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Why on earth is this only averaging 3 DooYoo stars?!? For me, this is one of bravest and best things Bon Jovi have ever done. Everyone knows their big hits like Livin' On A Prayer, You Give Love A Bad Name, It's my Life etc, so to have the confidence to take such well known songs to pieces and give them a complete reworking and new sound, takes guts, self belief and no shortage of musical skill.... Bon Jovi have all of those by the bucketload. Things kick off with Wanted Dead Or Alive - this is given a semi-accoutsic workover with JBJ's vocals deliberately made to sound crackley. It works wells & really evokes images of the wild west. Livin' On A Prayer is up next - this is more a rework of rework to be honest. Bon Jovi have had a different version of this song for years - gone is the staium anthem, this is slowed right down and the addition of a soulful female vocal by Olivia d'Abo work brialliantly. Next up is Bad Medicine, is also stripped of 80's rock sound and slowed down... again, it just works! It's My Life was another big stadium rocker - not here - it is now a ballad, complete with piano and string section :-) You Give Love A Bad Name is great fun, semi-accoustic again, but with a real laid back vibe to it - sounds like the band were having real fun. The next track is my favourite on the album - Born To Be My Baby is slowed down again from the oringal rocker - I just love it - the 'hummed' backing vocals just send a tingle down my spine - how often does any song do that? Its just a brilliant piece of musical arrangement. Keep The Faith also gets a fine reworking. The only slightly weaker songs are those where the original was a ballad - namely Always, I'll Be There For You & Bed of Roses. All fine songs, but in the company of such radically different versions of the other songs, these don't sound different enough from the originals compared to everything else on offer here. Bon Jovi purists may sneer at this album... ignore them. A previous reviewer has described this album as "a terrible dent in their reputation" - wrong - its precisely the opposite. This is musicianship at its finest from a band with nothing to prove.
Bon Jovi are one of the biggest selling Rock bands of all time. Their brand of Hard Rock was first heard in the 80's hair rock days and they are still going strong today with a different sound. In a career spanning 26 years they have sold over 120 million albums worldwide and have won many major awards in that time including being honored with the Award of Merit at the American Music Awards in 2004. They have released eleven studio albums and two compilations.
**This Left, Feels Right**
In 2003 Bon Jovi decided to re record some of their biggest hits in a new style, the concept came about after a Japanese TV Show where they performed some songs acoustically. The album was both a "trip down memory lane" and a kind of update to the kind of music they have done in the past few years. The album features a collaboration with Olivia D'Abo on "Livin on a Prayer". The album takes us all the way from 1983 to 2003, Marking their 20th Anniversary as a Band.
1 Wanted Dead Or Alive
2 Livin' On A Prayer ft Olivia D'Abo
3 Bad Medicine
4 It's My Life
5 Lay Your Hands On Me
6 You Give Love A Bad Name
7 Bed Of Roses
8 Everyday
9 Born To Be My Baby
10 Keep The Faith
11 I'll Be There For You
12 Always
13 The Distance
14 Joey
**My Review**
"Wanted Dead or Alive"
The original "Wanted Dead or alive" was a track that started slow and burst into life, It typified their early Rock ballads and was one of the most fierce sounding tracks once it was in full flow. After nearly three minutes the song came to life with the fantastic guitar work from Richie Sambora.
On the 2003 version the old sound is still somewhere in play with the hard edged guitar riff. Jon's vocals are through put through a vocal effect which sounds rather good and the backing vocals from Richie, Hugh and David add a nice effect, This is a good start and a track that has enough about it to be a good track on it's own.
"Livin on A Prayer"
The original is still played today I have even heard it in clubs, It had a great sound to it that built very well and had a memorable chorus and some typically excellent guitar work from Richie Sambora. Roll on seventeen years and we have the 2003 version which features Olivia D'Abo so what do I make of that version?.
This is certainly a very different style, whereas the original was fast paced and very catchy. this is a much more laid back affair, Olivia D'Abo does a decent job on guest vocals with her airy emotive voice she adds another dimension to the lyrics. It may take a bit of time to get used to this one but you should enjoy it once you have got used to the difference.
