R&B world was relying more on glossy production values than an artists actual talent. And for sure there were talented people up the wazoo. All Luther could do was follow his own best instincts and see what was in store for him on a strictly musical level. So what he basically winds up with is a excellent mix of his original style and the boogie funk style he recently adopted for what many people regard as one of his finest album length achievements.
The title song and "It's Over Now" are terrific examples of the uptempo songs this album has to offer. Both are strongly anchored with Marcus Miller's slap bass. But the former uses polyrhythmic layers of drum machine to create a great percussive bed and the latter has a superb understanding of the slower dance grooves funk has to offer with a sound similar to his productions for Aretha Franklin a few years earlier. "Till My Baby Comes Home" updates his retro R&B shuffle uptempo style with a bit of electronics and there are even signs that his ballad style is beginning to vary more. A version of Stevie Wonder's "Creepin" takes the abstract touches of the original and smooths it out to make it Luther's own. It may not be to everyone's taste but he does individualize the song a lot. The closing "Other Side Of The World" finds him more in that gospel soul 60's Atlantic ballad style without a good deal of the heavy production and actually with a mildly higher tempo than usual for his slower numbers.
True he is a little more restrained vocally here. Than again Smokey Robinson was the same way. Than again Luther never did possess any of the idiosyncrasies of Smokey's musical personality either. His presentation was always rather controlled vocally,to the point of holding himself back. Perhaps it was this quality of never fully letting the gospel/soul fire of his voice control itself on a more passionate level that kept him from crossing over,rather than any of his musical virtues. Since he's not here no one will ever no. So this isn't exactly a grand statement by a talent unrealized. It's an excellent work by an artist whose style tended to lull one into emotional expression rather than demanding it. Considering the nature of Luther's personal character some of that might go with the territory. So I cannot say the era in which he flourished had anything to do with it. But it did make it hard for this unique and singular talent to ever reach the public whom he was more than deserved of reaching out to. | 2 | positive | [
"By this point four albums into his solo career Luther was in a very strange place.",
"For some reason no one understands his musical career seemed stuck in a holding pattern.",
"He was poised to be able to earn the same \"pop pass\" as a Michael Jackson or a Billy Ocean of this time period.",
"But somehow it just didn't happen and he continued to rely primarily on R&B radio and R&B audiences for support.",
"So here he was in the mid 80's where even the R&B world was relying more on glossy production values than an artists actual talent.",
"And for sure there were talented people up the wazoo.",
"All Luther could do was follow his own best instincts and see what was in store for him on a strictly musical level.",
"So what he basically winds up with is a excellent mix of his original style and the boogie funk style he recently adopted for what many people regard as one of his finest album length achievements.",
"The title song and \"It's Over Now\" are terrific examples of the uptempo songs this album has to offer.",
"Both are strongly anchored with Marcus Miller's slap bass.",
"But the former uses polyrhythmic layers of drum machine to create a great percussive bed and the latter has a superb understanding of the slower dance grooves funk has to offer with a sound similar to his productions for Aretha Franklin a few years earlier.",
"\"Till My Baby Comes Home\" updates his retro R&B shuffle uptempo style with a bit of electronics and there are even signs that his ballad style is beginning to vary more.",
"A version of Stevie Wonder's \"Creepin\" takes the abstract touches of the original and smooths it out to make it Luther's own.",
"It may not be to everyone's taste but he does individualize the song a lot.",
"The closing \"Other Side Of The World\" finds him more in that gospel soul 60's Atlantic ballad style without a good deal of the heavy production and actually with a mildly higher tempo than usual for his slower numbers.",
"True he is a little more restrained vocally here.",
"Than again Smokey Robinson was the same way.",
"Than again Luther never did possess any of the idiosyncrasies of Smokey's musical personality either.",
"His presentation was always rather controlled vocally,to the point of holding himself back.",
"Perhaps it was this quality of never fully letting the gospel/soul fire of his voice control itself on a more passionate level that kept him from crossing over,rather than any of his musical virtues.",
"Since he's not here no one will ever no.",
"So this isn't exactly a grand statement by a talent unrealized.",
"It's an excellent work by an artist whose style tended to lull one into emotional expression rather than demanding it.",
"Considering the nature of Luther's personal character some of that might go with the territory.",
"So I cannot say the era in which he flourished had anything to do with it.",
"But it did make it hard for this unique and singular talent to ever reach the public whom he was more than deserved of reaching out to."
] |
It's adjustable, rubbery so it doesn't slide, opens flat, and weighs only 1.2 oz. I use it at home and for travel with my iPhone, Kindle Paperwhite, and iPad Air, all in cases. I like its portability, though it's only very stable for landscape use. A vertical device can tip toward the side when you tap/swipe because the rear leg ends in a curve. It's less of a problem with my Kindle (the only device I use vertically in the stand), as I don't touch the screen as much to read a book. The front legs can be set 2.25" or 4" apart, and the rear leg slides in 6 increments to adjust the angle between about 55-75. My iPad Air is most stable at higher angles. I've had two of these for 4 years and they are still like new. | 2 | positive | [
"It's adjustable, rubbery so it doesn't slide, opens flat, and weighs only 1.",
"2 oz.",
"I use it at home and for travel with my iPhone, Kindle Paperwhite, and iPad Air, all in cases.",
"I like its portability, though it's only very stable for landscape use.",
"A vertical device can tip toward the side when you tap/swipe because the rear leg ends in a curve.",
"It's less of a problem with my Kindle (the only device I use vertically in the stand), as I don't touch the screen as much to read a book.",
"The front legs can be set 2.",
"25\" or 4\" apart, and the rear leg slides in 6 increments to adjust the angle between about 55-75.",
"My iPad Air is most stable at higher angles.",
"I've had two of these for 4 years and they are still like new."
] |
Looking for a really comfy shoe with a great look? Go no further than this trendy and comfortable ladies shoe. While waiting for my order to arrive I was a little anxious. Aside from ordering two pairs of Timberland boots from Amazon (loved them!!) during the winter months, I have never ordered any other type of shoe outside of a physical store. While trying to decide if this shoe was for me, I was worried it would be too big, bulky or just plain ugly. Well, I was wrong on all counts. This shoe is beautiful and looks great with shorts and a tank. Fits perfectly for the slender foot (as my is) in the M size, right out the box. No need to break in on any level. I love this shoe and cannot wait to try on the second pair (different color of course) I just ordered!!! Ladies, order more than one pair, you will wear them with everything! | 2 | positive | [
"Looking for a really comfy shoe with a great look?",
"Go no further than this trendy and comfortable ladies shoe.",
"While waiting for my order to arrive I was a little anxious.",
"Aside from ordering two pairs of Timberland boots from Amazon (loved them!!",
") during the winter months, I have never ordered any other type of shoe outside of a physical store.",
"While trying to decide if this shoe was for me, I was worried it would be too big, bulky or just plain ugly.",
"Well, I was wrong on all counts.",
"This shoe is beautiful and looks great with shorts and a tank.",
"Fits perfectly for the slender foot (as my is) in the M size, right out the box.",
"No need to break in on any level.",
"I love this shoe and cannot wait to try on the second pair (different color of course) I just ordered!!!",
"Ladies, order more than one pair, you will wear them with everything!"
] |
so we always ... ya know ... well ... drink far too much wine together n ... emm ... enjoy the scene music an stuff . yeah . . n that kinda ... silly ... n ... ahh ... n then my other flat mate as well is just sort of ... in between both of them ... you know . she still would ... like sit around and have the craic , but then ... you know ... can have intelligent conversations as well ... bout all kinds stuff ... so ... yeah | 2 | positive | [
"so we always...",
"ya know...",
"well...",
"drink far too much wine together n...",
"emm...",
"enjoy the scene music an stuff.",
"yeah.",
".",
"n that kinda...",
"silly...",
"n...",
"ahh...",
"n then my other flat mate as well is just sort of...",
"in between both of them...",
"you know.",
"she still would...",
"like sit around and have the craic , but then...",
"you know...",
"can have intelligent conversations as well...",
"bout all kinds stuff...",
"so...",
"yeah"
] |
In November of 1980, Heart released their sixth album entitled, GREATEST HITS LIVE. This album, obviously, is Heart's first greatest hits compilation. The first nine tracks on this album are Heart's studio recorded greatest hits from the first five albums. There are three more of Heart's greatest hits included here, but those three hits are live performances from different concerts. And there are six new tracks on this album, where only five of them are live performances from different concerts, where the sixth new song is studio recorded. Read on for the info.
BARRACUDA
From the album LITTLE QUEEN (1977). Still an ultimate Heart classic.
SILVER WHEELS (Instrumental)
From the album BEBE LE STRANGE (1980). This song was never released as a single, but I'm guessing that Heart liked it so much, for they had to include it here. Not a bad instrumental piece.
CRAZY ON YOU
From the album DREAMBOAT ANNIE (1976). A great song.
STRAIGHT ON
From the album DOG & BUTTERFLY (1978). Awesome tune.
DREAMBOAT ANNIE
From the album DREAMBOAT ANNIE (1976). Ah, the infamous relaxing title track to their 1976 debut album. Love this song.
EVEN IT UP
From the album BEBE LE STRANGE (1980). Great song.
MAGIC MAN
From the album DREAMBOAT ANNIE (1976). Killer tune.
HEARTLESS
From the album MAGAZINE (1978). A good song, but not a favorite of mine.
DOG & BUTTERFLY
From the album DOG & BUTTERFLY (1978). Great song.
BEBE LE STRANGE (Live)
Original version from the album BEBE LE STRANGE (1980). I loved the original recording, and this live performances matches up with the original recording perfectly.
TELL IT LIKE IT IS
New song. The first single from the album. Blah.
MISTRAL WIND (Live)
Original version from the album DOG & BUTTERFLY (1978). Incredible live performance.
HIT SINGLE (Live) (Vinyl edition only)
New song. This track was deleted from the CD & Cassette editions because of CD Limitations. This would be the first of three selections deleted from the CD edition.
STRANGE EUROPHORIA (Live) (Vinyl edition only)
New song. Deleted song #2.
SWEET DARLIN' (Live)
Original version from the album BEBE LE STRANGE (1980). Not a bad performance.
UNCHAINED MELODY (Live) (Vinyl edition only)
New song. The second single from the album. I hate The Righteous Brothers' version, but I do like the way Heart does it here. Deleted song #3.
Medley: I'M DOWN/LONG TALL SALLY (Live)
This is a great performance.
ROCK AND ROLL (Live)
The third & final single from the album. I hate Led Zepplin and their music, but Heart's live rendition is just incredible. Just so you know, the members of Heart were huge Led Zepplin fans. Because of how in many of Heart's songs, Heart sounds like Led Zepplin, which is why the member of Led Zepplin call Heart, "Little Led Zepplin".
This is a great compilation to have. It gives you nothing, but the greatest of Heart from their first five albums, from 1976 to 1980. Great buy here. | 2 | positive | [
"In November of 1980, Heart released their sixth album entitled, GREATEST HITS LIVE.",
"This album, obviously, is Heart's first greatest hits compilation.",
"The first nine tracks on this album are Heart's studio recorded greatest hits from the first five albums.",
"There are three more of Heart's greatest hits included here, but those three hits are live performances from different concerts.",
"And there are six new tracks on this album, where only five of them are live performances from different concerts, where the sixth new song is studio recorded.",
"Read on for the info.",
"BARRACUDA\n\n From the album LITTLE QUEEN (1977).",
"Still an ultimate Heart classic.",
"SILVER WHEELS (Instrumental)\n\n From the album BEBE LE STRANGE (1980).",
"This song was never released as a single, but I'm guessing that Heart liked it so much, for they had to include it here.",
"Not a bad instrumental piece.",
"CRAZY ON YOU\n\n From the album DREAMBOAT ANNIE (1976).",
"A great song.",
"STRAIGHT ON\n\n From the album DOG & BUTTERFLY (1978).",
"Awesome tune.",
"DREAMBOAT ANNIE\n\n From the album DREAMBOAT ANNIE (1976).",
"Ah, the infamous relaxing title track to their 1976 debut album.",
"Love this song.",
"EVEN IT UP\n\n From the album BEBE LE STRANGE (1980).",
"Great song.",
"MAGIC MAN\n\n From the album DREAMBOAT ANNIE (1976).",
"Killer tune.",
"HEARTLESS\n\n From the album MAGAZINE (1978).",
"A good song, but not a favorite of mine.",
"DOG & BUTTERFLY\n\n From the album DOG & BUTTERFLY (1978).",
"Great song.",
"BEBE LE STRANGE (Live)\n\n Original version from the album BEBE LE STRANGE (1980).",
"I loved the original recording, and this live performances matches up with the original recording perfectly.",
"TELL IT LIKE IT IS\n\n New song.",
"The first single from the album.",
"Blah.",
"MISTRAL WIND (Live)\n\n Original version from the album DOG & BUTTERFLY (1978).",
"Incredible live performance.",
"HIT SINGLE (Live) (Vinyl edition only)\n\n New song.",
"This track was deleted from the CD & Cassette editions because of CD Limitations.",
"This would be the first of three selections deleted from the CD edition.",
"STRANGE EUROPHORIA (Live) (Vinyl edition only)\n\n New song.",
"Deleted song #2.",
"SWEET DARLIN' (Live)\n\n Original version from the album BEBE LE STRANGE (1980).",
"Not a bad performance.",
"UNCHAINED MELODY (Live) (Vinyl edition only)\n\n New song.",
"The second single from the album.",
"I hate The Righteous Brothers' version, but I do like the way Heart does it here.",
"Deleted song #3.",
"Medley: I'M DOWN/LONG TALL SALLY (Live)\n\n This is a great performance.",
"ROCK AND ROLL (Live)\n\n The third & final single from the album.",
"I hate Led Zepplin and their music, but Heart's live rendition is just incredible.",
"Just so you know, the members of Heart were huge Led Zepplin fans.",
"Because of how in many of Heart's songs, Heart sounds like Led Zepplin, which is why the member of Led Zepplin call Heart, \"Little Led Zepplin\".",
"This is a great compilation to have.",
"It gives you nothing, but the greatest of Heart from their first five albums, from 1976 to 1980.",
"Great buy here."
] |
The Schwinn Thrasher Adult Micro Biciclye Helmet is a great purchase. I was a little hesitant on purchasing this product because the price was so much lower than other name brand helmets. If you are thinking the same thing put your fears to rest, it is well worth the price. The helmet is not only stylish and light weight, but fits all heads equally. I read a lot of reviews of people who said they had large heads and it fit them great. I was concerned because I have a smaller head and was worried it would be too big or loose on me. It fits my head perfectly. It has an adjustment turn ratchet on the back of the helmet that allows it to expand or contract to any head size. The only piece that is a little cheap is the visor on the front of the helmet. It pops out of its slots quite a bit and pushes back on the helmet. Some crazy glue to bind it down helps with the problem. Other than that, it is a great product. | 2 | positive | [
"The Schwinn Thrasher Adult Micro Biciclye Helmet is a great purchase.",
"I was a little hesitant on purchasing this product because the price was so much lower than other name brand helmets.",
"If you are thinking the same thing put your fears to rest, it is well worth the price.",
"The helmet is not only stylish and light weight, but fits all heads equally.",
"I read a lot of reviews of people who said they had large heads and it fit them great.",
"I was concerned because I have a smaller head and was worried it would be too big or loose on me.",
"It fits my head perfectly.",
"It has an adjustment turn ratchet on the back of the helmet that allows it to expand or contract to any head size.",
"The only piece that is a little cheap is the visor on the front of the helmet.",
"It pops out of its slots quite a bit and pushes back on the helmet.",
"Some crazy glue to bind it down helps with the problem.",
"Other than that, it is a great product."
] |
I have used 3 1406 carbs over the years on different cars. all were very easy to set with years of keeping a tune. My last 1406 I payed extra for the Endurashine model. It was for a car that gets driven less than 1000 miles a year. The first year the top started turning yellow. the second year flakes of clearcoat started to peal off and get sucked into the carb!! I called Edelbrock and they "rebuilt my carb". It returned looking the same crappy yellowish and flaking. I still had the same problem after the rebuild. I was soo mad and switched to Holley for awhile. I just want to let you know that the 1406 carb works good as long as you don't get the Endurashine model. I currently have an old 1406 with no Endurashine that I rebuilt on my mustang.
RYNO from Illinois | 2 | positive | [
"I have used 3 1406 carbs over the years on different cars.",
"all were very easy to set with years of keeping a tune.",
"My last 1406 I payed extra for the Endurashine model.",
"It was for a car that gets driven less than 1000 miles a year.",
"The first year the top started turning yellow.",
"the second year flakes of clearcoat started to peal off and get sucked into the carb!!",
"I called Edelbrock and they \"rebuilt my carb\".",
"It returned looking the same crappy yellowish and flaking.",
"I still had the same problem after the rebuild.",
"I was soo mad and switched to Holley for awhile.",
"I just want to let you know that the 1406 carb works good as long as you don't get the Endurashine model.",
"I currently have an old 1406 with no Endurashine that I rebuilt on my mustang.",
"RYNO from Illinois"
] |
The first "DVD single" ever released, "All is Full of Love" is a wonderful package highlighting one of music's most inventive stars with a video produced with an equal amount of skill as she brought to the music. Bjrk's unique visions tend to draw the best from the people who work with her creations, and Chris Cunningham was up to the task when he produced the video that highlights this disc.
The actual "All is Full of Love" video, resplendent with its German industrial visuals, stunning computer graphics and erotic overtones, is perhaps not the strongest of Bjrk's videos, but even the worst Bjrk videos trump 99.9% of the dreck currently perforating American culture. On its own, the video is a triumph, and validates purchase of the disc by itself. Perhaps some will be irked by the percussion-laden remix of the song used in the video (as opposed to the stripped-down, ethereal, percussionless version found on _Homogenic_), but the remix works with the theme of the video much better than the album version would have.
Both remixes of the song are pleasing, but if there is a complaint to be made about them, it is that the screen simply dims while both tracks are playing. Given the space made available to the developers by the DVD format, some visual goings-on during the remixes - still photos of Bjrk, behind-the-scenes footage of the video's production - would have been nice. Granted, as the first DVD single its developers were breaking new ground and may not have taken such considerations into account, but this drawback does merit mention.
"All is Full of Love" remains recommended purchasing despite that flaw, though. No Bjrk fan's collection is complete without it, and even for those not into Bjrk the video is interesting enough to deserve consideration. | 2 | positive | [
"The first \"DVD single\" ever released, \"All is Full of Love\" is a wonderful package highlighting one of music's most inventive stars with a video produced with an equal amount of skill as she brought to the music.",
"Bjrk's unique visions tend to draw the best from the people who work with her creations, and Chris Cunningham was up to the task when he produced the video that highlights this disc.",
"The actual \"All is Full of Love\" video, resplendent with its German industrial visuals, stunning computer graphics and erotic overtones, is perhaps not the strongest of Bjrk's videos, but even the worst Bjrk videos trump 99.",
"9% of the dreck currently perforating American culture.",
"On its own, the video is a triumph, and validates purchase of the disc by itself.",
"Perhaps some will be irked by the percussion-laden remix of the song used in the video (as opposed to the stripped-down, ethereal, percussionless version found on _Homogenic_), but the remix works with the theme of the video much better than the album version would have.",
"Both remixes of the song are pleasing, but if there is a complaint to be made about them, it is that the screen simply dims while both tracks are playing.",
"Given the space made available to the developers by the DVD format, some visual goings-on during the remixes - still photos of Bjrk, behind-the-scenes footage of the video's production - would have been nice.",
"Granted, as the first DVD single its developers were breaking new ground and may not have taken such considerations into account, but this drawback does merit mention.",
"\"All is Full of Love\" remains recommended purchasing despite that flaw, though.",
"No Bjrk fan's collection is complete without it, and even for those not into Bjrk the video is interesting enough to deserve consideration."
] |
This is by far Zeppelin's best "official" live recordings that are available. Though the audio quality may be better in How the West Was Won, the band sounds its best in these earlier live recordings. Plant's powerful, gritty blues/rock vocals are at their absolute best here, as is Page's masterful guitar play. The absolute best versions of Stairway, Since I've Been Loving You, Dazed and Confused, Black Dog, Heartbreaker, How Many More Times, Thank You, etc. are all contained within The BBC Sessions. If you already own the original 2 disc release, you may or may not want to shell out the money for the one disc of new material. I lost my original copy, so I was more than happy to buy this on its release date, because these live recordings have long been my favorite. The tracks are all remastered, but honestly I found little to no difference compared to the older copy. If anything, it seemed the guitar was a bit louder and Plant's vocals maybe a little quieter than before. But not a HUGE difference from the original. Of course, I don't have the two versions to compare side-to-side, so that opinion is strictly from memory. This collection is FAR better than the Sound Remains the Same recordings, and I prefer it over How the West Was Won (though that is also a fantastic collection of live recordings). If you want early Zep in their rawest, most powerful, most skillful form, then look no further than The Complete BBC Sessions. Other earlier live recordings of the band I recommend would be the Osaka Japan recordings and Blueberry Hill (both are bootlegs and unofficial material).
I purchased this album at a local Meijer store the morning of release. So despite not having a "verified purchase" tagged to this review, I can assure you I did in fact purchase the product. | 2 | positive | [
"This is by far Zeppelin's best \"official\" live recordings that are available.",
"Though the audio quality may be better in How the West Was Won, the band sounds its best in these earlier live recordings.",
"Plant's powerful, gritty blues/rock vocals are at their absolute best here, as is Page's masterful guitar play.",
"The absolute best versions of Stairway, Since I've Been Loving You, Dazed and Confused, Black Dog, Heartbreaker, How Many More Times, Thank You, etc.",
"are all contained within The BBC Sessions.",
"If you already own the original 2 disc release, you may or may not want to shell out the money for the one disc of new material.",
"I lost my original copy, so I was more than happy to buy this on its release date, because these live recordings have long been my favorite.",
"The tracks are all remastered, but honestly I found little to no difference compared to the older copy.",
"If anything, it seemed the guitar was a bit louder and Plant's vocals maybe a little quieter than before.",
"But not a HUGE difference from the original.",
"Of course, I don't have the two versions to compare side-to-side, so that opinion is strictly from memory.",
"This collection is FAR better than the Sound Remains the Same recordings, and I prefer it over How the West Was Won (though that is also a fantastic collection of live recordings).",
"If you want early Zep in their rawest, most powerful, most skillful form, then look no further than The Complete BBC Sessions.",
"Other earlier live recordings of the band I recommend would be the Osaka Japan recordings and Blueberry Hill (both are bootlegs and unofficial material).",
"I purchased this album at a local Meijer store the morning of release.",
"So despite not having a \"verified purchase\" tagged to this review, I can assure you I did in fact purchase the product."
] |
This is the first novel I've read by Author Jessica Scott; but it will not be the last! This story is very moving when one reads the emotions of families left behind by our nation's warriors in time of war. In this story, Sergeant First Class Shane Garrison of Army Tactical Operations, has received his divorce papers ending five years of marriage. Shane believes that he's never been a good son nor a good husband, but he is a devoted soldier who feels solely responsible for his troops. It is 2007 and Garrison's platoon is being deployed to Iraq. They have completed all their training and this night is the last spent at Fort Hood; they leave in the morning for Iraq.
His commander is his best friend, Captain Trent Davila, having a long history together serving as enlisted prior to Trent's becoming a commissioned officer. Another close friend is one Sergeant Carponti, specializing in infantry squad tactics, with a humorous attitude always demanding attention. Trent's wife, Laura, invites Jen St. James to the evening party. Jen has not been in a bar for two years, but Laura wants to support her husband by sending him off to war with good cheer for the fifth deployment in seven years. Jen is not a confident woman since she had a mastectomy a year previously. She has not had an implant, but only wears a silicone breast form, making her feel awkward around men. But now, here is Shane bumping into her, spilling her beer down her blouse. From that instant, they are drawn to each other, but the timing is all wrong with Shane leaving for Iraq. Shane has his own secret which is having his appendix removed without the military being aware of his surgery. The procedure has not healed yet, and he sweats passing the morning fitness exam which he tries to avert. But Jen is the nurse who is evaluating him, and he persuades her to sign his papers. Will he return to where they can build a relationship together? This story is very heart wrenching to read about the young wives left alone trying to cope while their husbands are fighting for survival during dangerous missions. It's a humbling story to read for those who are distant from families that serve their country. The writing quality is superb, pace very vigorous, characters are strong and captivating. It's certainly potent, engaging and very candid. It's simply awesome, and everyone should read it ... men and women. | 2 | positive | [
"This is the first novel I've read by Author Jessica Scott; but it will not be the last!",
"This story is very moving when one reads the emotions of families left behind by our nation's warriors in time of war.",
"In this story, Sergeant First Class Shane Garrison of Army Tactical Operations, has received his divorce papers ending five years of marriage.",
"Shane believes that he's never been a good son nor a good husband, but he is a devoted soldier who feels solely responsible for his troops.",
"It is 2007 and Garrison's platoon is being deployed to Iraq.",
"They have completed all their training and this night is the last spent at Fort Hood; they leave in the morning for Iraq.",
"His commander is his best friend, Captain Trent Davila, having a long history together serving as enlisted prior to Trent's becoming a commissioned officer.",
"Another close friend is one Sergeant Carponti, specializing in infantry squad tactics, with a humorous attitude always demanding attention.",
"Trent's wife, Laura, invites Jen St.",
"James to the evening party.",
"Jen has not been in a bar for two years, but Laura wants to support her husband by sending him off to war with good cheer for the fifth deployment in seven years.",
"Jen is not a confident woman since she had a mastectomy a year previously.",
"She has not had an implant, but only wears a silicone breast form, making her feel awkward around men.",
"But now, here is Shane bumping into her, spilling her beer down her blouse.",
"From that instant, they are drawn to each other, but the timing is all wrong with Shane leaving for Iraq.",
"Shane has his own secret which is having his appendix removed without the military being aware of his surgery.",
"The procedure has not healed yet, and he sweats passing the morning fitness exam which he tries to avert.",
"But Jen is the nurse who is evaluating him, and he persuades her to sign his papers.",
"Will he return to where they can build a relationship together?",
"This story is very heart wrenching to read about the young wives left alone trying to cope while their husbands are fighting for survival during dangerous missions.",
"It's a humbling story to read for those who are distant from families that serve their country.",
"The writing quality is superb, pace very vigorous, characters are strong and captivating.",
"It's certainly potent, engaging and very candid.",
"It's simply awesome, and everyone should read it...",
"men and women."
] |
PJ Harvey was a musician I had heard *of* for years, but never actually heard any of her music until about a year ago. I started off with her first two albums, "Dry" and "Rid of Me". Both of them are raw, punky, aggressive, lo-fi, unpredictable masterpieces. However, if I had to choose one and only one to listen to for the rest of my life, I'd most likely choose "Dry". Here's a brief track-by-track review, just to give you somewhat of an idea of the album:
1. Oh My Lover (4:00)
A great kickstart to the album that introduces the listener to Polly Jean's bluesey/punk style. This one in particular lies more on the blues side, with a somewhat slow, but still heavy pace. When she sings the title throughout the song, you can really feel the emotion in her voice, which is a nice change of pace from a lot of the manufactured female singers you hear today. The song builds up to a great finale with some layered vocals.
2. O Stella (2:30)
A energetic little song about Stella Maris. Some biblical references I believe (not entirely sure though).
3. Dress (3:16)
I believe this was one of the singles from this album, and Kurt Cobain mentioned it as being a favorite of his at some point. Not surprising, 'cause it's a great song that becomes very infectious after you listen to it a couple times.
4. Victory (3:16)
Another bluesey song that references angels, god, etc. The chorus in particular is great, with Polly Jean energetically singing, "VIC-TORYYYY!".
5. Happy and Bleeding (4:48)
This is where things really start getting great. It's also the first song on the album that shows her early penchant for unusual time signatures. Whereas the first four songs are in the traditional 4/4 time, this one takes a 6/4 structure. The verses are slow, and only have a minimalistic guitar riff/drum pattern. Then, the chorus bursts out in a noisy fashion. Her vocal delivery throughout is incredible.
6. Sheela-Na-Gig (3:10)
I think this is the most well known song from the album, although I certainly never heard it on the radio or anything. The title, if you're curious, is a reference to a nude pagan female figure. Great lyrics, great song.
7. Hair (3:47)
Another song that takes a slow/minimalistic verse and loud chorus structure. Again, great vocal delivery.
8. Joe (2:33)
This one is built around a wild guitar riff in 6/4 time. I'm guessing Joe is an ex-boyfriend of some sort. Regardless, another standout in an album full of standouts. It's a heavy song with a hectic, sorta chaotic feeling. May take a few listens to appreciate fully.
9. Plants and Rags (4:09)
By far the most unusual sounding song on the album, and probably the best. The verses have a pretty simple accoustic guitar riff in the background, with an occasional touch of violin (another instrument that Polly is skilled at). The verses slowly build up into what I guess you could call the chorus, that being a barrage of really haunting, atonal sounding violin. She expanded on this type of sound with "Man-Sized Sextet" on her next album, the aforementioned "Rid of Me".
10. Fountain (3:53)
Cool for the fact that it's in 7/4 time if nothing else. It has a chilling bass line throughout the verses, and again, a full throttle rocking chorus. Another one with some great lyrics (which can be found on her official site if you're curious).
11. Water (4:32)
More weird time signature goodness - this one, along with "Hair" is in 5/4. This also follows the soft/loud template, which was very popular at the time (and still is today). The main guitar riff is memorable enough to the point where you'll want to learn it afterwards (assuming you play guitar). It also has some biblical references to Mary, and the obvious "Walking on water" thing. A really great closer to a really great album.
Okay, there you have it. I'm not very good at typing song descriptions, but I tried. There's not much more I can say other than: buy this album NOW! You may not love it at first (I didn't either), but give it 3 or 4 solid listens, and it'll most likely be a new favorite. It's not her most accessible album (I would give that title to either "Stories From the City, Stories From the Sea" or "To Bring You My Love", both excellent albums as well), but if you're new to PJ Harvey, I'd start here anyway, as IMO, it's her best work overall.
Best Tracks: Happy and Bleeding, Joe, Plants & Rags, Fountain. | 2 | positive | [
"PJ Harvey was a musician I had heard *of* for years, but never actually heard any of her music until about a year ago.",
"I started off with her first two albums, \"Dry\" and \"Rid of Me\".",
"Both of them are raw, punky, aggressive, lo-fi, unpredictable masterpieces.",
"However, if I had to choose one and only one to listen to for the rest of my life, I'd most likely choose \"Dry\".",
"Here's a brief track-by-track review, just to give you somewhat of an idea of the album:\n\n1.",
"Oh My Lover (4:00)\n\nA great kickstart to the album that introduces the listener to Polly Jean's bluesey/punk style.",
"This one in particular lies more on the blues side, with a somewhat slow, but still heavy pace.",
"When she sings the title throughout the song, you can really feel the emotion in her voice, which is a nice change of pace from a lot of the manufactured female singers you hear today.",
"The song builds up to a great finale with some layered vocals.",
"2.",
"O Stella (2:30)\n\nA energetic little song about Stella Maris.",
"Some biblical references I believe (not entirely sure though).",
"3.",
"Dress (3:16)\n\nI believe this was one of the singles from this album, and Kurt Cobain mentioned it as being a favorite of his at some point.",
"Not surprising, 'cause it's a great song that becomes very infectious after you listen to it a couple times.",
"4.",
"Victory (3:16)\n\nAnother bluesey song that references angels, god, etc.",
"The chorus in particular is great, with Polly Jean energetically singing, \"VIC-TORYYYY!",
"\".",
"5.",
"Happy and Bleeding (4:48)\n\nThis is where things really start getting great.",
"It's also the first song on the album that shows her early penchant for unusual time signatures.",
"Whereas the first four songs are in the traditional 4/4 time, this one takes a 6/4 structure.",
"The verses are slow, and only have a minimalistic guitar riff/drum pattern.",
"Then, the chorus bursts out in a noisy fashion.",
"Her vocal delivery throughout is incredible.",
"6.",
"Sheela-Na-Gig (3:10)\n\nI think this is the most well known song from the album, although I certainly never heard it on the radio or anything.",
"The title, if you're curious, is a reference to a nude pagan female figure.",
"Great lyrics, great song.",
"7.",
"Hair (3:47)\n\nAnother song that takes a slow/minimalistic verse and loud chorus structure.",
"Again, great vocal delivery.",
"8.",
"Joe (2:33)\n\nThis one is built around a wild guitar riff in 6/4 time.",
"I'm guessing Joe is an ex-boyfriend of some sort.",
"Regardless, another standout in an album full of standouts.",
"It's a heavy song with a hectic, sorta chaotic feeling.",
"May take a few listens to appreciate fully.",
"9.",
"Plants and Rags (4:09)\n\nBy far the most unusual sounding song on the album, and probably the best.",
"The verses have a pretty simple accoustic guitar riff in the background, with an occasional touch of violin (another instrument that Polly is skilled at).",
"The verses slowly build up into what I guess you could call the chorus, that being a barrage of really haunting, atonal sounding violin.",
"She expanded on this type of sound with \"Man-Sized Sextet\" on her next album, the aforementioned \"Rid of Me\".",
"10.",
"Fountain (3:53)\n\nCool for the fact that it's in 7/4 time if nothing else.",
"It has a chilling bass line throughout the verses, and again, a full throttle rocking chorus.",
"Another one with some great lyrics (which can be found on her official site if you're curious).",
"11.",
"Water (4:32)\n\nMore weird time signature goodness - this one, along with \"Hair\" is in 5/4.",
"This also follows the soft/loud template, which was very popular at the time (and still is today).",
"The main guitar riff is memorable enough to the point where you'll want to learn it afterwards (assuming you play guitar).",
"It also has some biblical references to Mary, and the obvious \"Walking on water\" thing.",
"A really great closer to a really great album.",
"Okay, there you have it.",
"I'm not very good at typing song descriptions, but I tried.",
"There's not much more I can say other than: buy this album NOW!",
"You may not love it at first (I didn't either), but give it 3 or 4 solid listens, and it'll most likely be a new favorite.",
"It's not her most accessible album (I would give that title to either \"Stories From the City, Stories From the Sea\" or \"To Bring You My Love\", both excellent albums as well), but if you're new to PJ Harvey, I'd start here anyway, as IMO, it's her best work overall.",
"Best Tracks: Happy and Bleeding, Joe, Plants & Rags, Fountain."
