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El hipócrita habla
Me preocupan que alguien vendería un libro, negociando en su servicio como iniciado del gobierno con el acceso a la inteligencia más valiosa de nuestra nación, para beneficiarse del sufrimiento que esta nación aguantó de septiembre el 11 de 2001. | 0negative
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Excellent
These DVDs are an excellent addition to the Buffy collection. A step up from Season 1, this edition includes even more extras (and better ones - which the first one was lacking) as well as more, insightful commentaries from the likes of executive producer, Marti Noxon. The only qualm I have from the DVD presentation of one of my favorite seasons is that I believe that they should have included more interviews from the star, Sarah Michelle Gellar. In the included interview/making-of footage, etc. there are virtually no interviews with her (if at all). I know many of the fans of the show are also major fans of her as well, and I know I would have certainly appreciated some more extras featuring her. Other than that, these DVDs are worth the money! | 1positive
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What A Drag
this game is so boring, don't get confused this is nothing like the other kirby games. It's in the style of tetris. and it gives tetris a bad name. This was a disapointment.If you liked this game check out all of the other kirby games | 0negative
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A turning point in westerns.
Though the Wild Bunch is often considered to be the first truly modern western, with it's fatalistic, and soon to be very seventies approach to film making, I think there are some claims to be made for A Fistful of Dollars. Though it certainly has a lot less to say than that other classic, Fistful is just as unyielding in it's remote and dark view of the west. And despite Wild Bunch's claim to being revolutionary when it comes to violence on film, Fistful, (though certainly less gory) is by no means a lightweight. The body counts and carnage are sometimes reminiscent of eighties action flicks like "Commando" or "Rambo 2". though it's certainly much better.The minor milestone of this film is in it's creation of the spagetti western genre. So called because it was brought to life by Italian director Sergio Leone and his impressive visual style. Like many of his Italian filmmaking peers, Leone has a sense of visual style that can very nearly, (and quite often completely), overwhelm a film. Sweeping and breathtaking camera movements, claustrophobic close-ups and so-on. It is often done well, but can be over done. Fistful straddles that line but only occasionally steps over.Helping to maintain that grip is a story removed from another film classic, Akira Kurosawa's "Yojimbo". Two rival gangs square off with the "Man with no name in the middle", playing them against each other. Clint Eastwood makes this one of the most gripping characters in western history. We find out almost nothing about this man, but that seems to suit his nearly mythic qualities. Unfortunately the same can't be said for the other characater's in this movie. Real story development is something of a weakness here. Luckily Eastwood is pretty much a one man show. He makes every scene he's in gripping and his cat and mouse games reveal him as exceptionally crafty and intelligent loner.The other stars here are Leone's cinematography and Ennio Morricone's score. They complement each other expertly in creation of mood and suspense. A stare down never had as much gravity as this. By the time the bullets fly, beads of sweat have begun to form. They do manage to go a little overboard into stylized, gun blazing ecstacy from time to time. This is probably due to the fact that Sergio, for all his technical expertise, was just beginning to get his feet wet in this genre. Things can get a bit overblown and he hasn't quite mastered the ability to maintain complete control as he would in later outings. Yet sometimes things gell so perfectly that it's unable to sit, mouth agape at the utter beauty of his creations. When Eastwood uses a stick of dynamite to create a smoke screen and walks in amidst the billowing dust, I really started thinking that it was probably one of the most awe inspiring pieces of visual cinema created to that point. And all of this just helps the story seem larger than the dusty, isolated world it inhabits. And certainly helped Eastwood become the legend that he is today.Another notable performance here is Gian Maria Volante'. He is good here as the head of one of the rival groups, but he is much better appreciated by his more well rounded baddie in the next in this series, "For A Few Dollars More". Though he happens to play a completely different character.Even if you like westerns. you won't necessarily like this film. It's an about turn from what came before. Even if the Man with no name does retain some of those noble desperado qualities from the past, (the "Wild Bunch" managed to drain those away completely), Fistful's tone seems to have much more in common with modern action movies. Nonetheless, it is a great western. And maybe even more notable as a first in a rather small sub-genre. | 1positive
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Love the dinnerware, hate the mugs!
The design of the mug handles is such that one cannot drink hot liquids without burning the skin of the fingers that are inside the handle. If I could replace just the mugs, I'd be a happy camper. | 0negative
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Great cooker..
Though I had a problem because the lid did not lay flat..called KitchenAid and they were very polite and helpful in explaining that was by design so that some of the pressure can escape.Several meals later can confirm it works like it is supposed to - clean up is a breeze | 1positive
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Sound is off
This CD sounds as if it is a reproduction of a reproduction. The tones and voices are very weak. | 0negative
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Plot holes galore
The 2nd installment of America's only weekly TV serial based on a comic book is full of major events, major characters and major themes. Clark starts to learn about his destiny, discovers the Kawatche caves, learns about his birthplace of Krypton, and finally hits it of with Lana. Likewise, Lionel Luthor discovers the mystery that is Clark Kent, Lex gets married - twice, and the Kent family shares its secret with Pete. So a very eventful season, and the makings of a great series. However, episode after episode is full of plot holes, to the point that many of the season's major events are just unbelievable. Here are some examples.1) When Dr. Helen Bryce discovers her office has been vandalized, why does not she go look at the security footage of the hospital? it seems that she does not even bother to call the police.2) When Clark goes to visit Dr. Swann, why does he need to say hello, and look around the museum in order to find Dr. Swann. Clark has x-ray vision, and knows how to use it. Why does he not just use his x-ray vision to locate Dr. Swann.3) Lex Luthor is paranoid and constantly checks the background of every individual he deals with. How then does Chloe, a high school sophomore from a middle-class family, find information that he does not, in episode after episode.4) Clark knows he is vulnerable to kryptonite, knows that it gives un-natural powers to those who encounter it, and knows that there are multiple sources of it in Smallville. Why does he not go out to look for it, in order to dispose of it, or neutralize it somehow. Clark is a studious student at Smallville High, so why not build a device to detect kryptonite at a farther distance then his body can feel it.5) Why are Chloe and Pete not invited to Lex's wedding with Dr. Bryce? He invited everyone else in Smallville.6) Maybe the biggest hole is Clark's secretiveness. He knows that Chloe, Lex, Lionel, and Lana are all curious about him. Why not make up an alibi to explain his powers, like he is a meteor freak. Smallville clearly has dozens of meteor freaks running around. Clark could have easily came up with a cover story, saying that he is meteor-infected and this gives him extra speed and strength. Tell this story to everyone to mask the fact that he is really an alien.7) Why does Clark wait until the moment of Lex's wedding in order to put the kryptonite octagon into his ship? Why not do it earlier, and then go to the wedding? Or go to the wedding, and then deal with his ship?And so on. Every episode is filled with plot holes. And the entire season is built on plot holes and illogical themes. All told, I'd say this is the worst Smallville season. | 0negative
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Just Great!!!
This is one of the most entertainment series in the past months,buy it confident ,good action and characters performance ! | 1positive
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This 1989 edition is an ABRIDGED version of the original 1957 edition!
The title page of this edition includes the following words: "A new revised and abridged edition ofFestival of Opera."I sort of wish I'd been aware of that fact BEFORE ordering my copy of this 554-page, 1989 paperback. I've subsequently ordered (a used copy of) the original, 704-page, 1957 hardback edition. Not only doesFestival of Operacover 129 (instead of just 100) operas, but also it includes intermittent illustrations (black-and-white line drawings by Fritz Kredel). NO illustrations remain in this 1989 abridgement.The deletion of such "adequate" (far from stunning) pictures doesn't greatly perturb me (though I do prefer having `em to not having `em). But the excision of such operas as Cilea's "Adriana Lecouvreur," Monteverdi's "Il combattimento di Tancredi e Clorinda" and Berlioz' "The Damnation of Faust" does somewhat perturb me (even though the 29 deleted works are the relatively less popular ones). [Note: On the "plus" side(?), Britten's "Peter Grimes" is included in this 1989 edition (it wasn't included in the 1957 edition).]Also, the final, 32-page "index" of the 1957 hardcover edition has been totally deleted from this 1989 paperback edition. That's a fairly significant omission, insofar as you can no longer look up (for example) a composer's surname alphabetically to find the page numbers pertaining to his opera(s).The only other noteworthy difference between this 1989 paperback and its 1957 antecedent involves the editions' respective (different) prefaces. This paperback includes only a (nearly two-page) preface by the author; by contrast, the 1957 hardback includes only a (nearly three-page) preface by Dario Soria. [That said, neither preface is significant enough to constitute a major selling point for either edition.]Due to sheer age, the pages' paper in this 1989 paperback edition has somewhat tanned (especially at the pages' outer edges); in this regard it's virtually on a par with the still older (albeit more UNIFORMLY tanned) paper of the 1957 hardcover edition. [If you absolutely demand pristinely "bright-and-new-looking" pages, neither this 1989 nor the 1957 edition is likely to thrill you.]Incidentally (in case you didn't happen to know), Henry W. Simon's (the author's) life spanned the years 1901-70.P.S.: Alternatively/additionally, you should consider the following three single-volume titles:Ticket to the Opera: Discovering and Exploring 100 Famous Works, History, Lore, and Singers, with Recommended RecordingsThe New Grove Book of Operas(Covers over 250 operas.)The Viking Opera Guide(Covering over 1,500 operas and an unspecified but large number of composers, this classy 1994 hardcover is surely "the ultimate SINGLE-VOLUME REFERENCE on opera" [and is altogether superior to, and more satisfying than, its 2002, revised incarnation, "The New Penguin Opera Guide"].)Then again (if you can spare the requisite money and shelf space), there's "the ultimate reference on opera":The New Grove Dictionary of Opera: 4 volumes(Covers over 1,800 operas and over 2,900 composers.)Finally (if you're strong enough to wield its immense bulk), consider "the ultimate single-volume book on opera":OPERA: Composers. Works. Performers. (Ullmann)(Covers approximately 350 operas, and includes countless breathtaking, color illustrations.) | 0negative
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Shipped fast
I got this book as a gift for my niece she loves cats and this is an amazing story that even four legged can be brave. It was shipped fast and it was so easy to order. I like the fact that I can pick my price range on anything here. And it's easy and fast always shipped way before the date. Weather it's a gift or something for myself I know I'll get it in record time. | 1positive
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You can't match this meat!