"Bad Medicine"
The original was another very lively track which was one of the biggest hits for them in the 80's. It had the piano of David Bryan and the fine guitar of Richie Sambora which were both a constant feature of the track. This was another track with a great chorus which was sung very loudly by fans at their concerts.
Whereas the original was bursting out of the speakers from the get go this is a much more laid back track which has a Country feel to open with and then moves into a darker stage which it should being a song about comparing love with drug addiction. Sambora's gentle guitar part has an Eric Clapton quality about it.
"It's My Life"
This was one of the most recent reworkings, the original was released three years before and was a fast paced opening to the album "Crush". It featured the return of the talk box from Richie Sambora and had some great drum parts and was a very catchy track indeed with another great chorus.
Roll on three years and this is a lovely reworking of the track which has a great emotive feel with Jon's sombre vocals. This may be a lot slower but it still has that sing out loud chorus which is so key to this song. This is now A completely different track and it's done very well indeed. Fine reworking.
"Lay Your Hands on me"
This was another one of the Heavy Rock tracks which helped make them a huge international band. The original was six minutes long and had some great guitar work from Sambora and keyboard tones from David Bryan. It featured a long build up thanks to the great drum intro from Tico Torres. It built well and then you had that great chorus.
The 2003 version has a much different intro to the original but it still has a similar drum part despite the accompanying acoustic guitar instead of electric. This is a good reworking which builds well and has a nice feel. Not as good as the original but a very decent mix all the same.
"You give love a bad name"
The original was a fast paced Heavy track which had an unforgettable riff and a great rhythm, The bass guitar was also a great feature of this track as it moved along with the Guitar from Sambora to create a dynamic duo. It was rated the 20th greatest Hard Rock track of all time on VH1.
The 2003 version has a very interesting Blues feel tinged with Country, Jon's vocals are on the edge and this is a very different track which has a nice flow. This version features some nice guitar licks from Sambora and is a very decent reworking overall despite a few iffy moments vocally at the start. Just the style I think.
"Bed of Roses"
Although they were known for their big heavy rock tracks, It would be wrong to say they couldn't produce a great ballad and the original was a fabulous track which showed the tender side to the band. It still featured a fine solo and some heavier moments which led to the solo. This track was from "Keep the Faith".
This track probably has the most similar style to the original, gone are the big moments leading up to the fine guitar solo and the solo itself but this is a very good reworking of the great track which substitutes the guitar solo for a lovely string section which adds a great touch to the feel of the song. I love both versions.
The original was on the previous years album "Bounce" and was the lead single from that album. It had an old style opening and was very rhythmic. It was a return to their late 80's style and was one of the more up tempo tracks in recent years for Bon Jovi.
The reworking is actually a little longer than the original which is possibly the only track which is longer than the original. It has a nice flow and Bon Jovi's vocal performance is emotive as usual. This is a good reworking and even though there's only a year between the two it's still a worthwhile reworking.
"Born to be my baby"
This is one of the lesser known hits from the band, It featured on their "New Jersey" album from 1988. The original was a very catchy fast paced track which sounded like a 90's track even though it was two years too early. As I said not one of the most well known tracks but still decent.
The reworking has a similar feel to the reworking of Bed of Roses in the way Jon sings it. This is a very pleasant track but you may need to listen to both versions one after the other to get a sense of the reworking. A decent version in my opinion though.
"Keep the Faith"
This is one of their biggest hits and is another track which has great crowd participation when performed in concert. The original track had a superb bass guitar hook which opened the track, this was a very flowing track which was great all round musically. This was the title track from their 1992 album.
The reworking is much more laid back and Jon's vocals are again very emotive, The string backing is lovely and adds another dimension to the overall feel of the track, Towards the end there is a guitar break which sounds a lot like something Bruce Springsteen would do. This is a very good reworking of the original.
"I'll Be There for you"
The original was a lovely ballad which had a great emotive bass guitar hook and the track built beautifully and was really emotively performed. It was one of their greatest ballads and was from the album "New Jersey" which was mostly filled with up tempo heavy rock tracks.