] |
I bought this to paint some doors with latex. I didn't have a clue about spray painting anything. I plugged it in and followed the directions. Perfect solution. I now have beautiful white doors. Cleanup was so easy. I used hot water and dawn soap and a small brush. Great product. I also purchased a box of spare mason jars and rubber gaskets.
Great product. I strongly recommend it! | 2 | positive | [
"I bought this to paint some doors with latex.",
"I didn't have a clue about spray painting anything.",
"I plugged it in and followed the directions.",
"Perfect solution.",
"I now have beautiful white doors.",
"Cleanup was so easy.",
"I used hot water and dawn soap and a small brush.",
"Great product.",
"I also purchased a box of spare mason jars and rubber gaskets.",
"Great product.",
"I strongly recommend it!"
] |
I own 23 cold steel blades/items, and this is my favorite. I can throw it like a tomahawk and sink it in a tree/target. It came with a great sharpened edge that I can clean up with the file on my multi tool. It cuts through my hedges and branches like a hot knife through butter. perfect size and weight. Like it more than my CS magnum kukri machete which came with the worst edge ever. This isn't a fancy expensive machete. I added a black rothco paracord lanyard and some tennis racket/hockey stick grip tape and it's the best bang for my buck. And it was used by Carol in the walking dead. Thinking of getting a second one for if the SHTF. | 2 | positive | [
"I own 23 cold steel blades/items, and this is my favorite.",
"I can throw it like a tomahawk and sink it in a tree/target.",
"It came with a great sharpened edge that I can clean up with the file on my multi tool.",
"It cuts through my hedges and branches like a hot knife through butter.",
"perfect size and weight.",
"Like it more than my CS magnum kukri machete which came with the worst edge ever.",
"This isn't a fancy expensive machete.",
"I added a black rothco paracord lanyard and some tennis racket/hockey stick grip tape and it's the best bang for my buck.",
"And it was used by Carol in the walking dead.",
"Thinking of getting a second one for if the SHTF."
] |
This interesting knitting book has chapters titled Hexagons, Pentagons, Spirals, Phyllotaxis, Fractals and Waves. All of the patterns are inspired by natural forms found in nature The author, Norah Gaughan, in the introduction, states that she has "always been torn between simultaneous desires to study art and science". This book is a good example of how she combines the two and creates beauty. As Norah's life progressed, she realized that what she truly loved was knitting and wanted to make a career as a knitting designer. "The work in this book feels like the melding of my science - and art-loving selves...". "Some of the designs in this book are structurally similar to nature's example." This can be seen by the chapter headings themselves. "In some cases, the structure of the natural phenomenon dictated the structure of the garment (the garments made from hexagonal and pentagonal pieces, for instance). In others, the pattern from nature become a surface decoration imposed on the grid of knitting...". "In all cases, working within the framework of six categories of patterns found in nature freed my mind to look at things differently and allowed me to rethink the structure of garment-making."
Many of the patterns are eye-catching and lovely. In Hexagons, the Asymmetrical Cardigan in a lovely light blue hue is definitely a pattern I want to try. It is knit in cashmere . The stitch in this cardigan is modeled after the woven pattern of caned chair seats. The Hex Afghan is stunning. Knit in a rich brownish-red, half alpaca and half wool, it contains rows of elongated hexagons.
The Swirled Pentagon Pullover is luscious. Knit in an angora and wool blend, it is an almost turquoise colorway. The top of the pullover has swirled pentagons and the bottom of the sweater is knit in a classic stockinette stitch. The Bubble Pullover is knit in a lovely violet color out of baby alpaca. It has large pentagons as its motif.
The Spiral Scarf is very 'now'. Its contemporary feel is obvious to the knitter. It is knit with Mongolian Cashmere in a golden and blue hue and is comprised of spirals attached together. The Cabled Spiral Pullover is knit in a light blue colorway from extra fine merino DK. There is a spiral motif on the top and the bottom two thirds of the sweater is knit in stockinette stitch.
The Roundabout Leaf Tank is knit in an ivory hue with silk yarn. "The seater is made out of a spiraling strip, in the same way that leaves grow on a stem." The Phyllotaxis Scarf is perfect for a man or woman. Knit in a brown colorway with a wool, mohair and silk combination yarn, it is reversible. The scarf is knit in a tube to make its reversibility possible. "There are five spirals slanting to the right and eight spirals slanting to the left so the pair from the Fibonacci sequence is 5-8." I love the Sunflower Tam. There are two examples in the photograph. One is green and the other yellow. They are knit with Icelandic wool. "For this tam, I wanted to make a disk with two opposing spirals, like the phyllotaxis of a sunflower, daisy, or coneflower."
The Fractal section has several nice patterns. I really like the Branching Aran Guernsey knit with wool. "I purposefully incorporated some traditional elements of the British guernsey into this design - the drop-shoulder shaping and the simple ladder pattern between the columns of the cables - and like the way they play against the naturalistic, very modern, branching cables." The Serpentin Coat, knit in browns and blues with merino wool, is perfect for an autumn day. "The sinuous motif used on the yoke of this coat is a Dragon Curve, another mathematical fractal." The Triangle Scarf is in a dark beige and knit with a combination of nylon and rayon yarn. It features triangles based on a mathematical fractal called the Serpinski Triangle.
The Wave section of the book has several lovely patterns. I really like the Vortex Street Pullover in a green/brown blend knit with cotton. "A phenomenon of fluid dynamics, a vortex street is an organized pattern of spirals formed in the wake of fluid flowing past a solid object." The center of this pullover has a wave section with stockinette surrounding it. The Reflection Aran Pullover is knit in a deep wine color out of wool. "Inspired by the rule of wave reflection, the cables in this pullover 'reflect' off of the edges of the center panel." The Droplet Hat is another Aran pattern knit in a green colorway with wool yarn. "This design is based upon a photo showing a droplet of water speeding downward propelled by gravity, spewing off little droplets as well as a narrow trail of water. My interpretation is rendered in bobbles and embossed leaves."
Overall, this book is a real winner with clear photographs of the projects and easy-to-read pattern instructions. Some of the photos are a bit sexist for my taste but I can overlook that. They just seem silly. The book itself is a very welcome addition to my knitting library. | 2 | positive | [
"This interesting knitting book has chapters titled Hexagons, Pentagons, Spirals, Phyllotaxis, Fractals and Waves.",
"All of the patterns are inspired by natural forms found in nature The author, Norah Gaughan, in the introduction, states that she has \"always been torn between simultaneous desires to study art and science\".",
"This book is a good example of how she combines the two and creates beauty.",
"As Norah's life progressed, she realized that what she truly loved was knitting and wanted to make a career as a knitting designer.",
"\"The work in this book feels like the melding of my science - and art-loving selves...",
"\".",
"\"Some of the designs in this book are structurally similar to nature's example.",
"\" This can be seen by the chapter headings themselves.",
"\"In some cases, the structure of the natural phenomenon dictated the structure of the garment (the garments made from hexagonal and pentagonal pieces, for instance).",
"In others, the pattern from nature become a surface decoration imposed on the grid of knitting...",
"\".",
"\"In all cases, working within the framework of six categories of patterns found in nature freed my mind to look at things differently and allowed me to rethink the structure of garment-making.",
"\"\n\nMany of the patterns are eye-catching and lovely.",
"In Hexagons, the Asymmetrical Cardigan in a lovely light blue hue is definitely a pattern I want to try.",
"It is knit in cashmere.",
"The stitch in this cardigan is modeled after the woven pattern of caned chair seats.",
"The Hex Afghan is stunning.",
"Knit in a rich brownish-red, half alpaca and half wool, it contains rows of elongated hexagons.",
"The Swirled Pentagon Pullover is luscious.",
"Knit in an angora and wool blend, it is an almost turquoise colorway.",
"The top of the pullover has swirled pentagons and the bottom of the sweater is knit in a classic stockinette stitch.",
"The Bubble Pullover is knit in a lovely violet color out of baby alpaca.",
"It has large pentagons as its motif.",
"The Spiral Scarf is very 'now'.",
"Its contemporary feel is obvious to the knitter.",
"It is knit with Mongolian Cashmere in a golden and blue hue and is comprised of spirals attached together.",
"The Cabled Spiral Pullover is knit in a light blue colorway from extra fine merino DK.",
"There is a spiral motif on the top and the bottom two thirds of the sweater is knit in stockinette stitch.",
"The Roundabout Leaf Tank is knit in an ivory hue with silk yarn.",
"\"The seater is made out of a spiraling strip, in the same way that leaves grow on a stem.",
"\" The Phyllotaxis Scarf is perfect for a man or woman.",
"Knit in a brown colorway with a wool, mohair and silk combination yarn, it is reversible.",
"The scarf is knit in a tube to make its reversibility possible.",
"\"There are five spirals slanting to the right and eight spirals slanting to the left so the pair from the Fibonacci sequence is 5-8.",
"\" I love the Sunflower Tam.",
"There are two examples in the photograph.",
"One is green and the other yellow.",
"They are knit with Icelandic wool.",
"\"For this tam, I wanted to make a disk with two opposing spirals, like the phyllotaxis of a sunflower, daisy, or coneflower.",
"\"\n\nThe Fractal section has several nice patterns.",
"I really like the Branching Aran Guernsey knit with wool.",
"\"I purposefully incorporated some traditional elements of the British guernsey into this design - the drop-shoulder shaping and the simple ladder pattern between the columns of the cables - and like the way they play against the naturalistic, very modern, branching cables.",
"\" The Serpentin Coat, knit in browns and blues with merino wool, is perfect for an autumn day.",
"\"The sinuous motif used on the yoke of this coat is a Dragon Curve, another mathematical fractal.",
"\" The Triangle Scarf is in a dark beige and knit with a combination of nylon and rayon yarn.",
"It features triangles based on a mathematical fractal called the Serpinski Triangle.",
"The Wave section of the book has several lovely patterns.",
"I really like the Vortex Street Pullover in a green/brown blend knit with cotton.",
"\"A phenomenon of fluid dynamics, a vortex street is an organized pattern of spirals formed in the wake of fluid flowing past a solid object.",
"\" The center of this pullover has a wave section with stockinette surrounding it.",
"The Reflection Aran Pullover is knit in a deep wine color out of wool.",
"\"Inspired by the rule of wave reflection, the cables in this pullover 'reflect' off of the edges of the center panel.",
"\" The Droplet Hat is another Aran pattern knit in a green colorway with wool yarn.",
"\"This design is based upon a photo showing a droplet of water speeding downward propelled by gravity, spewing off little droplets as well as a narrow trail of water.",
"My interpretation is rendered in bobbles and embossed leaves.",
"\"\n\nOverall, this book is a real winner with clear photographs of the projects and easy-to-read pattern instructions.",
"Some of the photos are a bit sexist for my taste but I can overlook that.",
"They just seem silly.",
"The book itself is a very welcome addition to my knitting library."
] |
I have purchased very expensive heads set and have been quite dissapointed with those purchases. My brother bought this product a while ago and recommended it to me to try it. I have now used it with my iPhone and it works pretty good. The reception has been far better than my other Jawbone and Motorola H700 series. I love that it also cost me a lot less. It feels very comfortable on the ear, I usually forget I have it on after a while. Nice volume too. The controls volume are a bit akward for me to up and down the volume, but I use my iPhone for that instead. Overall, I am pretty pleased with this purchase. My next bluetooth, will be another from Jabra. | 2 | positive | [
"I have purchased very expensive heads set and have been quite dissapointed with those purchases.",
"My brother bought this product a while ago and recommended it to me to try it.",
"I have now used it with my iPhone and it works pretty good.",
"The reception has been far better than my other Jawbone and Motorola H700 series.",
"I love that it also cost me a lot less.",
"It feels very comfortable on the ear, I usually forget I have it on after a while.",
"Nice volume too.",
"The controls volume are a bit akward for me to up and down the volume, but I use my iPhone for that instead.",
"Overall, I am pretty pleased with this purchase.",
"My next bluetooth, will be another from Jabra."
] |
Positively chilling is the word that comes to mind when I watch Vosloo (Pik Van Cleef). Vosloo plays the murderous henchman of Emil Fouchon (Lance Heriksen), who recruits homeless combat veterans for a deadly game of cat and mouse. Vosloo interviews rich "clients", who pay upwards of half a million dollars for the pleasure of hunting and killing these Vets, which our society has "forgotten" about. These henchmen then burn the dead bodies in abandoned building in order to make the killings look like freak accidents. They even have the town (New Orleans) medical examiner in their pockets.
The movie starts with a homeless man running for his life. He is being viscously hunted by a gang of henchmen, equipped with automatic weapons on the prowl. The hunter's goal is to reach the river before the henchmen and the paying "client" gets to him first. Well they do get to him first and his death leads the police to undercover this secret "service". The dead man's daughter, Natasha Binder (Yancy Butler) along with Chance Boudreaux (Van Damme), seeks to find out what really happened. After Chance proves the death as a homicide, a new autopsy is ordered--which tips off the henchmen. They want to stop her and Chance but they have other ideas.
Van Damme and Butler do a good job on the run from the hunters. Van Damme's high-flying kicks and fight scenes are awesome. But it is Henriksen and the amazing Arnold Vosloo, who STEALES the SHOW! They are soooo baaaad you cheer them on throughout the film. Vosloo's performance is especially chilling as he expertly maintains a dignified yet heartless persona.
This high-octane film is sure to light your fire, rent or buy it today! | 2 | positive | [
"Positively chilling is the word that comes to mind when I watch Vosloo (Pik Van Cleef).",
"Vosloo plays the murderous henchman of Emil Fouchon (Lance Heriksen), who recruits homeless combat veterans for a deadly game of cat and mouse.",
"Vosloo interviews rich \"clients\", who pay upwards of half a million dollars for the pleasure of hunting and killing these Vets, which our society has \"forgotten\" about.",
"These henchmen then burn the dead bodies in abandoned building in order to make the killings look like freak accidents.",
"They even have the town (New Orleans) medical examiner in their pockets.",
"The movie starts with a homeless man running for his life.",
"He is being viscously hunted by a gang of henchmen, equipped with automatic weapons on the prowl.",
"The hunter's goal is to reach the river before the henchmen and the paying \"client\" gets to him first.",
"Well they do get to him first and his death leads the police to undercover this secret \"service\".",
"The dead man's daughter, Natasha Binder (Yancy Butler) along with Chance Boudreaux (Van Damme), seeks to find out what really happened.",
"After Chance proves the death as a homicide, a new autopsy is ordered--which tips off the henchmen.",
"They want to stop her and Chance but they have other ideas.",
"Van Damme and Butler do a good job on the run from the hunters.",
"Van Damme's high-flying kicks and fight scenes are awesome.",
"But it is Henriksen and the amazing Arnold Vosloo, who STEALES the SHOW!",
"They are soooo baaaad you cheer them on throughout the film.",
"Vosloo's performance is especially chilling as he expertly maintains a dignified yet heartless persona.",
"This high-octane film is sure to light your fire, rent or buy it today!"
] |
If you like mail order bride books, you'll love this story. I sure did! Margaret advertised for a husband. She found Paul. Sadly, he was killed before he could meet her. His brother Joseph lost his wife and is left to raise their four boys alone. He takes a chance hoping Margaret will agree to marry him in his brothers place. As you might expect going from no kids to four boys isn't easy, especially with the nut case woman who wanted Margarets new husband for her hanging around. This book has comedy, love, adorable moments, and moments of Margaret finding a strength she didn't know she had. I loved it and look forward to more from this author. | 2 | positive | [
"If you like mail order bride books, you'll love this story.",
"I sure did!",
"Margaret advertised for a husband.",
"She found Paul.",
"Sadly, he was killed before he could meet her.",
"His brother Joseph lost his wife and is left to raise their four boys alone.",
"He takes a chance hoping Margaret will agree to marry him in his brothers place.",
"As you might expect going from no kids to four boys isn't easy, especially with the nut case woman who wanted Margarets new husband for her hanging around.",
"This book has comedy, love, adorable moments, and moments of Margaret finding a strength she didn't know she had.",
"I loved it and look forward to more from this author."
] |
By Darrell Stoddard, darrellstoddard@gmail.com
"Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends." In the history of the world, the best example of giving ones life to save the life of another is found in the true story of the Titanic disaster; not the OK fictional story of Jack and Rose on the Titanic, but the true historical event of so many men giving up their seats in the lifeboats to save the lives of women and children.
Next to the story of the Titanic about people willing to die to save the life of others, is the sculpture of the "Burghers of Calais", and a 12 minute film entitled "Greater Love."
The story of the "Burghers of Calais" is found in a sublime sculpture by the artist Rodin It is a monument to an occurrence in 1347 during the Hundred Years' War, when Calais, a French village was under siege by the English for over a year. England's King Edward offered to spare the people of the city if any six of its top leaders would surrender presumably to be executed. Edward demanded that they walk out wearing nooses around their necks to give their lives for their village. It is reported that they actually did this and then were spared by the intervention of England's Queen who persuaded her husband to exercise mercy by claiming that their deaths would be a bad omen for her unborn child.
No less than the above, is the simple story told in a 12 minute film called "Greater Love" which is about a little girl who gives a blood transfusion to save the life of her brother. Believing that the transfusion would end her life, she then asks the question. "When am I going to die?"
To give ones life to save the life of another is reflection of the Atonement of Jesus Christ who died that we might live after death. This even "greater love" that God has for his children is represented in a ten minute film called "The Bridge" which is the story of a father who operates a railroad bridge. When his little boy comes out on the RR tracks of the bridge, the father must make a decision of whether to save the people on the train (you and I and everyone who has ever lived) or to sacrifice his son. He allows his son to die for all mankind to live. "For God so loved the World that he gave his only begotten son..." Jews and Muslims relate the story to Abraham's offering his son (Isaac or Ishmael) as a sacrifice. "The Bridge" is an even better analogy and schoolmaster because no lives were being saved by Abraham's sacrifice. The film is a bridge between man and God, a bridge between our mortal life and a life after death, and a bridge between Christians, Jews, and Muslims. For these reasons, I believe "The Bridge" is the most important motion picture ever produced.
See all of my Reviews. I write only about books, events, or motion pictures that have changed the course of history or unforgettable books or motion pictures that will totally change peoples lives.
Darrell Stoddard, Founder - Pain Research Institute healpain.net and saveusa.biz | 2 | positive | [
"By Darrell Stoddard, darrellstoddard@gmail.",
"com\n\n\"Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.",
"\" In the history of the world, the best example of giving ones life to save the life of another is found in the true story of the Titanic disaster; not the OK fictional story of Jack and Rose on the Titanic, but the true historical event of so many men giving up their seats in the lifeboats to save the lives of women and children.",
"Next to the story of the Titanic about people willing to die to save the life of others, is the sculpture of the \"Burghers of Calais\", and a 12 minute film entitled \"Greater Love.",
"\"\n\nThe story of the \"Burghers of Calais\" is found in a sublime sculpture by the artist Rodin It is a monument to an occurrence in 1347 during the Hundred Years' War, when Calais, a French village was under siege by the English for over a year.",
"England's King Edward offered to spare the people of the city if any six of its top leaders would surrender presumably to be executed.",
"Edward demanded that they walk out wearing nooses around their necks to give their lives for their village.",
"It is reported that they actually did this and then were spared by the intervention of England's Queen who persuaded her husband to exercise mercy by claiming that their deaths would be a bad omen for her unborn child.",
"No less than the above, is the simple story told in a 12 minute film called \"Greater Love\" which is about a little girl who gives a blood transfusion to save the life of her brother.",
"Believing that the transfusion would end her life, she then asks the question.",
"\"When am I going to die?",
"\"\n\nTo give ones life to save the life of another is reflection of the Atonement of Jesus Christ who died that we might live after death.",
"This even \"greater love\" that God has for his children is represented in a ten minute film called \"The Bridge\" which is the story of a father who operates a railroad bridge.",
"When his little boy comes out on the RR tracks of the bridge, the father must make a decision of whether to save the people on the train (you and I and everyone who has ever lived) or to sacrifice his son.",
"He allows his son to die for all mankind to live.",
"\"For God so loved the World that he gave his only begotten son...",
"\" Jews and Muslims relate the story to Abraham's offering his son (Isaac or Ishmael) as a sacrifice.",
"\"The Bridge\" is an even better analogy and schoolmaster because no lives were being saved by Abraham's sacrifice.",
"The film is a bridge between man and God, a bridge between our mortal life and a life after death, and a bridge between Christians, Jews, and Muslims.",
"For these reasons, I believe \"The Bridge\" is the most important motion picture ever produced.",
"See all of my Reviews.",
"I write only about books, events, or motion pictures that have changed the course of history or unforgettable books or motion pictures that will totally change peoples lives.",
"Darrell Stoddard, Founder - Pain Research Institute healpain.",
"net and saveusa.",
"biz"
] |
This book brings the characters that were void in its predecessor The Feast of The Crows and their happenings during it's same time. Jon Snow, Tyrion Lannister, Daenerys Targaryen, Theon Greyjoy are the major players in this part.
Jon Snow becomes the head of the Nights Watch in the Wall and he realized the incumbent danger that White Walkers poses. At the same time he has to ensure that he doesn't overtly show allegiance to Stannis Baratheon and his men since Night's Watch doesnt take part in the wars of Westros. It's a wonderful read to understand the mind of a young leader who has a vision to join the wildlings with the rangers and fight the White Walkers. He always seems dubious and lost and to make matters worse Lady Melissandre is behind him perpetually with impending visions of death and danger of him. George Martin focuses on the dilemman that this young leader faces at the wall and is an interesting read
Daenerys Targaryen is now the queen of Mereen but she is sitting on a throne of fire, Civil unrest, diseases, hunger and war endangers her new throne. She has to take important decision to end these war and she doesn't seem to have anyone who can give the right counsel. All around her are scheming for her royalty and dragons. It's an entertaining world of politics and confusion on this side of Mereen and showcases how a matured queen she is becoming
Tyrion Lannister is clandestinely transported from Kings Landing after murdering his father to Pentos where he is given the task of uniting an exile prince with Daenerys Targaryen through marriage. But fate is against him and he is sold as a slave. His trajectory is very interesting to read and filled with quirky typical Tyrion one liners. Can get a very detailed understanding of his cunningnes and political ruthlessness when he tries to escape from one danger to another.
Theon Greyjoy is under the control of Ramsay Bolton the bastard of Roose Bolton. He has forced himself to live in the world of character Reek because that is what torture has made him. Ramsay Bolton is being wedded to Arya Stark but in reality it is a mummers show to unite the north under Boltons and girl is only a replica. Theon is put in a tough position knowing the truth and the moral duty whether to stand by this treachery and cruelty of Bolton or whether to betray him.
In between these characters of Jamie Lannister, Cersei Lannister, Quentyn Martel, Victarion Greyjoy, Arya Stark also play their part.
George Martin thankfully avoids any major death in this book but he introduces new characters who have ancient pacts with the Targaryens which complicates and creates new plot for the series to go forward. As usual his writing on moral dilemman of Theon, element of doubt in Jon and Danerys and ruthlessness and quirkiness of Tyrion is amazing to read. At the end you end up wondering how much further can the plot be complicated and one really feels doubtfull how all the plots will be intersected in the next two books ... | 2 | positive | [
"This book brings the characters that were void in its predecessor The Feast of The Crows and their happenings during it's same time.",
"Jon Snow, Tyrion Lannister, Daenerys Targaryen, Theon Greyjoy are the major players in this part.",
"Jon Snow becomes the head of the Nights Watch in the Wall and he realized the incumbent danger that White Walkers poses.",
"At the same time he has to ensure that he doesn't overtly show allegiance to Stannis Baratheon and his men since Night's Watch doesnt take part in the wars of Westros.",
"It's a wonderful read to understand the mind of a young leader who has a vision to join the wildlings with the rangers and fight the White Walkers.",
"He always seems dubious and lost and to make matters worse Lady Melissandre is behind him perpetually with impending visions of death and danger of him.",
"George Martin focuses on the dilemman that this young leader faces at the wall and is an interesting read\n\nDaenerys Targaryen is now the queen of Mereen but she is sitting on a throne of fire, Civil unrest, diseases, hunger and war endangers her new throne.",
"She has to take important decision to end these war and she doesn't seem to have anyone who can give the right counsel.",
"All around her are scheming for her royalty and dragons.",
"It's an entertaining world of politics and confusion on this side of Mereen and showcases how a matured queen she is becoming\n\nTyrion Lannister is clandestinely transported from Kings Landing after murdering his father to Pentos where he is given the task of uniting an exile prince with Daenerys Targaryen through marriage.",
"But fate is against him and he is sold as a slave.",
"His trajectory is very interesting to read and filled with quirky typical Tyrion one liners.",
"Can get a very detailed understanding of his cunningnes and political ruthlessness when he tries to escape from one danger to another.",
"Theon Greyjoy is under the control of Ramsay Bolton the bastard of Roose Bolton.",
"He has forced himself to live in the world of character Reek because that is what torture has made him.",
"Ramsay Bolton is being wedded to Arya Stark but in reality it is a mummers show to unite the north under Boltons and girl is only a replica.",
"Theon is put in a tough position knowing the truth and the moral duty whether to stand by this treachery and cruelty of Bolton or whether to betray him.",
"In between these characters of Jamie Lannister, Cersei Lannister, Quentyn Martel, Victarion Greyjoy, Arya Stark also play their part.",
"George Martin thankfully avoids any major death in this book but he introduces new characters who have ancient pacts with the Targaryens which complicates and creates new plot for the series to go forward.",
"As usual his writing on moral dilemman of Theon, element of doubt in Jon and Danerys and ruthlessness and quirkiness of Tyrion is amazing to read.",
"At the end you end up wondering how much further can the plot be complicated and one really feels doubtfull how all the plots will be intersected in the next two books..."
] |
There are really two main competitors in the high-end mainstream kitchen knife market: Henckels and Wusthof. Those who have used both usually have a preference. My preference (and therefore bias you should know about) is for the Wusthofs.
The Wusthof Classic line is the more conservative counterpart to the Grand Prix line. The only difference, however, is the handle style. I personally prefer the Grand Prix, but this is an issue of personal preference. The balance and grip of these knives are as close to perfect as I have found. For those wondering what benefits a higher priced knife provides, one benefit is that the blade (or tang) is one piece all the way through the handle. This makes the blade much stronger, and less likely to snap.
This particular model is the 3 inch paring knife. This knife falls into the category of overkill for me. Most cooks will get by just fine with the 4 inch utility knife. There is really no notable difference in size for the vast majority of applications between the 3 inch paring knife and the 4 inch utility knife.
Don't get me wrong; this is a very good knife. However, for the mainstream chef, I think its usage will be minimal, and thus it is overkill. Look for the 4 inch utility knife first. If you own that knife, and you need this size for a specific application, this knife is great. | 2 | positive | [
"There are really two main competitors in the high-end mainstream kitchen knife market: Henckels and Wusthof.",
"Those who have used both usually have a preference.",
"My preference (and therefore bias you should know about) is for the Wusthofs.",
"The Wusthof Classic line is the more conservative counterpart to the Grand Prix line.",
"The only difference, however, is the handle style.",
"I personally prefer the Grand Prix, but this is an issue of personal preference.",
"The balance and grip of these knives are as close to perfect as I have found.",
"For those wondering what benefits a higher priced knife provides, one benefit is that the blade (or tang) is one piece all the way through the handle.",
"This makes the blade much stronger, and less likely to snap.",
"This particular model is the 3 inch paring knife.",
"This knife falls into the category of overkill for me.",
"Most cooks will get by just fine with the 4 inch utility knife.",
"There is really no notable difference in size for the vast majority of applications between the 3 inch paring knife and the 4 inch utility knife.",
"Don't get me wrong; this is a very good knife.",
"However, for the mainstream chef, I think its usage will be minimal, and thus it is overkill.",
"Look for the 4 inch utility knife first.",
"If you own that knife, and you need this size for a specific application, this knife is great."
] |
Oh my. I love this saw. Beautiful construction, and it just feels great. And it's the sharpest saw I've ever handled. Significantly better (faster cutting) than the <a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Bahco-Laplander/dp/B0001IX7OW/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Bahco Laplander</a> (dozens of youtube videos and reviews here on Amazon confirm this). It's also better than the <a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Corona-10-34-saw/dp/B001RD7LRO/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Corona 10" saw</a> I have (which is also better than the Laplander... which is pretty lame in comparison, despite the convenient size and cool color). This saw makes a great choice for trimming the trees in your yard, sawing through firewood, or tossing in your BOB for emergency situations.
Anyway, this saw does not cost or weigh that much more than the other options (Corona, Bahco, etc), and it's worth the added expense for the upgrade (if you don't get this one, get the Corona). It's an amazing tool, that works fantastically well. Money well spent. | 2 | positive | [
"Oh my.",
"I love this saw.",
"Beautiful construction, and it just feels great.",
"And it's the sharpest saw I've ever handled.",
"Significantly better (faster cutting) than the <a data-hook=\"product-link-linked\" class=\"a-link-normal\" href=\"/Bahco-Laplander/dp/B0001IX7OW/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?",
"ie=UTF8\">Bahco Laplander</a> (dozens of youtube videos and reviews here on Amazon confirm this).",
"It's also better than the <a data-hook=\"product-link-linked\" class=\"a-link-normal\" href=\"/Corona-10-34-saw/dp/B001RD7LRO/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?",
"ie=UTF8\">Corona 10\" saw</a> I have (which is also better than the Laplander...",
"which is pretty lame in comparison, despite the convenient size and cool color).",
"This saw makes a great choice for trimming the trees in your yard, sawing through firewood, or tossing in your BOB for emergency situations.",
"Anyway, this saw does not cost or weigh that much more than the other options (Corona, Bahco, etc), and it's worth the added expense for the upgrade (if you don't get this one, get the Corona).",
"It's an amazing tool, that works fantastically well.",
"Money well spent."