Sylvester Stallone has been in some really bad movies; most notably Cobra and, of course, Rhinestone.In 1993, Stallone made a breakthrough, a breakthrough meaning that he made movies that people didn't walk out on! First off that year, he made Cliffhanger, which was a big domestic and worldwide box office success, and then he followed that with Demolition Man, which was his best breakthrough movie since...well, Cliffhanger.The movie mixes the usual action with humor. Sandra Bullock cuteness and Wesley Snipes' whacky hairdo and funny oneliners makes this movie watchable. Stallone plays bad-boy cop John Spartan who is frozen in time for irresponsibly taking the lives of innocent people after a bust to catch bad guy Simon Phoenix, played by Snipes, who is caught and put in an ice cube also. 36 years later, the world is a much safer place. Crime is at a rate of zero and people are well-behaved. What happens next? Simon Phoenix escapes from his prison and he is out in search of destruction and since there are no equally demented cops to catch this sort of criminal, they release Spartan to pursue him. And the fun begins! Bullock plays the role of a 90's obsessed cop who becomes Stallone's partner. Her quotes are the funniest in the entire film. ... The movie also features funny cameos by Denis Leary and Rob Schneider.Despite the movie being a mixture of action and comedy and not solely comedy, this is one of Stallone's funniest roles to date.The DVD features only include the trailer and shot-by-shot commentary by the film's director Marco Brambilla. But for the movie's sake, this DVD is worth keeping!RecommendedB | 1positive
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Tim Burton Goes All Out in His Second Feature Film!
Tim Burton had come off the blockbuster success of his first feature film PEE-WEE'S BIG ADVENTURE (1985) when he was greenlighted by Warner Bros. to direct the project he REALLY wanted to make. It was the picture that would define the rest of his career to this day: the supernaturally weird black comedy (and weirdly-titled) BEETLEJUICE (1988). It was so unique, so strange to me that I didn't know what to make of it when I first saw it on video in 1989. I remember from that first time liking parts of it, but not liking the picture as a whole. The movie was so frenetic, so odd in its mixture of Goth Horror, Comedy, gruesome visual effects (I'm still kind of amazed that it got a PG rating instead of PG-13) and cartoonish slapstick that I really didn't know what to make if it. Well, now that I've seen it at least a half-dozen times since (three of them in the past year alone), I can say that it has held up better than many of the most popular 80's films (TOP GUN, etc) and has become a classic all unto itself.With BEETLEJUICE, Tim Burton showed not only that he could direct effective comedy and illicit inspired performances from his actors, but also bring a true artist's touch to the big screen. Of course, the film won the Oscar for Best Makeup (as if there was any real question about it), but I also think that it should have also been at least nominated for Visual Effects and Art Direction, as those truly mesmerizing aspects all come together to create a product that is so unique. Not only that, but this film helped make the careers of several actors who would go on to major success soon after.Two of those actors are Alec Baldwin and Geena Davis, as the ill-fated newlyweds Adam and Barbara Maitland who, after buying a big Victorian dream house at the film's outset, die in a bizarre car accident soon after. Slowly realizing that they've passed on to the next world, they don't want to give up their house to the pathetically bourgeois Charles & Delia Deetz (Jeffrey Jones & Catherine O'Hara), who along with their chubby, effete chauffeur Otho (Glenn Shadix) have already moved in, and inspire true disgust in the newly-dead couple. However, they seem to have an ally in the older couple's death-obsessed Goth daughter Lydia (Winona Ryder) see an afterlife advertisement for a "Bio-Exorcist" named Betelgeuse (Michael Keaton) and decide that their only hope in driving out the destestable Charles, Delia, and Otho is in using the wild, unpredictable Betelgeuse. Of course, good ol' Betelgeuse will gladly provide his unique brand of service, but at a very high price.Alec Baldwin & Geena Davis fill their roles very well. The ironic thing is that this was the first film I'd ever seen Alec Baldwin in, so my first impression of him as the nerdy, good-natured Adam ended up being turned around by 180 degrees by the psychotic, tough-guy roles that would define the rest of his career. That turnabout came pretty quickly, actually, as the very next film I would see him in was MARRIED TO THE MOB (1988), in which he was a mobster unbeknownst to his wife who gets offed early on, but it was his psychotic turn in the extremely quirky and violent MIAMI BLUES (1989) that really shocked me and made me realize that Alec really had some range to him (unfortunately, he would be end up being typecast as psychos for the rest of his career). However, Geena Davis, herself at the cusp of stardom (and Oscar acclaim) is playing pretty much the quirky kind of character that would eventually define her career. In fact, it was just the following year that she would win the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for playing the truly quirky and inspired Muriel Pritchett in the otherwise uninspired THE ACCIDENTAL TOURIST (1989). This film, of course, also boosted the career of the now-infamous Winona Ryder, who quickly became the hot new "it" girl in the late 80's with this movie and with others soon to follow: 1969 (1988), HEATHERS (1989), GREAT BALLS OF FIRE! (also 1989), EDWARD SCISSORHANDS (1990, and another Tim Burton film) and MERMAIDS (also 1990). Of course, former AMADEUS (1984) emperor and FERRIS BUELLER'S DAY OFF (1986) principal Jeffrey Jones, now infamous for his own reasons, is also terrific here, as is former "SC-TV" alumnus Catherine O'Hara. We also get a welcome supporting performance from the great old character actress, Sylvia Sidney, as the chain-smoking receptionist Juno!But it was Michael Keaton, who was already an up-and-coming comedic actor known for quirky hit comedies such as the Ron Howard-directed NIGHT SHIFT (1982), MR. MOM (1983), JOHNNY DANGEROUSLY (1984) and GUNG HO (1986), who really stole the show and hit paydirt in the process. He would immediately be elevated to "A" list status with his truly brilliant, maniacal and hilarious performance as the titular Betelgeuse, going immediately on to bigger & better things with Tim Burton himself, starring soon after as BATMAN (1989)! It's funny; I think that in 1988, Keaton was robbed of Oscar nominations not only for this truly unique comedic role, but for also his surprising dramatic turn as a recovering alcoholic in CLEAN AND SOBER. It just shows that, for whatever reason, comedians just don't get recognized enough for their acting ability.BEETLEJUICE is a lot of fun. It looks like it must have been a lot of fun to make. Despite the liberal PG rating, I would recommend it only for ages 9 & up, as the humor is quite adult and the rather gruesome visuals are likely to give any young child nightmares. It is still a truly unique movie with incredible special effects, and it still makes me laugh to this day. Oddly enough, whenever I see it, it makes me that much less afraid to die!HIGHLY RECOMMENDED | 1positive
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Unrealistic and dull
This book is overly sentimental and maudlin. Hardly anything bad happens to the main character after the first few chapters. I REALLY wanted him to die! And now there's a sequel! NOOO!! | 0negative
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Will Never buy another Sony phone
...P>The features and the look are always very nice and they're all sturdy and durable but they lack the most important part: FUNCTIONALITY!!!This phone would not even let me place calls at times, it beeps and a message that reads something like "NO CONNECTION" appears on the screen eventough I'm standing right next to the base, and even when I do manage to get a connection the reception is terrible.Believe me on this one, I'm a big fan of Sony products but do yourself a favor and look elsewhere when buyin telephones. ... | 0negative
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Packaging will eventually destroy the disks--don't waste your money!
Others have written about the lousy packaging that makes it very difficult to remove the disks from their sleeves, especially disks 2 and 3. I thought that, if I was careful, I wouldn't have a problem. I was wrong: the cardboard sleeves are so tight that removing and reinserting the disks will cause scratches on their surfaces that will eventually grow so deep that you will no longer be able to play the disks. Unfortunately, I discovered this problem after it was too late to return the cds.I'm a big fan of Emmmylou Harris. However, because of the destructive packaging, this collection is a big ripoff! | 0negative
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Visually Cheap
The overall appearance of the printed page is repulsive. Overly bold type, type size far too small for the weight of type face, cheap quality paper. These were to be gifts to treasured friends. A huge disappointment. I've owned a hardback copy for 40+ years and it is still elegant in its visual appeal. The current physical copy is a slap in the face to its spiritual content. | 0negative
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One of the best gamepads available
I bought my Firestorm Dual Power years ago, and it has easily paid it's self back many times over since. It is designed more or less like a stylized playstation dual shock gamepad with 2 extra buttons. Buttons 9 and 10 on the underside are similar in placement to the X-Box gamepads' triggers. These buttons are intended to be ring finger operated (since you already have 2 shoulder buttons on each side) which feels a little awkward until you get used to it, but I've grown to like this feature; the buttons are ideally positioned so the grip feels natural, and the ring finger buttons are very easy (at times almost too easy) to press. The Firestorm was once Thrustmaster's flagship family of gamepads (with the Firestorm Dual Power being the flagship of that family), and it shows. The build quality on these controllers is excellent, and it's obvious by the design, grip, button placement, and overall feel that they were made with high grade materials. This version features force effects, an excellent directional pad (as opposed to a 'standard cross' type), rubber textured grip, clickable joysticks, and the buttons themselves have just the right tactile feel. It has a very nice "chunky" feel to it, and doesn't seem flimsy, or cheap. It's quite durable, and can tollerate minor drops and falls without being damaged. It also sports heavy duty motors which deliver impressive force effects. Also, it sports great compatibility; this gamepad works great with every game and emulator I've ever tried it with. I've encountered problems with other gamepads like InterAct's Hammerhead FX, and Logitech's Cordless Rumblepad 2 having bizarre and awkward default button assigments in some games with native gamepad support, which demanded re-mapping before it felt natural or easy to use, whereas my trusty Thrustmaster had a default button layout similar (in a few cases identical) to the button layout in console versions of the game right off the bat. That gives this gamepad a big advantage over others I've tried (and I've tried ALLOT) because you don't always know how to map the buttons for best results, or even worse, certain buttons can have dual assignments depending on whether they're pressed or held, which can make modifying the default assignments a frustrating, and confusing chore since you would otherwise have to set up these types of dual function assignments through the gamepad's profiling software. The Firestorm Dual Power does, like most gamepads (with the notable exception of the X-Box 360 controller for Windows) come with profiling software, but it's poorly documented, unintuitive, and takes getting acquainted with before you'll be comfortable creating your own custom profiles. It's hard to knock Thrustmaster for that though--this typical of every