This is a good reworking which keeps the emotion of the chorus and verses and the major differences musically are the different styles bass and then a kind of Beatles sound when the track is building up to the original guitar solo which is replaced with a very gentle strum. An interesting reworking.
This is undoubtedly their biggest hit, sold an incredible 3 million copies worldwide. This is one of my favourite Bon Jovi tracks and probably favourite tracks of all time. The original showcases one of Jon's greatest vocal performances and one of Sambora's best ballad guitar solos too.
The track was released in 1994.
I love the original and this is a very very good reworking. It keeps the emotive quality of the original and the difference musically adds for an interesting feel. This is one of only two tracks on the album that was solely written by Jon Bon Jovi. "Bed of Roses" is the other.
Bonus Tracks.
"The Distance" from the album "Bounce"
The original was a fusion between their older style and the new more laid back rock. It has elements of both where each one comes to the fore in turns. It's a decent track which is not one of their most well known recent tracks but still decent enough.
This is a live version and is a flowing ballad which has some nice piano and backing vocals. It reminds me a little of recent Hanson mixed with The Goo Goo Dolls. A decent track but not one of the most captivating Live tracks. Still Decent though.
"Joey" also from "Bounce"
This is a very good piano led ballad which shows off the backing vocals from the other members except Tico who does not feature on backing vocals on the album. This is a good original version which is more the style that they have been doing recently.
This is a really good live version of this song and I think it improves on the original, Jon's vocals are very strong and the song has a nice flow. It may not have that Heavy Rock spark of their older material but it's still a decent live track that sounds like a crowd pleaser if the cheers are anything to go by.
There we have it, fourteen tracks on this album spanning nearly twenty years in the history of the Band. This Left, Feels Right is a worthwhile album in my opinion and has plenty on offer for long time Bon Jovi fans as well as casual fans and newcomers. In most places they may not be quite as good as the originals but there are close enough that it turns out to be a worthwhile experiment and I support the idea of more bands doing an album in this kind of format as I am sure they could come up with something as they no doubt experiment with different setups in the studio and in rehearsals and of course in live performances. This Left, Feels Right.
Bon Jovi released 'This Left Feels Right' in 2003. I would describe it as an acoustic version of some of their greatest hits.
Being a fan of Bon Jovi, I bought this album without hesitation, and was quite excited about listening to it.
The album came about as the band thought about doing something different for the fans. They played an acoustic gig in Japan, lasting nearly four hours!
The gig was recorded and was going to be released, but Jon Bon Jovi wasn't entirely happy with it.
Still keen on making an acoustic record, the band brought in Pat Leonard who had worked on the 'Unplugged' albums with Bryan Adams and Rod Stewart, and as Jon said "it suddenly became a much bigger and much more interesting project".
The album, from its inception in August, came together in just 23 days.
The title 'This Left Feels Right' came from the band taking some of their best-known tracks and taking them..."as far left as possible without jumping off the cliff!"
My thoughts were mixed on first listening to it. A few good tracks, and a few not so good. After a few plays, some of the not so good tracks began to grow on me, but there remains one or two which I don't really care for.
The tracks :
1. Wanted Dead Or Alive - the original version of this song is one of my favourite Bon Jovi songs, so this version had a lot to live up to, and I'm afraid it comes nowhere near! Jon's voice sounds distorted, and the music seems 'jumpy' with the odd blast of guitar thrown in. It is like some kind of weird remix and it just doesn't work for me.
2. Livin On A Prayer - I was pleasantly surprised with this one as I couldn't imagine an acoustic, slowed down version of this. But it works! It is so different to the original and also features Olivia d'Abo on vocals with Jon. It is one of my favourite tracks on the album.
3. Bad Medicine - I have never been keen on this track to start with, and this slowed down version does nothing for me either.
4. It's My Life - This is without a doubt the best track on the album in my opinion. Jon does a great vocal on this and it works so well as a slow ballad. The original version of this is one of their biggest hits, and a massive crowd pleaser at concerts. Here it has been slowed right down, and you realise this song works as both a thumping crowd pleaser and slow acoustic track.