] |
South Central Cartel has a dope underground thing goin' on despite signed to Def Jam for this 1994 joint. Havoc, Prodeje, Havikk, L.V. DJ Gripp and DJ Kaos represent for that So Cali to the fullest. Beatwise, some of the beats may leave a little more to be desired; some may need to grow on you for a while. Then again, there are many that slap while in the deck! Prodeje is nathan to mess wit on the boards and Gripp and Kaos come correct too. Havoc, Prod, and Havi-double-k tear the mic up with those loc'd azz gangster tales. One classic is "Servin' Em Heat" with a loud, bouncy Zapp sample. Dope rappers Big Mike and 3-2 from Rap-A-Lot and southern fame come kick in some g'd up game in the G-Funk-da-fied melody "Gang Stories." "Gangsta Team" is a long but dope track with what else, a team of the best from the west, 2Pac, Spice 1, Ice-T, and MC Eiht trade in verses with SCC makin' a hella tight Bay 2 LA connection over a fast and hard beat. SCC represents the set in "It's A SCC Thang" over one of the best G-Funk beats I've ever heard, perfect to swerve thru the streets with the melodic beats and relentless flows. Gangsta Rap may not have been nathan new by '94, but SCC definitely delivers with their especially heated lyrics. Cali heads should not sleep on this one! G-Funk classics like this should not be slept on, but are. If you like this one, check out Spice 1-AmeriKKKa's Nightmare, Havoc and Prodeje-Kickin Game, Pooh Man- Ain't No Love, Big Mike- Somethin' Serious all from 1994, and G-Funk classics in the gangster vein. Also, peep SCC's 1997 classic All Day Every Day. | 2 | positive | [
"South Central Cartel has a dope underground thing goin' on despite signed to Def Jam for this 1994 joint.",
"Havoc, Prodeje, Havikk, L.",
"V. DJ Gripp and DJ Kaos represent for that So Cali to the fullest.",
"Beatwise, some of the beats may leave a little more to be desired; some may need to grow on you for a while.",
"Then again, there are many that slap while in the deck!",
"Prodeje is nathan to mess wit on the boards and Gripp and Kaos come correct too.",
"Havoc, Prod, and Havi-double-k tear the mic up with those loc'd azz gangster tales.",
"One classic is \"Servin' Em Heat\" with a loud, bouncy Zapp sample.",
"Dope rappers Big Mike and 3-2 from Rap-A-Lot and southern fame come kick in some g'd up game in the G-Funk-da-fied melody \"Gang Stories.",
"\" \"Gangsta Team\" is a long but dope track with what else, a team of the best from the west, 2Pac, Spice 1, Ice-T, and MC Eiht trade in verses with SCC makin' a hella tight Bay 2 LA connection over a fast and hard beat.",
"SCC represents the set in \"It's A SCC Thang\" over one of the best G-Funk beats I've ever heard, perfect to swerve thru the streets with the melodic beats and relentless flows.",
"Gangsta Rap may not have been nathan new by '94, but SCC definitely delivers with their especially heated lyrics.",
"Cali heads should not sleep on this one!",
"G-Funk classics like this should not be slept on, but are.",
"If you like this one, check out Spice 1-AmeriKKKa's Nightmare, Havoc and Prodeje-Kickin Game, Pooh Man- Ain't No Love, Big Mike- Somethin' Serious all from 1994, and G-Funk classics in the gangster vein.",
"Also, peep SCC's 1997 classic All Day Every Day."
] |
I hadn't seen this movie for about 15 years, of course on TV. I'm sure it was at that time severely edited, probably down to only a couple of hours as TV movies are like that! I didn't think much of it until I saw it on the shelf at the movie rental place. I recalled that I loved the play, so I rented it. I was blown away by this movie and was moved to tears and laughter! There are several scenes that are so well-done that I would call them the best scenes ever made, of all time! The scene where Tevye is recalling memories of his little girl, whom he has now lost forever to the Russian, is one of the best pieces of filmmaking I have ever scene. The camera shows a closeup of his face and them pans slowly away. I have never seen better acting than at that moment. Tevye's eyes actually show the severe grief he is feeling. What an amazing actor! The whole movie is just amazing and wonderful.
The scenes where he is debating with God "on the other hand" about whether he should accept the marriages of his daughters were some of the best moments in filmmaking also. I would also be moved to tears when he would say, "Look at my daughter's eyes, she loves him, so hopeful..." Those were really touching moments. It was wonderful how the filmmakers would move Tevye farther away from the daughters at those moments, as if he were far away, deep in thought.
The whole movie is beautifully made. The clothing and settings are very appropriate and don't give the viewer any indication of when the movie was made (like some 50's movies do with the heavy makeup the women would wear). The dancing was excellent. The characters were very funny and likeable.
The DVD is just amazing. I love widescreen and also love all the extras on this DVD. I wish they hadn't cut the song "Any Day Now" because the scene is really setting itself up to lead into a song, but then suddenly they are at the bridge with Papa. The song is a fine song and would have worked well, but I suppose it was in the interest of time that they deleted it.
I will definitely purchase this DVD since it's a movie that can easily be watched again. Its quality also will never become outdated. | 2 | positive | [
"I hadn't seen this movie for about 15 years, of course on TV.",
"I'm sure it was at that time severely edited, probably down to only a couple of hours as TV movies are like that!",
"I didn't think much of it until I saw it on the shelf at the movie rental place.",
"I recalled that I loved the play, so I rented it.",
"I was blown away by this movie and was moved to tears and laughter!",
"There are several scenes that are so well-done that I would call them the best scenes ever made, of all time!",
"The scene where Tevye is recalling memories of his little girl, whom he has now lost forever to the Russian, is one of the best pieces of filmmaking I have ever scene.",
"The camera shows a closeup of his face and them pans slowly away.",
"I have never seen better acting than at that moment.",
"Tevye's eyes actually show the severe grief he is feeling.",
"What an amazing actor!",
"The whole movie is just amazing and wonderful.",
"The scenes where he is debating with God \"on the other hand\" about whether he should accept the marriages of his daughters were some of the best moments in filmmaking also.",
"I would also be moved to tears when he would say, \"Look at my daughter's eyes, she loves him, so hopeful...",
"\" Those were really touching moments.",
"It was wonderful how the filmmakers would move Tevye farther away from the daughters at those moments, as if he were far away, deep in thought.",
"The whole movie is beautifully made.",
"The clothing and settings are very appropriate and don't give the viewer any indication of when the movie was made (like some 50's movies do with the heavy makeup the women would wear).",
"The dancing was excellent.",
"The characters were very funny and likeable.",
"The DVD is just amazing.",
"I love widescreen and also love all the extras on this DVD.",
"I wish they hadn't cut the song \"Any Day Now\" because the scene is really setting itself up to lead into a song, but then suddenly they are at the bridge with Papa.",
"The song is a fine song and would have worked well, but I suppose it was in the interest of time that they deleted it.",
"I will definitely purchase this DVD since it's a movie that can easily be watched again.",
"Its quality also will never become outdated."
] |
The theme of "A Summer Place," especially when crooned by The Lettermen, has the ability to conjure up images of beaches and sailboats even in the depths of winter. Schmaltzy but pleasing, it perfectly suits a movie which at first glance is the soapiest of soap operas. The 1959 film, based upon the torrid novel of Sloan Wilson, was scandalous because of the topics of adolescent fornication and pregnancy in an era when teenagers were supposed to be innocent. Set in New England, for the most part, "A Summer Place" debuted in the cinema as Calvinist America stood on the brink of cultural and sexual revolution. The book even more than the movie shows the reaction of the new generation to the Manichean attitudes which tended to flow as an undercurrent in American society. Puritanical repression is as different from genuine purity as ice is from fire; when sexuality is rejected because it is considered dirty or unclean, rather than restrained for the sake of love, then a monster is unleashed.
As the Richard Egan character reacts against his wife's disdain of the marriage bed by rekindling passion with his lost love (Dorothy McGuire), two families are ruined and all hell breaks loose. When the adults break the rules, they open up the way for the adolescents to break them, too. And while the grown-ups are able to piece their lives back together again, the youngsters are nearly destroyed. It is one of the films which best show the effects of divorce and remarriage upon the children involved. In the light of the confusion and torment suffered by the two teenagers, played by Sandra Dee and Troy Donahue, the affair embarked upon by Egan and McGuire appears irresponsible rather than romantic, although one cannot help but pity them for their impossible marriages. When people break commitments in order to find happiness and fulfillment, they must be aware of the high price to be paid, and the one to pay it might very probably be an innocent child. | 2 | positive | [
"The theme of \"A Summer Place,\" especially when crooned by The Lettermen, has the ability to conjure up images of beaches and sailboats even in the depths of winter.",
"Schmaltzy but pleasing, it perfectly suits a movie which at first glance is the soapiest of soap operas.",
"The 1959 film, based upon the torrid novel of Sloan Wilson, was scandalous because of the topics of adolescent fornication and pregnancy in an era when teenagers were supposed to be innocent.",
"Set in New England, for the most part, \"A Summer Place\" debuted in the cinema as Calvinist America stood on the brink of cultural and sexual revolution.",
"The book even more than the movie shows the reaction of the new generation to the Manichean attitudes which tended to flow as an undercurrent in American society.",
"Puritanical repression is as different from genuine purity as ice is from fire; when sexuality is rejected because it is considered dirty or unclean, rather than restrained for the sake of love, then a monster is unleashed.",
"As the Richard Egan character reacts against his wife's disdain of the marriage bed by rekindling passion with his lost love (Dorothy McGuire), two families are ruined and all hell breaks loose.",
"When the adults break the rules, they open up the way for the adolescents to break them, too.",
"And while the grown-ups are able to piece their lives back together again, the youngsters are nearly destroyed.",
"It is one of the films which best show the effects of divorce and remarriage upon the children involved.",
"In the light of the confusion and torment suffered by the two teenagers, played by Sandra Dee and Troy Donahue, the affair embarked upon by Egan and McGuire appears irresponsible rather than romantic, although one cannot help but pity them for their impossible marriages.",
"When people break commitments in order to find happiness and fulfillment, they must be aware of the high price to be paid, and the one to pay it might very probably be an innocent child."
] |
I've had my Delta planer for quite awhile now. In its lifetime it has had hundreds of board feet of hard and soft wood passed thru its portels. Much of this wood has been some of the hardest stuff on the planet. Mesquite, Quebracho, Vera, Mistol and white Oak just to name a few. I am on the first edge of my second set of knives. As in all planers, knife adjustment is critical, and with these knives it is as simple as tying your shoelace. Knives are sharp enough to shave with out of the pkg, and the locater holes make alignment a snap. Getting four cutting edges for this price makes the whole package a five star unit. I've had my problems with some Delta products, but this isn't one of them. Love the planer and love these knives. Highly recommend. | 2 | positive | [
"I've had my Delta planer for quite awhile now.",
"In its lifetime it has had hundreds of board feet of hard and soft wood passed thru its portels.",
"Much of this wood has been some of the hardest stuff on the planet.",
"Mesquite, Quebracho, Vera, Mistol and white Oak just to name a few.",
"I am on the first edge of my second set of knives.",
"As in all planers, knife adjustment is critical, and with these knives it is as simple as tying your shoelace.",
"Knives are sharp enough to shave with out of the pkg, and the locater holes make alignment a snap.",
"Getting four cutting edges for this price makes the whole package a five star unit.",
"I've had my problems with some Delta products, but this isn't one of them.",
"Love the planer and love these knives.",
"Highly recommend."
] |
This is my third dig. camera. I like it a lot. It has lots of great features such as 28 to 200 mm optical zoom, varies exposure controls, SLR with EVF....
However, if you are considering this camera you have to aware the following 3 points:
1)The viewfinder is electronic screen. It is fine but the subject is still cannot compare to optical viewfinder. If you need high detail view, then you need to consider.
2)All photos need to re-save with Minolta's own software in order to convert the file into the correct sRGB color space ( don't ask me what it is) according to some major dig. camera review sites. Yes, every single photos.
The above two points are acceptable as long as it produces fine photos. But...
3)Power consumption is unacceptably high. I put a fully charged NIMH cells in and it only last about 5 minutes and the battery icon started to blink. And the camera shut itself off.
I've heard that this camera is power hunger but don't know that bad.
I hope it was my camera that has a problem and I have to return it.
I still miss this camera. | 2 | positive | [
"This is my third dig.",
"camera.",
"I like it a lot.",
"It has lots of great features such as 28 to 200 mm optical zoom, varies exposure controls, SLR with EVF....",
"However, if you are considering this camera you have to aware the following 3 points:\n1)The viewfinder is electronic screen.",
"It is fine but the subject is still cannot compare to optical viewfinder.",
"If you need high detail view, then you need to consider.",
"2)All photos need to re-save with Minolta's own software in order to convert the file into the correct sRGB color space ( don't ask me what it is) according to some major dig.",
"camera review sites.",
"Yes, every single photos.",
"The above two points are acceptable as long as it produces fine photos.",
"But...",
"3)Power consumption is unacceptably high.",
"I put a fully charged NIMH cells in and it only last about 5 minutes and the battery icon started to blink.",
"And the camera shut itself off.",
"I've heard that this camera is power hunger but don't know that bad.",
"I hope it was my camera that has a problem and I have to return it.",
"I still miss this camera."
] |
The only good thing I can say about this game is that they had used the old voice acting from the original three, the worlds are similar and familiar and the music is great. The rest is a disappointment. I had played all the games (besides this one) through the first game (Spyro the Dragon) to Spyro: A New Beginning. The New Legend of Spyro series makes me want to hurl, and the one previous ANB is not as familiar and "homey," compared to the original three. This game gets a few points because its similar to the old ones, but the graphics are choppy and cheesy, the game play is slowed down and this game is filled with glitches, plus the loading time is awful. Of course, I'm not saying that this game is totally bad and shouldn't be added to your hard core Spyro Collection, but it isn't the best in the series either. This game could had been so much better if only Insomniac stuck with it and designed this game, besides another rushing it out in time for Christmas, only to be disgraced. If you want a game with good graphics and stunningly beautiful game play, go look at Spyro: A Hero's Tail. But if you want to play the "old little spit of flame," we used to love and visit with on our Playstations, this is the last time to experience that. I defiantly DO NOT recommend the new Spyro Legend Games because the new game play is just disgraceful, nevermind the beautiful graphics and decent voice acting. Spyro the Dragon will never be the same again, so enjoy the Playstation and this version as long as you can. | 2 | positive | [
"The only good thing I can say about this game is that they had used the old voice acting from the original three, the worlds are similar and familiar and the music is great.",
"The rest is a disappointment.",
"I had played all the games (besides this one) through the first game (Spyro the Dragon) to Spyro: A New Beginning.",
"The New Legend of Spyro series makes me want to hurl, and the one previous ANB is not as familiar and \"homey,\" compared to the original three.",
"This game gets a few points because its similar to the old ones, but the graphics are choppy and cheesy, the game play is slowed down and this game is filled with glitches, plus the loading time is awful.",
"Of course, I'm not saying that this game is totally bad and shouldn't be added to your hard core Spyro Collection, but it isn't the best in the series either.",
"This game could had been so much better if only Insomniac stuck with it and designed this game, besides another rushing it out in time for Christmas, only to be disgraced.",
"If you want a game with good graphics and stunningly beautiful game play, go look at Spyro: A Hero's Tail.",
"But if you want to play the \"old little spit of flame,\" we used to love and visit with on our Playstations, this is the last time to experience that.",
"I defiantly DO NOT recommend the new Spyro Legend Games because the new game play is just disgraceful, nevermind the beautiful graphics and decent voice acting.",
"Spyro the Dragon will never be the same again, so enjoy the Playstation and this version as long as you can."
] |
I have watched this movie several times in the past. When it came up on Prime, I just had to watch it again. I suggested to my daughter that she should watch it, as I feel it is one of those timeless movies. It touches so many things in life. This is why I gave it five stars and felt that any generation could get with it. I told some work associates that I was watching this movie again and all they could say was, " Oh, that musical ". This from those that cannot look beyond the fine musical performance present in this film. This film is much more than that. Love this film. Picture quality was excellent.
I am pushing 70 | 2 | positive | [
"I have watched this movie several times in the past.",
"When it came up on Prime, I just had to watch it again.",
"I suggested to my daughter that she should watch it, as I feel it is one of those timeless movies.",
"It touches so many things in life.",
"This is why I gave it five stars and felt that any generation could get with it.",
"I told some work associates that I was watching this movie again and all they could say was, \" Oh, that musical \".",
"This from those that cannot look beyond the fine musical performance present in this film.",
"This film is much more than that.",
"Love this film.",
"Picture quality was excellent.",
"I am pushing 70"
] |
If I had to pick any three DVDs to take with me to a desert island, "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" would for sure top the list. It is an electrifying and compelling story of one man against the system, and unlike a lot of other 70's dramas, never seems dated.
Since most people interested have already seen the movie, it would be pointless for me to give a synopsis. But what cannot be over emphasized is the strong performances from both Jack Nicholson in the lead role as a petty crook commited to a mental institution, and Louise Fletcher as the cold and blunt nurse. Much of the movie centers around the duality between them, and it makes for some great dialogue. Nicely rounding out the cast is a young Danny DeVito and Christopher Lloyd, obviously in the springtime of their careers.
I held off from getting this movie on DVD because the earlier version was bare-bones and was a mediocre transfer. This newly released 2 DVD set is a fantastic buy, with a whole new video and sound transfer that makes you forget that 25 years have passed since it was made. This is by far the best print ever released. The extras also add good measure, such as the documentary (which is a shorter version of the one found on the laserdisc edition) and full-length commentary from the Director and Producers. While the extras aren't exactly overflowing in this edition, they are worth the price of admission.
"One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" remains one of the most entertaining and important films ever made, and like other classics such as "Citizen Kane" and "The Godfather", will stand the test of time. It is funny, moving, and tough-provoking, which is a rareity in modern cinema. This new DVD edition is what movie buffs have been waiting for, and is so far the only thing coming close to a definative version.
" | 2 | positive | [
"If I had to pick any three DVDs to take with me to a desert island, \"One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest\" would for sure top the list.",
"It is an electrifying and compelling story of one man against the system, and unlike a lot of other 70's dramas, never seems dated.",
"Since most people interested have already seen the movie, it would be pointless for me to give a synopsis.",
"But what cannot be over emphasized is the strong performances from both Jack Nicholson in the lead role as a petty crook commited to a mental institution, and Louise Fletcher as the cold and blunt nurse.",
"Much of the movie centers around the duality between them, and it makes for some great dialogue.",
"Nicely rounding out the cast is a young Danny DeVito and Christopher Lloyd, obviously in the springtime of their careers.",
"I held off from getting this movie on DVD because the earlier version was bare-bones and was a mediocre transfer.",
"This newly released 2 DVD set is a fantastic buy, with a whole new video and sound transfer that makes you forget that 25 years have passed since it was made.",
"This is by far the best print ever released.",
"The extras also add good measure, such as the documentary (which is a shorter version of the one found on the laserdisc edition) and full-length commentary from the Director and Producers.",
"While the extras aren't exactly overflowing in this edition, they are worth the price of admission.",
"\"One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest\" remains one of the most entertaining and important films ever made, and like other classics such as \"Citizen Kane\" and \"The Godfather\", will stand the test of time.",
"It is funny, moving, and tough-provoking, which is a rareity in modern cinema.",
"This new DVD edition is what movie buffs have been waiting for, and is so far the only thing coming close to a definative version.",
"\""
] |
My old blender was dying a slow painful death. I ordered this blender based on the review and by the fact it only had one switch.
It was smaller then I expected and I wondered if the ice cubes would make it to the blades. To my surprise it devoured the ice in moments and walla! A coffee frap.
A glass pitcher was surprisingly quieter then my previous plastic model. The rubber lid fit nice and slug and hasn't shown any sign of leaking. (I usually fill it to the top with ice and pour in the liquid.) But I do notice it leaks out the bottom a wee bit.
Pros: the blender is one piece. The blade and clutch interface are one. The base is easy to clean and doesn't allow for any liquids to leak into the innards. The cord is long enough for any kitchen, though I thought black was a strange collar, since most small appliances have white. Very easy to clean, and looks like the rubber clutch on the base will be easy to change when it wears out.
Cons: The switch feel cheep. (the reason I didn't give it 5 stars.) The detents are hardly noticeable to the touch and wouldn't surprise me if it fails. The seal around the blade shaft leaks, but seals back up once you run the blender. I guessing it shrinks a bit when it sets idle on the counter, and may stop or gets worse as time goes by. | 2 | positive | [
"My old blender was dying a slow painful death.",
"I ordered this blender based on the review and by the fact it only had one switch.",
"It was smaller then I expected and I wondered if the ice cubes would make it to the blades.",
"To my surprise it devoured the ice in moments and walla!",
"A coffee frap.",
"A glass pitcher was surprisingly quieter then my previous plastic model.",
"The rubber lid fit nice and slug and hasn't shown any sign of leaking.",
"(I usually fill it to the top with ice and pour in the liquid.",
") But I do notice it leaks out the bottom a wee bit.",
"Pros: the blender is one piece.",
"The blade and clutch interface are one.",
"The base is easy to clean and doesn't allow for any liquids to leak into the innards.",
"The cord is long enough for any kitchen, though I thought black was a strange collar, since most small appliances have white.",
"Very easy to clean, and looks like the rubber clutch on the base will be easy to change when it wears out.",
"Cons: The switch feel cheep.",
"(the reason I didn't give it 5 stars.",
") The detents are hardly noticeable to the touch and wouldn't surprise me if it fails.",
"The seal around the blade shaft leaks, but seals back up once you run the blender.",
"I guessing it shrinks a bit when it sets idle on the counter, and may stop or gets worse as time goes by."
] |
This is one of the wisest $10 invenstments I've ever made in personal audio equipment. I use these for everything - gym, travel, relaxing, YouTubing at work... Maybe I shouldn't admit that last one but these have really been a quality product for me. At the gym, while not exactly sweat-proof, they have never shorted out and I never hear the grunts of my gym mates. If I'm traveling and don't want to bring, or have room for, my around-the-ear noise cancelling headphones, I bring these. Because of the way the foam plugs expand after a few seconds to completely conform to the shape of my ear canal, it blocks out enough plane noise to make it very comfortable to watch movies or listen to music without having to ratchet up the volume to unhealthy levels. The only knock I have is that the higher frequencies can be muffled a bit which can make it feel like your head is slightly stuffy, like from a cold, after removing them. Why earbud manufacturers continue to make devices with ill-fitting buds is beyond me. I've never seen a similar expanding foam earbud from any other maker. Koss really hit it on the nose when they designed these and just goes to show that you don't need to spend a huge amount of money to get a really useful, quality pair of in-ear headphones that are effective in a wide range of uses including noisy planes. | 2 | positive | [
"This is one of the wisest $10 invenstments I've ever made in personal audio equipment.",
"I use these for everything - gym, travel, relaxing, YouTubing at work...",
"Maybe I shouldn't admit that last one but these have really been a quality product for me.",
"At the gym, while not exactly sweat-proof, they have never shorted out and I never hear the grunts of my gym mates.",
"If I'm traveling and don't want to bring, or have room for, my around-the-ear noise cancelling headphones, I bring these.",
"Because of the way the foam plugs expand after a few seconds to completely conform to the shape of my ear canal, it blocks out enough plane noise to make it very comfortable to watch movies or listen to music without having to ratchet up the volume to unhealthy levels.",
"The only knock I have is that the higher frequencies can be muffled a bit which can make it feel like your head is slightly stuffy, like from a cold, after removing them.",
"Why earbud manufacturers continue to make devices with ill-fitting buds is beyond me.",
"I've never seen a similar expanding foam earbud from any other maker.",
"Koss really hit it on the nose when they designed these and just goes to show that you don't need to spend a huge amount of money to get a really useful, quality pair of in-ear headphones that are effective in a wide range of uses including noisy planes."
] |
Until I saw Premutos, I considered this to be the goriest movie that I'd ever seen. It's still a close second. And Peter Jackson does not merely pour gallons of fake blood all over his set. He uses it in creative, humorous ways. That's the difference between a typical slasher movie and a masterpiece like this.
It even has a romance--not merely tossed into the mix, but an integral part of the story. And Jackson creates truly engaging characters, not merely cardboard-cutout victims. No other director combines horror, gore, humor, and campiness the way Jackson does.
I loved the Lord of the Rings movies, but hope that someday Jackson returns to his roots. We need more movies like Dead Alive. | 2 | positive | [
"Until I saw Premutos, I considered this to be the goriest movie that I'd ever seen.",
"It's still a close second.",
"And Peter Jackson does not merely pour gallons of fake blood all over his set.",
"He uses it in creative, humorous ways.",
"That's the difference between a typical slasher movie and a masterpiece like this.",
"It even has a romance--not merely tossed into the mix, but an integral part of the story.",
"And Jackson creates truly engaging characters, not merely cardboard-cutout victims.",
"No other director combines horror, gore, humor, and campiness the way Jackson does.",
"I loved the Lord of the Rings movies, but hope that someday Jackson returns to his roots.",
"We need more movies like Dead Alive."
] |
A really great Kindle read. Non-intellectual that I am, I assumed the original BBC series was a pure TV plot. Only when the American version showed up did I learn that Michael Dobbs was not only a real life person, but also an honest to goodness inner member of the Thatcher government.
The BBC series was an almost page for page retelling of the three books so, if you have seen the series, there are not to many surprises in the book. Despite that, the sheer beauty of the text makes it a page turner. The only true difference is that in the BBC version, after each piece of villainy, Ian Richardson would turn sweetly to the camera and in that great oily voice calmly explain exactly what he did and why. These lectures are missing from the book. All is not lost, however. Each chapter starts with a pure political reality quote, presumably by Francis, that takes your breath away.
"Politics comes from the Greek word "Politico" which means the mass of people. A Tick is a small bloodsucking creature."
"The Bible says many times you must forgive your enemies. Nowhere does it ever mention that you must forgive your friends."
A true bummer, however, is that only the first book of the trilogy is available on kindle. This might be explained by the author's notes that this version of "House of Cards" is a new edition that has been largely rewritten and reissued in conjunction with the American Netflix version. All was not lost. After a search I was able to find the two remaining parts as used books from Amazon.
As an aside, if you have not started into the Kevin Spacey remake on Netflix, I would recommend you start with the BBC original, also available from Netflix. Kevin Spacey is good in his quest for power, but Ian Richardson was incredible. You think Walter White is a villain whom you have cheer? He isn't fit to be in the same room with Francis Uquhart. | 2 | positive | [
"A really great Kindle read.",
"Non-intellectual that I am, I assumed the original BBC series was a pure TV plot.",
"Only when the American version showed up did I learn that Michael Dobbs was not only a real life person, but also an honest to goodness inner member of the Thatcher government.",
"The BBC series was an almost page for page retelling of the three books so, if you have seen the series, there are not to many surprises in the book.",
"Despite that, the sheer beauty of the text makes it a page turner.",
"The only true difference is that in the BBC version, after each piece of villainy, Ian Richardson would turn sweetly to the camera and in that great oily voice calmly explain exactly what he did and why.",
"These lectures are missing from the book.",
"All is not lost, however.",
"Each chapter starts with a pure political reality quote, presumably by Francis, that takes your breath away.",
"\"Politics comes from the Greek word \"Politico\" which means the mass of people.",
"A Tick is a small bloodsucking creature.",
"\"\n\n\"The Bible says many times you must forgive your enemies.",
"Nowhere does it ever mention that you must forgive your friends.",
"\"\n\nA true bummer, however, is that only the first book of the trilogy is available on kindle.",
"This might be explained by the author's notes that this version of \"House of Cards\" is a new edition that has been largely rewritten and reissued in conjunction with the American Netflix version.",
"All was not lost.",
"After a search I was able to find the two remaining parts as used books from Amazon.",
"As an aside, if you have not started into the Kevin Spacey remake on Netflix, I would recommend you start with the BBC original, also available from Netflix.",
"Kevin Spacey is good in his quest for power, but Ian Richardson was incredible.",
"You think Walter White is a villain whom you have cheer?",
"He isn't fit to be in the same room with Francis Uquhart."
] |
I bought this for my new 2 year old birthday to expose him to a vairety of instruments. First off Melissa and Doug products are a cheaper version of the competitor Box in a band instruments, but the instruments are not any lesser quality. My little boy is a little advanced and he took to EVERY instrument like they were the greatest toys ever !!! He could see you use an instriment once and he went to town using it. One after the other. The harmonica and bazooka both he learnedin a matter of seconds. The toys are also fun for the adults. We enjoy them ourselves and they are teaching him to say words at 2 like maracas and tamborine.. I bought two different box in a band selections and both are exceptional and decorative! I strongly suggest this as a gift to someone else's kids. | 2 | positive | [
"I bought this for my new 2 year old birthday to expose him to a vairety of instruments.",
"First off Melissa and Doug products are a cheaper version of the competitor Box in a band instruments, but the instruments are not any lesser quality.",
"My little boy is a little advanced and he took to EVERY instrument like they were the greatest toys ever!!!",
"He could see you use an instriment once and he went to town using it.",
"One after the other.",
"The harmonica and bazooka both he learnedin a matter of seconds.",
"The toys are also fun for the adults.",
"We enjoy them ourselves and they are teaching him to say words at 2 like maracas and tamborine..",
"I bought two different box in a band selections and both are exceptional and decorative!",
"I strongly suggest this as a gift to someone else's kids."
] |
I am musician who plays a few instruments and always wanted to learn the piano. I played this keyboard locally and was very impressed with the sound, price, and portability - so I asked 'Santa' to put it under the tree. THANKS SANTA! The only quibble: Amazon [did not have UPS send it in an unmarked box, and so the surprise was spoiled when it was delivered to our doorstep before the holiday.
I play it through a 10 watt practice amp, and it sounds great. (The built in speakers are fine, but not great). Keep in mind most pro-level keyboards don't have speakers at all - so I consider the built in ones a bonus. It sounds tremendous through headphones too. I've also used it in my digital home recording studio, and it puts out a nice clean signal with no noise.
The keyboard feel is *so much more* than I would expect from a $300 instrument. This is *not* a toy, it's an instrument. Please don't let the affordable price tag fool you! In fact, if you are looking for something for a 10 year old to be amused with, perhaps you're better off with more bells and whistles. If you want an affordable, light instrument, to really make music with, this is the one to get.
Tonight is the first time that I will be playing out with it (at an open mic). Most keyboard players I know don't even bother going to open mics - who wants to lug a 100 pound keyboard for three songs? But the portability of this unit means I am going to be already out and enjoying myself. For me, that makes it so much more useful and fun than anything even three times the price and 'quality'. This keyboard is only slightly larger than my guitar, and just as easy to carry!
If these keys are smaller (as another reviewer seems to think), I can't tell. I could not find that verified anywhere but this one review. I'm aware that they are electronically 'weighted' (and that's how they made it so inexpensively), but I find I can play with all the expression I could ask for. Bravo.
Its true that it does not have a lot of voices -- but the important ones sound great. I accompany myself on vocals, so I am using the two grand pianos and the one that mixes both piano and strings. Once again, not a lot of bells and whistles, but simplicity executed well. I did try the midi In/Out function and have purchased a sustain pedal <a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Yamaha-FC-5-Sustain-Pedal-for-Portable-Electronic-Keyboards/dp/B00005ML71/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Yamaha FC-5 Sustain Pedal for Portable Electronic Keyboards</a>, both work fine. It's not a full featured midi controller (no memory for patch changes), but that's not what it's for. I also got the $60 Yamaha case which I am very happy with - but did not find it on Amazon. Try searching Google for YBNP30.