gamepad I've ever tried. I've used Saitek, Logitech, InterAct, and Nyko gamepads, and their profiling software is no more thoroughly documented, or intuitive to use.Unfortunately, no product is perfect, and this gamepad does have some quirks and issues that potential customers should be aware of. The first of which is that there are no button labels, and unlike other competing gamepads based on the dual shock design, it lacks proper start/select buttons as well. To be fair, some of the final versions of this gamepad (like the one pictured on amazon's product page) did have a standard cross type d-pad (which might be preferable depending on the type games you're using it with; more on that below), and I've seen wireless versions which had button labels as well. A more significant problem is that I have had two of these gamepads where the directional pad actually broke off. To it's credit, this happened after I'd had both gamepads for quite a long time (over 4 years). The first time this happened, I lucked out, and was able to exchange it locally, but the second time it happened, it was a discontinued model by that time, and no one carried it anymore. But after having seen this happen with two of these gamepads, it is clearly something they're proned to as they age. To be fair, I am an avid gamer, and this controller gets allot of use; the average user would most likely get many years of use out of theirs before the possibility of this happening became a concern (if it ever did). Also, this type of directional pad can become a problem in certain types of games. Although I happen to like the directional pad on this gamepad because it is immensely more comfortable than a "standard cross" type, gamers should be aware that it is more designed for the player to "lean" their thumb in the desired direction instead of "tapping" a button, and this can make moving in a single direction like up, down, left, or right very difficult. As often as not, you end up pressing a diagonal like down right, or up left accidentally. This can become a huge problem if you're playing a game that uses digital control ("Pitfall 3D: Beyond the Jungle" for PSX springs immediately to mind), and demands precision. Another minor drawback is that I've encountered a few games (mostly 3D mascot platformers like Rayman 2/3, Pac Man World 2/3, and Pitfall: The Lost Expedition) where the character slows down when performing right hand diagonal runs with the analog control. This is an issue I've encountered with more than one of these gamepads, and seen it persist through subsequent driver releases, and even with different computers, and operating systems (Win 98SE, Win XP Pro, Win 7 Pro x64). This is a clear indicator that this is an issue related to the gamepad it's self, and not with drivers, or the operating system. This problem can be mostly corrected through calibration, but I've seen the problem persist (despite becoming less pronounced) even after calibration.Overall though, I really like this gamepad allot, and these are minor issues which wouldn't dissuade me from buying another. Mine is years old now, has held up very well, and still works great. The issues and drawbacks I spoke about above are really more caveats than criticisms, so I really don't want to give would-be buyers the impression this gamepad isn't worth having, or is riddled with problems. Rather, as someone who has at one point or another experimented with most every PC gamepad that's come out in recent memory (and a good many console gamepad adapters too), I can testify that there doesn't seem to be any particular controller out there which is "ideal" for all your gaming needs--different PC gamepads seem to have particular strengths and weaknesses depending on the games (or emulators) you're playing. Thus, whether or not this is the right gamepad "for you" depends quite heavily on the type of games you intend to play with it, and potential customers should factor that into their purchasing decision. I would also caution that this is a DirectInput gamepad which means that it is designed for Win 95 through XP-era games, and will not work with many newer games (and "Games for Windows" branded games especially) designed with Win Vista or Win 7 in mind unless (game name here) expressly supports both X-input, and DirectInput controllers. There are some newer games available that support both input types, but they are becoming fewer and further between, so this will primarily be a gamepad to use with emulators, and Win 95 to XP-era PC games. As a discontinued model, these are becoming somewhat hard to find now, so if you've been shopping around for a good dual analog rumblepad, and can still find, or just happen to stumble across one for a reasonable price, I recommend picking it up.UPDATED EDIT:This gamepad is Vista/Win 7 compatible. | 1positive
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Good film but not worth ever re-watching
"Green Mile" is a solid film. The acting is fine, the writing is fine, in fact there really isn't much to critique beyond the fact that film just wasn't all that powerful. The movie ends and that's just it, it's over and it doesn't have any resonance. It's as if a group sat down and decided to make the perfect movie, but in the process left out the most important thing: heart. I can neither say anything glowing about "Green Mile" nor anything derogatory. It just lacks that special feeling Darabont's last King adaptation had. I would suggest renting the film because one viewing of this well crafted but ultimately unmoving movie is more than enough. | 0negative
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Um, ok
Four seniors who are still virgins? Maybe the writers should check their statistics. And as for "American Pie" representing the youth of the late 90s. I don't think so. This was a lame attempt by a bunch of clueless 40+. Maybe in American Pieland. Skip it, and go watch "Fast Times..." or even "Porky's" for that matter. | 0negative
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ALL CLAD POT
ALL CLAD IS THE GO TO CHOICE FOR COOKS WANTING PIECES THAT WILL LAST A LIFETIME..THIS WAS A GIFT TO MY SON WHO HAS MOVED FROM HOME. EVENTUALLY, HE WILL HAVE A GREAT ALL CLAD COLECTION OF COOKWARE. | 1positive
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An Unusual Spy Novel
William Boyd's "Restless" is an unusual spy novel. The protagonist is a woman, Eva Delectorskaya, a multi-lingual Russian émigré recruited for the British Secret Service at the start of the Second World War in Europe in 1939. Through several changes of identity, she has become Sally Gilmarten, a widow living in an out-of-the-way cottage near a small English village called Middle Ashton.The book opens in the voice of Ruth, Sally's twenty-eight-year-old daughter, a single mother raising a bright little boy named Jochen. The year is 1976, and in alternating chapters, the reader learns of Ruth's life and loves as an Oxford University graduate student earning a livelihood tutoring various foreign businesspeople in English as a second language.The alternate chapters are the chapters of a memoir written by Sally in a third-person narrative, "The Story of Eva Delectorskaya." These chapters tell of Eva's recruitment after the murder of her brother, Kolia, also a British spy, her training in the craft of espionage, her early assignments and escapes from danger, and her posting to the United States, assigned to manipulate the media and build sentiment for the entry of the U. S. into the war as a British ally. Her final assignment involves a close brush with death, and the remaining chapters of the book deal with the circumstances of that encounter and the involvement of Ruth in the resolution of the mystery surrounding that incident.Like all good spy stories, "Restless" is replete with unexpected twists and turns, duplicitous motivations, a dangerous love affair, and a mystery that is not solved until the final chapter. What makes Restless unusual as a spy story is the intervening drama of Ruth's life as a single-mother graduate student in the 1970s. Boyd inhabits his female characters so well that these chapters seem more like a contemporary romance novel than a spy thriller - an uncommon mix. But he captures the spirit of the times, the newly liberated woman, the left-wing demonstrations of the seventies, even though he leaves many of the strands of this story unresolved, the reader sometimes wondering what purpose it served. He does an admirable job of portraying the intrigue of war and international politics of the early years of the Second World War, but the resolution of the final mystery is fuzzy in places and does not evoke that final "aha!" from the reader, the ultimate goal of the very best spy novels. | 1positive
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WM 22 Predictions
US TitleChris Benoit v. JBLWomen's TitleTrish Stratus v. Mickie JamesThe Undertaker v. Mark HenryCarlito comes out and complains that he is not in the MITB Ladder match saying it was his idea to have it again and issues an open challenge to anyone and gets BATISTA!Money in the Bank Ladder MatchRob Van Dam v. Shelton Benjamin v. Ric Flair v. Big Show v. Kane v. Chris MastersWWE Tag Team TitlesMNM v. The Hardy BoyzHardcore MatchEdge v. Mick FoleyWWE TitleJohn Cena v. Triple HWorld TitleKurt Angle v. Rey Mysterio v. Randy OrtonShawn Michaels v. Vince McMahonHulk Hogan v. Stone Cold Steve Austinexpect maybe another SD! v. RAW battle royal to use some guys not on the card like Eugene, Booker T, Boogeyman, Viscera, Lashley, Finlay, since having them in matches would hurt the card but expect Vince McMahon to sanction some pathetic card fillers like he always does. | 1positive
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would have worked better as a 30 minute film student's project
Fooled into renting it by the cover proclaiming it "one of the year's best", and winner of some award, I couldn't believe how bad this film actually was. I figure the only way this could have been produced was Coppola's name. I'll try not to spoil the story line but will say there is the kernel of a classic tale of cultural alienation and personal crisis and awakening hidden somewhere within. But it takes so incredibly long to find it (and it's pretty weak when it finally emerges). I felt it may appear meaningful and poignant to Hollywood insiders, but to the rest of us it's just the obvious and tedious consequence of self-absorbed indulgences. It was clear foreshadowing when the movie opened to a lone car racing around a desert track over and over, way past normal editing standards; I thought and hoped it would have more focus and relevance... right to the pale ending. (As a disclaimer, I usually love slow movies, as Wings of Desire, The Scent of Green Papayas, Babette's Feast, The Lives Of Others, Departures, The Fast Runner, The Sea Inside and The Diving Bell and the Butterfly are some of my favorites. Maybe if it was in a foreign language I'd have found it more unique and significant, but I truly doubt it.)Somewhere near the end (desperate to find some redeeming value in the film) I thought perhaps it's really all about the daughter since she is the only genuine person in the whole story - how she wants to achieve and succeed and become a productive adult, but how all her sweet innocence will be lost in the process. The problem is this (depressing but realistic) story could have been told well, even interestingly, and I'm sure it has. But this is presented more like Hollywood Blvd reality TV than a coherent story. | 0negative
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Monster
Monster is an interesting book. It is the story of a boy on trial for felony murder. The plot is interesting, the characters aren't stereotypical, the pacing is good, and the dialoge is great - the characters come alive through their voices. There aren't a whole lot of setting details, but you really just need to know that it is a courthouse or a jail, other than that it doesn't play much of a part. | 1positive
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noisy & cheap
It's very noisy. My wife used it once. The brushes are already shot and it sounds like it is going to fall apart. | 0negative
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Peter Williams