5. Lay Your Hands On Me - This is one of the tracks I was not that keen on when I first listened to it, as this was another big number, slowed down and I didn't think it would work, but it has grown on me after a few listens. Jon and Richie harmonise well on the vocal.
6. You Give Love A Bad Name - Whilst I like the original of this, I'm afraid this version just doesn't work for me at all, despite numerous listens. It is done here in a jazz-type style and just doesn't feel right at all. They went too far to the left with this one!
7. Bed Of Roses - They couldn't really go wrong with this one as it is a slow track to begin with. This is the song Jon describes as his 'confessional', it is one of my favourite Bon Jovi tracks anyway, and one of the best songs on this album. The chorus has been changed slightly, but other than that it is just an acoustic version of the original song.
8. Everyday - I was surprised to find this here. A single from the 'Bounce' album, it was in its original form, a catchy rock track. This slow, acoustic version has a totally different arrangement from the original, and whilst it is not one of the best tracks on the album, I do like it.
9. Born To Be My Baby - This is another one of those tracks that has grown on me. I do like the original, which is catchy and up-tempo, but I found myself liking this slower version more and more each time I listened to it.
10. Keep The Faith - One of the biggest and best Bon Jovi songs stripped down to the bare bones, and it works! It is totally different from the original, but is another of my favourites on here.
11. I'll Be There For You - This is a song I really like, but having seen Bon Jovi perform this live on three occasions, with Richie Sambora always taking the lead vocal ( and doing a fantastic job!) this just doesn't work for me here with Jon singing it. There is nothing wrong with Jon's vocal but I have came to think of this as Richie's song now, and nothing else will do!
This version is ok but does have a strange Beatles- ish feel to it in the middle, which I think seems out of place.
12. Always - Brilliant! After It's My Life, this is the next best track on the album for me. It is worth buying the album for these two tracks alone in my opinion! This of course is a slow track anyway, but here is an excellent acoustic version.
13. The Distance - This is the first of two bonus tracks included. I really like this, as it is one of my favourite tracks from the 'Bounce' album.
14. Joey - Another bonus track, and again it is a track taken from the 'Bounce' album. Both the bonus tracks were slow tracks in their original form, so not changed too much. They are both good acoustic versions and finish the album off nicely.
Overall I do like this album, but I think it would be fans of the band that own this album or are most likely to buy it.
The only gripe I have is that on their 'Crush' Tour a few years back they performed an excellent, slowed down acoustic version of 'Runaway' which was absolutely fantastic, and I would have loved for it to have been included on this album.
That said, it is still a good album and worth buying for the 3 or 4 stand out tracks alone.
My CD also came with a bonus DVD including concert footage and extras.
This Left Feels Right is available to buy from Amazon priced at £9.98
I have been a big fan of Bon Jovi for many years and in particular, Jon Bon Jovi himself. I do think he is a bit of a cad but that does not stop me from liking him a lot! I appreciate that Bon Jovi are not the greatest musicians to ever walk the earth, but I think they have produced a large number of very enjoyable songs over the years. They are probably best known for songs like "Livin' on a Prayer" and "Always", both of which appear on this album.
This is not exactly a greatest hits album in the conventional sense. Bon Jovi decided to go one further and make this an accoustic style greatest hits album. I cannot help but feel that only a limited amount of thought went into this and that they largely just rehashed a series of old songs in a slightly new way for the sake of increasing their sales.
"Livin' on a Prayer" is one of my favourite songs. I used to love going to see Bon Jovi in concert when I was a little bit younger and this was always my favourite track performed live. However on this album, it has been reworked beyond recognition! It is slow, drawn out and the lyrics are just drawled in a manner that does not suit the point of the song.
There is little to say about the other tracks on this album as they are all rather much the same. They are sung with minimal musical backing and they are nearly all slowed right down to a lullabye. It does not suit the rock lyrics in pretty much every song on the album.
I think Bon Jovi were pulling our legs with this one. It is like they have done a really bad cover album of their own greatest hits. I would not recommend this to anyone.