All in all, I can't see how anyone could invent a better instrument in its class. | 2 | positive | [
"I am musician who plays a few instruments and always wanted to learn the piano.",
"I played this keyboard locally and was very impressed with the sound, price, and portability - so I asked 'Santa' to put it under the tree.",
"THANKS SANTA!",
"The only quibble: Amazon [did not have UPS send it in an unmarked box, and so the surprise was spoiled when it was delivered to our doorstep before the holiday.",
"I play it through a 10 watt practice amp, and it sounds great.",
"(The built in speakers are fine, but not great).",
"Keep in mind most pro-level keyboards don't have speakers at all - so I consider the built in ones a bonus.",
"It sounds tremendous through headphones too.",
"I've also used it in my digital home recording studio, and it puts out a nice clean signal with no noise.",
"The keyboard feel is *so much more* than I would expect from a $300 instrument.",
"This is *not* a toy, it's an instrument.",
"Please don't let the affordable price tag fool you!",
"In fact, if you are looking for something for a 10 year old to be amused with, perhaps you're better off with more bells and whistles.",
"If you want an affordable, light instrument, to really make music with, this is the one to get.",
"Tonight is the first time that I will be playing out with it (at an open mic).",
"Most keyboard players I know don't even bother going to open mics - who wants to lug a 100 pound keyboard for three songs?",
"But the portability of this unit means I am going to be already out and enjoying myself.",
"For me, that makes it so much more useful and fun than anything even three times the price and 'quality'.",
"This keyboard is only slightly larger than my guitar, and just as easy to carry!",
"If these keys are smaller (as another reviewer seems to think), I can't tell.",
"I could not find that verified anywhere but this one review.",
"I'm aware that they are electronically 'weighted' (and that's how they made it so inexpensively), but I find I can play with all the expression I could ask for.",
"Bravo.",
"Its true that it does not have a lot of voices -- but the important ones sound great.",
"I accompany myself on vocals, so I am using the two grand pianos and the one that mixes both piano and strings.",
"Once again, not a lot of bells and whistles, but simplicity executed well.",
"I did try the midi In/Out function and have purchased a sustain pedal <a data-hook=\"product-link-linked\" class=\"a-link-normal\" href=\"/Yamaha-FC-5-Sustain-Pedal-for-Portable-Electronic-Keyboards/dp/B00005ML71/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?",
"ie=UTF8\">Yamaha FC-5 Sustain Pedal for Portable Electronic Keyboards</a>, both work fine.",
"It's not a full featured midi controller (no memory for patch changes), but that's not what it's for.",
"I also got the $60 Yamaha case which I am very happy with - but did not find it on Amazon.",
"Try searching Google for YBNP30.",
"All in all, I can't see how anyone could invent a better instrument in its class."
] |
I don't usually review romances, and With a Kiss is first and foremost a story of how the understanding of love can conquer fear. But it's also a paranormal story also, of a world in which vampires are an accepted species, and therefore, it fits into my criteria for review.
Marcus may be appear the stereotypical vampire--rich, cultured, and autocratic--but after his re-awakening, he's shown to have his own apprehensions and feelings of inadequacy as he forces himself back into the world he's been absent from for three years. His ruthlessness in searching for his attacker are contrasted with his gentleness with Liam; he always seems to understand and know what to do for the younger man. Liam may a weakling in the beginning but through Marcus, he regains enough courage to stand up to his former lover, while seeking the strength his new one steadfastly offers.
Set in a contemporary England where vampires openly live in society, this is a tale of both love and fear. The brief mentions of vampiric home life and introduction of the secondary characters of Marcus' butler and housekeeper, the Jensons, who admit to actually raising the vampire-child but make no apologies for his behavior, reveal just how much of a transition Marcus makes as he immerses himself in the life of one he considers below him in the food-chain. There are sex scenes and some BDSM forays as Marcus introduces Liam to the other part of his existence, but they're underplayed and startlingly tentative for the most part, secondary to the love story itself and the way they're used only helps to underscore the emotional bonding between the two men.
I read this novel in one sitting because I found the characters so appealing I wanted to know what happened next without interrupting the flow of the story. The cover is also very intriguing. My only complaint? Without giving a spoiler, I wish the story had ended after Marcus and Liam entered the morning room, instead of before. For a story of love not necessarily conquering all but definitely strengthening and binding it, I recommend With a Kiss.
With a Kiss is available from Resplendence Publishing, LLC.
This novel was provided by the publisher and no remuneration was involved in the writing of this review. | 2 | positive | [
"I don't usually review romances, and With a Kiss is first and foremost a story of how the understanding of love can conquer fear.",
"But it's also a paranormal story also, of a world in which vampires are an accepted species, and therefore, it fits into my criteria for review.",
"Marcus may be appear the stereotypical vampire--rich, cultured, and autocratic--but after his re-awakening, he's shown to have his own apprehensions and feelings of inadequacy as he forces himself back into the world he's been absent from for three years.",
"His ruthlessness in searching for his attacker are contrasted with his gentleness with Liam; he always seems to understand and know what to do for the younger man.",
"Liam may a weakling in the beginning but through Marcus, he regains enough courage to stand up to his former lover, while seeking the strength his new one steadfastly offers.",
"Set in a contemporary England where vampires openly live in society, this is a tale of both love and fear.",
"The brief mentions of vampiric home life and introduction of the secondary characters of Marcus' butler and housekeeper, the Jensons, who admit to actually raising the vampire-child but make no apologies for his behavior, reveal just how much of a transition Marcus makes as he immerses himself in the life of one he considers below him in the food-chain.",
"There are sex scenes and some BDSM forays as Marcus introduces Liam to the other part of his existence, but they're underplayed and startlingly tentative for the most part, secondary to the love story itself and the way they're used only helps to underscore the emotional bonding between the two men.",
"I read this novel in one sitting because I found the characters so appealing I wanted to know what happened next without interrupting the flow of the story.",
"The cover is also very intriguing.",
"My only complaint?",
"Without giving a spoiler, I wish the story had ended after Marcus and Liam entered the morning room, instead of before.",
"For a story of love not necessarily conquering all but definitely strengthening and binding it, I recommend With a Kiss.",
"With a Kiss is available from Resplendence Publishing, LLC.",
"This novel was provided by the publisher and no remuneration was involved in the writing of this review."
] |
Did you ever watch, say, FRIDAY THE 13th and wish that somebody had packed a MAC-10 in with their camping equipment? Or that Laurie Strode had a Mossberg 12 gauge handy when Michael Myers knocked on her door in HALLOWEEN? Did you ever think to yourself what you could do to Leatherface with a rocket launcher? ("Isn't that just like a cannibal; brings a chansaw to a bazooka fight") Did you ever wonder how you would behave if your survival was on the line and say, oh, flesh-eating zombies or irradiated mutant beasts were looking to chow down on you? Well, thanks to the sheer genius of RESIDENT EVIL 2, you no longer have to wish and wonder what it would be like to live out a horror movie. You're stuck right in the middle of one.
All RESIDENT EVILs basically proceed from the same premise: the evil Umbrella Corporation has developed a virus which mutates animals into horrid killing machines. Because Umbrella is so darn curious about its new toy, the virus keeps "accidentally" getting loose, turning ordinary pets into monsters and people into ravening zombies. In the first entry, the virus was released in a small environs of a lab-mansion on the outskirts of Racoon City; this time, however, the germs have escaped into the city itself, turning it into a apocalyptic wasteland populated by lab projects gone wrong and....you.
RE 2 has a fascinating two-disc set up. In the first disc, you play Officer Leon Kennedy, one of the few survivors of the RCPD, who has a really bad first day on the job. Leon's adventure takes him from the streets of the burning city to the police station, and from there through the spider-infested sewers to Umbrella's massive underground labs. Along the way Leon must solve numerous puzzles, obtain various keys and weapons, and blast or outrun a wide variety of drooling baddies that want to eat him. (He also encounters sultry Ada Wong, a playable character with a hidden agenda.)
In the second disc, you are at the wheel of spunky civvie Claire Redfield, who like her brother Chris (survivor of the first game) has a talent for blasting zombie brains all over the place. Although Claire stomps much of the same ground as Leon and not occasionally bumps into him, her tasks are different and her options effected to some degree by the choices Leon has made in the first half of the story. As if Claire doesn't have enough problems, she must also look after a kid named Sherry, who turns out to be the game's other playable character -- one too small to carry a gun! (I'd like to let the zombies have her, but....)
In addition to the regular storyline, there are some alternative options including "Extreme Battle Mode", which removes the plot elements and just lets you kill away, and a few bennies which can only be obtained by meeting certain standards, and which allow you to add new weapons and change your character's getups.
It would be easy to dismiss RE as just another shoot-'em-up, but it has a number of features which made it unique for its day. Firstly, the game is presented in the third rather than first person, so that you feel as if you are watching a movie (this makes the game more difficult for newcomers to play, but also more like a horror flick). Second, the atmospherics of the game, its creepy music and haunting sound effects (wind, dripping water, creaking doors, etc.) truly create that horror-movie feel. Third, because the events of the two disks are dependent on each other, the game never plays exactly the same way twice; this is particularly true if you reverse the order and play Claire's mission first. Fourth, the various puzzles which present themselves make the game a challenge for the noggin as well as the trigger finger.
What really grabs me about the RE series, however, is not the wide variety of monsters or the action per se, but the storyline. The game begins with and is occasionally interrupted with movie sequences which explain some of the backstory, which heightens the feel of having been thrown face-first into a cerebral splatter film. It is an "interactive" experience in the truest sense. All that's missing is zombie brains on your shoes.
I realize RE 2 is now very much dated, but I couldn't care less. A game either plays well or it doesn't, and if it does, it plays well in all seasons. In the RE series Capcom didn't just create a monster, they handed you a chaingun and said, "Kill it." | 2 | positive | [
"Did you ever watch, say, FRIDAY THE 13th and wish that somebody had packed a MAC-10 in with their camping equipment?",
"Or that Laurie Strode had a Mossberg 12 gauge handy when Michael Myers knocked on her door in HALLOWEEN?",
"Did you ever think to yourself what you could do to Leatherface with a rocket launcher?",
"(\"Isn't that just like a cannibal; brings a chansaw to a bazooka fight\") Did you ever wonder how you would behave if your survival was on the line and say, oh, flesh-eating zombies or irradiated mutant beasts were looking to chow down on you?",
"Well, thanks to the sheer genius of RESIDENT EVIL 2, you no longer have to wish and wonder what it would be like to live out a horror movie.",
"You're stuck right in the middle of one.",
"All RESIDENT EVILs basically proceed from the same premise: the evil Umbrella Corporation has developed a virus which mutates animals into horrid killing machines.",
"Because Umbrella is so darn curious about its new toy, the virus keeps \"accidentally\" getting loose, turning ordinary pets into monsters and people into ravening zombies.",
"In the first entry, the virus was released in a small environs of a lab-mansion on the outskirts of Racoon City; this time, however, the germs have escaped into the city itself, turning it into a apocalyptic wasteland populated by lab projects gone wrong and....",
"you.",
"RE 2 has a fascinating two-disc set up.",
"In the first disc, you play Officer Leon Kennedy, one of the few survivors of the RCPD, who has a really bad first day on the job.",
"Leon's adventure takes him from the streets of the burning city to the police station, and from there through the spider-infested sewers to Umbrella's massive underground labs.",
"Along the way Leon must solve numerous puzzles, obtain various keys and weapons, and blast or outrun a wide variety of drooling baddies that want to eat him.",
"(He also encounters sultry Ada Wong, a playable character with a hidden agenda.",
")\n\nIn the second disc, you are at the wheel of spunky civvie Claire Redfield, who like her brother Chris (survivor of the first game) has a talent for blasting zombie brains all over the place.",
"Although Claire stomps much of the same ground as Leon and not occasionally bumps into him, her tasks are different and her options effected to some degree by the choices Leon has made in the first half of the story.",
"As if Claire doesn't have enough problems, she must also look after a kid named Sherry, who turns out to be the game's other playable character -- one too small to carry a gun!",
"(I'd like to let the zombies have her, but....",
")\n\nIn addition to the regular storyline, there are some alternative options including \"Extreme Battle Mode\", which removes the plot elements and just lets you kill away, and a few bennies which can only be obtained by meeting certain standards, and which allow you to add new weapons and change your character's getups.",
"It would be easy to dismiss RE as just another shoot-'em-up, but it has a number of features which made it unique for its day.",
"Firstly, the game is presented in the third rather than first person, so that you feel as if you are watching a movie (this makes the game more difficult for newcomers to play, but also more like a horror flick).",
"Second, the atmospherics of the game, its creepy music and haunting sound effects (wind, dripping water, creaking doors, etc.",
") truly create that horror-movie feel.",
"Third, because the events of the two disks are dependent on each other, the game never plays exactly the same way twice; this is particularly true if you reverse the order and play Claire's mission first.",
"Fourth, the various puzzles which present themselves make the game a challenge for the noggin as well as the trigger finger.",
"What really grabs me about the RE series, however, is not the wide variety of monsters or the action per se, but the storyline.",
"The game begins with and is occasionally interrupted with movie sequences which explain some of the backstory, which heightens the feel of having been thrown face-first into a cerebral splatter film.",
"It is an \"interactive\" experience in the truest sense.",
"All that's missing is zombie brains on your shoes.",
"I realize RE 2 is now very much dated, but I couldn't care less.",
"A game either plays well or it doesn't, and if it does, it plays well in all seasons.",
"In the RE series Capcom didn't just create a monster, they handed you a chaingun and said, \"Kill it.",
"\""
] |
This is a good backpack for someone with a small amount of equipment. I use it with my Nikon D40, which usually has the 18-200 zoom attached. It's easy to get that combination in and out without completely unzipping the bag. I also carry my SB-800 flash, and there is room for a couple fixed or small zoom lenses as well. The bag will also accept a small book, up to trade paperback size, or notepad lying flat on top of the equipment.
The outside pocket is good for temporary storage of filters while you're shooting. It's not my style, but if you like to have your phone clipped to the backpack straps it's set up for that. When I was shooting at the AirVenture show I used those clips to carry my aviation radio.
One thing that can be a little frustrating is that the tolerances around the zippers are pretty tight, meaning that it can occasionally be a little tough to get the zippers to move. The upside of that is that the zippers are pretty well protected from light rain if you're wearing this as a backpack.
Like most backpacks, you'll need to grab some of the straps to avoid having them drag on the ground if you're using the top carry handle.
The tripod holder is useful. You can't put a monster tripod on there, but any basic 3 leg tripod would work just fine. The straps that hold tripods in place are not fastened to the backpack (they loop through straps on the bag), so there is some potential for losing them if they aren't closed after use. The plus of that is that they are replaceable and if you needed something different it would be easy to install. It's not clear whether the tripod straps are enough to hold a monopod in place.
Overall build quality is excellent. I expect the one I have to last for several years. | 2 | positive | [
"This is a good backpack for someone with a small amount of equipment.",
"I use it with my Nikon D40, which usually has the 18-200 zoom attached.",
"It's easy to get that combination in and out without completely unzipping the bag.",
"I also carry my SB-800 flash, and there is room for a couple fixed or small zoom lenses as well.",
"The bag will also accept a small book, up to trade paperback size, or notepad lying flat on top of the equipment.",
"The outside pocket is good for temporary storage of filters while you're shooting.",
"It's not my style, but if you like to have your phone clipped to the backpack straps it's set up for that.",
"When I was shooting at the AirVenture show I used those clips to carry my aviation radio.",
"One thing that can be a little frustrating is that the tolerances around the zippers are pretty tight, meaning that it can occasionally be a little tough to get the zippers to move.",
"The upside of that is that the zippers are pretty well protected from light rain if you're wearing this as a backpack.",
"Like most backpacks, you'll need to grab some of the straps to avoid having them drag on the ground if you're using the top carry handle.",
"The tripod holder is useful.",
"You can't put a monster tripod on there, but any basic 3 leg tripod would work just fine.",
"The straps that hold tripods in place are not fastened to the backpack (they loop through straps on the bag), so there is some potential for losing them if they aren't closed after use.",
"The plus of that is that they are replaceable and if you needed something different it would be easy to install.",
"It's not clear whether the tripod straps are enough to hold a monopod in place.",
"Overall build quality is excellent.",
"I expect the one I have to last for several years."
] |
I bought this game very hyped up about it. I'm a fan of both Half-Life and White Wolf's paper and pencil Vampire game. My computer was, what I thought, pretty fly. This changed when I tried to install the game. It crashed my computer 6 times and killed my internet connection twice. (I'm the persistant type.) Finally I got the game to go pass the splash screens onto the main menu. I tried to play it then. It works, barely. The moral of the story is this - If you don't exceed the hardware requiements by a nice margin, don't buy this game. The minimums don't cut it. The graphics are full of holes, the load times take forever, the video and sound are out of sync, and the game will sometimes freeze for no apparent reason, only to resume in a couple of minutes. I've taken to reading a book while I play, so that I can wait out the lag.
On a positive note, it seems to be a great story, the haunted house I just finished creeped me out. I enjoy the people in the game. The sisters who run the club are my favorites for now. The one or two EX point per quest kind of irk me, they are still fun to do. | 2 | positive | [
"I bought this game very hyped up about it.",
"I'm a fan of both Half-Life and White Wolf's paper and pencil Vampire game.",
"My computer was, what I thought, pretty fly.",
"This changed when I tried to install the game.",
"It crashed my computer 6 times and killed my internet connection twice.",
"(I'm the persistant type.",
") Finally I got the game to go pass the splash screens onto the main menu.",
"I tried to play it then.",
"It works, barely.",
"The moral of the story is this - If you don't exceed the hardware requiements by a nice margin, don't buy this game.",
"The minimums don't cut it.",
"The graphics are full of holes, the load times take forever, the video and sound are out of sync, and the game will sometimes freeze for no apparent reason, only to resume in a couple of minutes.",
"I've taken to reading a book while I play, so that I can wait out the lag.",
"On a positive note, it seems to be a great story, the haunted house I just finished creeped me out.",
"I enjoy the people in the game.",
"The sisters who run the club are my favorites for now.",
"The one or two EX point per quest kind of irk me, they are still fun to do."
] |
In the very unlikely event that you are considering purchasing this game, here are some descriptions and thoughts:
1. This is a relatively old game - that's why it's cheap
2. It is a highly original game with a good sense for black humor.
3. It goes as follows- a real time strategy/tactics game where you rule a dungeon and build rooms, produce units, train them and fight the good guys (yes you are the bad guy). The game follows a series of missions but can be played in a single scenario mode as well as varios training missions. I guess you can describe it as an underworld version of WarCraft but this game definetely has its own identity.
4. The original ideas are as follows:
a. You have significant control over the landscape as you are the one digging through the rocks. That means that you define if you want wide open spaces (if you have a large army) or long narrow corridors that are heavily trapped (if you are the small guy). Results in the game having an entirely different dimention than most of the real time strategies.
b. The game allows you to take posession of one of your creatures (assume a first person look) and play for a while in a first persion shooter perspective. You do that in order to accomplish a specific task.
c. The ability to convert units, train uints, etc.
Overall, a really great game. It's age shows here and there but otherwise truly great. I am looking forward to any sequels.
Technical support wise, it's a bit capricious in terms of video and audio cards - because the game is old your computer probably has the requirement but never hurts to check before you buy. You may also have to make special adjustments (I had to disable hardware acceleration on the audio). If you have NT based Windows you probably already know the drill by now. | 2 | positive | [
"In the very unlikely event that you are considering purchasing this game, here are some descriptions and thoughts:\n1.",
"This is a relatively old game - that's why it's cheap\n2.",
"It is a highly original game with a good sense for black humor.",
"3.",
"It goes as follows- a real time strategy/tactics game where you rule a dungeon and build rooms, produce units, train them and fight the good guys (yes you are the bad guy).",
"The game follows a series of missions but can be played in a single scenario mode as well as varios training missions.",
"I guess you can describe it as an underworld version of WarCraft but this game definetely has its own identity.",
"4.",
"The original ideas are as follows:\na.",
"You have significant control over the landscape as you are the one digging through the rocks.",
"That means that you define if you want wide open spaces (if you have a large army) or long narrow corridors that are heavily trapped (if you are the small guy).",
"Results in the game having an entirely different dimention than most of the real time strategies.",
"b.",
"The game allows you to take posession of one of your creatures (assume a first person look) and play for a while in a first persion shooter perspective.",
"You do that in order to accomplish a specific task.",
"c.",
"The ability to convert units, train uints, etc.",
"Overall, a really great game.",
"It's age shows here and there but otherwise truly great.",
"I am looking forward to any sequels.",
"Technical support wise, it's a bit capricious in terms of video and audio cards - because the game is old your computer probably has the requirement but never hurts to check before you buy.",
"You may also have to make special adjustments (I had to disable hardware acceleration on the audio).",
"If you have NT based Windows you probably already know the drill by now."
] |
Wow! Now this is great stuff! This symphony is certainly my favorite of Mahler's symphonies and perhaps one of my favorites of all symphonies I have ever heard. Still, I have not heard a conductor or orchestra really give the work its due. Oddly enough, I found myself disagreement with many of Boulez's interpretive choices yet still convinced by them since they were executed so well. So often I hear an interpretation that is very valid but does not come off convincingly for lack of hubris or assuredness. One even hears this in Bernstein's version occasionally, who pretty much was the master of this piece, and even in Tilson-Thomas's wonderful new recording there are moments that do not coalesce as they should. Many find Boulez's interpretations icy, as he continually emphasizes textural clarity and rhythmic motion over emotional considerations. And yet, the beauty of those crystal-clear sonorities and the drive of the rhythms creates a kind of emotional aspect all of its own. To place one's self in the world Mahler, Boulez, and the Cleveland Orchestra put before us and simply bask in the sound of it all is really a wonderful thing-the pure pleasure of it will move you in ways the older recordings never could. Of course, DG's flawless recording adds immeasurably to the experience. This version is certainly not does not say everything the symphony means to say, but it makes some great points for itself and there is never a weak moment. A must for collectors, a worthy buy for anyone, and simply great on its own. | 2 | positive | [
"Wow!",
"Now this is great stuff!",
"This symphony is certainly my favorite of Mahler's symphonies and perhaps one of my favorites of all symphonies I have ever heard.",
"Still, I have not heard a conductor or orchestra really give the work its due.",
"Oddly enough, I found myself disagreement with many of Boulez's interpretive choices yet still convinced by them since they were executed so well.",
"So often I hear an interpretation that is very valid but does not come off convincingly for lack of hubris or assuredness.",
"One even hears this in Bernstein's version occasionally, who pretty much was the master of this piece, and even in Tilson-Thomas's wonderful new recording there are moments that do not coalesce as they should.",
"Many find Boulez's interpretations icy, as he continually emphasizes textural clarity and rhythmic motion over emotional considerations.",
"And yet, the beauty of those crystal-clear sonorities and the drive of the rhythms creates a kind of emotional aspect all of its own.",
"To place one's self in the world Mahler, Boulez, and the Cleveland Orchestra put before us and simply bask in the sound of it all is really a wonderful thing-the pure pleasure of it will move you in ways the older recordings never could.",
"Of course, DG's flawless recording adds immeasurably to the experience.",
"This version is certainly not does not say everything the symphony means to say, but it makes some great points for itself and there is never a weak moment.",
"A must for collectors, a worthy buy for anyone, and simply great on its own."
] |
Between extensive touring, befriending numerous other bands, and making their new full-length, this young, Orlando-based quartet have barely had a moment's rest since their exceptional breakthrough album, "Ascendancy," arrived in stores in March of 2005. And to make life even more difficult, they decided to have the new album ready in time for a late 2006 release date (less than nineteen months after their previous effort was released). I don't know how they did it, but Trivium managed to find a way to write, rehearse, record and release the new record (entitled "The Crusade") in time, and they were even able to make it even better than "Ascendancy" (more unique, music-oriented, expansive, and complex). In fact, come year's end, it won't be at all surprising to see this C.D. near the top of more than a few "Best Of 2006" lists.
Every aspect of Trivium's music has matured and improved by leaps and bounds. In fact, instrumentally speaking, it doesn't get much better than this in metal nowadays. The guitarists stitch together gobs of unexpectedly excellent, professional riffs, strong, propulsive leads that evoke Metallica's heyday (somewhere around 1984's "Ride The Lightning" and 1986's "Master of Puppets"), and they even come up with an abundance of technical, ripping solos. The drummer (Travis Smith) is more remarkable, too, because his beats appear to be getting more complicated and energetic.
Trivium's twenty-year-old frontman, Matt Heafy, probably saw that his band had made some significant improvements, so he, in turn, honed his own skills. His previous vocal style (prototypical metalcore yells) has been almost completely abandoned in favor of a new, low singing (almost crooning) voice that vividly brings the Metallica frontman (James Hatfield) to mind. Heafy also took time to become educated in and inspired by world events, and as a result, his lyrics on "The Crusade" are about a hundred times more intelligent, poignant, and thought-provoking. Several songs here take on political or taboo (and extremely morbid) subjects, such as governmental leaders and war (of course!), the spread of the AIDS virus, killing for honor, a nameless woman (Andrea Yates, maybe?) who takes her childrens' lives because she thinks they're possessed, Matthew Shephard's murder, being "Hellbent" on world domination, and police corruption (more specifically, the 1999 shooting of Amadou Diallo).
But perhaps what's most impressive about this record is that Trivium are capable of wearing their influences on their sleeves, but they never come across as a terribly unoriginal band. The music evokes thrash's glory days, but it also features a noticeable modern-sounding side (which is apparent in the acoustic mid-section of the opening track and the faint commercial appeal of songs like "Contempt Breeds Contamination.") As a whole, "The Crusade" sounds something like Metallica's guitar chops wrapped in (old) Testament's melody and topped off with Megadeth-style hooks (circa the "Rust In Peace" era).
The album opens with five killer cuts. The first two, "Ignition" and "Revelation," combine to produce a great, memorable one-two punch. Crunchy, punching riffs, pounding drum beats, and pulsating rhythms abound here, and the two songs also share five wailing guitar solos. "Entrance of the Conflagration" is an intense thrasher that bolsters fiery, dueling guitar leads with busy double bass work. Next, "Anthem (We Are The Fire)" is very impressive in how it builds and gains momentum. Much of it is occupied by busy riffing, thumping drums, a propulsive bass line that makes the listener wonder if Dave Ellefson secretly joined the band, and a catchy (though somewhat brief) call-and-response part. The song's climax, a series of mazey solos, is also quite cool. Lastly, "Unrepentant" keeps the energy flowing with forceful machine gun drums and more propulsive, twin guitar fireworks.
The next two tracks, "And Sadness Will Sear" and "Becoming The Dragon," are fairly slow, but "To The Rats," which is a breakneck roller-coaster ride of blistering riffs, kicks the album back into high gear. Track twelve, "The Rising," is also of note for its laid back tempo, melodic leads, irresistibly catchy, lurching rhythm, and powerful, fist-pumping, softly chanting vocals. The lyrics to this song, which deal with unity and rioting, prove to be very inspiring and memorable (they might bounce around your head for a couple days).
Finally, the last track, the title song, almost deserves its own review. It's an intricate, brilliantly written instrumental piece that symphonically intermingles numerous different tempos, moods, rhythms, and guitar styles (including fast leads, heavy and melodic riffs, a bass solo, and slow strumming). Some truly stellar musicianship is heard throughout this song, making it a perfect way to end the album.
At this point, you might have the impression that "The Crusade" is a flawless, timeless classic. Well, it's not -- not quite. One thing that it could have benefitted from is having at least one more explosive, unrestrained, attacking-the-jugular climax. Next, while these guitar solos are generally impressive, they're never very long (twenty seconds is as long they get). And finally, Trivium couldn't fully extinguish every metalcore cliche: the soaring chorus in "This World Can't Tear Us Apart" is sweet and heartfelt, but it's just too trite and unnecessary to work.
Is it the next "Master of Puppets?" Nah. Is it even the best metal you'll hear this year? Probably not. But you can bet your bottom dollar that "The Crusade" is a great, entirely solid album (easily Trivium's best to date), and that it will probably be one of only a handful of "metalcore" era discs that you'll still be listening to in ten or even twenty years. It'll likely take several listens before you start hearing this album's genius, but a lot of great albums take time to fully appreciate. This is a realized, well-played, nearly epic release from a talented young band that's clearly just beginning to scratch the surface of its full potential. | 2 | positive | [
"Between extensive touring, befriending numerous other bands, and making their new full-length, this young, Orlando-based quartet have barely had a moment's rest since their exceptional breakthrough album, \"Ascendancy,\" arrived in stores in March of 2005.",
"And to make life even more difficult, they decided to have the new album ready in time for a late 2006 release date (less than nineteen months after their previous effort was released).",
"I don't know how they did it, but Trivium managed to find a way to write, rehearse, record and release the new record (entitled \"The Crusade\") in time, and they were even able to make it even better than \"Ascendancy\" (more unique, music-oriented, expansive, and complex).",
"In fact, come year's end, it won't be at all surprising to see this C.",
"D. near the top of more than a few \"Best Of 2006\" lists.",
"Every aspect of Trivium's music has matured and improved by leaps and bounds.",
"In fact, instrumentally speaking, it doesn't get much better than this in metal nowadays.",
"The guitarists stitch together gobs of unexpectedly excellent, professional riffs, strong, propulsive leads that evoke Metallica's heyday (somewhere around 1984's \"Ride The Lightning\" and 1986's \"Master of Puppets\"), and they even come up with an abundance of technical, ripping solos.",
"The drummer (Travis Smith) is more remarkable, too, because his beats appear to be getting more complicated and energetic.",
"Trivium's twenty-year-old frontman, Matt Heafy, probably saw that his band had made some significant improvements, so he, in turn, honed his own skills.",
"His previous vocal style (prototypical metalcore yells) has been almost completely abandoned in favor of a new, low singing (almost crooning) voice that vividly brings the Metallica frontman (James Hatfield) to mind.",
"Heafy also took time to become educated in and inspired by world events, and as a result, his lyrics on \"The Crusade\" are about a hundred times more intelligent, poignant, and thought-provoking.",
"Several songs here take on political or taboo (and extremely morbid) subjects, such as governmental leaders and war (of course!",
"), the spread of the AIDS virus, killing for honor, a nameless woman (Andrea Yates, maybe?",
") who takes her childrens' lives because she thinks they're possessed, Matthew Shephard's murder, being \"Hellbent\" on world domination, and police corruption (more specifically, the 1999 shooting of Amadou Diallo).",
"But perhaps what's most impressive about this record is that Trivium are capable of wearing their influences on their sleeves, but they never come across as a terribly unoriginal band.",
"The music evokes thrash's glory days, but it also features a noticeable modern-sounding side (which is apparent in the acoustic mid-section of the opening track and the faint commercial appeal of songs like \"Contempt Breeds Contamination.",
"\") As a whole, \"The Crusade\" sounds something like Metallica's guitar chops wrapped in (old) Testament's melody and topped off with Megadeth-style hooks (circa the \"Rust In Peace\" era).",
"The album opens with five killer cuts.",
"The first two, \"Ignition\" and \"Revelation,\" combine to produce a great, memorable one-two punch.",
"Crunchy, punching riffs, pounding drum beats, and pulsating rhythms abound here, and the two songs also share five wailing guitar solos.",
"\"Entrance of the Conflagration\" is an intense thrasher that bolsters fiery, dueling guitar leads with busy double bass work.",
"Next, \"Anthem (We Are The Fire)\" is very impressive in how it builds and gains momentum.",
"Much of it is occupied by busy riffing, thumping drums, a propulsive bass line that makes the listener wonder if Dave Ellefson secretly joined the band, and a catchy (though somewhat brief) call-and-response part.",
"The song's climax, a series of mazey solos, is also quite cool.",
"Lastly, \"Unrepentant\" keeps the energy flowing with forceful machine gun drums and more propulsive, twin guitar fireworks.",
"The next two tracks, \"And Sadness Will Sear\" and \"Becoming The Dragon,\" are fairly slow, but \"To The Rats,\" which is a breakneck roller-coaster ride of blistering riffs, kicks the album back into high gear.",
"Track twelve, \"The Rising,\" is also of note for its laid back tempo, melodic leads, irresistibly catchy, lurching rhythm, and powerful, fist-pumping, softly chanting vocals.",
"The lyrics to this song, which deal with unity and rioting, prove to be very inspiring and memorable (they might bounce around your head for a couple days).",
"Finally, the last track, the title song, almost deserves its own review.",
"It's an intricate, brilliantly written instrumental piece that symphonically intermingles numerous different tempos, moods, rhythms, and guitar styles (including fast leads, heavy and melodic riffs, a bass solo, and slow strumming).",
"Some truly stellar musicianship is heard throughout this song, making it a perfect way to end the album.",
"At this point, you might have the impression that \"The Crusade\" is a flawless, timeless classic.",
"Well, it's not -- not quite.",
"One thing that it could have benefitted from is having at least one more explosive, unrestrained, attacking-the-jugular climax.",
"Next, while these guitar solos are generally impressive, they're never very long (twenty seconds is as long they get).",
"And finally, Trivium couldn't fully extinguish every metalcore cliche: the soaring chorus in \"This World Can't Tear Us Apart\" is sweet and heartfelt, but it's just too trite and unnecessary to work.",
"Is it the next \"Master of Puppets?",
"\" Nah.",
"Is it even the best metal you'll hear this year?",
"Probably not.",
"But you can bet your bottom dollar that \"The Crusade\" is a great, entirely solid album (easily Trivium's best to date), and that it will probably be one of only a handful of \"metalcore\" era discs that you'll still be listening to in ten or even twenty years.",
"It'll likely take several listens before you start hearing this album's genius, but a lot of great albums take time to fully appreciate.",
"This is a realized, well-played, nearly epic release from a talented young band that's clearly just beginning to scratch the surface of its full potential."