Had the unit for about 6 months now with low to moderate usage and these are my impressions:Irritatingly noisy for several minutes every time turned on.Every other time it's turned on the machine is down for 2-3minutes doing "maintenance".Scanning is poor.Document printing is barely acceptable.Photo colors are off and so far I have found no way to adjust.Goes thru yellow ink like crazy.Having a home copier is nice but I don't feel it's worththe trade-off in quality of the other functions.My advice: don't buy. | 0negative
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A Profusion of Details: Lacking Significance
This book is so densely packed with miniscule details and examples that the information's significance becomes blurred, if not obsolete. The authors show they are very knowledgable on the subject, but they fail to analyze the information they present. The reader is left to interpret the meaning of details and ponder why they are included. The authors also use repetitive examples that become tiring and ineffective. The only minutely important information is presented in the topic sentences of each paragraph, and the book can be reasonably well understood just by reading the introductory sentences. While this book could be a treasure house for someone researching the relationship between manors and their respective villages, the average reader's attention is never captured. Students, beware! Before embarking on an excruciatingly dull explaination of medieval village life, reconsider your other options of reading material. (One option is another book by these authors that has gotten better reveiws.) | 0negative
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Great CD of Iranian Classical Music
The Persian (Iranian) Classical Music system was not developed upon the Arabic invasion of 7th century A.D, nor within the Safavid court. Persian music dates back to the pre-Islamic, Sassanid Dynasty (224BC-651AD)of Iran and was created by Sassanid court musicians much before the Arabic invasion. These musicians were Borbad, Nakisa, and Ramtin and created a system of 7 royal modes, 30 derivative modes and 365 melodic movements branching from the modes, one melody for each day of the year. This was the first musical system in the entire Middle East! It was known as the "Khosravani" and the "Dasgtah."The royal music functioned as court entertainment, but more importantly within religious contexts. The divine mantras of Prophet Zoroaster (Prophet of the world's first monotheistic religion) were sung within the modes as studies by www.raasti.com have shown us. Purely Iranian musical instruments are: Ney (reed flute, earliest known instrument), barbat (what Arabs call the Ud, created in Iran around 800BC), tambur (dates to around same time as barbat), setar (came after tambur), tar(came with setar but evolved to its present form later), dotar (same as setar), kamancheh(same time as barbat), gheichak, neyanban, sorna, balaban, tombak, dap (upon Arab invasion called "daf" because Arabs cannot say "p," This instrument dates back to Achaemenid Dynasty of Iran as is depicted on the ancient bass relief "Bistun") dayre, robab, and chang (harp, which dates back to 2000BC in Iran). These instruments were all used in Sassanid era of Iran through all the dynasties in between and to present day.Upon the Arab-Islamic invasion of a Zoroastrian Iran, music was banned by Arab-Islamic fanatics and later by Iranian fanatics who had converted to Islam. The music was still practiced by masters and passed down to students in the same oral tradition. Once Iranians reclaimed their rule, they brought back musical activity. The Arabic language had an impact on Parsi (Farsi) because Iranians were forced to have Arabic as an official language. Later, Parsi became the official language once again. While some words in Parsi were replaced by Arabic words, Parsi remains the same Parsi spoken during the Sassanid era alongside the Pahlavi language. Because of Arabic lone words, the musical modes were called "mayehs" or "maqam" but they were the same Sassanid modes and melodies.The art of singing poetry originated within the Sassanid Era. That's how they sung the Zoroastrian manthras within the modes. Non-religious poetry was also written and indeed sung by Borbad and other musicians during the Sassanid era. After the introduction of Islam, and by the Safavid era, Zoroatrian manthras no longer accompanied music. Songs of Islamic tales and poems by 9th-14th century Iranian poets such as Rudaki, Rumi, Attar, Khayyam, and Hafez replaced the manthras and pre-Islamic poems.The fact that Iranian Classical Music is a spiritual tool dates back to even before the Sassanid and Achaemenid Dynasty of Iran! It is strictly an Iranian view that through music, one finds God. It has been since pre-Zoroastrian times. This is why Iranians incorporated music into Islam and founded their own branch of Islam known as Sufism!Anyway, during the Qajar Dynasty of Iran, the ancient Sassanid modal system was gathered, revived and organized within a framework called the "Radif." There are 12 modes (dastgah) and 200 melodic movements (gushe). The majority of the modes and melodic mocements are from that ancient Sassanid system. But, because of the evolving nature of music, a few of the melodies were altered and a few others were added through time. The ancient compositions that were lost are because of those religious fanatics or because they weren't crucial. | 1positive
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Couldn't Stop Watching This Truly Awful Film
I was channel surfing one night and was fortunate to find this film in its unexpurgated form on IFC. It is an excellent period piece, released in 1980 and chock full of funky Afros, residual 70's era bad clothing choices and mixtures of odd fabric patterns. There are obligatory shots of breasts and, quite frankly, it's fabulous to see "natural" breast and not the implant-fake things actresses wear these days. I agree with other reviewers; Nicholas Worth emotes way beyond the call of duty as the serial killer. The end scene, which I will not give away lest someone actually wish to view this film and not have it spoiled, is something to behold. Why Worth was not nominated for an Oscar is beyond me. Of course, I'm being facetious, but truly, his performance should be viewed by any serious fan of film-making. It's not clear why the title "Don't Answer The Phone" is relevant to the victims, unless it is solely in reference to the psychologist with a radio show who takes a few phone calls from the killer. This is an awful film, but if you stick with it you will be entertained. A glass or two of wine helps. | 1positive
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Underrated
I always thought this one got a bad rap. It had much more of a "club" sound, but at the core is what made Achtung Baby interesting - solid material to bend and stretch into new areas of sound for U2. It really wasn't as radical it was made out to be."Gone", "The Last Night on Earth", "Mofo" and "Wake Up Dead Man" are excellent and stand right alongside U2's finests moments.Sure, "Playboy Mansion" and "Staring At The Sun" are crap, but the rest of the CD is more than worth the price of admission.Let's put it this way:The day I bought All That You Can't Leave Behind, I listened to it once, sold it back to the store I bought it from and cranked up POP on the drive home. | 1positive
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Ivo Pogerelich -- Great Pianist, but mixed feeling about repertoire choice
I have great respect for Ivo Pogorelich's technical abilities, and enjoyed his Baroque playing. (I enjoy Horowitz's Scarlatti and Gould's Bach more, but that's a different story.) The rest of the program, however enjoyable, was less pleasing. No doubt, you will want to have this DVD. It is always a joy to witness a top pianist perform. But Master Pogorelich's strength, in my view, is not Baroque but more energetic highly technical repertoire: e.g. his playing of Ravel's "Gaspard de le Nuit" (spelling?). I own that recording and would buy a DVD that includes a performance of that immediately. What struck me about Pogorelich's playing is that he's a big man who sits rather unconventionally at the piano. His fingers also move a bit differently because of his size. Tall men with large fingers often do use different fingering out of necessity. I was surprised to see Pogorelich sit so ram-rod straight. He did lean in a bit, but there wasn't the total use of the body one sees in the greatest masters: e.g. Josef Hofman, and so many others. I also think the "weight method" of piano playing could help maximize Pogorelich's musicality. 4 stars is a great rating in my view, and with the exception of Lang Lang (who really is a product of Chinese commercial capitalism, in my mind), I have tended to only write reviews on musicians when I've enjoyed them. I would say, get other DVDs first. When you've purchased the other great DVDS, and need a new fix, get Pogorelich. It will give you "another night out" without leaving your home. How many recitals cost under $30 for a front row seat? | 1positive
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Great introduction
Bought this to start reading it to my 2 yr old after a librarian friend told of a story of reading "Romeo and Juliet" to some 8 yr olds who told her that she was not reading the Taylor Swift version. The stories are short and are well written and I find it to be a great foundation to reading Shakespeare. | 1positive
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Stellar Album! from One Of My Fav Duos
I Grew Up On Benson Records Artist ,I Love this Couple and their unique voices, their love for each other and their music i love the whole album | 1positive
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Boycott combos !!!
The single star is not a review of the movie, but to agree with other reviews that object to Combo releases. I question there is a real market for Combo releases and see this as a means to charge higher prices for the most popular movies. I refuse to buy any Combo releases for the higher $$$ and urge other buyers to do as well. We need to send a message or we will see everything released in Combo adding up to 40% to the price!!! The arguments made for Combos are that (1) you can also play it on standard DVD players and (2) it "future" protects us in case the HD DVD format becomes obsolete. For (1), there may be some interest in this but for me I didn't buy an HD DVD player to watch movies on a standard DVD player. For (2) frankly, I'll take my chances because if HD DVD becomes obsolete, existing players will last for quite a while and combo players will be available. Also, I can afford to buy into Blu-Ray or any other new technology with the money I saved not buying Combos (I wouldn't take a step backward to DVD). If the studios think there is a market for Combos, fine! -> Just release a HD DVD only version also at the same time. See how many they sell of each. Frankly, I only moved up to HD DVD when I saw Amazon pricing them comparable to DVD. If you don't think there is a strategy on the part of the studios using Combos to generate more revenue just look at the upcoming releases of White Noise (HD DVD only) and White Noise 2 (Combo). What sense does that make other than to create interest with the first movie and then sock it to you on the second! Look at other series (Bourne, Harry Potter, Oceans 11-13, etc.) same pattern. If they truly want the launch of HD DVD to be successful (as I do!), Combos pricing is very counterproductive. Annoyed and frustrated. | 0negative
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beautiful
I wasn't too sure when I ordered the leash but it's really sturdy, the reflectiveness of the leash is awesome at night, it really does look like it's glowing. Although a rope type leash it's not stiff, it's very soft. The only gripe I have is that the reflective parts are pulling away from the leash, not falling off just kind of fraying. | 1positive
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Forget it
If you're not an Ivy-League-educated baby boomer Jewish male, this book will have very little to say to you. If you are interested in fathers and sons, I recommend Fire in the Belly by Sam Keene or Absent Fathers, Lost Sons by Guy Corneau. | 0negative
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What about the other 9 episodes?