_Bon Jovi This Left feel is Right_
==Dead or Alive==
This version is similar to the club remix version of Dead or Alive. Firstly, it seems certain that the bad song choice, and secondly (and worse) that also in this context obviously not good. In other words, even if he had to do the song * A / remix kind of form, would do much more than the cold. Sounds like old guys trying to hip, with planned and asked blade exceeded remix effects. The song is very linearly, with very few new ideas are furnished with. This will definitely set the tone for the rest of the album.
==Livin On A Prayer==
I think it works better than most. The main feature of this is the use of Olivia d'Abo. Initially, I was puzzled why we have an actress, a little to sing. Then, with a little track, I discovered that the woman is the producer. Ah-ha. It is not a bad job and has a voice, but it would have been a better choice in my opinion. It is also quite a trip, if for the first time - we are so accustomed to hear Richie sings this part, then this woman's voice into the game .. Sounds like the beginning of helium-rich. But after a little better to hear. Once again, the song is fairly linear. Only law. And how many other songs of the album, Jon has to change the melody, and ends sounded like the singing of the harmony, as the initiative.
==Bad Medicine==
I never liked the song, with this version is locked and blues, not much. For most of the songs sounds like the song Jon respect and low, even in the choir. They want their torsos, and at all, unless for a few laps in verse track.
==It's My Life==
- Yes, this is one of the reasons for buying the CD. Me, this version of its recent success embodies what should * have been. It is completely different than the original, but exactly the same song melodically and chordally. It is an unforgettable ballad piano and strings and Jon, it seems unbelievable. You find what the best song is when you hear in this context
==Lay Your hands on me==
Bon Jovi composed it well. Acoustic version is very matching with this song. I'd prefer to hear this one than the previous version.
==you give love a bad name==
Bad.. bad.. bad version of it.. I don't like. I'm the big fans of Bon Jovi but it's very disappointing. Don't hear this song.
==Bed of Roses==
I like it so much. The percussion, strings, acoustic guitar riffs. Perfect. I just don't like playing solo from Richie. It's hanging and meaningless. If they omit that parts, that'd be better.
==Everyday ==
Very disappointing. They couldn't make it. It just like some weird versions of "Everyday".
==Born to be my baby==
This song is great. But, in some particulars ways, there are some lack of senses. I can't let my mind flows with this song. The upbeat tempo is good. The arrangement also great. However, it's still worse song than everyday.
==Keep the faith==
The original version is very rock. Then they made it with the acoustic one. Well, not bad., I like it. But it's still ordinary.
==Ill be there for you ==
that's almost great. It is a beautiful song that is always very good. However, changing the arrangements on the song and the melody has focused on the chorus, it is much more boring. And once again, emphasizes Jon singing an octave below the point where you want him to sing. The song is not really go - the last chorus the same passion as the first chorus (or its absence).
I'm disappointed with Jovi's voice. His angelic voice seems gone. This is a bad re-arrange version.
I don't like this album. I'm the great fan of Bon Jovi. But with this album, I was very disappointed. I like his ballad. I want my old Jovi back! Just buy this album if you are the big fan of Jovi.