] |
I had some round cake cooling racks but alas after all these year some of the wires were coming off and another reason for ordering...I only had two round racks. Sometimes I bake 3 round layers and I hate wrestling with the oblong racks for a round cake.
Was I surprised when these arrived. Large than my old pair...will hold the largest cake I'll ever bake..13" in diameter and teflon coated. I am delighted with the price and quality (what can you expect from Nordic?) of these mundane cake racks. Fast shipment also! | 2 | positive | [
"I had some round cake cooling racks but alas after all these year some of the wires were coming off and another reason for ordering...",
"I only had two round racks.",
"Sometimes I bake 3 round layers and I hate wrestling with the oblong racks for a round cake.",
"Was I surprised when these arrived.",
"Large than my old pair...",
"will hold the largest cake I'll ever bake..",
"13\" in diameter and teflon coated.",
"I am delighted with the price and quality (what can you expect from Nordic?",
") of these mundane cake racks.",
"Fast shipment also!"
] |
Have had a few Mothers products before. Read reviews and took a shot at this product. Was looking for twice-a-year wax without the powdery residue...and this is it. Went on super smooth and comes off even smoother. Left a great shine and does well on the black plastic parts of the truck leaving a good shine on them too. Truth be told, I will wax my truck more than twice a year and this is the wax I will use. Side note, I use Lucas Oil spray mist wax in between hard waxes. This is phenominal product! Honestly, between the Mothers wax and Lucas mist wax my truck has never...never look so red and good. I will buy these products as long as they are for sale. | 2 | positive | [
"Have had a few Mothers products before.",
"Read reviews and took a shot at this product.",
"Was looking for twice-a-year wax without the powdery residue...",
"and this is it.",
"Went on super smooth and comes off even smoother.",
"Left a great shine and does well on the black plastic parts of the truck leaving a good shine on them too.",
"Truth be told, I will wax my truck more than twice a year and this is the wax I will use.",
"Side note, I use Lucas Oil spray mist wax in between hard waxes.",
"This is phenominal product!",
"Honestly, between the Mothers wax and Lucas mist wax my truck has never...",
"never look so red and good.",
"I will buy these products as long as they are for sale."
] |
I have quite a few Oxo products and have always been pleased with them. Oxo makes great products.
I really like the color measurement markings on each spoon, but other reviewers have mentioned the size measurements coming off after use. I have tried scratching them and they appear that they will hold up. I hand wash many of my items so hopefully that will never become an issue. I have no difficulty reading the numbers on the measuring spoons as other reviewers have also mentioned.
These spoons are heavy duty and I expect to have them around a long time. These are much sturdier than metal measuring spoons that I own. I really like the fact that the spoons are easily removed from the connecting ring.
The only reason I did not give them product 5 stars is that the ring is bulky and does take up room in the drawer where I keep my measuring spoons and I do not like hunting down measuring spoons so I will keep them on the ring and use them as I need them. Even if the spoons are removed from the ring, they do not nest together well.
Bottom line - if you want a good reliable product, buy Oxo. | 2 | positive | [
"I have quite a few Oxo products and have always been pleased with them.",
"Oxo makes great products.",
"I really like the color measurement markings on each spoon, but other reviewers have mentioned the size measurements coming off after use.",
"I have tried scratching them and they appear that they will hold up.",
"I hand wash many of my items so hopefully that will never become an issue.",
"I have no difficulty reading the numbers on the measuring spoons as other reviewers have also mentioned.",
"These spoons are heavy duty and I expect to have them around a long time.",
"These are much sturdier than metal measuring spoons that I own.",
"I really like the fact that the spoons are easily removed from the connecting ring.",
"The only reason I did not give them product 5 stars is that the ring is bulky and does take up room in the drawer where I keep my measuring spoons and I do not like hunting down measuring spoons so I will keep them on the ring and use them as I need them.",
"Even if the spoons are removed from the ring, they do not nest together well.",
"Bottom line - if you want a good reliable product, buy Oxo."
] |
The Joe Perry Project-I've Got The Rock N' Rolls Again ****1/2
I've Got The Rock N' Rolls Again is easily the strongest of the three Joe Perry Project albums. Let The Music Do The Talkin' was good for a debut of a band put together on a whim, and the bands final album Once A Rocker, Always A Rocker was a solid album as well but it was this one that really cooked. Featuring the great Ronnie Stewart on percussion, David Hull on bass, Charlie Farren on rhythm guitar and sometimes lead vocals, and of course the amazing Joe Perry on lead guitar and lead vocals during certain songs. Whats most notable about this album is that Perry was in love with punk during this time in his life listening to bands like the Sex Pistols, and The Clash, even though they hated everything he stood for, anyways he wanted to make a basic rock/punk album and thats what we have with I've Got The Rock N' Rolls Again.
The album opens with 'East Coast, West Coast' which is easily the best song the Project ever recorded. With great guitar and rocking vocals 'East Coast, West Coast' starts off the album with a punch to the kisser. 'No Substitute For Arrogance' is a nice little punk rocker but nothing to write home about. the title track 'Ive Got The Rock N' Rolls Again' is a nice bluesy rocker with some of the best guitar playing that Perry ever laid down. Killer riffs! Farren also has some pretty good vocals here as well. 'Buzz Buzz' was an attempt at a punk song which doesn't really do what it aims to do but is a good song still featuring good vocals from perry during the chorus and some great slide guitar as well. 'Soilder Of Fortune' once again is a good rock but nothing special other then it contains one hell of a guitar solo. 'T.V. Police' is another attempt at a punk song, but this time the Project pulls it off. The guitar riff is outta this world, Perry even ressurects his ol' talk box from 'Sweet Emotion.' The chorus is catchy and the whole song is just killer. The guitar tone Perry used on this track is what he stayed with torward his last tours with Aerosmith and then again once he rejoined the band until the 90's when they became more commercialy viable, not that there was anything wrong with that. 'Listen To The Rock' is sort of cliche but once again has some amazing fret work from Perry. The same can be said about 'Play The Game.' 'South Station Blues' is actually a song that Joe Perry wrote during his original days with Aerosmith that the band would practice but never got around to recording. Perry plays some great guitar and the vocals are great. The lyrics are among the best on the album as well, a really great way to end the album.
The Joe Perry Project is a take it or leave it, love it or hate it band. Die hard Aerosmith fans usually love it, Being one of those I feel the same. Though those who don't love Aerosmith might say other wise this is still a great rock n' roll album as is the rest of the bands other two albums. | 2 | positive | [
"The Joe Perry Project-I've Got The Rock N' Rolls Again ****1/2\n\nI've Got The Rock N' Rolls Again is easily the strongest of the three Joe Perry Project albums.",
"Let The Music Do The Talkin' was good for a debut of a band put together on a whim, and the bands final album Once A Rocker, Always A Rocker was a solid album as well but it was this one that really cooked.",
"Featuring the great Ronnie Stewart on percussion, David Hull on bass, Charlie Farren on rhythm guitar and sometimes lead vocals, and of course the amazing Joe Perry on lead guitar and lead vocals during certain songs.",
"Whats most notable about this album is that Perry was in love with punk during this time in his life listening to bands like the Sex Pistols, and The Clash, even though they hated everything he stood for, anyways he wanted to make a basic rock/punk album and thats what we have with I've Got The Rock N' Rolls Again.",
"The album opens with 'East Coast, West Coast' which is easily the best song the Project ever recorded.",
"With great guitar and rocking vocals 'East Coast, West Coast' starts off the album with a punch to the kisser.",
"'No Substitute For Arrogance' is a nice little punk rocker but nothing to write home about.",
"the title track 'Ive Got The Rock N' Rolls Again' is a nice bluesy rocker with some of the best guitar playing that Perry ever laid down.",
"Killer riffs!",
"Farren also has some pretty good vocals here as well.",
"'Buzz Buzz' was an attempt at a punk song which doesn't really do what it aims to do but is a good song still featuring good vocals from perry during the chorus and some great slide guitar as well.",
"'Soilder Of Fortune' once again is a good rock but nothing special other then it contains one hell of a guitar solo.",
"'T.",
"V. Police' is another attempt at a punk song, but this time the Project pulls it off.",
"The guitar riff is outta this world, Perry even ressurects his ol' talk box from 'Sweet Emotion.",
"' The chorus is catchy and the whole song is just killer.",
"The guitar tone Perry used on this track is what he stayed with torward his last tours with Aerosmith and then again once he rejoined the band until the 90's when they became more commercialy viable, not that there was anything wrong with that.",
"'Listen To The Rock' is sort of cliche but once again has some amazing fret work from Perry.",
"The same can be said about 'Play The Game.",
"' 'South Station Blues' is actually a song that Joe Perry wrote during his original days with Aerosmith that the band would practice but never got around to recording.",
"Perry plays some great guitar and the vocals are great.",
"The lyrics are among the best on the album as well, a really great way to end the album.",
"The Joe Perry Project is a take it or leave it, love it or hate it band.",
"Die hard Aerosmith fans usually love it, Being one of those I feel the same.",
"Though those who don't love Aerosmith might say other wise this is still a great rock n' roll album as is the rest of the bands other two albums."
] |
A new PI Series starring Dix Dodd and her apprentice Dylan Foreman. Dix is a 40 year old PI who is squeaking by running a PI business, in part because she really is a good PI and in part because her apprentice (28 year old Dylan) is a great asset in research and running the business. What Dix lacks in people skills, Dylan more than compensates. Their business is mostly the run of the mill cheating spouses; so when they get hired to follow a suspected cheating husband for a week, it seems like business as usual but with a better than usual paycheck. By the end of a week Dix is facing murder charges and she and Dylan are scrambling to solve the case before she gets sent to jail.
This is a fun and lighthearted series with plenty to chuckle about. It is also a darn good mystery that has plenty of twists and turns. In the end we have met an interesting cast of characters who are hopefully going to be around in future books. Of course Dix solves the case leaving readers wanting more! Enjoy at your own risk people! And when you are done, start reading Family Jewels. | 2 | positive | [
"A new PI Series starring Dix Dodd and her apprentice Dylan Foreman.",
"Dix is a 40 year old PI who is squeaking by running a PI business, in part because she really is a good PI and in part because her apprentice (28 year old Dylan) is a great asset in research and running the business.",
"What Dix lacks in people skills, Dylan more than compensates.",
"Their business is mostly the run of the mill cheating spouses; so when they get hired to follow a suspected cheating husband for a week, it seems like business as usual but with a better than usual paycheck.",
"By the end of a week Dix is facing murder charges and she and Dylan are scrambling to solve the case before she gets sent to jail.",
"This is a fun and lighthearted series with plenty to chuckle about.",
"It is also a darn good mystery that has plenty of twists and turns.",
"In the end we have met an interesting cast of characters who are hopefully going to be around in future books.",
"Of course Dix solves the case leaving readers wanting more!",
"Enjoy at your own risk people!",
"And when you are done, start reading Family Jewels."
] |
I am extremely saddened by the untimely death of Amy Winehouse; she had so much more to give! Back To Black by Amy Winehouse features her talents as a professional singer, songwriter and guitar player. She even provides her own background vocals on some of these tracks! I'm impressed. Amy had her personal demons; but she does an incredible job performing the songs on this CD. The quality of the sound is excellent and the artwork is beautifully done. The liner notes include the song lyrics as well as the credits.
The album begins with Amy singing her heart out on "Rehab." She sings of a woman, probably based in part on her own experiences, who is not exactly eager to go to a rehabilitation center as a way to get better. The musical arrangement has a strong percussion element that supplies the foundation for the music; the guitar and brass work well for "Rehab" to create a lush musical arrangement. Nevertheless, this arrangement never steals the spotlight away from Amy's vocals; and "Rehab" is a powerful, catchy and memorable number. "You Know I'm No Good" starts off with what sounds like a rap or hip hop musical intro; but when the music goes into the main portion of the song you get that `60s style arrangement Amy does so well. Amy sings this without a superfluous note and she never falters. "You Know I'm No Good" explores complicated, painful love relationships and Amy delivers this like a champ! In addition, I really like "Just Friends;" Amy sings this wearing her heart on her sleeve. Her excellent diction enhances her performance even more and again the music fits in perfectly with her singing.
"Back To Black," the title track for this album, reminds me of a tune The Supremes might have released in their time. Amy delivers this without a hitch and that's grand. "Back To Black" deals with the pain that can come with the ending of a love affair; and "Back To Black" is obviously a major highlight of this album. "Love Is a Losing Game" is another tune that explores the painful end of a love affair. "Love Is a Losing Game" also has a somewhat mellow, old school vibe arrangement to accompany Amy as she sings this to perfection and beyond! "Wake Up Alone" has complex key modulations but Amy handles this like the pro she is and always will be! "Wake Up Alone" stuns me with its beauty even though it's not the happiest of songs; Amy Winehouse does a great job on "Wake Up Alone."
"Some Unholy War" has Amy singing, playing guitar and providing her own backup vocals. "Some Unholy War" has Amy squarely in the spotlight--right where she belongs! Although the track set appears to end with "He Can Only Hold Her," the CD has silence for about 20 seconds before we are treated to a remix of "You Know I'm No Good." Excellent!
Review update: There is a two CD "Deluxe" edition of Back to Black; here is the track listing according to Amazon's British website:
CD 1
1. Rehab
2. You Know I'm No Good
3. Me And Mr. Jones
4. Just Friends
5. Back To Black
6. Love Is A Losing Game
7. Tears Dry On Their Own
8. Wake Up Alone
9. Some Unholy War
10. He Can Only Hold Her
11. Addicted (an extra track for the first CD)
CD 2
1. Valerie
2. Cupid
3. Monkey Man
4. Some Unholy War (Down Tempo)
5. Hey Little Rich Girl
6. You're Wondering Now
7. To Know Him Is To Love Him
8. Love Is A Losing Game (Original Demo)
"Addicted" is a very good tune; Amy sings her heart out! "Valerie" showcases Amy's excellent diction and the musical accompaniment fits in perfectly with her singing--I love it. "Cupid" features just how well Amy could interpret a lyric with a reggae style that just can't sound any better--and I'm very impressed. In fact, Amy's rendition of "Cupid" sounds even better than the original; and that's grand. "Monkey Man" is another fine song; and listen for Amy to do a great job on "Some Unholy War;" she really pours her soul into ballads like this one! "Hey Little Rich Girl" just plain sounds good; and "You're Wondering Now" is absolutely brilliant. "To Know Him Is To Love Him" is very well done; and the second CD closes with a demo of "Love Is a Losing Game" which leaves me wanting more!
Back To Black still sells well years after its release; this proves just how wonderful the music is on this album. This CD and especially the two CD set is a "must-have" for Amy's fans; and people just discovering Amy would do well to start with this album. In addition, people who enjoy songs with a retro soul, R&B and even reggae flavor to them will not be disappointed. | 2 | positive | [
"I am extremely saddened by the untimely death of Amy Winehouse; she had so much more to give!",
"Back To Black by Amy Winehouse features her talents as a professional singer, songwriter and guitar player.",
"She even provides her own background vocals on some of these tracks!",
"I'm impressed.",
"Amy had her personal demons; but she does an incredible job performing the songs on this CD.",
"The quality of the sound is excellent and the artwork is beautifully done.",
"The liner notes include the song lyrics as well as the credits.",
"The album begins with Amy singing her heart out on \"Rehab.",
"\" She sings of a woman, probably based in part on her own experiences, who is not exactly eager to go to a rehabilitation center as a way to get better.",
"The musical arrangement has a strong percussion element that supplies the foundation for the music; the guitar and brass work well for \"Rehab\" to create a lush musical arrangement.",
"Nevertheless, this arrangement never steals the spotlight away from Amy's vocals; and \"Rehab\" is a powerful, catchy and memorable number.",
"\"You Know I'm No Good\" starts off with what sounds like a rap or hip hop musical intro; but when the music goes into the main portion of the song you get that `60s style arrangement Amy does so well.",
"Amy sings this without a superfluous note and she never falters.",
"\"You Know I'm No Good\" explores complicated, painful love relationships and Amy delivers this like a champ!",
"In addition, I really like \"Just Friends;\" Amy sings this wearing her heart on her sleeve.",
"Her excellent diction enhances her performance even more and again the music fits in perfectly with her singing.",
"\"Back To Black,\" the title track for this album, reminds me of a tune The Supremes might have released in their time.",
"Amy delivers this without a hitch and that's grand.",
"\"Back To Black\" deals with the pain that can come with the ending of a love affair; and \"Back To Black\" is obviously a major highlight of this album.",
"\"Love Is a Losing Game\" is another tune that explores the painful end of a love affair.",
"\"Love Is a Losing Game\" also has a somewhat mellow, old school vibe arrangement to accompany Amy as she sings this to perfection and beyond!",
"\"Wake Up Alone\" has complex key modulations but Amy handles this like the pro she is and always will be!",
"\"Wake Up Alone\" stuns me with its beauty even though it's not the happiest of songs; Amy Winehouse does a great job on \"Wake Up Alone.",
"\"\n\n\"Some Unholy War\" has Amy singing, playing guitar and providing her own backup vocals.",
"\"Some Unholy War\" has Amy squarely in the spotlight--right where she belongs!",
"Although the track set appears to end with \"He Can Only Hold Her,\" the CD has silence for about 20 seconds before we are treated to a remix of \"You Know I'm No Good.",
"\" Excellent!",
"Review update: There is a two CD \"Deluxe\" edition of Back to Black; here is the track listing according to Amazon's British website:\n\nCD 1\n1.",
"Rehab\n2.",
"You Know I'm No Good\n3.",
"Me And Mr.",
"Jones\n4.",
"Just Friends\n5.",
"Back To Black\n6.",
"Love Is A Losing Game\n7.",
"Tears Dry On Their Own\n8.",
"Wake Up Alone\n9.",
"Some Unholy War\n10.",
"He Can Only Hold Her\n11.",
"Addicted (an extra track for the first CD)\n\nCD 2\n1.",
"Valerie\n2.",
"Cupid\n3.",
"Monkey Man\n4.",
"Some Unholy War (Down Tempo)\n5.",
"Hey Little Rich Girl\n6.",
"You're Wondering Now\n7.",
"To Know Him Is To Love Him\n8.",
"Love Is A Losing Game (Original Demo)\n\n\"Addicted\" is a very good tune; Amy sings her heart out!",
"\"Valerie\" showcases Amy's excellent diction and the musical accompaniment fits in perfectly with her singing--I love it.",
"\"Cupid\" features just how well Amy could interpret a lyric with a reggae style that just can't sound any better--and I'm very impressed.",
"In fact, Amy's rendition of \"Cupid\" sounds even better than the original; and that's grand.",
"\"Monkey Man\" is another fine song; and listen for Amy to do a great job on \"Some Unholy War;\" she really pours her soul into ballads like this one!",
"\"Hey Little Rich Girl\" just plain sounds good; and \"You're Wondering Now\" is absolutely brilliant.",
"\"To Know Him Is To Love Him\" is very well done; and the second CD closes with a demo of \"Love Is a Losing Game\" which leaves me wanting more!",
"Back To Black still sells well years after its release; this proves just how wonderful the music is on this album.",
"This CD and especially the two CD set is a \"must-have\" for Amy's fans; and people just discovering Amy would do well to start with this album.",
"In addition, people who enjoy songs with a retro soul, R&B and even reggae flavor to them will not be disappointed."
] |
While I'm no big fan of typically over-priced and over-hyped Monster products, I'll readily concede that this beats any of the 9 or 10 other splitters I tried. I see comments here from users who say they can't see a difference with this product; my comment to them is that they need a better tv. I also noted one reviewer who somehow heard that this splitter can't be used with CATV (It can, and I've been using mine for over a year with my digital cable hookup). Advantages: less noise and grain than others I've used, and channels at the frequency band extremes look much better than my cable company's "free" piece of junk. Most notably, this splitter maintains excellent image contrast and has no visible chroma effects that I can see. Few splitters can manage all this. The only product I've tried that might beat this is a $[...] job whose brand I don't remember (probably because I ain't spending $[...] on a splitter, for any reason). Even if you're not crazy about Monster in general, you'll get your money's worth here. I'm using two in my setup with a CELabs booster amp. | 2 | positive | [
"While I'm no big fan of typically over-priced and over-hyped Monster products, I'll readily concede that this beats any of the 9 or 10 other splitters I tried.",
"I see comments here from users who say they can't see a difference with this product; my comment to them is that they need a better tv.",
"I also noted one reviewer who somehow heard that this splitter can't be used with CATV (It can, and I've been using mine for over a year with my digital cable hookup).",
"Advantages: less noise and grain than others I've used, and channels at the frequency band extremes look much better than my cable company's \"free\" piece of junk.",
"Most notably, this splitter maintains excellent image contrast and has no visible chroma effects that I can see.",
"Few splitters can manage all this.",
"The only product I've tried that might beat this is a $[...",
"] job whose brand I don't remember (probably because I ain't spending $[...",
"] on a splitter, for any reason).",
"Even if you're not crazy about Monster in general, you'll get your money's worth here.",
"I'm using two in my setup with a CELabs booster amp."
] |
Rainbow, the project of former Deep Purple guitarist Ritchie Blackmore, returned a year after releasing their eponymous debut. This 1976 effort was not only a successful sophomore album, it was a release to be reckoned with in the hard rock and heavy metal genres. And it is made all-that-much-more great when considering the fact that Rainbow lost three-fifths of the personal that was responsible for the recording of that 1975 effort. So, with "Rising," Blackmore (alongside frontman Ronny James Dio) not only returned, they returned in as big of a way as possible!
Blackmore drives and anchors the songs with his signature blend of hefty, meaty riffs and totally air-guitar-worthy solos -- he spits those things out better than almost any guitarist this side of Jimmy Page. But the songs' rock solid rhythm section - comprised of exceptional drumming and a thick, heavy bass tone - must also be noted, as well as their stellar, soaring vocals. And one must not forget to mention keyboard ace Tony Carey, who is heard very prominently and exceptionally throughout these six cuts.
And, of course, no review of "Rainbow" can be complete without mentioning its importance. This record was monumental in the hard rock community, and it was the biggest -- and sometimes sole -- source of inspiration for like a zillion bands in the future. (It is pretty much a given that any hard rock, traditional metal, stoner metal, and doom metal band that has formed since 1976 cites this album as an influence.)
Opener "Tarot Woman" is one-and-a-half minutes of excellent, epic synth soloing (from keyboard ace Tony Carey), and three-and-a-half-minutes of heavy, driving guitars, hard-rocking rhythms, and vintage Dio-esque clean singing. A melodic, and even vaguely jazzy-sounding guitar solo is also included in this song. "Run With The Wolf" has staccato, bobbing guitar hooks chunked-up by a fat bass part, and anchored by dexterous, crashing drums. And some more wailing guitar soloing and powerful, nearly-anthemic choruses also highlight this track. "Starstruck" is propelled by a catchy, galloping, Sabbath-y riff slices that lead well into the memorable choruses, which have killer vocal patterns in them. A soaring, piercing solo pierces the air, too.
"Do You Close Your Eyes" features a surprisingly brisk tempo, and more instantly memorable and insanely catchy vocals and choruses. (The title phrase will be stuck in your head for days.) "Stargazer" is highlighted by a terrifically deft, thundering, ten-second-long intro drum solo, more soaring, soulful clean singing, a strong, grumbling bass bottom, and a superbly lengthy, winding guitar solo section that clocks in at an epic two-whole-minutes in length (!). "Rainbow Rising" closes with the epic "A Light In The Black," which clocks in at eight-minutes long. It is a piece of early, Judas Priest-inspired speed metal, with its surprisingly fast pacing, dual guitar leads, and three surprisingly twiddly, back-to-back solos. The song's lengthy synth solo cannot go unnoticed, either.
"Rising" is not as good or iconic as, say, "Paranoid" or "Machine Head," but it is a pretty darn great record nonetheless. And it is for certain that, with this album, Rainbow cemented their status as deserving of being mentioned in the same breath as Pentagram, Black Sabbath, Dio, and yes, Deep Purple. | 2 | positive | [
"Rainbow, the project of former Deep Purple guitarist Ritchie Blackmore, returned a year after releasing their eponymous debut.",
"This 1976 effort was not only a successful sophomore album, it was a release to be reckoned with in the hard rock and heavy metal genres.",
"And it is made all-that-much-more great when considering the fact that Rainbow lost three-fifths of the personal that was responsible for the recording of that 1975 effort.",
"So, with \"Rising,\" Blackmore (alongside frontman Ronny James Dio) not only returned, they returned in as big of a way as possible!",
"Blackmore drives and anchors the songs with his signature blend of hefty, meaty riffs and totally air-guitar-worthy solos -- he spits those things out better than almost any guitarist this side of Jimmy Page.",
"But the songs' rock solid rhythm section - comprised of exceptional drumming and a thick, heavy bass tone - must also be noted, as well as their stellar, soaring vocals.",
"And one must not forget to mention keyboard ace Tony Carey, who is heard very prominently and exceptionally throughout these six cuts.",
"And, of course, no review of \"Rainbow\" can be complete without mentioning its importance.",
"This record was monumental in the hard rock community, and it was the biggest -- and sometimes sole -- source of inspiration for like a zillion bands in the future.",
"(It is pretty much a given that any hard rock, traditional metal, stoner metal, and doom metal band that has formed since 1976 cites this album as an influence.",
")\n\nOpener \"Tarot Woman\" is one-and-a-half minutes of excellent, epic synth soloing (from keyboard ace Tony Carey), and three-and-a-half-minutes of heavy, driving guitars, hard-rocking rhythms, and vintage Dio-esque clean singing.",
"A melodic, and even vaguely jazzy-sounding guitar solo is also included in this song.",
"\"Run With The Wolf\" has staccato, bobbing guitar hooks chunked-up by a fat bass part, and anchored by dexterous, crashing drums.",
"And some more wailing guitar soloing and powerful, nearly-anthemic choruses also highlight this track.",
"\"Starstruck\" is propelled by a catchy, galloping, Sabbath-y riff slices that lead well into the memorable choruses, which have killer vocal patterns in them.",
"A soaring, piercing solo pierces the air, too.",
"\"Do You Close Your Eyes\" features a surprisingly brisk tempo, and more instantly memorable and insanely catchy vocals and choruses.",
"(The title phrase will be stuck in your head for days.",
") \"Stargazer\" is highlighted by a terrifically deft, thundering, ten-second-long intro drum solo, more soaring, soulful clean singing, a strong, grumbling bass bottom, and a superbly lengthy, winding guitar solo section that clocks in at an epic two-whole-minutes in length (!",
").",
"\"Rainbow Rising\" closes with the epic \"A Light In The Black,\" which clocks in at eight-minutes long.",
"It is a piece of early, Judas Priest-inspired speed metal, with its surprisingly fast pacing, dual guitar leads, and three surprisingly twiddly, back-to-back solos.",
"The song's lengthy synth solo cannot go unnoticed, either.",
"\"Rising\" is not as good or iconic as, say, \"Paranoid\" or \"Machine Head,\" but it is a pretty darn great record nonetheless.",
"And it is for certain that, with this album, Rainbow cemented their status as deserving of being mentioned in the same breath as Pentagram, Black Sabbath, Dio, and yes, Deep Purple."
] |
I can not tell folks how pleased I am with this "Just For Dinner" Bread Maker. It was delivered at 5:15 PM tonight and by 6:30 I had already baked a delicious Rye bread to go with dinner and the smell of fresh baked bread in the house was wonderful. I have had a full size bread maker for 15 full years and purchased one from a catalog before they had EVER hit the store shelves in America. Most folks at the time had never heard and could not believe such a device actually existed, much less actually take dry ingrediants and turn them into bread.
I became tired of my machine however, as time went on, because of the time it took (4 hours), the size loaf it made, and the time involved in the clean up (kept getting longer and longer and....) Honestly, it was just a hassle and the family never could finish that large loaf of fresh bread before it got stale and always ended up throwing a quarter or a half a loaf away. Over the years, I have looked into another machine, but figured why bother, I never saw much innovations or improvements in them....that is until NOW.
The West Bend "Just for Dinner" maker is just the ticket. I of course read about the 45 minute cycle from beginning to finished product but it was still a joy to behold. The design is extremly simple. I am the type person that believes, the more bells and whistles an item has the better, but somehow, the simplistic design of the appliance was exactly what I was looking for.
I have baked two perfect loaves of bread, and look forward to many more. I would not hesitate to recommend this bread maker to anyone who loves fresh baked bread as much as I do. | 2 | positive | [
"I can not tell folks how pleased I am with this \"Just For Dinner\" Bread Maker.",
"It was delivered at 5:15 PM tonight and by 6:30 I had already baked a delicious Rye bread to go with dinner and the smell of fresh baked bread in the house was wonderful.",
"I have had a full size bread maker for 15 full years and purchased one from a catalog before they had EVER hit the store shelves in America.",
"Most folks at the time had never heard and could not believe such a device actually existed, much less actually take dry ingrediants and turn them into bread.",
"I became tired of my machine however, as time went on, because of the time it took (4 hours), the size loaf it made, and the time involved in the clean up (kept getting longer and longer and....",
") Honestly, it was just a hassle and the family never could finish that large loaf of fresh bread before it got stale and always ended up throwing a quarter or a half a loaf away.",
"Over the years, I have looked into another machine, but figured why bother, I never saw much innovations or improvements in them....",
"that is until NOW.",
"The West Bend \"Just for Dinner\" maker is just the ticket.",
"I of course read about the 45 minute cycle from beginning to finished product but it was still a joy to behold.",
"The design is extremly simple.",
"I am the type person that believes, the more bells and whistles an item has the better, but somehow, the simplistic design of the appliance was exactly what I was looking for.",
"I have baked two perfect loaves of bread, and look forward to many more.",
"I would not hesitate to recommend this bread maker to anyone who loves fresh baked bread as much as I do."
] |
When I first started reading this book, I was skeptical as to whether I would like it or not. I have to say - I LOVE IT. I could hardly put it down once I got into it. Barbara has a way of taking a fairytale and bringing it into today's world and making a doggoned great mystery out of it. She has a sense of humor par excellence. I seemed to be reading excerpts to my husband constantly, and he was laughing along with me.
I highly recommend everything Barbara writes. You will not be sorry. Don't even bother to read any low-star reviews. Some of the reviews I read were just looking for a hot sex scene in these books, which they didn't find, so they stopped reading. That is their loss. I'm glad I read through the first book, and I'll read everything she writes. | 2 | positive | [
"When I first started reading this book, I was skeptical as to whether I would like it or not.",
"I have to say - I LOVE IT.",
"I could hardly put it down once I got into it.",
"Barbara has a way of taking a fairytale and bringing it into today's world and making a doggoned great mystery out of it.",
"She has a sense of humor par excellence.",
"I seemed to be reading excerpts to my husband constantly, and he was laughing along with me.",
"I highly recommend everything Barbara writes.",
"You will not be sorry.",
"Don't even bother to read any low-star reviews.",
"Some of the reviews I read were just looking for a hot sex scene in these books, which they didn't find, so they stopped reading.",
"That is their loss.",
"I'm glad I read through the first book, and I'll read everything she writes."
] |
Have you ever fallen into a performance trap? Felt like God only loved you if you were performing to His standards? Doubted His love for you during hard times? Wayne Jacobsen has penned He Loves Me! to offer warm, personal encouragement for Christians who feel removed from the love of their Father.
Jacobsen writes strongly, sharing his conviction and personal experience of God's unfailing love. Revisiting familiar parables and scenes from throughout the New Testament as well as the Old Testament, Jacobsen builds a case for God's ongoing desire to enter into relationships with each and every one of us.
He Loves Me! keeps a tight focus on God's love. Jacobsen repeatedly turns the readers eye away from themselves and places their sights upon the Heavenly Father. Rather than exploring the message of salvation, Jacobsen's work is written for those who have already entered into relationship with God through Jesus Christ, but who may not feel confident in His love.