So far I've been very pleased with the Hanna-Barbera collections, but this is really a poor choice. There were 24 one-hour episodes of "The New Scooby-Doo Movies" produced, there are 15 on this set, what about the other 9 episodes? Will there be a second volume? Why didn't they just add a fifth two-sided disc and give us the complete series? BOOOOO! | 0negative
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Borning
Didn't gain a thing from this book. Boring stories. Not very useful advice. Disappointing since his other books were better. Perhaps he has run out of things to say. | 0negative
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Buddhist panopticon
Reviewing a book on Wagner and Hitler (Kohler's Wagner's Hitler, and Magee's The Tristan Chord) one feels stymied. The discourse is crippled by the inability to make unsupportaed charges, even as New Age underground rumour passes the non-facts. I looked at this again in search of Rajneesh's little known or forgotten bombshell on Buddhists and Nazism in his hundreds of books. Unfortunately, it wasn't this one (books hard to get!)but it is an interesting piece, an historical first (almost, consider Aurobindo)by a Buddha on Nietzsche in a polite musing on his overman/underdog theme with a suggestion so and so's get packed off to Zen monasteries in such dire straits. Nietzsche was like a greenhorn waltzing into a saloon twirling his sixshooter with a 'Hey dudes, here I am'. That's ok if that's the way you want to go. But humility, however insincere, can be learned to some degree via cowardice, and some knowledge of the competition--fairly outmatched one thinks. In the fact there is none: There are no overmen, only wannabe's and samsaric has-beens. In nature's economy, the 'overman' goes through an 'it's all over' termination phase, over and out.In fact, these two resemble each other, in coming to a bad end. That flaw in Nietzsche's game seems to belie the genius in overdrive fantasy. Art, evil, and Zarathustra is a potent mix. Meanwhile one reviews the videotape on Wagner trying to find the clues in the planted tidbits on Buddhism, the distorted Schopenhauer strain, and the appearance of the disastrous point of no return plot against the Jews. Somewhere there was the perfect crime. We need a new kind of private eye to sort all this out, now, before the end times. | 1positive
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THIS PURCHASE WAS "JUSTIFIED"
Purchased for a friend of mine who just became interested in JUSTIFIED and wanted to catch up. There's alot of Rayland Given's history and background that make him the U.S. Marshall and man he is. My friend has also purchased Seasons One And Two. | 1positive
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Awful
Nauseating New Age pablum for the porridge-brained. It was a gift from a clueless and flakey acquaintance so I tried to read it but it was just terrible. I'd have never imagined this hokum would lure so many people. I might write one of these and cash in on the trend if I didn't feel so sorry for the types who fall for this psychobabble. But someone has to take their money, I suppose . . . | 0negative
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Disappointing
I went to this movie expecting that the movie makers would take liberties with the plot and character's personalities. They always try to "improve" the original. I had heard of the changes made to Arwen's character, but I was totally unprepared for the corruption of the other personalities as well. For anyone who is an ardent fan of the Lord of the Ring trilogy, I would think they would be very unhappy with how this interpretation was handled. The only positive comments I can make are that 1) the film locations were very good; 2) that the special effects were also very good; and 3) the "nationalites" of the characters were accurate. At least they didn't make Gandalf an elf or Bilbo a dwarf. Other than that, I feel that the screenwriters must have only read the crib notes for The Lord of the Rings, or they read it with one eye closed! No one could have read this magnificent creation and so badly missed the meanings and character's relationships! Gandalf was depicted as almost senile; Aragorn was a confused, unfocused wimp; Elrond was cast as a mean-spirited and bitter host not inclined to be of any help; Frodo a gutless wonder; Galedriel as a sinister "witch"; and poor Bilbo was a witless old hobbit. The roles of Merry and Pippin were also badly presented. Granted, they are young hobbits, but they didn't deserve to be made into thieves who "accidentally" got involved in the Fellowship. The film missed so much of the internal workings of minds and hearts that Tolkein bestowed on his characters. I realize that the book had too much to be put in a reasonably-timed film, but to go so completely away from the "heart" of the story is sad and very disappointing. Don't go to this film thinking it represents an accurate telling of the original story. | 0negative
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The End Of Potter!
I'm a "Harry Potter Child" growing up around this huge franchise. I was first introduced to Potter by watching the first movie on HBO soon after it was released on DVD, since then I have been hooked - read majority of the books and saw all of the remaining films on opening day at the theater. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows part 1 does not disappoint! While I wish each part of the final installment were 3 hours long, the flow of this film is good and your left wanting more. The only thing that could be better is having an extended version, so lets hope David Yates is open to doing it! | 1positive
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Rosamunde's SEPTEMBER excellently done!
Rosamunde's SEPTEMBER was a joy to watch! Even although the story was altered in just two places it in no way detracted and the performances of the characters was excellent. The scenery was magnificent and I would say this is a MUST for Rosamunde Pilcher lovers. | 1positive
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Dissapointing
The case does what it is supposed to do, is useful in keeping the GPS unit from getting broken and should have been included with the GPS unit in the first place. The strap on the other hand came apart while I was attaching it to the GPS unit. Fortunately I didn't actually use it to cary the Tom Tom or I'd have a broken Tom Tom now. I tried to get a replacement from Tom Tom and they wouldn't even answer my my email. In short, The Strap is Crap! If you buy the case which comes with the strap, don't be foolish enough to use it. | 0negative
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Not a very good book
Mathematicians would favor this book. The text is dense and dry. The material is presented in the most boring manner possible. Atkins prefers to explain himself with equations rather than words. The subject matter is not thoroughly explored. No concepts are placed into the "big picture." At best, this book could serve as a decent reference for a chemist or physicist already familiar with the topics and therefore only in need of review. Learning physical chemistry for the first time using this book is a serious chore. I honestly believe that physical chemistry can be a fun, exciting, and challenging subject that is worth learning. This book fails to deliver the material in a manner that does anything but annoy and frustrate. This problem is only compounded by the fact that there are numerous mathematical errors present both in the text and in the solutions of selected problems. If you are stuck using this book because it was required for a class, I suggest you find supplementary material that elaborates better on the many areas in which this book is lacking. | 0negative
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Shock'n All is distasteful
I don't care for the new Toby Keith CD. Very poor music, very tacky. Looks as if he taking a horrible situation and milking it for all it is worth. I use to be a Toby fan, but after this CD I will never buy another Toby CD again. Guys don't waste your good money on this garbage! | 0negative
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A new lease on life!
What a wonderful experience to see the movie, listen to the sound track and just feel wonderful everytime. Besides the story and music, it was absolutely trementdous to see actors acting their age and not everyone was a small size - just full of people being normal. Hurray! Can't wait for the Dvd. | 1positive
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THIS BASICALLY SOLID MYSTERY ANTHOLOGY EARNS A GRADE OF "B+"
SLEIGHT OF CRIME (1977), edited by Cedric E. Clute, Jr. (manager of a nightclub devoted to magic shows), and Nicholas Lewin (specialist in comedy magic), contains these 15 short pieces: (1) "The Conjurer's Revenge" by Stephen Leacock; (2) "From Another World" by Clayton Rawson; (3) "The Episode of the Mexican Seer" by Grant Allen; (4) "A Trick or Two" by John Novotny; (5) "Lammas Night" by Chelsea Quinn Yarbro; (6) "The Man of Mysteries" by Walter B. Gibson; (7) "Death by Black Magic" by Joseph Commings; (8) "The Adventure of the Hanging Acrobat" by Ellery Queen; (9) "Murder among Magicians" by Manly Wade Wellman; (10) "The Green-and-Gold String" by Philip MacDonald; (11) "Professor Swankton's Ruse" by George Johnson; (12) "The Florentine Masks" by Walter B. Gibson; (13) "The Weapon from Nowhere" by Conway Lonstar (a pen name of Norma Schier); (14) "The Incredible Elopement of Lord Peter Wimsey" by Dorothy L. Sayers; and (15) "A Model Dialogue" by Stephen Leacock.Only Novotny's humorous Premise Story (What If--Everyone Had ONE Magic Ability?) is concerned with "real" magic; all the rest involve (in a great variety of ways) people who perform magic tricks or pretend to be psychics. Six of these works are basically Fair-Play Puzzles which readers can test their wits with; five more of them are Good-Fortune Adventures, where a character successfully achieves what she or he wanted to do; one is an unbelievable Heroic Fantasy involving an "incredible" rescue; and two are virtually How-to-Do-It stories that teach readers a few fairly clever tricks.Technically, Grant Allen's piece is a chapter from his episodic didactic novel AN AFRICAN MILLIONAIRE (1897), and Norma Schier's Good-Fortune Adventure is also a clever parody of Clayton Rawson's Great Merlini stories (notice that "Conway Lonstar" is an anagram of "Clayton Rawson").If you are a huge fan of Sayers' Lord Peter Wimsey, you might enjoy the story included here. However, in my judgment, it is one of her all-time weakest works, and I rated it considerably below the other 14 pieces in this anthology. To close on a positive note, my three favorites are Rawson's "From Another World" (an excellent Puzzle Story), Yarbro's "Lammas Night" (a Good-Fortune Adventure about the historical Count Cagliostro in Paris), and Stephen Leacock's "A Model Dialogue" (a hilarious How-to-Do-It). | 1positive
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Brilliant voice, cool guitar
Becky Kilgore sings "Let's Get Lost" with the bossa nova beat of John Miller. Is it enough? No, of course. It's a little bit of a great, sobrious and definitive album that mixes a clear, vibratoless voice, with a tender mood of a perfect guitar. Buy the CD. There's no drums, no brass, no percussion. Everything is calm, cool, and you will can hear a superb selection of standards, movie songs and Broadway shows like "There's a Small Hotel", "Look For The Silver Lining", "I Remember You", and the curious theme "He's a tramp", Peggy Lee's creation for a Disney production. But the best are two special tracks, both singing with feeling and emotion: Billie Holiday & Mal Waldron's "Left Alone" and "Young at Heart", a Sinatra trademark that Kilgore & Miller recreate with a new personality. | 1positive
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Magnificant!!!!! Will put a smile on your face!
This record will brighten up everyone's holiday! Whitney Houston proves she is an AMAZING TALENT! A must-buy for the holidays! :) | 1positive
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PWNED again!!!!!!!
It seems like every time I buy something, it is always wrong. Either I am an uneducated consumer, or the system is flawed. I bought this particular item strictly because it is wireless, and every time I get into my flight simulators I tend to move around a lot. Mind you, I am not an idiot. I actually salvage cockpits from old planes to have a more intense experience during arial combat. All and all, I make a legit flight simulator.Now... I bought this joystick, not once but on three seperate occasions, to find out there is always one fatal flaw. The damn joystick part doesn't move!!! As far as the "stability" and "ease of setup," it is very simple. I took it out of the box and set it down. Every time I go to play my games though, I cant even get them started.I have completely given up on the remotes' poor construction. Number four, NO WAY, uh uh. I'll save my money.On a side-note, this thing is completely unsafe. With minimal effort I jumped right onto this unit. The joystick snapped off and knocked my lamp over and killed my cat. I let my daughter play with the broken base, then i jumped on her too. Now because of this faulty piece of equiptment, both of my pets are deceased.To anybody thinking of purchasing this useless tool, do not do it. Just divide by zero, because it will ruin your life. | 0negative
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yes no let me know
the rage will be short live surviving only in church book clubs and oprah fans. a page turner all admitt, however, the premise of controversial religious topic is the real suspect to blame for gluing your finger to the page. the writting was mediocre not to ripe the book apart but i was just as enthused by picking up a goosebumps book. only suggestion- read it for yourself the opinions seem to vary drastically | 0negative
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Disturbing
I hate it when people write reviews for books they didn't finish, but I just couldn't complete this book. In fact, I only got through a few chapters.I was unable to feel any sympathy for the author. First he tries to castrate the family cat. This isn't a funny story. The cat's testicle is hanging out of his body. Then he steals chickens from the family chicken coop to take them down by the river to kill them for sport. He buries the corpses, knowing the family dog will dig them up and take the blame for the deaths, which will result in the dog being repeatedly beaten. Eventually the family shoots the dog for the author's transgressions. I can't help but feel the author deserved a couple of beatings for all this.Judging from other reviews, it only got worse. | 0negative
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A glimpse into the mind of a great artist...