This review also published in ciao.com
Following three successful tours in the last four years, with the most recent being the Bounce tour, Bon Jovi have finally decided to release their "acoustic" album. After teasing many fans during the last tour by announcing that certain concerts would be acoustic, and the disappointment that some British fans felt at not being the lucky ones to have an acoustic gig played on their home turf, I thought that this album would make up for missing out on the acoustic concerts. Bon Jovi have been my favourite band since I was 10, and I have always loved hearing their songs done in acoustic style, prior to this album we had to make do with snippets that were downloaded from the net, as there was very few Bon Jovi acoustic songs available to buy. This Left Feels Right, is described as "greatest hits, with a twist" and that is certainly what it is. Fans were treated to sections of the songs days before the album was released - I managed to avoid them, wanted to hear the songs in their entirety before deciding if I liked them or not. I suppose I was expecting a different type of album from the one we got. I was expecting a stereotypical acoustic - unplugged type of album, instead we got a version where the songs were totally broken down, right back down to the basics and then built up again, slowed down and put to a different beat. It is strange for a die hard fan to hear the songs that you have known and loved for years changed in this way- If I am honest, some of them I love, and some I absolutely hate. I think it's best described in this way - Easy Listening Bon Jovi. To me, Bon Jovi should never be easy listening. Let me tell you a little more about the actual album: The version that I have is the Limited edition one that came with a bonus DVD. On the front cover there is a man sitting on a suitcase with Bon Jovi written on it in all styles that have been used on Bon Jovi albums over the years. The b
ack shows a picture of t he band sitting in a grassy area at Sanctuary II (Jon Bon Jovi's recording studio). Track 1: Wanted Dead or Alive. Usually this song is a real show stopper at concerts, a real cowboy song. This version of dead or alive has the same basic backing beat as the original, but has Jon's voice sounding somewhat synthesized. You can hear the whole band singing in the chorus, again sounding synthesized - it just sounds like they stuck all their voices onto a computer and fiddled around a bit and came up with this. It is not up there with the best. Track 2: Livin' On A Prayer featuring Olivia d'Abo. Even if you're not a Bon Jovi fan, you know this song. The story of the song is about a couple called Tommy and Gina, who are just getting by in life - livin' on a prayer. The original is very upbeat and positive. This version contains Olivia d'Abo's vocals, which give the song a whole different feel. D'Abo's voice gives the song a vulnerable sound to it - as if Gina is actually singing the words. The track sounds totally different from the original, and I really quite like it! Track 3: Bad Medicine. This is yet another Bon Jovi song that should never have been slowed down. Quite frankly it bores me. I do have a giggle at the changes of the lyrics that have been made to make it fit with the new backing music. Again, the music sounds nothing like the original. Obviously Richie Sambora has played a huge part in this track; there is a lot of guitar involvement. Track 4: It's my Life. I thought I would hate it, but I love it. Its My Life is probably the best known Bon Jovi song that has been released over the last few years. Usually an extremely upbeat song, this is slowed way down and it is a brilliant piece. It's My life is turned into a beautiful ballad. Track 5: Lay Your Hands on Me. This track sounds good. It hasn't been slowed dow
n as much as the others have, and that is probably what makes it stand out from some of the others. Track 6: You Give Love A Bad Name. This track has got a whole different sound , I suppose it could be described as a bit of rhythm and blues. This is usually a massive anthem type song, but it is somewhat unremarkable in this form. Track 7: Bed of Roses Bed of Roses was always a beautiful ballad, and it remains so on this track. It is not changed too much, in that Jon sings it in a very similar style as the original. I really like this. In recent concerts it has been felt that Jon has had difficulty in reaching the high notes, well this version does away with the higher notes that were always contained within this song. Track 8: Everyday This is an interesting version of Everyday. I was never all that keen on the original, but this song has maintained a real Bon Jovi feel to it. Track 9: Born to be my Baby Born to be my baby has to be one of my all time favourite Bon Jovi songs. I love the upbeat nature of the entire song in its original form. After hearing all of the previous songs, I was convinced that I would hate this version. I was very very pleasantly surprised. They have transformed this into a beautiful ballad, and I would have to say that this is my favourite of all the re-working. Track 10: Keep the Faith This is a really listenable track, especially if you want to relax. Its totally different from the original. Track 11: I'll be there for you I'll be there for you has turned into a very relaxing song, when I listen to it, I could very easily fall asleep - Bon Jovi have turned into music to fall asleep to! Track 12: Always How could someone change the popular ballad, Always and get away with it? It's actually ok. What it lacks though, is the feeling that made the original so good. I think that's it, I've put my finger on it. This entire album lack