While an excellent resource for new Christians who seek to understand the basis of their new position in Christ, He Loves Me! also offers a healing balm for those wounded by works-based religious belief systems. A theme that occurs repeatedly throughout Jacobsen's works is that Christianity is not a religion, a set of rules that Christians must follow in order to please God. Rather, it is God's invitation to enter into a relationship with Him each day through the death of His son on the cross. It is refreshing to read a work from a man who is so clearly grounded in this truth and who proclaims it loudly.
Jacobsen reassures us that we will never be good enough for God, we will never be able to please Him with our own efforts at righteousness. Our status with Him is dependent entirely upon Jesus' work on the cross. Our position in Christ rests not upon our striving to fulfill the laws' commands, but rather the holiness that knowing Jesus will produce in our lives as we let His love fill us full to overflowing. I went into Jacobsen's body of work with a degree of skepticism, being unfamiliar with his teachings. I wondered if I'd encounter claims of universal salvation, the dismissal of sin or a philosophy of `easy-believism'. Thankfully none of these were present, only a rallying cry to return to the foundations of faith - knowing Jesus and following Him.
However, there are some weak points present in Jacobsen's work. Few scriptures are provided to back up his points, and single verses at times serve as the foundation for suppositions that are widely divergent from those held by the majority of the body of Christ. For instance, he posits that believers no longer need to fear God, but a brief survey of the word `fear' as used throughout the New Testament would display that the matter of fearing God is not as one-sided as presented here. Scripture speaks to the fear of God in a believer's life, as well as fear not being present in perfect love. All instances of the term `fear' need to be taken into account to form a balanced view of God's thoughts on the matter. Jacobsen's beliefs regarding sin should also be closely compared with scripture; it seems that they may ultimately lead to the doctrine of complete sanctification within this life when followed to their logical conclusion. Readers will need to proceed with discernment, eating the meat and spitting out the bones.
If you've been entrenched in a struggle to trust in Christ's work on the cross on your behalf, these teachings regarding God's love may take some time to sink in. Jacobsen acknowledges that tuning in to God's love and experiencing Him daily takes time, patience, and trust. With each chapter Jacobsen provides points for personal application, as well as questions that can be explored in a group discussion setting. Seeking God in prayer that focuses upon the suggestions offered, and discussing these teachings with others will serve to deepen understanding and belief.
For myself, I'm inspired to read through the New Testament once again, seeking to understand the love of God through His word as I seek to draw near to Him. I am confident that He Loves Me! will reach many believers who are seeking to regain an authentic, personal walk with Christ as they emerge from works based expectations. | 2 | positive | [
"Have you ever fallen into a performance trap?",
"Felt like God only loved you if you were performing to His standards?",
"Doubted His love for you during hard times?",
"Wayne Jacobsen has penned He Loves Me!",
"to offer warm, personal encouragement for Christians who feel removed from the love of their Father.",
"Jacobsen writes strongly, sharing his conviction and personal experience of God's unfailing love.",
"Revisiting familiar parables and scenes from throughout the New Testament as well as the Old Testament, Jacobsen builds a case for God's ongoing desire to enter into relationships with each and every one of us.",
"He Loves Me!",
"keeps a tight focus on God's love.",
"Jacobsen repeatedly turns the readers eye away from themselves and places their sights upon the Heavenly Father.",
"Rather than exploring the message of salvation, Jacobsen's work is written for those who have already entered into relationship with God through Jesus Christ, but who may not feel confident in His love.",
"While an excellent resource for new Christians who seek to understand the basis of their new position in Christ, He Loves Me!",
"also offers a healing balm for those wounded by works-based religious belief systems.",
"A theme that occurs repeatedly throughout Jacobsen's works is that Christianity is not a religion, a set of rules that Christians must follow in order to please God.",
"Rather, it is God's invitation to enter into a relationship with Him each day through the death of His son on the cross.",
"It is refreshing to read a work from a man who is so clearly grounded in this truth and who proclaims it loudly.",
"Jacobsen reassures us that we will never be good enough for God, we will never be able to please Him with our own efforts at righteousness.",
"Our status with Him is dependent entirely upon Jesus' work on the cross.",
"Our position in Christ rests not upon our striving to fulfill the laws' commands, but rather the holiness that knowing Jesus will produce in our lives as we let His love fill us full to overflowing.",
"I went into Jacobsen's body of work with a degree of skepticism, being unfamiliar with his teachings.",
"I wondered if I'd encounter claims of universal salvation, the dismissal of sin or a philosophy of `easy-believism'.",
"Thankfully none of these were present, only a rallying cry to return to the foundations of faith - knowing Jesus and following Him.",
"However, there are some weak points present in Jacobsen's work.",
"Few scriptures are provided to back up his points, and single verses at times serve as the foundation for suppositions that are widely divergent from those held by the majority of the body of Christ.",
"For instance, he posits that believers no longer need to fear God, but a brief survey of the word `fear' as used throughout the New Testament would display that the matter of fearing God is not as one-sided as presented here.",
"Scripture speaks to the fear of God in a believer's life, as well as fear not being present in perfect love.",
"All instances of the term `fear' need to be taken into account to form a balanced view of God's thoughts on the matter.",
"Jacobsen's beliefs regarding sin should also be closely compared with scripture; it seems that they may ultimately lead to the doctrine of complete sanctification within this life when followed to their logical conclusion.",
"Readers will need to proceed with discernment, eating the meat and spitting out the bones.",
"If you've been entrenched in a struggle to trust in Christ's work on the cross on your behalf, these teachings regarding God's love may take some time to sink in.",
"Jacobsen acknowledges that tuning in to God's love and experiencing Him daily takes time, patience, and trust.",
"With each chapter Jacobsen provides points for personal application, as well as questions that can be explored in a group discussion setting.",
"Seeking God in prayer that focuses upon the suggestions offered, and discussing these teachings with others will serve to deepen understanding and belief.",
"For myself, I'm inspired to read through the New Testament once again, seeking to understand the love of God through His word as I seek to draw near to Him.",
"I am confident that He Loves Me!",
"will reach many believers who are seeking to regain an authentic, personal walk with Christ as they emerge from works based expectations."
] |
New York native Billy Joel released his fifth album The Stranger in November of 1977.
Prior to The Stranger, Billy was almost seen as a pop one-hit wonder thanks to the title track from his 1973 album Piano Man (despite the fact FM rock stations played "Captain Jack" and "New York State of Mind"). However, pop radio ignored him. It was in the summer of 1977 that Billy and producer Phil Ramone (famed for work with The Carpenters and Paul Simon) went into A&R Recording Studios in New York to record Billy's fourth album for Columbia, which (had it not sold) might have been his last time at bat. Is the album the classic it is or some artifact from a bygone time, read on and find out.
We start the album with a great rocker out of "Movin' Out (Anthony's Song)" which is driven by piano and guitar. Next is The Stranger's title cut which its intro and outro (also repeated at album's end) sounds like it could have been recorded for a Bogart film before giving way into another great rocker. Next we slow things down with the album's famous ballad "Just The Way You Are" (which won the 1978 Record of the Year Grammy) and was Billy's biggest hit up until that point. He almost left it off the album had it not been for female singers Phoebe Snow (who appears on the album's last track) and Linda Ronstadt persuaded Billy to release it and the rest is history. The first half ends with the epic centerpiece of the album is "Scenes From An Italian Restaurant" which is almost like listening to one of the medleys on The Beatles' Abbey Road as it's three songs stitched into one and one of the sections told the tale of the rise and fall of Brenda & Eddie.
"Vienna" starts the second half of the album off and was one of the lesser known songs on the album but a great number. Next is the acoustic guitar and piano driven rocker "Only the Good Die Young" which is still a great number though some religious groups cried foul and some stations banned the record. Next is another classic ballad out of "She's Always A Woman" which is a nice ballad. We then have another rocker out of "Get it Right the First Time" which is a great piece. We end with the gospel sounding ballad "Everybody Has a Dream" which is a nice track and the album ends with the reprise of The Stranger's title cut's intro and outro this time with an orchestra.
The Stranger paid off as it hit #2 on the Billboard album chart upon release and became Billy's first Platinum selling album and righfully sold to date 10 million copies in the US alone.
In 1998, The Stranger was re-released in a remastered version which soundeed better than the 1980s sterile CBS release and includes all original LP art.
Now in 2008, The Stranger was given a 30th Anniversary fit for a king in two incarnations. First is a 2-CD reissue which has The Stranger remastered by Phil Ramone. Second is a unreleased concert from the famed Carnegie Hall in New York recorded one month before The Stranger's release. Billy always delivered on stage and the versions of overlooked tracks like "Say Goodbye to Hollywood", "New York State of Mind", "Captain Jack" and "Angry Young Man" are all performed better than the studio versions. Also, you had preview versions of "Just the Way You Are" and "Scenes From an Italian Restaurant" all recorded a month before The Stranger was recorded. The other re-issue is a 3-disc package which will be reviewed next.
Recommended! | 2 | positive | [
"New York native Billy Joel released his fifth album The Stranger in November of 1977.",
"Prior to The Stranger, Billy was almost seen as a pop one-hit wonder thanks to the title track from his 1973 album Piano Man (despite the fact FM rock stations played \"Captain Jack\" and \"New York State of Mind\").",
"However, pop radio ignored him.",
"It was in the summer of 1977 that Billy and producer Phil Ramone (famed for work with The Carpenters and Paul Simon) went into A&R Recording Studios in New York to record Billy's fourth album for Columbia, which (had it not sold) might have been his last time at bat.",
"Is the album the classic it is or some artifact from a bygone time, read on and find out.",
"We start the album with a great rocker out of \"Movin' Out (Anthony's Song)\" which is driven by piano and guitar.",
"Next is The Stranger's title cut which its intro and outro (also repeated at album's end) sounds like it could have been recorded for a Bogart film before giving way into another great rocker.",
"Next we slow things down with the album's famous ballad \"Just The Way You Are\" (which won the 1978 Record of the Year Grammy) and was Billy's biggest hit up until that point.",
"He almost left it off the album had it not been for female singers Phoebe Snow (who appears on the album's last track) and Linda Ronstadt persuaded Billy to release it and the rest is history.",
"The first half ends with the epic centerpiece of the album is \"Scenes From An Italian Restaurant\" which is almost like listening to one of the medleys on The Beatles' Abbey Road as it's three songs stitched into one and one of the sections told the tale of the rise and fall of Brenda & Eddie.",
"\"Vienna\" starts the second half of the album off and was one of the lesser known songs on the album but a great number.",
"Next is the acoustic guitar and piano driven rocker \"Only the Good Die Young\" which is still a great number though some religious groups cried foul and some stations banned the record.",
"Next is another classic ballad out of \"She's Always A Woman\" which is a nice ballad.",
"We then have another rocker out of \"Get it Right the First Time\" which is a great piece.",
"We end with the gospel sounding ballad \"Everybody Has a Dream\" which is a nice track and the album ends with the reprise of The Stranger's title cut's intro and outro this time with an orchestra.",
"The Stranger paid off as it hit #2 on the Billboard album chart upon release and became Billy's first Platinum selling album and righfully sold to date 10 million copies in the US alone.",
"In 1998, The Stranger was re-released in a remastered version which soundeed better than the 1980s sterile CBS release and includes all original LP art.",
"Now in 2008, The Stranger was given a 30th Anniversary fit for a king in two incarnations.",
"First is a 2-CD reissue which has The Stranger remastered by Phil Ramone.",
"Second is a unreleased concert from the famed Carnegie Hall in New York recorded one month before The Stranger's release.",
"Billy always delivered on stage and the versions of overlooked tracks like \"Say Goodbye to Hollywood\", \"New York State of Mind\", \"Captain Jack\" and \"Angry Young Man\" are all performed better than the studio versions.",
"Also, you had preview versions of \"Just the Way You Are\" and \"Scenes From an Italian Restaurant\" all recorded a month before The Stranger was recorded.",
"The other re-issue is a 3-disc package which will be reviewed next.",
"Recommended!"
] |
Read this book and put the principles into practice. You have to do both. If you're only going to read it, don't spend the money on the book in the first place.
I had just talked to one of my brothers and sisters-in-law about Dave Ramsey's financial advice and books when I checked on available books via Thomas Nelson's blogger review programme, Booksneeze <[...]>. Ramsey's book, The Total Money Makeover, was available, so I decided to see what I thought. My brother and sister-in-law are big fans. She says Ramsey's advice helped her see the error of her own financial management. And, while I don't think of them as wealthy, they are financially comfortable.
Let me acknowledge that this book was not really written for me (just shy of 60 years old). It barely addresses financial issues that I face as I don't have 20 years before retirement. We do use credit cards but have no debt, have an adequate nest egg, and our kids are already through with university.
First impressions: a lot of hype and a lot of cliches and sound bites. I've never listened to Ramsey's radio programme but I often felt like I was reading a transcript, particularly in the first part of the book, which seemed primarily motivational. That is fine, but I didn't really need that.
All of that being said, this is an excellent read for anyone who has consumer debt or who is undisciplined with finances or who has 20 years or more before retirement. Ramsey lays out clear principles and plans for controlling one's finances rather than letting them control you. And, it doesn't matter whether one has an annual income of $25,000 or $225,000 the principles and the plans apply. In fact, this book may be more important for the one with the $25,000 income.
Ramsey's primary messages, though he doesn't use these phrases, "get out and stay out of debt avoid it like a plague" and "be laser-focused on working your financial plan" (Ramsey's phrase is "focused intensity"). His advice is sound, though it may be unconventional:
Quickly set aside a starter emergency fund
Get rid of consumer debt, starting with the smallest debt first early success is a strong motivator for future effort.
Complete your emergency fund
Maximize retirement savings
Save for your kids' college
Pay off your mortgage
Build wealth
Give, have fun, invest
His motto is, "If you will live like no one else, later you can live like no one else."
For me, the biggest weaknesses of the book are:
It's cliche-ridden to be fair, though, he warns the reader up front that it will be.
I think he doesn't make a strong enough emphasis on giving early in the book. One could get the impression that giving doesn't begin until one has built wealth.
He doesn't address what to do if one is within 10 years of retirement and doesn't have decades to build wealth.
But, none of those weaknesses detract from the importance or helpfulness of The Total Money Makeover.
[DISCLAIMER: I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review of the book. My future participation in the program is not dependent on how I review the book, I'm free to write the review that I think the book deserves.] | 2 | positive | [
"Read this book and put the principles into practice.",
"You have to do both.",
"If you're only going to read it, don't spend the money on the book in the first place.",
"I had just talked to one of my brothers and sisters-in-law about Dave Ramsey's financial advice and books when I checked on available books via Thomas Nelson's blogger review programme, Booksneeze <[...",
"]>.",
"Ramsey's book, The Total Money Makeover, was available, so I decided to see what I thought.",
"My brother and sister-in-law are big fans.",
"She says Ramsey's advice helped her see the error of her own financial management.",
"And, while I don't think of them as wealthy, they are financially comfortable.",
"Let me acknowledge that this book was not really written for me (just shy of 60 years old).",
"It barely addresses financial issues that I face as I don't have 20 years before retirement.",
"We do use credit cards but have no debt, have an adequate nest egg, and our kids are already through with university.",
"First impressions: a lot of hype and a lot of cliches and sound bites.",
"I've never listened to Ramsey's radio programme but I often felt like I was reading a transcript, particularly in the first part of the book, which seemed primarily motivational.",
"That is fine, but I didn't really need that.",
"All of that being said, this is an excellent read for anyone who has consumer debt or who is undisciplined with finances or who has 20 years or more before retirement.",
"Ramsey lays out clear principles and plans for controlling one's finances rather than letting them control you.",
"And, it doesn't matter whether one has an annual income of $25,000 or $225,000 the principles and the plans apply.",
"In fact, this book may be more important for the one with the $25,000 income.",
"Ramsey's primary messages, though he doesn't use these phrases, \"get out and stay out of debt avoid it like a plague\" and \"be laser-focused on working your financial plan\" (Ramsey's phrase is \"focused intensity\").",
"His advice is sound, though it may be unconventional:\n\n Quickly set aside a starter emergency fund\n Get rid of consumer debt, starting with the smallest debt first early success is a strong motivator for future effort.",
"Complete your emergency fund\n Maximize retirement savings\n Save for your kids' college\n Pay off your mortgage\n Build wealth\n Give, have fun, invest\n\nHis motto is, \"If you will live like no one else, later you can live like no one else.",
"\"\n\nFor me, the biggest weaknesses of the book are:\n\n It's cliche-ridden to be fair, though, he warns the reader up front that it will be.",
"I think he doesn't make a strong enough emphasis on giving early in the book.",
"One could get the impression that giving doesn't begin until one has built wealth.",
"He doesn't address what to do if one is within 10 years of retirement and doesn't have decades to build wealth.",
"But, none of those weaknesses detract from the importance or helpfulness of The Total Money Makeover.",
"[DISCLAIMER: I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review of the book.",
"My future participation in the program is not dependent on how I review the book, I'm free to write the review that I think the book deserves.",
"]"
] |
I am ashamed it took me so long to read C.S. Lewis's The Great Divorce. Lewis's devotion and dedication to Christian literature is at the apex in this work. Here, I found words to help me realize what I had been struggling to capture. The Great Divorce is a complex text that divulges Christian teachings in a contemporary and illuminating way. Although I first I found myself overwhelmed with Lewis's sudden and jarring world, I truly enjoyed it. I also found tremendous enlightenment.
The most difficult tenant to Christianity I have found is to divorce myself from the secular world. So many wonderful, yet trivial, things have anchored me here. The Great Divorce helped me to see desire needs a ready faith to sever one's self.
If you are interested, you must read it yourself. It is a wildly imaginative text that will speak to you personally. I highly recommend it for everyone! | 2 | positive | [
"I am ashamed it took me so long to read C.",
"S. Lewis's The Great Divorce.",
"Lewis's devotion and dedication to Christian literature is at the apex in this work.",
"Here, I found words to help me realize what I had been struggling to capture.",
"The Great Divorce is a complex text that divulges Christian teachings in a contemporary and illuminating way.",
"Although I first I found myself overwhelmed with Lewis's sudden and jarring world, I truly enjoyed it.",
"I also found tremendous enlightenment.",
"The most difficult tenant to Christianity I have found is to divorce myself from the secular world.",
"So many wonderful, yet trivial, things have anchored me here.",
"The Great Divorce helped me to see desire needs a ready faith to sever one's self.",
"If you are interested, you must read it yourself.",
"It is a wildly imaginative text that will speak to you personally.",
"I highly recommend it for everyone!"
] |
Almost every Dreamcast game supports the jump pack feature. This is because the feedback mechanism adds an extra dimension of fun and interactivity to games. If you are wondering if it is worth the [price] to add this to your controller - yes it is.
My only complaint is that the jump pack should have been built into the original controller. This feature is near standard in all games and it seems like a crass money grab by Sega to force you to buy a second device.
I have not tried all of the jump pack devices. However, I have tried the TremorPak and the Dreamcast device. I can't really tell a difference other than that the TremorPak seems to vibrate a little stronger than the Dreamcast device. As far as compatibility is concerned, it has worked in all of my games...it has my vote. | 2 | positive | [
"Almost every Dreamcast game supports the jump pack feature.",
"This is because the feedback mechanism adds an extra dimension of fun and interactivity to games.",
"If you are wondering if it is worth the [price] to add this to your controller - yes it is.",
"My only complaint is that the jump pack should have been built into the original controller.",
"This feature is near standard in all games and it seems like a crass money grab by Sega to force you to buy a second device.",
"I have not tried all of the jump pack devices.",
"However, I have tried the TremorPak and the Dreamcast device.",
"I can't really tell a difference other than that the TremorPak seems to vibrate a little stronger than the Dreamcast device.",
"As far as compatibility is concerned, it has worked in all of my games...",
"it has my vote."
] |
Okay you Digital Camera buffs!!! This is one hell of a camera. I have taken appx. 1000 shots, and I am impressed each and every time. The resolution is superb, and the overall quality of shots is amazing. Although the manual controls such as white balance and shutter speed is not quite up to SLR standards this is a compact digital camera. About the size of a pack of cigarettes... this baby performs for it's size. I have compared pics taken with a Nikon 880 and Canon PowerShot Series, and the winner is the 6800. The 6 megapixel interpolation with a 3 megapixel CCD is not a true 6 megapixel camera by no way or form. However it does produce prints that are of better quality than the top or the line 3.34 megapixel units within its price range. It's features of Night, Scenery, and Macro add to it's versatility ... and by the way it takes some great night shots. The movie mode records both sound and video, and even allows playback with both video and sound ... a rare feature in digital cameras. Some allow this feature for short intervals the FinePix is no exception... but at a 160 seconds... it is by all means acceptable ... especially for a digital camera. After owning this digital Gem for appx 4 months, and using it's features to it's fullest, I have to say that if you are looking for a system that offers much of the bells & whistles, but require a compact size ... this is the camera for you! The pics I print using an Epson Photo printer is totally AWESOME! The one complaint I have is that this unit sucks the life out of the Lithium Ion batteries required for it's operation (not bad battery life if LCD is turned-off). Puchase a Rapid battery charger (BC80) is recommended. I hope this writing was useful in your quest for Digital excellence. Also, the unit is a very well made solid piece of engineering, using metal alloys instead of plastic! | 2 | positive | [
"Okay you Digital Camera buffs!!!",
"This is one hell of a camera.",
"I have taken appx.",
"1000 shots, and I am impressed each and every time.",
"The resolution is superb, and the overall quality of shots is amazing.",
"Although the manual controls such as white balance and shutter speed is not quite up to SLR standards this is a compact digital camera.",
"About the size of a pack of cigarettes...",
"this baby performs for it's size.",
"I have compared pics taken with a Nikon 880 and Canon PowerShot Series, and the winner is the 6800.",
"The 6 megapixel interpolation with a 3 megapixel CCD is not a true 6 megapixel camera by no way or form.",
"However it does produce prints that are of better quality than the top or the line 3.",
"34 megapixel units within its price range.",
"It's features of Night, Scenery, and Macro add to it's versatility...",
"and by the way it takes some great night shots.",
"The movie mode records both sound and video, and even allows playback with both video and sound...",
"a rare feature in digital cameras.",
"Some allow this feature for short intervals the FinePix is no exception...",
"but at a 160 seconds...",
"it is by all means acceptable...",
"especially for a digital camera.",
"After owning this digital Gem for appx 4 months, and using it's features to it's fullest, I have to say that if you are looking for a system that offers much of the bells & whistles, but require a compact size...",
"this is the camera for you!",
"The pics I print using an Epson Photo printer is totally AWESOME!",
"The one complaint I have is that this unit sucks the life out of the Lithium Ion batteries required for it's operation (not bad battery life if LCD is turned-off).",
"Puchase a Rapid battery charger (BC80) is recommended.",
"I hope this writing was useful in your quest for Digital excellence.",
"Also, the unit is a very well made solid piece of engineering, using metal alloys instead of plastic!"
] |
I had never drank hot tea before. I was looking for something to calm my overactive nervous system. I've been drinking this stuff for a little over two weeks and I notice everything works better. I used to have problems with things staying in my system a long time due to the fact that my kidneys weren't filtering like they should, but after drinking the stuff for a little bit I noticed things get flushed out and I don't hold on to things anymore. I was on an antidepressant and I had to quit taking it months ago but it seemed like it would not leave my system. Not only does this tea taste fantastic I feel like it cleanses my whole body. Of course I have no definitive proof of this claim it's just my experience. It has seemed to help my nerves but the other benefits seriously outweigh that small problem I had. So please do yourself a favor and pick up this tea. I noticed that some Walmarts don't carry it but Target seems to. | 2 | positive | [
"I had never drank hot tea before.",
"I was looking for something to calm my overactive nervous system.",
"I've been drinking this stuff for a little over two weeks and I notice everything works better.",
"I used to have problems with things staying in my system a long time due to the fact that my kidneys weren't filtering like they should, but after drinking the stuff for a little bit I noticed things get flushed out and I don't hold on to things anymore.",
"I was on an antidepressant and I had to quit taking it months ago but it seemed like it would not leave my system.",
"Not only does this tea taste fantastic I feel like it cleanses my whole body.",
"Of course I have no definitive proof of this claim it's just my experience.",
"It has seemed to help my nerves but the other benefits seriously outweigh that small problem I had.",
"So please do yourself a favor and pick up this tea.",
"I noticed that some Walmarts don't carry it but Target seems to."
] |
This may not be the definitive recording of the 5th, but it's an exceptional one. I love Karajan's 5th as it is presented in his Beethoven Symphonies box, I'm not sure which recording it is, but it's with Berlin and it's exceptional. My personal favourite is on the recent DVD set with Claudio Abbado and Berlin - the attention to detail is at times mind-boggling; I never before realized there was so much music in Beethoven. This recording of the 5th has such an incredible energy. The speed is one thing: it's impressive and effective. But the clarity and focus of the voices gives this reading a very unique direction. Definitely worth having.
I'm not a fan of the way Kleiber does the 7th...I find it generally too light, but that's my own preference. A note here; the pizz at the end of the 2nd is the result of different editions. It is starting to be recognized as the "proper" way of doing it.
But with regards to the sound of the timpani - what?? If you like that warm, full, artificial American timp sound, then fine. If you like timpani to sound like they're meant to - lots of attack, not much sustain - then these sound fine. Especially with the VPO's peculiar Viennese timpani, this sound is characteristic of the orchestra and of the traditional way of playing the drums. | 2 | positive | [
"This may not be the definitive recording of the 5th, but it's an exceptional one.",
"I love Karajan's 5th as it is presented in his Beethoven Symphonies box, I'm not sure which recording it is, but it's with Berlin and it's exceptional.",
"My personal favourite is on the recent DVD set with Claudio Abbado and Berlin - the attention to detail is at times mind-boggling; I never before realized there was so much music in Beethoven.",
"This recording of the 5th has such an incredible energy.",
"The speed is one thing: it's impressive and effective.",
"But the clarity and focus of the voices gives this reading a very unique direction.",
"Definitely worth having.",
"I'm not a fan of the way Kleiber does the 7th...",
"I find it generally too light, but that's my own preference.",
"A note here; the pizz at the end of the 2nd is the result of different editions.",
"It is starting to be recognized as the \"proper\" way of doing it.",
"But with regards to the sound of the timpani - what??",
"If you like that warm, full, artificial American timp sound, then fine.",
"If you like timpani to sound like they're meant to - lots of attack, not much sustain - then these sound fine.",
"Especially with the VPO's peculiar Viennese timpani, this sound is characteristic of the orchestra and of the traditional way of playing the drums."
] |
Im 28 now and I just got this album today. Wow!!! What have I been missing out on? This is good stuff , I cant believe how much talent these guys have (or had)! The guitar sounds in this album are fantastic. They change rhythm and the beats to keep you in tune,,I never got bored listening..not yet anyway. Well the stereotype I had on this band has vanished. I was brought up listening to Paula Abdul, Milli Vanilli, New Kids On the Block, Mariah Carey, Snoop Dogg, and the ignorance continued until 1998. Then I started listening to real music..and this gem of an album has saved my spirits. Cheers to The CLASH!!! | 2 | positive | [
"Im 28 now and I just got this album today.",
"Wow!!!",
"What have I been missing out on?",
"This is good stuff , I cant believe how much talent these guys have (or had)!",
"The guitar sounds in this album are fantastic.",
"They change rhythm and the beats to keep you in tune,,I never got bored listening..",
"not yet anyway.",
"Well the stereotype I had on this band has vanished.",
"I was brought up listening to Paula Abdul, Milli Vanilli, New Kids On the Block, Mariah Carey, Snoop Dogg, and the ignorance continued until 1998.",
"Then I started listening to real music..",
"and this gem of an album has saved my spirits.",
"Cheers to The CLASH!!!"
] |
I don't know what I can say about this book that hasn't already been said. It's a prize winner, an internationally acclaimed best seller, and has been for twenty years. But I read it for the first time in 2014, when I moved to Arizona and started a new teaching position with new materials, including this book; I liked it then, liked the style of it, liked the way Roy wrote and the things she had to say, but it was one of several books that I read in an awful hurry, and with a whole lot on my mind at the time.
I read it again, this past two weeks, just finishing it this morning. And this time, because I am encouraging my AP Literature students to read books actively, that is, with a pen in hand and the margins of the book's own pages as their paper, to comment and question and interact with the text, I did just that: I used my new purple ball point (Which may be the best thing about the gym that my wife and I joined last October: it has good equipment, but not great, and it had been fairly uncrowded until our last work out when a visiting college baseball team came in en masse and inundated us in jockery: but at least they give away ballpoint pens with purple ink!) so that the ink would stand out against the black typeface, and I underlined and I arrowed and I added everything I thought that I thought was worth thinking and adding to the text.
I read it more, this time. More carefully, more attentively, more thoughtfully. I was invested in the text, this time.
And this time, I didn't just like the book. I loved it.
I was actually enlightened by it. Roy made me think about my own society, and particularly my own family, in a way that I never had before. She crystallized some thoughts for me that might never otherwise have come clear. She also showed me an elegance and a musical grace in words that I never would have seen: words written backwards, and words broken up in new ways -- there is a Bar Nowl that lives in the warehouse and hunts mice on silent wings -- and a poetry that I don't ever see in prose. She showed a depth of perception, both in descriptions of environment and of character and of humanity as a whole that I don't know that I've ever seen done better. And she wrote this book on the other side of the world. In her second language. I don't know if that shows the grandiosity of her genius or if it reveals the power of an outsider's perception, both hers of my mother tongue and mine of her world and how it parallels my own; I think perhaps she was writing about what she knows, and I see the same things in what I know because people are people all around the globe -- but regardless, this book is magic. It is going up on my Very Top Shelf, with Fahrenheit 451 and To Kill a Mockingbird and Of Mice and Men and Shakespeare and ee cummings.
And that's what I have to say about this book. | 2 | positive | [
"I don't know what I can say about this book that hasn't already been said.",
"It's a prize winner, an internationally acclaimed best seller, and has been for twenty years.",
"But I read it for the first time in 2014, when I moved to Arizona and started a new teaching position with new materials, including this book; I liked it then, liked the style of it, liked the way Roy wrote and the things she had to say, but it was one of several books that I read in an awful hurry, and with a whole lot on my mind at the time.",
"I read it again, this past two weeks, just finishing it this morning.",
"And this time, because I am encouraging my AP Literature students to read books actively, that is, with a pen in hand and the margins of the book's own pages as their paper, to comment and question and interact with the text, I did just that: I used my new purple ball point (Which may be the best thing about the gym that my wife and I joined last October: it has good equipment, but not great, and it had been fairly uncrowded until our last work out when a visiting college baseball team came in en masse and inundated us in jockery: but at least they give away ballpoint pens with purple ink!",
") so that the ink would stand out against the black typeface, and I underlined and I arrowed and I added everything I thought that I thought was worth thinking and adding to the text.",
"I read it more, this time.",
"More carefully, more attentively, more thoughtfully.",
"I was invested in the text, this time.",
"And this time, I didn't just like the book.",
"I loved it.",
"I was actually enlightened by it.",
"Roy made me think about my own society, and particularly my own family, in a way that I never had before.",
"She crystallized some thoughts for me that might never otherwise have come clear.",
"She also showed me an elegance and a musical grace in words that I never would have seen: words written backwards, and words broken up in new ways -- there is a Bar Nowl that lives in the warehouse and hunts mice on silent wings -- and a poetry that I don't ever see in prose.",
"She showed a depth of perception, both in descriptions of environment and of character and of humanity as a whole that I don't know that I've ever seen done better.",
"And she wrote this book on the other side of the world.",
"In her second language.",
"I don't know if that shows the grandiosity of her genius or if it reveals the power of an outsider's perception, both hers of my mother tongue and mine of her world and how it parallels my own; I think perhaps she was writing about what she knows, and I see the same things in what I know because people are people all around the globe -- but regardless, this book is magic.",
"It is going up on my Very Top Shelf, with Fahrenheit 451 and To Kill a Mockingbird and Of Mice and Men and Shakespeare and ee cummings.",
"And that's what I have to say about this book."
] |
...This game is a lot of fun, you'll get a kick out of it for a variety of reasons, but it really does seem like a step-down from previous incarnations of Need for Speed in many respects. Well, let's get to it...
PROS: Incredible graphics, stunning sound and intense music, hot pursuit mode will get your heart pumping, beautiful cars.