Browsing through this book of sketches is like reading Bourgeois' personal diary. These drawings seem to be the ones she made only for herself, to figure things out and generate more ideas. This is not her "finished" work, so don't expect "LB's Greatest Hits", but any true fan of this artist will delight in seeing her sketchbooks come to life and reading her thoughts and memories of the drawings. Full of rich spontaneity & wit. | 1positive
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DO NOT READ THIS BOOK
This book is so lame. It couldn't hold my attention through 5 pages! It just goes on and on with Tayo's pointless flashbacks. I had to read this book for school and every kid that read it wanted to burn it. So many kids hated it, our teacher isn't going to make next years class read it. Throughout the book it will be talking about one thing and in midsentence it will change to another subject and tense. There is no plot and the whole book in general is just sooo boring. Silko blames everything that goes wrong on white people. According to the book, Indians think white people were made by witches to destroy the earth. If you have to read it for school I feel sorry for you, but if you don't have to read it please don't! | 0negative
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A Christian woman's love for China
I loved the movie for all the beautiful ways that it told the enthralling story of Gladys Aylward's experiences in China. I enjoyed especially the colorful settings and the excellent acting. I was so moved by the movie that I decided to read a biography about Aylward. I wanted to find out what finally happened between her and her beloved. Alas! I was disappointed to learn that the romantic aspects of her real life story were unlike those depicted in the movie. I'm sure that Hollywood felt it was necessary to tell the story in such a way as to satisfy the emotional needs of audiences, and I don't entirely fault the movie-makers for doing that. I've decided to appreciate the movie story and Gladys's real life story as two, more or less separate entities, both of which are compelling and inspiring. A lot of the movie IS true to the real facts of the life of this woman who lived out such an extraordinary destiny. The movie is, in my estimation, a classic to cherish. I like to watch it over again every couple of years. | 1positive
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Forced prose!
Though I heard Koontz, I actually never cared about him until I started to get interested in Stephen King. He almost popped up in any Stephen King discussion I have been involved- I have been watching King's films for a long time but had never read a book by him until last week- so naturally I went for Koontz this week and upon somebody's feverish recommendation I bought Odd Thomas.And what a disappointment it was after King! Maybe I should not have read Odd Thomas after It, one of the truly masterpieces of modern age storytelling but even then Koontz' prose seems superficial after King's down-to-earth style. I know this is not a comparison forum but I just wanted to share what I felt: In King's prose, you simply forget that you are reading a book while in Koont'z prose, you are always aware that you are reading a fiction piece. There are miles away, if you can understand.As for Odd Thomas, aside from its rip-off-smelling approach to Sixth Sense, the dialogues stink! Your hero, Thomas is as good as a white pigeon and his girlfriend is as pure as Virgin Mary. Did I say superficial? The book seems to be an updated version of Good Girls Go To Heaven Bad Girls Go To Everywhere only this time there is no gender restriction. Good characters are almost blemishless while evil ones are simply evil because they are evil- they are never to be forgiven or excused because they are evil end of the story!While reading the book, I felt a crazy hope that Thomas would do something sin, something bad, something that he was a human being-like you and me...no Thomas was like a saint marked by the God, and marked by unbelievability.Also, I hope this is the only book Koontz have ventured into humour. He seems to think: "I have to say a humorous thing; it should be funny what about this? Hmm no what about that? Yes that could be funny and if it is not funny, then what? There is always a next one" Did I say forced, superficial?Two stars because the storyline was interesting and Koontz seems to have a few nice ideas- but the execution rather flops- perhaps this is not his best writing (though I see bucket of praises here) Maybe I should check all Amazon reviewers to find out the best of him perhaps we can get in tune with each other...but the first experience is very tasteless after King's dazzling prose and characters and witty narrative- and hope the next one is better. One of my friends recommended me Watchers as his best writing and now it is onto my next-to-read list but I am sure I will read it BEFORE Salem's Lot:) | 0negative
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Don't understand the five star reviews
She writes well but I find most of the commentary, ironically...rather infantile. | 0negative
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Superb Chick Flick!!!
"Beautiful" is definitely in my top 10 list of all time chick flicks. Why, you ask? A few reasons. 1. The movie has wonderful character development. We closely follow Mona (Minnie Driver) from being a struggling, yet insecure young girl up to where she is a struggling and even more insecure woman. Vanessa (Hallie Kate Eisenberg) has grown into a confident and emotionally secure young girl having had all of the loving and attention which Mona never had from her (Mona's) own mother. And Ruby (Joey Lauren Adams) ends up being the real "heroine" in the movie, raising Vanessa into a wonderful little girl and then, in effect being the understanding and caring "mother" to Mona to help Mona start to grow and mature emotionally. 2. The movie is well paced and has many tender moments, the most "tear-jerker" moment being the final hotel scene between Mona and Vanessa.This movie should especially appeal to single parents (such as myself) who, for one reason or another had never had the opportunity to truly bond with their kids when they were young. My congratulations to Sally Field on an excellent movie!! | 1positive
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Question on country of Origin
I have had this printer for several months now and have been for the most part very satisfied. I tried to scan a legal document via the ADF and it only scanned what amounted to letter size. Likewise, I have had a problem copying legal size document as when it copies only get what amounts to about a post card size portion of the copy. Operator problem??Have not used it for faxing as have a dedicated fax machine in other room. The 2 sided printing is real nice as well as 2 sided copies.I am wondering if anyone knows where this is made? I am just curious.Barbara L. Eades | 1positive
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gotta have gospel gold
I thought I was getting a dvd instead I got a cd . So I was only ok with that and somewhat disappointed. Sorry. :( | 0negative
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The Birds
The Birds suspense movie well i would say it was at the time it was. I thought that i was directed perfectly for its time. I know now any teenager would look at this movie and be like what this this but i have seen it and i enjoyed it. You thave to thgink that to the time and it was a great movie at the time. In its time it scared people out of their mind but now you wathc it its like you are watching a comedy. The players in the movie were great they fit the parts perfectly, Melanie Daniels was played by tippi hedren a rich girl that falls for a man Mitch Brenner who was played by Rod Taylor, she fallows him to a small town to bring him a couple of birds he ordered. She ends up saying and things get bad in this ocean front town. | 1positive
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Uncomfortable.
Just don't feel comfortable in this item. The material isn't very giving. Cost is prohibitive, also, so think twice before buying. | 0negative
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skechers sneakers
These are the best. I have them in every color.The most comfortable and versatile shoe.Jeans ,slacks, skirts,Casual of course.I was able to get them on sale.What a bargain | 1positive
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great war movie all around
What can I say about this masterpice that you cant read from the other reviews? Nothing really this film is one of the greatest portrats of how both sides strugled through this battle. One of the most toching sceens in this film comes at the very end during pickets charge. After seeing the comfederat flag fall at the high water mark general lee ask picket or someone else i may be mistakend but when lee ask this man to set up a defence against an expected union counter attack he simply replys "general lee sir I have no battalion" truly a masterpice. | 1positive
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An inspiring rebirth of the movie musical...
Luhrmann's flamboyant musical 'Moulin Rouge' is a combination of Camille, La Bohème and Showgirls... The film swings easily between present and past, among so many wildly different moods: farce, tragedy, romance, satire, comedy and rock and roll...'Moulin Rouge' is an assault on the senses, a non stop visual explosion, an exotic trip, and a love story that is sure to touch your heart... It is a gloriously cinematic spectacle with opulent imagery directed with an eye for rich color, especially the color of rouge... It is also a breathtaking and poignant piece of cinema, a disco of dreams, a crazy and daring show, a vibrant screen fantasy, a "Bohemian Revolution," a magical movie for those who love romance, pop music and old musical movies...Nicole Kidman gives the film its soul... She is the "sparkling diamond" of the show, the toast of Paris, the city's top courtesan... She melts her characterization with a sizzling, yet tender, performance... She is undeniably sexy, a beautiful singer, a flashy dancer whose heart sings whenever she sees Christian... In many ways, she is drawn as the ultimate sex goddess, as enigmatic as Greta Garbo, and her glamor masks her pain as well as her happiness... Kidman gives the film its central erotic charge, and its romantic thrills... She sways on a flying trapeze belting out Marilyn Monroe's "Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend," and Madonna's "Material Girl."Ewan McGregor achieves a nice mix of optimism and desperation, emphasizing the sincerity of the love-struck poet-hero... Christian is a young idealist who moves to the bohemian section of Paris during the 'summer of love' of 1899... He is hired to write a show about 'truth, beauty, freedom and, most of all, love.' Christian battles for the body and soul of the ravishing Satine... His fundamental believe is 'the greatest thing you'll ever learn is just to love and to be loved in return...John Leguizamo is vulnerable and sweet as Henri de Toulouse Lautrec needing a good writer to come up with story and lyrics for his new show called "Spectacular Spectacular."Jim Broadbent is wonderfully comic as the ringmaster Harold Zidler... He is a jovial impresario who peddles the charms of a successful Satine to a mesmerized public... He is the owner of the infamous nightclub who has promised Satine to the evil Duke of Monroth... He has his eye on her too...Richard Roxburgh is odious as the jealous benefactor obsessed with Satine to the point of murder... He is stunningly arrogant wanting the gorgeous can-can chanteuse in an "exclusive contract."Luhrmann combines 1900 Can Can burlesque with modern musical poetry, exploiting Kidman's grace and beauty and overwhelming the audience with frenetic dance numbers delivered in operatic-style... Like Orson Welles, Luhrmann loves the technical magic of movies... When a red curtain opens, an orchestra conductor emerges to direct the unmistakable '20th Century Fox' theme opening, we immediately realize we're in for something really magical: A spectacular costume revue, an eye-catching fin de siècle exuberance, an inspiring rebirth of the movie musical... | 1positive
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One great book!!!!