s the passion that all Bon Jovi songs have that make them such popular songs. BONUS TRACKS: The Distance Joey The Bonus tracks were exactly what I had expected of the entire album, pure acoustic, unplugged Bon Jovi. They are brilliant pieces. The bonus DVD contains footage taken from the AOL sessions that were recorded on 3rd Dec. 2002. It includes: Love for Sale Someday I'll be Saturday Night Joey Misunderstood Diamond Ring Blood on Blood Again, these tracks are exactly what I had expected from the album, so it made buying the album worth while. There are no menus on the DVD, it plays the whole way through from start to finish and then restarts from the beginning again. It was obviously an afterthought - an afterthought that makes the entire album worth buying. While I am one of the biggest Bon Jovi Fan?s out (OK- don't laugh too hard), I will admit when they do not come up to scratch, and this is one of those occasions. The only thing that saves this CD is the DVD and the bonus tracks. Without them it wouldn't be worth buying. This album will be embraced by fans, but it is not one that someone who is not a fan will go out of their way to buy. The music from this album was played live Borgatta (USA) just before Christmas on 2 nights for a DVD recording. The band have said that it will be the only time that these tracks are played live. Thank Goodness. I love Bon Jovi, but I love them the way they are, the way their songs were originally wrote. *I've given this an overall rating of 4 stars - mainly due to the excellence of the DVD*
"This Left Feels Right" is probably best described as Bon Jovi's acoustic set of their greatest hits. As well as being acoustic every song in the set is reduced in pace whether it be lyrically or musically. It is definitely a different sound and does take a bit of getting used to. At its worst it approaches bad karaoke but at its best it is an enjoyable reworking of some classic material. The track list as follows (the version I have is the international version which contains "The Distance" as a bonus track) this can be bought at www.play.com the British version is identical minus this track (link to cd is http://www.play.com/play247.asp?page=title&r=CD&title=141624&p=34&c=&g=48) 1. Wanted Dead Or Alive This is one of the weaker tracks on the album. It has a lively opening, which is probably why it was chosen to be the opening track on the album. It sounds like Jon's voice has been altered and the chorus is little better sounding than a few drunken guys in the pub! Definitely one that will be skipped a lot on subsequent playing. (4/10) 2. Livin' On A Prayer Featuring Olivia D'Abo This is a far more interesting track. The tune is almost unrecognisable and its not 'til the lyrics start that it sounds familiar. The additional lyrics of Olivia D'Abo bring a fresh sound to the track. Having played it to death in every concert I imagine this is one of the songs they were keenest to apply a new approach to. The original is probably an easier track to convert to an acoustic and as a result this is one of the standout tracks. (8/10) 3. Bad Medicine Another song which lends itself to heavy guitars but produces an interesting acoustic track. The main part of this song was always the chorus and this is maintained albeit in an understated way. It is strangely appealing and definitely one of the more listenable tracks.(7/10) 4.
It's My Li fe This was a real surprise; the original is ok but nothing outstanding. However, it converts brilliantly, a slight echo has been added to Jon?s voice and as a ballad it is an excellent song. Certainly one of the few that may be commercially viable as a single, although even this track would struggle in the charts. (9/10) 5. Lay Your Hands On Me Another that is famous for the guitars and a loud chorus. This time it has been slowed a little but not as much as the others. It is a decent track without being a stand out. (6/10) 6. You Give Love A Bad Name This is a strange sound. Almost like a jazz song. Jon tries to put on a jazz voice and although it?s admirable to try a different sound it simply does not work. It is probably the track that has the most karaoke sound about it on the whole album. A major disappointment. (3/10) 7. Bed Of Roses Probably the song that was most suited to this style. The problem here was making it sound different from the previous version of the song. In truth it just sounds slightly different, there is probably more emphasis on the vocals than before, which is not a bad thing. (8/10) 8. Everyday I loved the original of this track but felt a bit let down by this version. The opening doesn?t really go anywhere, it does pick up after a minute or so and probably merits its place on the album, just. (5/10) 9. Born To Be My Baby This is the opposite, a track which starts promisingly enough. The verses are well suited to this type of music but the chorus causes real problems and as a result it is a song which seems rushed through at points. It is very enjoyable the chorus apart. (7/10) 10. Keep The Faith Another that needed a fresh sound. I had previously heard this unplugged where they played it with as much energy as possible and it was excellent. Here they have gone for the very s