CONS: Poorly implemented "point" system for unlocking new cars and tracks, not enough tracks, no nighttime racing or inclement weather racing as in previous versions, not terribly challenging.
First thing I noticed were the graphics. After playing around with the demo for awhile, I loaded up Need for Speed: High Stakes and was absolutely floored at how far the graphics have come. It made the beauty in Hot Pursuit 2 that much more striking. Beautiful tracks, gorgeous surroundings, and beautiful cars. Second thing I noticed was the music. You don't get a feel for this in the demo, but as soon as you load up the full retail version and get to the main menu, this incredible music starts to play. Not instrumental [garbage], but full band stuff, a bit between techno and alternative. Hard and fast. I've got the game loaded and playing even when I'm in the other room just so the music will play. Wow! I don't know how EA got all this music, but what a great job! The sound effects are equally well done. Nice job on immersion, EA!!!
As for the cons... You don't have nearly as much choice in what car you get to race as you did in previous versions, at least in the tournament and hot pursuit modes. The game structures these as tournament tree events; when you win one event, one or two more events "unlock" for you to race them. Each event offers only a select number of cars (between 1-4 on average). So, if you love the Porshe 911, you're out of luck, because you may not be able to get it. This is seriously disappointing, and takes away an element of realism. (High Stakes did this nicely, where you "bought" a number of cars, got to paint them, modify them, and race them. If you wanted to race your favorite Pontiac Trans Am against a Ferrari, you could--you'd lose, but you could, and more importantly you had the option. Not so in HP2.)
Also, far too few tracks. There are only four tracks. They're beuatiful, stunning, gorgeous... EA did a great job on designing them. But only four!?!? God. I can see this is going to get repetitive very quickly. Hopefully we'll have the option to download new tracks, but I doubt it. Again, High Stakes had this -nailed-, with nearly 20 different tracks to race on. You can, of course, race the tracks in reverse, or on a mirror image (or in reverse on a mirror image) but it's still the same track.
And no, it's not all that challenging in comparison with past versions. Still, if you're just looking for some fun and fast cars, or you just want a decent racing game for the PC (for which there are too few), HP2 is worth a look.
(BTW--Download the demo!!! The demo is very representative of the actual game, minus the music. If you like the demo, you'll like the game. If you hate the demo, you'll hate the game. So, download the demo and give it a run or two.) | 2 | positive | [
"...",
"This game is a lot of fun, you'll get a kick out of it for a variety of reasons, but it really does seem like a step-down from previous incarnations of Need for Speed in many respects.",
"Well, let's get to it...",
"PROS: Incredible graphics, stunning sound and intense music, hot pursuit mode will get your heart pumping, beautiful cars.",
"CONS: Poorly implemented \"point\" system for unlocking new cars and tracks, not enough tracks, no nighttime racing or inclement weather racing as in previous versions, not terribly challenging.",
"First thing I noticed were the graphics.",
"After playing around with the demo for awhile, I loaded up Need for Speed: High Stakes and was absolutely floored at how far the graphics have come.",
"It made the beauty in Hot Pursuit 2 that much more striking.",
"Beautiful tracks, gorgeous surroundings, and beautiful cars.",
"Second thing I noticed was the music.",
"You don't get a feel for this in the demo, but as soon as you load up the full retail version and get to the main menu, this incredible music starts to play.",
"Not instrumental [garbage], but full band stuff, a bit between techno and alternative.",
"Hard and fast.",
"I've got the game loaded and playing even when I'm in the other room just so the music will play.",
"Wow!",
"I don't know how EA got all this music, but what a great job!",
"The sound effects are equally well done.",
"Nice job on immersion, EA!!!",
"As for the cons...",
"You don't have nearly as much choice in what car you get to race as you did in previous versions, at least in the tournament and hot pursuit modes.",
"The game structures these as tournament tree events; when you win one event, one or two more events \"unlock\" for you to race them.",
"Each event offers only a select number of cars (between 1-4 on average).",
"So, if you love the Porshe 911, you're out of luck, because you may not be able to get it.",
"This is seriously disappointing, and takes away an element of realism.",
"(High Stakes did this nicely, where you \"bought\" a number of cars, got to paint them, modify them, and race them.",
"If you wanted to race your favorite Pontiac Trans Am against a Ferrari, you could--you'd lose, but you could, and more importantly you had the option.",
"Not so in HP2.",
")\nAlso, far too few tracks.",
"There are only four tracks.",
"They're beuatiful, stunning, gorgeous...",
"EA did a great job on designing them.",
"But only four!?",
"!?",
"God.",
"I can see this is going to get repetitive very quickly.",
"Hopefully we'll have the option to download new tracks, but I doubt it.",
"Again, High Stakes had this -nailed-, with nearly 20 different tracks to race on.",
"You can, of course, race the tracks in reverse, or on a mirror image (or in reverse on a mirror image) but it's still the same track.",
"And no, it's not all that challenging in comparison with past versions.",
"Still, if you're just looking for some fun and fast cars, or you just want a decent racing game for the PC (for which there are too few), HP2 is worth a look.",
"(BTW--Download the demo!!!",
"The demo is very representative of the actual game, minus the music.",
"If you like the demo, you'll like the game.",
"If you hate the demo, you'll hate the game.",
"So, download the demo and give it a run or two.",
")"
] |
Seriously, my version of the Cream of Clapton ditches Let It Rain, Blues Power, Presence of the Lord and Hello Old Friend, contains Layla and Strange Brew instead, and has different song order. I don't know if this is an American release vs. British release thing or a boot, it's good music.
Anyway, we start off (on my version) with the classic Layla, which I think is merely OK...Bell Bottom Blues is much, much better and more personel. Then we kick into high gear with the Cream material: Badge, I Feel Free, Sunshine of Your Love, Crossroads, Strange Brew and White Room. These six could very well be the best cuts on the album, and I wish there was more Cream material. Out of the Cream songs, the best are Badge and White Room. Then, it's back to Derek and the Dominoes with Bell Bottom Blues, far surperior to Layla. After that, a slew of good Clapton material, Cocaine, I Shot the Sheriff, Ater Midnight, Lay Down Sally, Knockin' on Heaven's Door and Let It Grow being the best. There are, however, a few Clapton tunes I could do without: Wonderful Tonight, Promises and I Can't Stand It.
By the way, the tracklist on my version is:
1. Layla
2. Badge
3. I Feel Free
4. Sunshine of Your Love
5. Crossroads
6. Strange Brew
7. White Room
8. Bell Bottom Blues
9. Cocaine
10. I Shot the Sheriff
11. After Midnight
12. Swing Low Sweet Chariot
13. Lay Down Sally
14. Knockin' on Heaven's Door
15. Wonderful Tonight
16. Let It Grow
17. Promises
18. I Can't Stand It
Can anyone enlighten me as to what's going on? Oh well, still great music for those who wish to get into Clapton. | 2 | positive | [
"Seriously, my version of the Cream of Clapton ditches Let It Rain, Blues Power, Presence of the Lord and Hello Old Friend, contains Layla and Strange Brew instead, and has different song order.",
"I don't know if this is an American release vs.",
"British release thing or a boot, it's good music.",
"Anyway, we start off (on my version) with the classic Layla, which I think is merely OK...",
"Bell Bottom Blues is much, much better and more personel.",
"Then we kick into high gear with the Cream material: Badge, I Feel Free, Sunshine of Your Love, Crossroads, Strange Brew and White Room.",
"These six could very well be the best cuts on the album, and I wish there was more Cream material.",
"Out of the Cream songs, the best are Badge and White Room.",
"Then, it's back to Derek and the Dominoes with Bell Bottom Blues, far surperior to Layla.",
"After that, a slew of good Clapton material, Cocaine, I Shot the Sheriff, Ater Midnight, Lay Down Sally, Knockin' on Heaven's Door and Let It Grow being the best.",
"There are, however, a few Clapton tunes I could do without: Wonderful Tonight, Promises and I Can't Stand It.",
"By the way, the tracklist on my version is:\n\n1.",
"Layla\n\n2.",
"Badge\n\n3.",
"I Feel Free\n\n4.",
"Sunshine of Your Love\n\n5.",
"Crossroads\n\n6.",
"Strange Brew\n\n7.",
"White Room\n\n8.",
"Bell Bottom Blues\n\n9.",
"Cocaine\n\n10.",
"I Shot the Sheriff\n\n11.",
"After Midnight\n\n12.",
"Swing Low Sweet Chariot\n\n13.",
"Lay Down Sally\n\n14.",
"Knockin' on Heaven's Door\n\n15.",
"Wonderful Tonight\n\n16.",
"Let It Grow\n\n17.",
"Promises\n\n18.",
"I Can't Stand It\n\nCan anyone enlighten me as to what's going on?",
"Oh well, still great music for those who wish to get into Clapton."
] |
Once again before writing my review I've gone through my now habitual look at the 1-star reviews. The 30 1 star reviews I've read here have left me bewildered at the pathetic P.C state this world is headed towards.
Well, since I don't care one whit about political correctness I will sum up LILO AND STITCH briefly as this: A cute Disney comedy with sci fi elements.
Stitch is a koala-like genetic experiment made by aliens: fireproof, bulletproof, has the ability to think faster than a supercomputer, can see in the dark and move objects 3000 times his size. The only negative is that Stitch is also a lethal weapon, so Stitch is sent into exile, but escapes to Earth en route to prison. A pair of dim witted prisoners are enlisted as bounty hunters, who will be given their freedom in exchange for Stitch's capture.
Lilo is a cheeky, but lonely little Hawaiian girl with a passion for Elvis music who lives with her older sister Nani. Nani decides Lilo needs a dog to keep her company. This results in a visit to an animal shelter where Stitch has been impounded upon his arrival on Earth. Lilo adopts him, but their burgeoning friendship may be being abused by Stitch for his own protection. Meanwhile a social worker is trying to take Lilo away from her sister....
Featuring the voice talents of Tia Carrere, David Ogden Stiers and Ving Rhames, LILO AND STITCH is a great movie with a humorous script for all ages. | 2 | positive | [
"Once again before writing my review I've gone through my now habitual look at the 1-star reviews.",
"The 30 1 star reviews I've read here have left me bewildered at the pathetic P.",
"C state this world is headed towards.",
"Well, since I don't care one whit about political correctness I will sum up LILO AND STITCH briefly as this: A cute Disney comedy with sci fi elements.",
"Stitch is a koala-like genetic experiment made by aliens: fireproof, bulletproof, has the ability to think faster than a supercomputer, can see in the dark and move objects 3000 times his size.",
"The only negative is that Stitch is also a lethal weapon, so Stitch is sent into exile, but escapes to Earth en route to prison.",
"A pair of dim witted prisoners are enlisted as bounty hunters, who will be given their freedom in exchange for Stitch's capture.",
"Lilo is a cheeky, but lonely little Hawaiian girl with a passion for Elvis music who lives with her older sister Nani.",
"Nani decides Lilo needs a dog to keep her company.",
"This results in a visit to an animal shelter where Stitch has been impounded upon his arrival on Earth.",
"Lilo adopts him, but their burgeoning friendship may be being abused by Stitch for his own protection.",
"Meanwhile a social worker is trying to take Lilo away from her sister....",
"Featuring the voice talents of Tia Carrere, David Ogden Stiers and Ving Rhames, LILO AND STITCH is a great movie with a humorous script for all ages."
] |
Currently own 3 CRKT knives, this one is the most practical knife and useful, on a daily basis than the others.. It fits in your pocket easily and can be used as a money clip(big plus here). The blade comes in handy more than the Carson M16 I have(in my edc, not on me).Commonly used to cut packaging tape or other nuisances. Since I use it as a moneyclip, there is often money in the clip when unfolding the blade. No issues with money getting cut when folding the blade back in, clearances are slim but not problem! It comes super sharp out of the box and does not become an issue inside your pant pocket. It is sharpened on one side to make the folded knife flush with the handle/frame and not cut up your pockets or legs. The clip is fairly large(consumes 3/4 of a folded dollar bill) but also tight(difficult when carrying all those one dollar bills for the stripper). Compared to the CRKT P.E.C.K., it is ~2.5x larger. I originally bought the P.E.C.K. but gave it to my friend since purchasing the K.I.S.S. Form factor is sleek enough to be used in a formal suit situation. As with all CRKT items that I have experienced, quality is top notch and a thing of beauty. The K.I.S.S. makes a great gift idea. | 2 | positive | [
"Currently own 3 CRKT knives, this one is the most practical knife and useful, on a daily basis than the others..",
"It fits in your pocket easily and can be used as a money clip(big plus here).",
"The blade comes in handy more than the Carson M16 I have(in my edc, not on me).",
"Commonly used to cut packaging tape or other nuisances.",
"Since I use it as a moneyclip, there is often money in the clip when unfolding the blade.",
"No issues with money getting cut when folding the blade back in, clearances are slim but not problem!",
"It comes super sharp out of the box and does not become an issue inside your pant pocket.",
"It is sharpened on one side to make the folded knife flush with the handle/frame and not cut up your pockets or legs.",
"The clip is fairly large(consumes 3/4 of a folded dollar bill) but also tight(difficult when carrying all those one dollar bills for the stripper).",
"Compared to the CRKT P.",
"E.C.K., it is ~2.",
"5x larger.",
"I originally bought the P.",
"E.C.K. but gave it to my friend since purchasing the K.",
"I.S.S. Form factor is sleek enough to be used in a formal suit situation.",
"As with all CRKT items that I have experienced, quality is top notch and a thing of beauty.",
"The K.",
"I.S.S. makes a great gift idea."
] |
normally i wouldn't write a review but this system is soooo much fun i just had to write one. first off, i would like to state that i've been gaming for well over 30 years now so yes i know games and have owned or will own every system that has ever come out from coleco vision, atari 2600, every nintendo systems, every sega systems, ps1, ps2, and x-box. haven't gotten around to buying a x-box 360 yet, can't find a ps3, and can't find a wii. however, i have played all three of these systems because my friends have them. of the three i enjoy playing the wii the most simply because it's the most fun for me and my friends to simply sit down and play. it's easy to pick up and play without a huge learning curve. the wiimote makes gaming very intuitive and fun. i'm not a graphics whore so the wii's graphics capabilties are more than suffice. lets look at it this way, it gets killed by the 360 and ps3 but it's better than the x-box. for me, it's all about the gameplay and no matter how awesome the graphics are, if the gameplay can't match than the game itself suffers for it. now, i would like to get the wii first followed by the x-box 360 simply because it has all of the games i want. i will eventually cave and get a ps3 because i go wherever square-enix goes. now, i will admit that i'm a nintendo fanboy, but how can i not be if most of my favorite titles are from nintendo. here's a list of my favorite titles 1. zelda 2. final fantasy 3. mario 4. metroid 5. dragon warrior/quest 6. w.o.w. 7. virua fighter 8. valkyrie profile 9. vagrant story 10. destiny of an emperor. i still wish capcom would make a remake or a sequel to destiny of an emperor and unlike some, my final fantasy and dragon's quest gaming experience didn't start off with the # 7. well, hopefully i'll be able to land all three next gen consoles by the end of the year. i'm in no hurry to pick them up and i'm waiting for nintendo to release the lime colored wii. oh, as for blu-ray and hd dvd go, i'm not all that impressed by them. sure they look better than regular dvd but is it $600 to $1,000 or more better? i think not. i do have a sony trinitron 1080p tv with hdmi support so yes while i enjoy watching football in hi def, wouldn't watch it any other way, blu-ray and hd dvds are over-rated. although, i would have to say that it would be awesome if it were possible to pick up all of my favorite anime series on one blu-ray or two hd dvd discs instead of the 6-8 dvds. so, when i do pick up my next gen consoles it isn't going to be for the hd dvd or blu-ray it's going to be for the games. any hardcore gamer would pick up all three and play all the good games each system has to offer. as for which one i prefer, it would be the wii for the all important reason that it's easy to pick up and play with just about anyone whereas the other two you would actually have to have gaming friends. gaming really should be enjoyed by everyone instead of just those who know how to play them. i believe this is where nintendo has done the right thing. my whole family would be able to play with the wii whereas the ps3 and 360 it would be just my brothers, friends and i. | 2 | positive | [
"normally i wouldn't write a review but this system is soooo much fun i just had to write one.",
"first off, i would like to state that i've been gaming for well over 30 years now so yes i know games and have owned or will own every system that has ever come out from coleco vision, atari 2600, every nintendo systems, every sega systems, ps1, ps2, and x-box.",
"haven't gotten around to buying a x-box 360 yet, can't find a ps3, and can't find a wii.",
"however, i have played all three of these systems because my friends have them.",
"of the three i enjoy playing the wii the most simply because it's the most fun for me and my friends to simply sit down and play.",
"it's easy to pick up and play without a huge learning curve.",
"the wiimote makes gaming very intuitive and fun.",
"i'm not a graphics whore so the wii's graphics capabilties are more than suffice.",
"lets look at it this way, it gets killed by the 360 and ps3 but it's better than the x-box.",
"for me, it's all about the gameplay and no matter how awesome the graphics are, if the gameplay can't match than the game itself suffers for it.",
"now, i would like to get the wii first followed by the x-box 360 simply because it has all of the games i want.",
"i will eventually cave and get a ps3 because i go wherever square-enix goes.",
"now, i will admit that i'm a nintendo fanboy, but how can i not be if most of my favorite titles are from nintendo.",
"here's a list of my favorite titles 1.",
"zelda 2.",
"final fantasy 3.",
"mario 4.",
"metroid 5.",
"dragon warrior/quest 6.",
"w.",
"o.w. 7.",
"virua fighter 8.",
"valkyrie profile 9.",
"vagrant story 10.",
"destiny of an emperor.",
"i still wish capcom would make a remake or a sequel to destiny of an emperor and unlike some, my final fantasy and dragon's quest gaming experience didn't start off with the # 7.",
"well, hopefully i'll be able to land all three next gen consoles by the end of the year.",
"i'm in no hurry to pick them up and i'm waiting for nintendo to release the lime colored wii.",
"oh, as for blu-ray and hd dvd go, i'm not all that impressed by them.",
"sure they look better than regular dvd but is it $600 to $1,000 or more better?",
"i think not.",
"i do have a sony trinitron 1080p tv with hdmi support so yes while i enjoy watching football in hi def, wouldn't watch it any other way, blu-ray and hd dvds are over-rated.",
"although, i would have to say that it would be awesome if it were possible to pick up all of my favorite anime series on one blu-ray or two hd dvd discs instead of the 6-8 dvds.",
"so, when i do pick up my next gen consoles it isn't going to be for the hd dvd or blu-ray it's going to be for the games.",
"any hardcore gamer would pick up all three and play all the good games each system has to offer.",
"as for which one i prefer, it would be the wii for the all important reason that it's easy to pick up and play with just about anyone whereas the other two you would actually have to have gaming friends.",
"gaming really should be enjoyed by everyone instead of just those who know how to play them.",
"i believe this is where nintendo has done the right thing.",
"my whole family would be able to play with the wii whereas the ps3 and 360 it would be just my brothers, friends and i."
] |
OK, first thing's first: if you want a racing game that you can just throw into your Dreamcast and play for a short time every now and then, you'd be better off going for something like Ferrari F355 Challenge or Rush 2049. This game is very involving, and you must expect to spend a long time working your way through it if you want to be successful. While casual gamers are treated to 'quick race' and 'time attack' modes, the bulk of the game lies in the championship mode, which requires a lot of time and effort to conquer. Buying the game just for it's 'single race' mode is like buying a Ferrari just for the comfy seats!
You start off with a little amount of money, then you gradually earn money and cars by winning races and special challenges. You might assume that the game doesn't get interesting until you've acquired the Dodge Viper and souped it up, but this is not the case. The fast cars are almost impossible to control on the very difficult courses, so you would be better to use a slightly less powerful car. Of course there are fast tracks where you can be a speed demon, so choosing the right car for the track is important. There are four classes of car based on their engine displacement: Extra, B, A and SA class. At the start of the game you will have to pass tests to earn each license. There are about 24 license tests, all from different manufacturers; if you can beat the current record for each license track, you will win a special 'works car' from that manufacturer. However, you are as likely to win all of these as you are to land on the moon tomorrow. The license tests are easy to pass, but to win the works cars is near-impossible, and will take you a LONG time. This isn't a negative aspect mind you, I enjoy the fact that the game offers so much to do and will keep you playing for months.
If you win every race/challenge in the championship mode (of which there are a lot) you will unlock a new mode called 'world speed king'. I can't say much about this though, as I'm a LONG way from seeing it!
The control in the game is superb; each one of the 130+ cars handle just as you would expect them to, and tweaking them in the garage makes a noticable difference to the way they perform. Arcade-style-racing fans will find the controls far too twitchy and unstable; this is definitely aimed at simulation fans although the controls can be configured to suit your liking, including steering sensitivity. I have used both the Dreamcast controller and the Madcatz MC2 Racing Wheel, and both worked excellently. For the ultimate experience however, I have got to recommend the racing wheel and pedals - you won't believe how realistically at handles the cars.
Although you probably can get through the game without too much mechanical tweaking, you will find it much easier to invest a little time in learning what you need to do to improve your performance. Practically EVERYTHING is adjustable and replaceable, from the wheel base distance to the gear ratios, and you can buy plenty of parts, from $2,600 aluminium hubcaps to $80,000 turbo engine makeovers.
Unfortunately there is no online multiplayer option, but you can play with two players using a split screen. You can also connect to the internet to get tips from the Sega GT website (which is, unfortunately, rarely updated) and also register your best lap times - however, don't expect to see your name at the top unless you are prepared to lose all your spare time trying to shave off 2 seconds from your already perfect lap!
The graphics are beautiful, there is hardly any draw-in and the frame rate never slows down. The cars are stunningly rendered. Cars are offered from the usual predictable manufacturers, including Toyota, Dodge, Ford, Honda and Mazda. The selection of cars is more than sufficient; I have heard people complain that there aren't enough, but trust me, 130 is plenty. Especially since you can build your own from scratch, and this is where the game gets really interesting.
The 'Carrozerria' allows you to build your very own car however you want it, with 2 million different combinations possible. At first you can only build E-Class cars (with a displacement less than 1000cc). To build better and faster cars you will have to pass a series of tough tests in the car you have made. Persevere long enough and you can soon be building 5000cc, 3000hp (yes, you read right) monsters. You will have to build your own cars to enter some of the races in the championship mode, most of which have restrictions on what you can race in. Build as many cars as you like, and if they turn out to be substandard, well then you can always sell them to some sucker in the 'car dealer' option as a 'limited edition concept car'. ;-) Each car does handle differently depending on how you choose to build it and modify it, and it will take a lot of experimentation for you to get it just right. You can save your cars onto your VMU to rave your friends, which is a nice feature. The game also offers a mini-game for the VMU (which takes up 128 blocks), and you can earn cash and unlock special cars for use in the main game, though if you aren't interested in that then you won't be at a disadvantage. Still, it's a nice little bonus to keep you occupied while you're away from the Dreamcast. The main game uses 42 blocks for its save game file.
The biggest drawback about this game is its lack of any damage modeling whatsoever. So, when you crash your brand new Dodge Viper head-on into a wall at 250mph, you won't even scratch the paintwork. You can just carry on as if nothing happened, with just a little rumble on the jump pack to indicate you hit something. This can distract you from the realness of the game very quickly, and that is something no game should do. Given the sheer depth of gameplay though, it is just about forgivable. It would also have been nice to be able to race more than just 5 other cars, but you can't have it all... The menu interface is quite clumsy and can quickly get tedious, but you just have to put up with it. By the way, if you select the 'Internet' option from the main menu, PLEASE remember to save your game beforehand or you lose everything you've done in the previous session. Unfortunately the manual has no mention of this - I learned the hard way!
Generally, this is one of the best racers available for the Dreamcast and if you are someone who likes to get really involved in a game then you will love this. However, others need not apply.
I would give this 4 and a half stars, but since it is so damn impressive in most respects I'll bump it up to a 5.... | 2 | positive | [
"OK, first thing's first: if you want a racing game that you can just throw into your Dreamcast and play for a short time every now and then, you'd be better off going for something like Ferrari F355 Challenge or Rush 2049.",
"This game is very involving, and you must expect to spend a long time working your way through it if you want to be successful.",
"While casual gamers are treated to 'quick race' and 'time attack' modes, the bulk of the game lies in the championship mode, which requires a lot of time and effort to conquer.",
"Buying the game just for it's 'single race' mode is like buying a Ferrari just for the comfy seats!",
"You start off with a little amount of money, then you gradually earn money and cars by winning races and special challenges.",
"You might assume that the game doesn't get interesting until you've acquired the Dodge Viper and souped it up, but this is not the case.",
"The fast cars are almost impossible to control on the very difficult courses, so you would be better to use a slightly less powerful car.",
"Of course there are fast tracks where you can be a speed demon, so choosing the right car for the track is important.",
"There are four classes of car based on their engine displacement: Extra, B, A and SA class.",
"At the start of the game you will have to pass tests to earn each license.",
"There are about 24 license tests, all from different manufacturers; if you can beat the current record for each license track, you will win a special 'works car' from that manufacturer.",
"However, you are as likely to win all of these as you are to land on the moon tomorrow.",
"The license tests are easy to pass, but to win the works cars is near-impossible, and will take you a LONG time.",
"This isn't a negative aspect mind you, I enjoy the fact that the game offers so much to do and will keep you playing for months.",
"If you win every race/challenge in the championship mode (of which there are a lot) you will unlock a new mode called 'world speed king'.",
"I can't say much about this though, as I'm a LONG way from seeing it!",
"The control in the game is superb; each one of the 130+ cars handle just as you would expect them to, and tweaking them in the garage makes a noticable difference to the way they perform.",
"Arcade-style-racing fans will find the controls far too twitchy and unstable; this is definitely aimed at simulation fans although the controls can be configured to suit your liking, including steering sensitivity.",
"I have used both the Dreamcast controller and the Madcatz MC2 Racing Wheel, and both worked excellently.",
"For the ultimate experience however, I have got to recommend the racing wheel and pedals - you won't believe how realistically at handles the cars.",
"Although you probably can get through the game without too much mechanical tweaking, you will find it much easier to invest a little time in learning what you need to do to improve your performance.",
"Practically EVERYTHING is adjustable and replaceable, from the wheel base distance to the gear ratios, and you can buy plenty of parts, from $2,600 aluminium hubcaps to $80,000 turbo engine makeovers.",
"Unfortunately there is no online multiplayer option, but you can play with two players using a split screen.",
"You can also connect to the internet to get tips from the Sega GT website (which is, unfortunately, rarely updated) and also register your best lap times - however, don't expect to see your name at the top unless you are prepared to lose all your spare time trying to shave off 2 seconds from your already perfect lap!",
"The graphics are beautiful, there is hardly any draw-in and the frame rate never slows down.",
"The cars are stunningly rendered.",
"Cars are offered from the usual predictable manufacturers, including Toyota, Dodge, Ford, Honda and Mazda.",
"The selection of cars is more than sufficient; I have heard people complain that there aren't enough, but trust me, 130 is plenty.",
"Especially since you can build your own from scratch, and this is where the game gets really interesting.",
"The 'Carrozerria' allows you to build your very own car however you want it, with 2 million different combinations possible.",
"At first you can only build E-Class cars (with a displacement less than 1000cc).",
"To build better and faster cars you will have to pass a series of tough tests in the car you have made.",
"Persevere long enough and you can soon be building 5000cc, 3000hp (yes, you read right) monsters.",
"You will have to build your own cars to enter some of the races in the championship mode, most of which have restrictions on what you can race in.",
"Build as many cars as you like, and if they turn out to be substandard, well then you can always sell them to some sucker in the 'car dealer' option as a 'limited edition concept car'.",
";-) Each car does handle differently depending on how you choose to build it and modify it, and it will take a lot of experimentation for you to get it just right.",
"You can save your cars onto your VMU to rave your friends, which is a nice feature.",
"The game also offers a mini-game for the VMU (which takes up 128 blocks), and you can earn cash and unlock special cars for use in the main game, though if you aren't interested in that then you won't be at a disadvantage.",
"Still, it's a nice little bonus to keep you occupied while you're away from the Dreamcast.",
"The main game uses 42 blocks for its save game file.",
"The biggest drawback about this game is its lack of any damage modeling whatsoever.",
"So, when you crash your brand new Dodge Viper head-on into a wall at 250mph, you won't even scratch the paintwork.",
"You can just carry on as if nothing happened, with just a little rumble on the jump pack to indicate you hit something.",
"This can distract you from the realness of the game very quickly, and that is something no game should do.",
"Given the sheer depth of gameplay though, it is just about forgivable.",
"It would also have been nice to be able to race more than just 5 other cars, but you can't have it all...",
"The menu interface is quite clumsy and can quickly get tedious, but you just have to put up with it.",
"By the way, if you select the 'Internet' option from the main menu, PLEASE remember to save your game beforehand or you lose everything you've done in the previous session.",
"Unfortunately the manual has no mention of this - I learned the hard way!",
"Generally, this is one of the best racers available for the Dreamcast and if you are someone who likes to get really involved in a game then you will love this.",
"However, others need not apply.",
"I would give this 4 and a half stars, but since it is so damn impressive in most respects I'll bump it up to a 5...."
] |
I have to buy this product each season. No question. Keeps those things off my roses. It really works....I thought it would catch a few.....but this thing caught 20 in 1.5 months. I didn't even hang it in my yard near my roses. I hooked it to my front porch corner hook. They went straight to it and didn't even care about my flowers in the yard. No joke. | 2 | positive | [
"I have to buy this product each season.",
"No question.",
"Keeps those things off my roses.",
"It really works....",
"I thought it would catch a few....",
".",
"but this thing caught 20 in 1.",
"5 months.",
"I didn't even hang it in my yard near my roses.",
"I hooked it to my front porch corner hook.",
"They went straight to it and didn't even care about my flowers in the yard.",
"No joke."
] |
Bob Dylan & The Band had just released their collaborative effort, Planet Waves, and they hit the road for a historical tour. The show was a combination of Mr. Dylan songs and Band songs and the album does a great job of conveying the concert. Songs like "Lay Lady Lay", "Highway 61 Revisited", "Ballad Of A Thin Man", "Blowin' In The Wind" and "Rainy Day Woman #12 & 35" have a distinctive sound and musical power that only could come from the potent combination of Mr. Dylan & The Band. Mr. Dylan's solo acoustic songs including "Don't Think Twice", "Just Like A Woman" and "It's Alright Ma" are haunting and beautiful. The Band are equally powerful on their songs. One minor disappointment is that Mr. Dylan doesn't appear on most of the Band's songs. It would have been great to hear him sing on songs like "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down" and "Up On Cripple Creek" or especially "Stage Fright" which was written about him. But that aside, Before The Flood is a great live document of this historic tour. | 2 | positive | [
"Bob Dylan & The Band had just released their collaborative effort, Planet Waves, and they hit the road for a historical tour.",
"The show was a combination of Mr.",
"Dylan songs and Band songs and the album does a great job of conveying the concert.",
"Songs like \"Lay Lady Lay\", \"Highway 61 Revisited\", \"Ballad Of A Thin Man\", \"Blowin' In The Wind\" and \"Rainy Day Woman #12 & 35\" have a distinctive sound and musical power that only could come from the potent combination of Mr.",
"Dylan & The Band.",
"Mr.",
"Dylan's solo acoustic songs including \"Don't Think Twice\", \"Just Like A Woman\" and \"It's Alright Ma\" are haunting and beautiful.",
"The Band are equally powerful on their songs.",
"One minor disappointment is that Mr.",
"Dylan doesn't appear on most of the Band's songs.",
"It would have been great to hear him sing on songs like \"The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down\" and \"Up On Cripple Creek\" or especially \"Stage Fright\" which was written about him.",
"But that aside, Before The Flood is a great live document of this historic tour."
] |
This review present two experiences for your consideration. I guess it shows how impressions of these products can vary.
My wife said it felt dry rather than creamy when applying, so much so that she felt she had to apply another moisturizer on top. There was also a noticeable smell which she didn't like at first - not unpleasant, just strong - but gradually became ok with her after a few hours.
I didn't notice the dry feel to the degree she mentioned. It's not as liquidy or creamy (or greasy) as some other moisturizer lotions but I didn't feel like I needed to apply another product on top. I've used "intensive care" moisturizers before which had a similar feel. I noted a slight sweetish odor similar to some beauty soaps or talcum powder, but to me it was unnoticeable within a few minutes. It may be that I use less than she does or I'm just insensitive:)
It seems to work but hard to say if it dies a much better job than others.