This is one of the best books I ever read. I had stopped reading for a while, but I decided to pick this up about a year ago(Saw the Sci-fi award of the year on the cover). Now I cant wait for the second! curse the man for leaving me in suspense! I even started Robert Jordans Wheel of Time series in the interim and am all caught up! I hope that this series is not dragged out over the next ten years. (I have Star Wars and now the Wheel to Time series already). Crank out the books man, there GREAT and I dont want to start another series! | 1positive
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Elenco Metal Detector with Beep Alert
The unit only detects, when it is directly touching metal?! Day late and a dollar short, at that point. The Elenco Metal Detector with Beep Alert is a worthless purchase. | 0negative
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wrong shoes
to PUT IT CRAP,i didnt get the ADDIDAS 11 ORIGINALS i requested,instead i recieved some awful T.MAC bigfoot basketball shoe,which i promptly gave to the local childrens hospital MERRY XMAS. BOB. | 0negative
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great read
Just recently discovered Rick Mofine and have ordered all of his books. Have read several of them and they are great | 1positive
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POOR FACTORY SERVICE
I HAVE AN OLDER MODEL SMART LEVEL AND IT QUIT WORKING. I CALLED THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT AND WAS TOLD "JUNK IT" AS IT WAS A SEALED UNIT AND COULDN'T BE WORKED ON. iT SEEMED TO BE AN ELECTRICAL PROBLEM AS IT WOULD COME ON AND THEN GO OFF LET IT SIT FOR SEVERAL HOURS WITH NO BATTERY AND PLUG IT IN AND IT WOULD COME ON AND GO OFF.i ASKED FOR SOME TYPE OF REBATE ON THE NEWER MODEL AND WAS TOLD JUST GO BUY IT AND PAY FULL PRICE. | 0negative
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Great Graphics, slow play
THis game has great graphics, as compared to other bowling games. But the game play goes at a snail's pace. It's best to look elsewhere for a bowling game. | 0negative
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one of the stupidest movies i've ever seen
OK, here's MORE ...-talking on the internet about Jay and Silent Bob! While I think THEY are hilarious (in other movies), this movie is unbelievably stupid. I'm a big fan of Clerks, Mallrats, etc...but I absolutely hated this. There were maybe a total of 10 actually amusing minutes! Sometimes trying to be stupid for laughs just simply doesn't work and is annoying. Thankfully I saw it on pay-per-view and didn't buy it, so I saved some money. I suggest you watch it on TV before you buy.Also, if you're offended by foul language (which I'm not) you will hate this movie even more than I did. It was even too much obscenity for me.RATING = NO stars! | 0negative
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Great Driving Shoe
This is a great shoe..... Very comfortable and well made..... Has a European look and great fit...... For the money you can't go wrong..... | 1positive
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Very touching for me
Every line of this novel feels so touching to me.. just like it is my own story..Well I know every one's feeling is different. But this book is one of my favorite books.I watched the movie many times and a very big fan of Hayao Miyazaki but surprisingly this book stands equal in comparison.Even though If you might have already saw the movie I recommend that you read this book.. This is a whole different experience .Simply I love this book..I just wonder how the author captures the heart of a woman in this book..Enjoy reading | 1positive
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Nifty idea but flimsy
Nifty idea, but breaks too easily. I purchased this item due to my back problem and it worked great for a while until the grip fell off. I thought it was just a manufacturing defect and therefore purchased another one. Same problem again. Will not buy again. A typical As Seen on TV item, poorly constructed. | 0negative
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Dust to Dust
Great Mystery!!! Have only come back to reading since the purchase of an ereader. Enjoy the ease of ordering books on line. | 1positive
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Don't believe a word of it.
A very minimal amount of research will tell you that 1) this is by far Mr. Harris's best known and most popular work and that 2) it is at best "highly unreliable", as one source charitably puts it.I happen to think there is something very suspect, or at least very curious, about being known primarily for your autobiography. If we hadn't heard of you from elsewhere, why would we want to read your autobiography in the first place? Well, in this case the answer is fairly obvious (for certain of us, that is, not me), but, on the other hand, anyone can do that, especially if he's allowed simply to manufacture the anecdotes.In short, you're wasting your time bothering with this boastful, swaggering, blustering imposture. | 0negative
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Truly Great!
John Rickaby's "First Principles of Knowledge" is truly a great book. The writing is wonderful, and the message, epistemological verity, is terribly important in this age of increasing skepticism. I came back to Rickaby after a long sojourn in the arid clime of the absurd writings of John Birch Society apologist Clarence Carson. In this state, Rickaby's writings were as a drink of cool water, which constantly refreshed, and edified.In my own exploration of philosophia perennis, I have used Rickaby's present work as a supplement to the material provided by the Saint Augustine Institute of Catholic Studies on epistemology. And this text has worked exceedingly well in that sense.We must caution, in fairness, that the early chapters of the second part of this book are fairly "heavy" for anyone who has not made a serious study of Scholastic philosophy. But, then, it is probably unlikely that anyone not so disposed would even venture into this realm. With that qualification having been stated, we can strongly recommend this wonderful text to any who would clearly understand the epistemological perspective of neo-Scholasticism. God bless. | 1positive
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Disappointed
This phone is a disappointment. Prior to my experience with my 2410, I considered Siemens products superior to others. Either my impression was wrong, or they need more practice making products for home use.My main complaint is the incessant buzz the user hears (the person on the other end doesn't seem to hear it). Although I can still hear the caller, the buzz is extremely annoying. A Siemens' technician suggested this was due to interference with my wireless home security system. I tried turning the system off and even taking the phone to a friend's place (without any apparent infering devices) -- the buzz was still there.My second complaint is with the batteries -- they simply do not last an acceptable amount of time. Typically I cannot get more than 24 hours out of them without a recharge -- and that is all in standby mode (i.e., no phone calls).Had it not been for the fact that I already mailed in the rebate (I purchased mine on the last day before the rebate expired, so I needed to hustle with sending in the rebate.), I would have returned the phone.On a positive note, Siemens is sending me a replacement phone (and I return my current one, they pay the postage). Their customer service seems to be OK -- I only hope my replacement phone is better. | 0negative
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Works but...
I recently purchased the White Door Guardian Patio Door Lock and while it does it's job there are a few issue I have with it.1) It's not white. Its an off white and no where near the normal disigner white that a patio door is.2) The Product Description states, "There is no drilling required , just run 2 screws into a keeper plate provided and then into the upper track." I can tell you right now you will be doing soem drilling. In fact it comes with a cutout to help with the drill locations.I figuired based off the decsiption that the keeper plate would need to be mounted in the upper track using screws but you also have to screw the lock system into the door itself. It comes with 4 screws that need to be predrilled to mount itself to the door.3) Shipping cost was too much for such a small product. Only reason I went with it dispite the cost was the fact that I was mislead to believe there was no drilling required.In the end if you want a sliding door lock this will work but in my shoes I feel a little cheated. | 0negative
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Extremely Comfortable!
I have terrible problems with my feet and need surgery. This is the only shoe that allows me to comfortably stand and walk for long periods of time. Also, they hold up extremely well to wear and tear. | 1positive
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Booooooring.
A business that has been around for centuries, had their hands in everything, and even owned the Roman empire for a brief time period!!! It just doesn't get any better than that, this book could have been very, very exciting. Instead it is one of the slowest books I have ever read.When the "action" does begin in the last two chapters...you really don't care one way or the other, nor do you understand the majority of the problem, because it has been so poorly developed.Bought this book for $1 at the bargain bargain table at my local book store hoping for a gem. I figured it was just so cheap because it was by a British author and no Americans knew his work. Anyway, I was wrong...it was just $1 because it was incredibly boring.I don't reccommend this book...however, if you would like to read it...I've got one that I'll sell you for $1.50. :-)ukmatt78@aol.com | 0negative
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piercingly, wickedly funny
Without hesitation one of the finest books on war ever written. Painfully funny, fantastically intricate, deviously corrupting, Catch-22 is the standard by which all other books are measured. The first time I read Catch-22 I cried from laughter, and from the bitter truths expounded through the riotous characters Heller created here. An American classic. | 1positive
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TV Without TIVO is Like Watching Black and White TV
All of our family house holds swear by TIVO. My first TIVO will be three years old this Christmas. I requested it and my youngest son gave it to me. Since it is out of warranty, I'll be upgrading the hard drive and buying a second unit (Can't pass up the $150 rebate on the $200 box -- and we need a bit more flexability.)BTW: TIVO saves us money and time. It regularly records the "Ask This Old House" home fix it show. I've used info from the shows to avoid a couple of expensive house calls and a couple techniques have helped me fix problems right the first time -- quickly. On the other hand, some of the HGTV shows have me spending money -- but with good effect.Stay calm through the installation and if need be any trouble shooting. But be warned -- once you have TIVO mastered, You can't live with out TIVO... | 1positive
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Bad Edition
I was so disappointed in this ebook. I could hardly wait to sit down and begin reading and then discovered it was filled with errors. I found it unreadable. | 0negative
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So-so
This oddly unsatisfactory book is well reviewed by Andrew Rasanen, who awards it 3 stars; if I give it 2 it is only because Mark Abley's superficially similar book The Prodigal Tongue is so much better. It came out in 2008 but has only garnered two reviews on Amazon (both 5 star by the way); what a shame. | 0negative
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I personally enjoy it, but it is a very specialized game
There are a lot of people who play this game and hate it, and there is a reason for that. The nitch for this game is very narrow and people outside of its nitch will either be so frustrated with it that they give up, or simply outright hate it.If you are thinking about this game you should understand that the game involves a lot of micromanagement. You WILL need to read the manual to do almost anything in the game, and there is a LOT to read up on. You end up managing almost every aspect of your craft when you play down to the individual assignments of your crew. Later on things get a little easier when your command staff get skilled enough to automatically have things done for you, but overall you will need to do everything that needs doing.If you are not the type of person who is into this sort of micromanagement then stop reading this review right now. Nothing else I say will make this the game for you. Go look someplace else for something fun.People who either enjoy or don't mind micromanagement may like this game, so here is the rest of the review:Graphics:They arn't anything to wow at, but the game is so massive that I get the impression that making them any better would cause the game to run slowly or crash. They are decent and look good unless compaired to the best we currently have available, and that is what matters.Sound:The sound is honestly a bit outdated. For some aspects reminds me of something you would hear in an older arcade type game.Gameplay:Gameplay is very involved. It is likely that you will spend a while learning how to do anything, and even some basic operations may take you a little bit to figure out how to do in a timely manner. Once you figure out how things work the control scheme begins to make sense and you will find that overall gameplay is seamless. | 1positive
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Fabulous film, except for fatal flaw.
Yes, it's gung-ho American. True, the premise is shakey (risk 8 to save 1 private)--but they explain this quite eloquently in the movie, reading the Lincoln letter: tear-rendering. But in every other way this is a taut, visually stunning film that everyone will acknowledge as in whole or at least in part(s) is the definitive war epic against which all subsequent will be compared. However. . . Just as he did in Schindler's List, Spielberg insists on bracketing the film with a kitschy feel-good mise-en-scene. In Schindler, it's the former Listees paying tribute to Schindler by placing stones on his memorial. Pure schmaltz, but marginally acceptable. The whole adult-Private-Ryan "*Am* I a good man, I ask you, my dear wife?" bracketing (visiting the graves in Normandy)--was a total waste. And why does the old Ryan have bright blue eyes--much like Tom Hanks but unlike, however, the younger Ryan (Matt Damon)? Spielberg could have done everything better and saved 20 minutes by just having an old man standing observing the Normandy gravesites and SAYING NOTHING. | 1positive
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Big Disappointment.....
I bought this CD because of Barry Gibb only. Although I loved the songs he did with Barbra Streisand previously, I am not a big fan of hers. I have been waiting for Barry Gibb to come out of his grieving time for brother Maurice and do what he does best...make music. However, the two songs that he sings with Ms. Streisand are not what I would consider his best work. His wonderful voice is barely heard over hers, and the songs are well....just BORING!I am a die hard Gibb fan, but this was not Barry Gibb's best work at all. He is capable of so much more!! | 0negative
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GREAT + COOL = GROOL = MEAN GIRLS!!!
I hope that there's an Aaron out there for me somewhere. Until then, I at least have a memory of a very nice romantic teen comedy that left me a little teary-eyed at the end -- but in a good way. I would only erase it if I could get to watch it again. | 1positive
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does what it's supposed to! Except the timer doesn't work
I love this yogurt maker, but the timer doesn't work.It's just a piece of plastic that turns around. | 1positive
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A tale of TWISTED Events
My Review:Emily Bronte's novel Wuthering Heights is a classic that all should read. It uniquely portrays the undoubtedly present fight between earnest and passionate love and vigorous hate. This novel is the epidemy of a tale that twists the reader's previous opinion on innocent love.Wuthering Heights is the home to the Earnshaw family. It lies desolate from the world upon the moors and wetlands of vast fields. This home is quiet large in size, however it is musty and gray in color and rather lonely in its outward appearance. The master is the father, Mr. Earnshaw, then there is Mrs. Earnshaw and the children, whom are Hindley and Catherine. Further into the novel a child is added into the Earnshaw family, but it is not their own. This child is later known as Heathcliff, an Irish gypsy waif found and pitied by the master during his stay at Liverpool. The master took such pain in seeing the boy on his own that he brought him home to his children to accompany. But Earnshaw's son, Hindley, from the very beginning detested Heathcliff for the reason that the master, much too obviously, favored "poor Heathcliff" than that of his own son!AS the years past, turmoil, jealousy and overall hatred consumed Hindley, leaving Heathcliff and him to be forever enemies. On the contrary, Catherine and Heathcliff were the best of friends and they grew to love each other dearly. In fact the were inseparable to the point that the greatest punishment that either could have been given was that of being away from each other.The two were quite rambunctious and always up for adventure. One day Catherine and Heathcliff met other children at the residence of Thrushcross Grange ( the Lintons, the rich and spoiled kids!!!). Catherine instantly fell in love with their classy way of life and left Heathcliff to eat her dust!! haha..Catherine still loved Heathcliff but grew to understand that she was just too high class of a women for him , resulting in her decision to love and marry her material possessor Edgar Linton ( one of the rich kids, his sister was Isabella Linton.)Stricken by grief, Heathcliff pursued till his very death his soul and body...his dear Catherine. Without her he was not complete, and each day he yearned her presence.In volume two of this novel the reader comes to know of whom marries who and who are their children. Heathcliff in this volume becomes an aggressive hateful man and his once joyful heart is turned black and cold; full of hate. Cathy, the descendant of Catherine, is portrayed by Bronte as the fulfillment of her mother's dream that was never reached ( marrying her true love). And whom Cathy marries is her cousin ( I know gross right?...well she marries 2 of her cousins!!! nastier!) who is known as Hareton. They, in a way, are the parallel of their elders, but they are more so in the sense that they are the "happy ending" to the love fest of Catherine and Heathcliff.Overall, I would have to say that this book is not only credited for its educational material, rather to me it is credited by its insightfully constructed plot. Bronte is an amazingly talented author who places her own viewpoints and morals skillfully throughout this classic. This novel is great because of its symmetrical structure of love and hate, nature and culture, and lastly the ongoing fight between Wuthering Heights and Thrushcross Grange. At the story's finale it is truly left up to the reader to decide whom they believe won the battle. At first one believes it is Wuthering Heights due to Catherine giving in to marrying her love, yet it could be the Grange for both Catherine and Hareton beating Heathcliff's evilness in the end. What readers should come to appreciate from this novel is that Bronte really applied her inner emotions to this novel and the whole story is told from her beliefs and her viewpoint on the matter of Catherine and Heathcliff's immortal love which is too sacred to control, therefore Bronte ends this love triangle by their death for the reason that in some cases love cannot be joined for it is so strong that peace could not be kept with its overpowering presence on human kind.--ChiChi---- | 1positive
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Right size but bad fit
The blade is the correct length, but the spindle that snaps into the blade holder is a bit too small.I had to wedge a piece of thick paper to get it to snap in snugly. The next time I'll look for theSaturn replacement Part #96624648 for my '08 Vue. | 0negative
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Fast-paced, loud, expensive BORE!
When you sit down to watch a movie like XXX: State of the Union, you know you won't be seeing CITIZEN KANE, or even DIE HARD. You expect fast, silly, explosive action. Not a lot of exposition, not a lot of rich characterization. And on that count, XXX II succeeds. Unfortunately, it is also a hamfisted bore.There are plenty of explosions, guns-firing, & cars and boats doing ridiculous things. All well and good. Sounds like a James Bond movie (which, you may remember, the original XXX was supposed to be...a Bond for this generation. Ironically, the "old-school" Bond still does better.). But where Bond movies have some charm, some energy and some originality (the silliness factor in Bond movies is always overshadowed by the "how did they think of that" factor), XXX seems confused and needlessly loud. And one of the biggest stunts, involving a speedboat jumping onto a bridge of car traffic comes right from LIVE AND LET DIE...a Bond flick that's what, 30 YEARS OLD? Yes, this movie has a more throbbing sound mix, better crunching of innocent cars, but the basic idea for the stunt has a very tired feel...as does its execution.The story, about how the Secretary of Defense is planning a coup in which he'll overthrow the compromise-with-terrorists-minded president wants to be thrilling and high-stakes. But not for one minute is the method for accomplishing this overthrow of government believable. An action movie of this ilk MUST make us suspend our disbelief. We never say to ourselves..."yeah, this could happen." But we should say, "I'm gonna enjoy this and see where it takes us." In XXX, the best I usually mustered was..."it's gotta get better, right?"But plot concerns aside, the movie isn't even fun on an "actors having fun" level. Ice Cube, who can be somewhat charming in the right vehicle, plays a hardened con / former Navy SEAL, who gets a shot at redemption by becoming the new XXX. He looks bored in this first scene, and he looks bored in all subsequent scenes. He's supposed to look tough, world-weary, impervious...at least, I think that's the point. But bored is the best we get. He has some "romantic" scenes with an ex-girlfriend, and the amount of chemistry they generate makes Luke Wilson & Kate Hudson's scenes in ALEX & EMMA look like the hottest romance in film history.Supporting "acting" is provided by Scott Speedman, looking ridiculous in a semi-heroic, semi-tightass role. Peter Strauss looks the part of president, but his part is underwritten, to say the least. Willem Dafoe is the evil secretary of state (he's evil because he wants to overthrow the government, yes...but the real message here from the filmmakers is that anyone who thinks that we should deal with terrorists by taking the battle to them is evil...real subtle!!). Dafoe is also not the least bit convincing. We all know this guy can play deranged, evil, threatening, whatever. He's often a great actor. But it seems to me that often when he takes these "paycheck" roles...where much isn't expected of him...he delivers NOT MUCH. He's a scary looking guy...but there ought to be more there. Samuel Jackson once again coasts through the kind of part he could do with his eyes closed. He cannot help but bring energy to a scene...he's the best thing in the movie...and that, more than anything else I can say kinda sums up the film. When Samuel Jackson, at his most bored, clichéd and predictable still steals the movie...you know you've got problems.I can't really think of a reason to spend 2 hours of your time watching this film. It doesn't even deliver on the most basic level. | 0negative
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dime a dozen
it's bad enough Brittney Spears is almost 5 years deep into her career&saying that alone truly Scares me.the same with Jennifer Lopez.stacie orrico has a better voice than both of them combined but yet isn't that much better yet.very factory machine about Her music&vocals thus far. | 0negative
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Like a David Lynch Imitation Gone Horribly Wrong
I was also expecting good things from this film. Having seen both David Lynch's MULHOLLAND DRIVE and the trailer for this, I was expecting something good and more or less uncommon.This film, however, turned out to be a surreal film for the people that whined "I don't get it" halfway through MULHOLLAND DRIVE. (By the way, whether you do or don't understand the plot doesn't have to be an essential criterion for enjoying a film. Try abstract animation.)This film's cheap sci-fi explanation at the end looks like it was trying to pull from THE MATRIX, but instead settled for technological explanation pulled from an airport sci-fi novel.And neither the directing, acting, nor set/costume design make up for any of this. | 0negative
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Cast aluminium solid sounding speakers
For those who never heard of KEF, KEF is reputable audio equipment company in Europe. For some reason, we always think of USA as a world!!Coming to the point: This is their "entry-level" 5.1 speaker set. The mainstream model is KHT 2005, which is bit larger, 4 times as expansive and 1.5 times better sound!When I bought it, I wanted silver speakers and black subwoofer since my plasma TV is silver and other A/V equipments are black. The picture showed everything was silver but I couldn't resist the price. Fortunately I got what I wished for!! Yes people, the picture is wrong. Subwoofer is black.Now the construction:The speakers and sub both looks solid. The speakers are made of cast aluminium and look more like a piece of art. The subwoofer does not have spikes unlike what picture shows.Sound:I had heard that these speakers are power hungry and need good amp to pump them. To my surprice, they are not that bad. My Deanon 1804 pumps out 55 Watt per channel and these speakers do quite loud at half the volume. For all my practical purpose (including party times) this amp-speaker combo will do just fine. Mind you, speakers are rated for 100 watt so there is a huge room for more sound out of these small buggers. Being said that about the "quantity", the sound quality itself is very good. These speakers beats the hack out of my friend's Bose Lifesyle 20. Did you know that bose never publish the specification for their speakers?!?!! The sound is clear, crisp and pleasing. The subwoofer is loud and has good punch for movies. The sub will fall short when listening to music due to lake of tightness.Accessories:Since this model was not successful in USA, you will be lucky if you can find any accessory for this speakers. I wanted to buy the wall mount brackets but can't get them anywhere except the dealers charge $50 a piece!! I ended up making the wall mount myself. The speakers has a removable plastic plat on the bottom which will expose three holes. The center hold is threaded and other two are not. I used 1"x4" pine wood to make the L-shaped wall mount. Painted matching metalic silver. | 1positive
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