There you have it. Split the difference if you choose! | 2 | positive | [
"This review present two experiences for your consideration.",
"I guess it shows how impressions of these products can vary.",
"My wife said it felt dry rather than creamy when applying, so much so that she felt she had to apply another moisturizer on top.",
"There was also a noticeable smell which she didn't like at first - not unpleasant, just strong - but gradually became ok with her after a few hours.",
"I didn't notice the dry feel to the degree she mentioned.",
"It's not as liquidy or creamy (or greasy) as some other moisturizer lotions but I didn't feel like I needed to apply another product on top.",
"I've used \"intensive care\" moisturizers before which had a similar feel.",
"I noted a slight sweetish odor similar to some beauty soaps or talcum powder, but to me it was unnoticeable within a few minutes.",
"It may be that I use less than she does or I'm just insensitive:)\n\nIt seems to work but hard to say if it dies a much better job than others.",
"There you have it.",
"Split the difference if you choose!"
] |
Back in 1998, Brandy was sittin' on top of the world, with multi-platinum albums, starring roles in movies, and her own sitcom. Much has changed over the course of that time, but Brandy has remained relatively active on the music scene, but she was unable to match the success of that 1998 album "Never Say Never." Part of tha has been due to the long gap between her albums, and true to form, it has been several long years since her previous album dropped. So here we are all of a sudden, a full decade later, and Brandy sounding more accomplished and seasoned than ever; her music never had embraced the foolishness of the boy and girl band era, nor did her style fit that of those who thought it wise to record ballad after ballad featuring some gangsta rapper doing background vocals. Rather, Brandy has perservered, actually coming up with a set of hooks that not only equal but exceed those of "Never Say Never."
The smooth balladry of "True" and the title track "Human" give only a glimpse of what she can do; the fantastic lead-off single "Right Here (Departed)" and the closing track "Fall" are the highlights of the set, showcasing a wide display of melodic range, with dead-on vocals, including the harmony. Perhaps she has even made Darkchild a better songwriter by delivering such empassioned performances - he has not come up with a set of hooks like this in a long time (maybe not ever before now).
In closing, with the shelf-life of a female pop star being as short as it is (J.Lo and Hilary Duff have already come and gone in the time since Brandy's debut), it is truly refreshing to see an artist mature to the point at which everything comes together in one career-defining moment (or in this case, almost a full hour of music). One listen to the stunning a capella portion of "Something's Missing" is enough to convince me that there is a long term future ahead of this bright and somehow still unbelievably young talent. For all those critics who have said that Brandy has had difficulty finding her own sound in the past, take note of the fact that Brandy has responded by taking on about three different types of sounds, and mastered them all. She has finally arrived! | 2 | positive | [
"Back in 1998, Brandy was sittin' on top of the world, with multi-platinum albums, starring roles in movies, and her own sitcom.",
"Much has changed over the course of that time, but Brandy has remained relatively active on the music scene, but she was unable to match the success of that 1998 album \"Never Say Never.",
"\" Part of tha has been due to the long gap between her albums, and true to form, it has been several long years since her previous album dropped.",
"So here we are all of a sudden, a full decade later, and Brandy sounding more accomplished and seasoned than ever; her music never had embraced the foolishness of the boy and girl band era, nor did her style fit that of those who thought it wise to record ballad after ballad featuring some gangsta rapper doing background vocals.",
"Rather, Brandy has perservered, actually coming up with a set of hooks that not only equal but exceed those of \"Never Say Never.",
"\"\n\nThe smooth balladry of \"True\" and the title track \"Human\" give only a glimpse of what she can do; the fantastic lead-off single \"Right Here (Departed)\" and the closing track \"Fall\" are the highlights of the set, showcasing a wide display of melodic range, with dead-on vocals, including the harmony.",
"Perhaps she has even made Darkchild a better songwriter by delivering such empassioned performances - he has not come up with a set of hooks like this in a long time (maybe not ever before now).",
"In closing, with the shelf-life of a female pop star being as short as it is (J.",
"Lo and Hilary Duff have already come and gone in the time since Brandy's debut), it is truly refreshing to see an artist mature to the point at which everything comes together in one career-defining moment (or in this case, almost a full hour of music).",
"One listen to the stunning a capella portion of \"Something's Missing\" is enough to convince me that there is a long term future ahead of this bright and somehow still unbelievably young talent.",
"For all those critics who have said that Brandy has had difficulty finding her own sound in the past, take note of the fact that Brandy has responded by taking on about three different types of sounds, and mastered them all.",
"She has finally arrived!"
] |
Bristle in Scottish book's usage means "wait impatiently".
Very relevant to Afghanistan today . . . end of feudalism & breaking the power of the war lords. Religious fanatics, kidnapping, betrayal . . . a great read!
Book is based on real events & true facts (just like Hollywood movies!).
I loved the uncle's story of 1/2 a cow! | 2 | positive | [
"Bristle in Scottish book's usage means \"wait impatiently\".",
"Very relevant to Afghanistan today.",
".",
".",
"end of feudalism & breaking the power of the war lords.",
"Religious fanatics, kidnapping, betrayal.",
".",
".",
"a great read!",
"Book is based on real events & true facts (just like Hollywood movies!",
").",
"I loved the uncle's story of 1/2 a cow!"
] |
Dances with Wolves easily earns a position among the all-time-greatest epic motion pictures. Its story and presentation are fresh, honest, real and breathtaking. "Epic" implies the film takes longer to tell its story than the average movie, and that it does. But consider that the correct measure of the length of any film is to track the number of visits your eyes make to your watch during the film. Thus a three-hour movie may seem shorter than a ninety-minute movie. The character development and interaction of this movie invites us to participate, to be there and feel as our hearts share the emotions of characters even as we feel the pleasure from the eye candy provided by the amazing cinematography that takes us across the massive Northern Plaines of the United States. The movie begins in a dramatic scene in which, Kevin Costner, a lieutenant in the Union Army, crawls off the battlefield surgeons table to save his badly injured leg or foot from amputation. Somewhat delirious he takes actions that lead to victory for his troops and ends a deadly stalemate between the two armies. As the hero of the battle the general's surgeon heals his leg and the lieutenant is offered any post he wants. He chooses the most remote post the army has because he wants to see the unspoiled land before it's too late, and the real story begins. A caution to those who think the white man was portrayed unfairly; read unbiased history, then watch the movie again. This movie undertakes allot and it succeeds. This exciting action, drama, western, love-story shows us a great example of a film that can be so absolutely entertaining and educational at the same time. Dances with Wolves entertains as it shows through historical example the importance and consequences of learning about our own preconceptions and learning the potential benefit we may enjoy from learning to respect and accept other beliefs or points of view, to just learning to understand all that we can before making decisions and drawing conclusions in any matter.
Dances with Wolves does all that any movie could be asked to do. | 2 | positive | [
"Dances with Wolves easily earns a position among the all-time-greatest epic motion pictures.",
"Its story and presentation are fresh, honest, real and breathtaking.",
"\"Epic\" implies the film takes longer to tell its story than the average movie, and that it does.",
"But consider that the correct measure of the length of any film is to track the number of visits your eyes make to your watch during the film.",
"Thus a three-hour movie may seem shorter than a ninety-minute movie.",
"The character development and interaction of this movie invites us to participate, to be there and feel as our hearts share the emotions of characters even as we feel the pleasure from the eye candy provided by the amazing cinematography that takes us across the massive Northern Plaines of the United States.",
"The movie begins in a dramatic scene in which, Kevin Costner, a lieutenant in the Union Army, crawls off the battlefield surgeons table to save his badly injured leg or foot from amputation.",
"Somewhat delirious he takes actions that lead to victory for his troops and ends a deadly stalemate between the two armies.",
"As the hero of the battle the general's surgeon heals his leg and the lieutenant is offered any post he wants.",
"He chooses the most remote post the army has because he wants to see the unspoiled land before it's too late, and the real story begins.",
"A caution to those who think the white man was portrayed unfairly; read unbiased history, then watch the movie again.",
"This movie undertakes allot and it succeeds.",
"This exciting action, drama, western, love-story shows us a great example of a film that can be so absolutely entertaining and educational at the same time.",
"Dances with Wolves entertains as it shows through historical example the importance and consequences of learning about our own preconceptions and learning the potential benefit we may enjoy from learning to respect and accept other beliefs or points of view, to just learning to understand all that we can before making decisions and drawing conclusions in any matter.",
"Dances with Wolves does all that any movie could be asked to do."
] |
A word of caution: If you're coming from games like Halo of other "run-like-a-headless-chicken" shooters, this game may not be for you. To be sure, Halo was a work of art, but MOHAA raises the bar to an insanely high level.
Gameplay 4.5/5
I, for one, was suprised about MOHAA's rather covert-based feel to most the levels. Not that it doesn't have a lot of action, because it most certainly does. The Omaha Beach mission that had everyone drooling will also keep fans of Saving Private Ryan happy for the rest of their lives. The only real flaw here, is that the game was rather frusterating at times, but it's well worth the challenge. The AI is also realistic, but has a few moments where it doesn't exactly shine, like trying to take on my tiger tank with a submachine gun, or an unsuspecting guard totally disregard firing a shot an inch from his head.
Graphics 4/5
Very pretty. The detailed weapons, characters, and cool artillery explosions are great, so you better have a helluva system. The only problem is a few minor graphical glitches, such as a weapon from a fallen foe being stuck on a wall, slowly rotating in a circle. Also, the tank shell explosions seem amazingly small when it hits the ground, but is magnificent when you blow apart a building.
Sound 5/5
This is where the game truly stands out. Excellent soundtrack, realistic gunfire, the sounds of incoming artillery, and great voice acting seperate this from anything else you've ever heard. Try playing Omaha Beach with the speakers turned up.
Multiplayer 4.5/5
Ignore the description of it being "average". If you can stand the occasional spawn killing, rocket wielding, and that one bad map (Southern France), multiplayer is worth it.
My advice? Buy it.. Plus, the expansion's being released soon! | 2 | positive | [
"A word of caution: If you're coming from games like Halo of other \"run-like-a-headless-chicken\" shooters, this game may not be for you.",
"To be sure, Halo was a work of art, but MOHAA raises the bar to an insanely high level.",
"Gameplay 4.",
"5/5\nI, for one, was suprised about MOHAA's rather covert-based feel to most the levels.",
"Not that it doesn't have a lot of action, because it most certainly does.",
"The Omaha Beach mission that had everyone drooling will also keep fans of Saving Private Ryan happy for the rest of their lives.",
"The only real flaw here, is that the game was rather frusterating at times, but it's well worth the challenge.",
"The AI is also realistic, but has a few moments where it doesn't exactly shine, like trying to take on my tiger tank with a submachine gun, or an unsuspecting guard totally disregard firing a shot an inch from his head.",
"Graphics 4/5\nVery pretty.",
"The detailed weapons, characters, and cool artillery explosions are great, so you better have a helluva system.",
"The only problem is a few minor graphical glitches, such as a weapon from a fallen foe being stuck on a wall, slowly rotating in a circle.",
"Also, the tank shell explosions seem amazingly small when it hits the ground, but is magnificent when you blow apart a building.",
"Sound 5/5\nThis is where the game truly stands out.",
"Excellent soundtrack, realistic gunfire, the sounds of incoming artillery, and great voice acting seperate this from anything else you've ever heard.",
"Try playing Omaha Beach with the speakers turned up.",
"Multiplayer 4.",
"5/5\nIgnore the description of it being \"average\".",
"If you can stand the occasional spawn killing, rocket wielding, and that one bad map (Southern France), multiplayer is worth it.",
"My advice?",
"Buy it..",
"Plus, the expansion's being released soon!"
] |
Quite a departure from Simon Dupree and The Big Sound "Gentle Giant" (the band's first album)is presented here in a miniature replica of the original cardboard fold out sleeve and includes a duplicate of the inside as well. We also get a mini-poster with lyrics and credits. Although not their finest album ("Octopus", "Three Friends","Freehand" and "In a Glass House" would remain their four best) this is a terrific debut.
Featuring Derek and Phil Shulman(Phil would leave the band after "Octopus") handling most of the lead vocals (with Kerry Minner on one pivotal track) this remastered edition sounds marvelous and is a huge step up from the previously issued version on Polygram/Vertigo. "Giant" opens up with a one two punch of cascading organ and Derek's lead vocal. "Funny Ways" opens with a cello and has an elegant melody carried by cello, violin, acoustic guitar and percussion. The odd "Alcuard" (Dracula backwards) features a prominent moog sythesizer played in unison with sax and organ with a spooky middle eight and hypnotic vocals about a visit from the vampire king. "Isn't It Quiet and Cold" has a melody that McCartney might have written during mid-period Beatles albums such as "Sgt. Pepper" and "Magical Mystery Tour" with a jaunty melody and vocal. "Nothing At All" has features guitarist Gary Green at the forefront with his acoustic guitar work and memorable four part harmonies. "Why Not" takes off with drums, organ, electric guitar and bass dominating this rocker. Derek's lead vocals are at the top of the mix. It made me realize how much he sounds like Steve Winwood. We close out with "God Save the Queen" played only as "Gentle Giant" could.
A terrific album that sounds better. Roy Thomas Baker's engineering and Tony Visconti's nice production touches come through with crystal clarity. Evidently there was damage to the original mastertape as there's a note about a "restoration" here. It even features the original UK "Vertigo" label on the Cd itself. Highly recommended. | 2 | positive | [
"Quite a departure from Simon Dupree and The Big Sound \"Gentle Giant\" (the band's first album)is presented here in a miniature replica of the original cardboard fold out sleeve and includes a duplicate of the inside as well.",
"We also get a mini-poster with lyrics and credits.",
"Although not their finest album (\"Octopus\", \"Three Friends\",\"Freehand\" and \"In a Glass House\" would remain their four best) this is a terrific debut.",
"Featuring Derek and Phil Shulman(Phil would leave the band after \"Octopus\") handling most of the lead vocals (with Kerry Minner on one pivotal track) this remastered edition sounds marvelous and is a huge step up from the previously issued version on Polygram/Vertigo.",
"\"Giant\" opens up with a one two punch of cascading organ and Derek's lead vocal.",
"\"Funny Ways\" opens with a cello and has an elegant melody carried by cello, violin, acoustic guitar and percussion.",
"The odd \"Alcuard\" (Dracula backwards) features a prominent moog sythesizer played in unison with sax and organ with a spooky middle eight and hypnotic vocals about a visit from the vampire king.",
"\"Isn't It Quiet and Cold\" has a melody that McCartney might have written during mid-period Beatles albums such as \"Sgt.",
"Pepper\" and \"Magical Mystery Tour\" with a jaunty melody and vocal.",
"\"Nothing At All\" has features guitarist Gary Green at the forefront with his acoustic guitar work and memorable four part harmonies.",
"\"Why Not\" takes off with drums, organ, electric guitar and bass dominating this rocker.",
"Derek's lead vocals are at the top of the mix.",
"It made me realize how much he sounds like Steve Winwood.",
"We close out with \"God Save the Queen\" played only as \"Gentle Giant\" could.",
"A terrific album that sounds better.",
"Roy Thomas Baker's engineering and Tony Visconti's nice production touches come through with crystal clarity.",
"Evidently there was damage to the original mastertape as there's a note about a \"restoration\" here.",
"It even features the original UK \"Vertigo\" label on the Cd itself.",
"Highly recommended."
] |
Eh bien! I figured it out! I actually came up with the correct killer, or killers shortly after The millionaire heiress, Linnet Doyle was found shot in the head on page 148. I didn't need all the clues used by our beloved Belgian detective, Hercule Poirot. I got lucky and guessed based upon Agatha Christie's past tendencies. Mais Oui, it will never happen again. If you notice, I'm using all of Hercule's favorite French exclamations. This 1937 detective/mystery novel is first class, as usual. Our pyknic mustached French speaking gumshoe once again sifts through many suspects and clues to nail his man, or woman ( I'm not giving you the murderer, or murderess! ). This time he has a Colonel Race to use as his sounding board and a German Doctor Bessner as his medical advisor. What a' merveille entertaining novel this is!!
Hercule is on vacation in Egypt awaiting a cruise down the Nile, when he meets twenty year old Linnet Ridgeway and her husband, Simon Doyle. It seems Simon recently detached himself from Linnet's best friend, Jacqueline de Bellefort to marry the very rich Linnet. Now the jeune fille Jacqueline is stalking the newlyweds and the Doyles want Hercule's help. Hercule refuses the commission but says he will talk to Jacqueline. Hercule is unable to tranquil the rejected Jacqueline and in fact she threatens to kill Linnet. Later, on the steamer Karnak, Linnet turns up dead, shot in the head! Zut! Now our portly Hercule is on the case! The race is on to find the killer before someone else turns up dead. Most of the characters in this story are very exotic, and the clues are portentous and numerous. The ensuing chapters are all cliffhangers with fresh clues resulting in new suspects.
Agatha's ability to develop characters is amazing, and consistent in all her books. Can't you picture Peter Lorre, or Sydney Greenstreet in one of her novels? One of her few rivals during the 1930's was Dashiell Hammett, author of one of my favorites,"The Maltese Falcon". Another astonishing trait Agatha commands is that all her suspects come to full closure at the novel's end. I hate when I finish a book and most of characters have disappeared without a proper arrestment. Anyway mon ami, and mon amie, I give this mystery a hi-five!! Do yourself a favor and read a Agatha Christie novel soon- you will love it. | 2 | positive | [
"Eh bien!",
"I figured it out!",
"I actually came up with the correct killer, or killers shortly after The millionaire heiress, Linnet Doyle was found shot in the head on page 148.",
"I didn't need all the clues used by our beloved Belgian detective, Hercule Poirot.",
"I got lucky and guessed based upon Agatha Christie's past tendencies.",
"Mais Oui, it will never happen again.",
"If you notice, I'm using all of Hercule's favorite French exclamations.",
"This 1937 detective/mystery novel is first class, as usual.",
"Our pyknic mustached French speaking gumshoe once again sifts through many suspects and clues to nail his man, or woman ( I'm not giving you the murderer, or murderess!",
").",
"This time he has a Colonel Race to use as his sounding board and a German Doctor Bessner as his medical advisor.",
"What a' merveille entertaining novel this is!!",
"Hercule is on vacation in Egypt awaiting a cruise down the Nile, when he meets twenty year old Linnet Ridgeway and her husband, Simon Doyle.",
"It seems Simon recently detached himself from Linnet's best friend, Jacqueline de Bellefort to marry the very rich Linnet.",
"Now the jeune fille Jacqueline is stalking the newlyweds and the Doyles want Hercule's help.",
"Hercule refuses the commission but says he will talk to Jacqueline.",
"Hercule is unable to tranquil the rejected Jacqueline and in fact she threatens to kill Linnet.",
"Later, on the steamer Karnak, Linnet turns up dead, shot in the head!",
"Zut!",
"Now our portly Hercule is on the case!",
"The race is on to find the killer before someone else turns up dead.",
"Most of the characters in this story are very exotic, and the clues are portentous and numerous.",
"The ensuing chapters are all cliffhangers with fresh clues resulting in new suspects.",
"Agatha's ability to develop characters is amazing, and consistent in all her books.",
"Can't you picture Peter Lorre, or Sydney Greenstreet in one of her novels?",
"One of her few rivals during the 1930's was Dashiell Hammett, author of one of my favorites,\"The Maltese Falcon\".",
"Another astonishing trait Agatha commands is that all her suspects come to full closure at the novel's end.",
"I hate when I finish a book and most of characters have disappeared without a proper arrestment.",
"Anyway mon ami, and mon amie, I give this mystery a hi-five!!",
"Do yourself a favor and read a Agatha Christie novel soon- you will love it."
] |
We bought two of these fountains-- this one and the "planet blue," after our vet recommended getting an automatic fountain for one of our cats who is in the early stages of having urinary tract problems. We found out that cats usually don't drink as much as they need to, and this can lead to crystals in their urine, blockages and severe health problems including organ failure. Our vet also told us that cats drink less out of traditional bowls because their whiskers tend to hit the sides which is uncomfortable for them. The bowl of this fountain is wide enough to accommodate whiskers and therefore cats will tend to drink longer. After a day or so of being timid of the fountain, our cats took right to it. They are drinking probably four times the amount of water they used to drink from regular water bowls. The water trickling does make some noise, just enough to entice the cats and be soothing to nearby humans. It is so much easier to deal with than changing water in bowls twice a day; when the water gets low you simply pop out the reservoir and refill it. The water stays cleaner because of the filter. This is a great product and highly recommended to help prevent and manage urinary tract issues that can be aggravated by not drinking enough water. This fountain was recommended to us by my mom who has owned one for several months with no problems. | 2 | positive | [
"We bought two of these fountains-- this one and the \"planet blue,\" after our vet recommended getting an automatic fountain for one of our cats who is in the early stages of having urinary tract problems.",
"We found out that cats usually don't drink as much as they need to, and this can lead to crystals in their urine, blockages and severe health problems including organ failure.",
"Our vet also told us that cats drink less out of traditional bowls because their whiskers tend to hit the sides which is uncomfortable for them.",
"The bowl of this fountain is wide enough to accommodate whiskers and therefore cats will tend to drink longer.",
"After a day or so of being timid of the fountain, our cats took right to it.",
"They are drinking probably four times the amount of water they used to drink from regular water bowls.",
"The water trickling does make some noise, just enough to entice the cats and be soothing to nearby humans.",
"It is so much easier to deal with than changing water in bowls twice a day; when the water gets low you simply pop out the reservoir and refill it.",
"The water stays cleaner because of the filter.",
"This is a great product and highly recommended to help prevent and manage urinary tract issues that can be aggravated by not drinking enough water.",
"This fountain was recommended to us by my mom who has owned one for several months with no problems."
] |
After packing bearings the old way for years I decided to give one of these a go. Why in the h!@# didn't I spend the 25$ or so dollars on one years ago?!?!?!?! This this is amazingly simple and easy to use. You add your grease, then drop the bearing in and then press - your done. I did two bearings in about 2 minutes, I am not kidding! And they are perfectly packed, there is no question. Do yourself a favor and buy one even if you only use it once it is so worth it!
I used it to pack bearings for the front wheels of an 01 Excursion. | 2 | positive | [
"After packing bearings the old way for years I decided to give one of these a go.",
"Why in the h!",
"@# didn't I spend the 25$ or so dollars on one years ago?!",
"?!",
"?!",
"?!",
"This this is amazingly simple and easy to use.",
"You add your grease, then drop the bearing in and then press - your done.",
"I did two bearings in about 2 minutes, I am not kidding!",
"And they are perfectly packed, there is no question.",
"Do yourself a favor and buy one even if you only use it once it is so worth it!",
"I used it to pack bearings for the front wheels of an 01 Excursion."
] |
Amerishop is the new kid on the block. I took a risk. And it paid off BIG TIME!! Got the movie so fast I thought they were cross town. And about the movie. I got a fantastic price. Some places The Court-Martial of Billy Mitchell can be really expensive. Why? Well this is a historical classic starring the legendary Gary Cooper at his best. Imagine, General Mitchell got kicked out of the Army Air Corp for accurately predicting the comming of the Japanese invasion of Pearl Harbor. Like Nostradamus he was deadly on target. And the stuck on stupid in power military leadership destroyed him. Since they are still stuck on stupid we rarely see this movie on TV. Even on TCM. You owe it to yourself to buy this epic motion picture. | 2 | positive | [
"Amerishop is the new kid on the block.",
"I took a risk.",
"And it paid off BIG TIME!!",
"Got the movie so fast I thought they were cross town.",
"And about the movie.",
"I got a fantastic price.",
"Some places The Court-Martial of Billy Mitchell can be really expensive.",
"Why?",
"Well this is a historical classic starring the legendary Gary Cooper at his best.",
"Imagine, General Mitchell got kicked out of the Army Air Corp for accurately predicting the comming of the Japanese invasion of Pearl Harbor.",
"Like Nostradamus he was deadly on target.",
"And the stuck on stupid in power military leadership destroyed him.",
"Since they are still stuck on stupid we rarely see this movie on TV.",
"Even on TCM.",
"You owe it to yourself to buy this epic motion picture."
] |
As others here have said, I too had the same experience with the measurements wearing off this set. Hopefully oxo corrects this. Giving 2 stars because the 3/4 and 2/3 cups are nice.
Just an update, I got a reply from OXO and it seems they're going to make good on the products and in addition they have changed the design. Only time will tell if they don't wear off again but I'm optimistic. Here is the letter I got from oxo:
"Thank you for contacting the OXO Consumer Care Center. We value you as a customer and sincerely apologize for the experience you have had with our product. We would like to resolve your issue as quickly and efficiently as possible.
We have changed the design of the measurement markings on our Measuring Cups and Spoons. The new markings are molded into the handle, as opposed to being printed on. We'd be happy to send you new sets, free of charge. Please allow 10 - 12 business days for delivery via Fed Ex.
We are always happy to assist you. Thank you for being a valued consumer!"
EDIT: Oxo did indeed send me new sets, they didn't ask for the old ones back so I'm happy. The new sets are a totally different design and the lettering is raised and painted. While it's not quite as readable as the old style at least if the paint comes off you'll still have the sizes on them. In addition they also changed the shape of the spoons and cups for the better in my opinion making them fit easier into vessels because they're more elongated. About the only thing I didn't like is the omission of the egg separator but since I have my old one still I'm not unhappy however if you're buying this set and looking at the photo realize there is no egg separator included now. I'm changing my review to 4 stars because OXO had good service and stood behind it, only time will tell if the paint on these remains but I'm sure after the problems with the old ones they probably learned something. | 2 | positive | [
"As others here have said, I too had the same experience with the measurements wearing off this set.",
"Hopefully oxo corrects this.",
"Giving 2 stars because the 3/4 and 2/3 cups are nice.",
"Just an update, I got a reply from OXO and it seems they're going to make good on the products and in addition they have changed the design.",
"Only time will tell if they don't wear off again but I'm optimistic.",
"Here is the letter I got from oxo:\n\n\"Thank you for contacting the OXO Consumer Care Center.",
"We value you as a customer and sincerely apologize for the experience you have had with our product.",
"We would like to resolve your issue as quickly and efficiently as possible.",
"We have changed the design of the measurement markings on our Measuring Cups and Spoons.",
"The new markings are molded into the handle, as opposed to being printed on.",
"We'd be happy to send you new sets, free of charge.",
"Please allow 10 - 12 business days for delivery via Fed Ex.",
"We are always happy to assist you.",
"Thank you for being a valued consumer!",
"\"\n\nEDIT: Oxo did indeed send me new sets, they didn't ask for the old ones back so I'm happy.",
"The new sets are a totally different design and the lettering is raised and painted.",
"While it's not quite as readable as the old style at least if the paint comes off you'll still have the sizes on them.",
"In addition they also changed the shape of the spoons and cups for the better in my opinion making them fit easier into vessels because they're more elongated.",
"About the only thing I didn't like is the omission of the egg separator but since I have my old one still I'm not unhappy however if you're buying this set and looking at the photo realize there is no egg separator included now.",
"I'm changing my review to 4 stars because OXO had good service and stood behind it, only time will tell if the paint on these remains but I'm sure after the problems with the old ones they probably learned something."
] |
This is one of my favourite rock albums of all time. I can never get tired of listening to it. Joan has such a wonderful unique, powerful voice. At times soulful, other times sultry, she can also power-rock with the best o' them. Her cover of Bob Dylan's "Man in the Long Black Coat" has a dark undertone to it. Goosebump creating! She is also a great songwriter, having written or co-written a lot of the songs on this album. She finally has a new album out after a few years, and I will most definately buy that one soon. This is an album of immense depth...every song is great...the lyrics intelligent. A must have for any one who enjoys well crafted songs. | 2 | positive | [
"This is one of my favourite rock albums of all time.",
"I can never get tired of listening to it.",
"Joan has such a wonderful unique, powerful voice.",
"At times soulful, other times sultry, she can also power-rock with the best o' them.",
"Her cover of Bob Dylan's \"Man in the Long Black Coat\" has a dark undertone to it.",
"Goosebump creating!",
"She is also a great songwriter, having written or co-written a lot of the songs on this album.",
"She finally has a new album out after a few years, and I will most definately buy that one soon.",
"This is an album of immense depth...",
"every song is great...",
"the lyrics intelligent.",
"A must have for any one who enjoys well crafted songs."
] |
A mild mannered librarian, Alisa Mane is dating a guy that just does not do it for her in the bedroom. The guy has the nerve to tell her she is frigid. Like any good librarian Alisa decides to do some research and she embarks on a sexual adventure of a lifetime. First learning a few things from another woman, then on her own. She knows her body and how to get maximum pleasure. Just as she is ready to test her new found sexual skills Mark Winters approaches her to test his new product "Double Play".
What could be better then testing new sex toys? Testing new sex toys with a drop dead gorgeous hunk of a man called Mark Winters. Alisa gives him an ultimatum, he either helps her test them or it's a no go. The story ensues.
This story is so hot! I couldn't get enough of this page turner. I loved this story because it was so explicit but yet remained to be sensual. Solo Play has everything you could ask for! Ups and downs, humor, conflict and romantic scenes that are hot enough to burn the pages it's written on.
This story is worth reading, it will get you to skip words to get to the next page. This is a must read if you enjoy the sensuality of two females in embrace, fun with toys and a Happily ever after between man and woman.
Originally posted at Whipped Cream Reviews | 2 | positive | [
"A mild mannered librarian, Alisa Mane is dating a guy that just does not do it for her in the bedroom.",
"The guy has the nerve to tell her she is frigid.",
"Like any good librarian Alisa decides to do some research and she embarks on a sexual adventure of a lifetime.",
"First learning a few things from another woman, then on her own.",
"She knows her body and how to get maximum pleasure.",
"Just as she is ready to test her new found sexual skills Mark Winters approaches her to test his new product \"Double Play\".",
"What could be better then testing new sex toys?",
"Testing new sex toys with a drop dead gorgeous hunk of a man called Mark Winters.",
"Alisa gives him an ultimatum, he either helps her test them or it's a no go.",
"The story ensues.",
"This story is so hot!",
"I couldn't get enough of this page turner.",
"I loved this story because it was so explicit but yet remained to be sensual.",
"Solo Play has everything you could ask for!",
"Ups and downs, humor, conflict and romantic scenes that are hot enough to burn the pages it's written on.",
"This story is worth reading, it will get you to skip words to get to the next page.",
"This is a must read if you enjoy the sensuality of two females in embrace, fun with toys and a Happily ever after between man and woman.",
"Originally posted at Whipped Cream Reviews"
] |
Been using a pair almost daily since 2010, thought I'd finally write a review. These are the best headphones I've ever owned, they deserve the (already insanely good) reputation that reviewers have been giving them. I'm no audiophile, but the ridiculously good quality of these have really spoiled my ears & I have no interest in getting new cans until these break. And even then, I'll almost definitely just get another pair. Been great for things ranging from gaming to classical music: all around great for the price and well-deserving of a 5/5.
Recommendations to maximize experience:
- The stock earpads are alright, but will tend to chip off over time. I purchased these in 2012 and they are MUCH more comfortable and haven't had any of the issues the stock ones were having: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0016MF7W2/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
- If you use a Mac, I just recently discovered an app called boom that makes music sound even better on these babies. Only $7 and worth every penny. | 2 | positive | [
"Been using a pair almost daily since 2010, thought I'd finally write a review.",
"These are the best headphones I've ever owned, they deserve the (already insanely good) reputation that reviewers have been giving them.",
"I'm no audiophile, but the ridiculously good quality of these have really spoiled my ears & I have no interest in getting new cans until these break.",
"And even then, I'll almost definitely just get another pair.",
"Been great for things ranging from gaming to classical music: all around great for the price and well-deserving of a 5/5.",
"Recommendations to maximize experience:\n - The stock earpads are alright, but will tend to chip off over time.",
"I purchased these in 2012 and they are MUCH more comfortable and haven't had any of the issues the stock ones were having: http://www.",
"amazon.",
"com/gp/product/B0016MF7W2/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?",
"ie=UTF8&psc=1\n - If you use a Mac, I just recently discovered an app called boom that makes music sound even better on these babies.",
"Only $7 and worth every penny."
] |
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