low version again. Although this is one of my favourite every Bon Jovi tracks this version does nothing for me. A decent enough effort but not one fitting such a great song. (6/10) 11. I'll Be There For You I had real hopes for this song. It is one that relies on Jon?s voice more than the others. If anything this is a quicker version which takes a bit of getting used to. On the plus side it is easier to sing along with! I do like this version and can see it being one of the ones I listen to most. (8/10) 12. Always I have to admit that this is the song I was looking forward to the most. I imagine most people will be the same and that is why it?s kept ?til the end of the album. It is a magnificent version of the song and is full of feeling and emotion. Worth buying the album for alone. (10/10) 13. The Distance (International Bonus Track) More of an audience participation on this one which helps the build up. It is a great closing track and finishes the album on a real high. Why it is only on the international release is beyond me. (9/10) Overall (90/130) To be honest this is not an album that will attract any new fans to Bon Jovi. Their following seemed to grow massively with the release of the actual greatest hits (Crossroads) but this won?t happen here. It is a worthwhile addition to any fans collection but offers little to anyone else. There are too many weak moments, some bordering on self-indulgent. This album could only have been made with existing material that fans were familiar with, had it been new material I am sure it would have bombed. However, I am glad I bought it and anticipate listening to it a fair bit. If nothing else they deserve praise for trying something a bit different. Although more cynical people will see it as an easy option to cash in on the Christmas sales. Finally, I have recommended the album below as it is most likely fans that will
be reading this.


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subset: commoncrawl


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- the recent Apple pile-on;
- why your definition of "technology" should be broader than Apple and Microsoft; and
- why you should be in the market for shares of eBay.
Everyone's Taking Potshots at Apple Posted at 4:01 p.m. EDT on Friday, April 20. Can we go up without Apple ( AAPL)? I am beginning to think we can't. I am beginning to think that Apple has turned into a Spanish bond auction, for heaven's sake, and it has become the be-all and end-all of this market. I also believe that the parabolic move that got Apple up to the $600s was not sustainable and that what we have here is a $64 stock that has fallen to $57, and in falling that amount it has created a panic of epic proportions.


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Mr. McCAIN. Mr. President, I rise to comment on our failure to move forward with debate and discussion and amendments on this very important bill. The sponsors of the legislation and I may have very different proposals to address this compelling issue, but neither the sponsors nor I believe we should not have debate, discussion, and amendment.
Unfortunately, again, because of a requirement by Members that their amendment be voted on, apparently, the majority leader will now move on, fill the tree, amendments will not be allowed, and we will move on to other legislation. This affects 500-some-thousand American employees. We are talking about tens of billions of dollars. We are talking about an urgent need to restructure and reform the postal system in America. So now, because of demands of Senators to have votes on nongermane amendments, we will now move on to other legislation. I wonder when we will address the issue. May 15 is a very critical date in this whole scenario.
I would like to talk a bit about my proposal, and that basically is modeled after the bill that is pending in the other body, the House of Representatives.
Yesterday the Washington Post editorial said, ``The time for real postal reform is now.'' It begins:
For anyone who still does not quite grasp the technologically obsolescent U.S. Postal Service's calamitous financial situation, here are a few facts from Thursday's Government Accountability Office report.
Before I go through that, I will quote from a Washington Post article from November 18. It specifically refers to the pending legislation. It says:
The 21st Century Postal Service Act of 2011, proposed by Senators Joseph I. Lieberman and Susan Collins and passed last week by the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, is not a bill to save the U.S. Postal Service. It is a bill to postpone saving the Postal Service.
The service's announcement that it lost $5.1 billion in the most recent fiscal year was billed as good news, which suggests how dire its situation is. The only reason the loss was not greater is that Congress postponed the USPS's payment of $5.5 billion to prefund retiree health benefits. According to the Government Accountability Office, even $50 billion would not be enough to repay all of the Postal Service's debt and address current and future operating deficits that are caused by its inability to cut costs quickly enough to match declining mail volume and revenue.
The Collins-Lieberman bill, which transfers $7 billion from the Federal Employee Retirement System to the USPS--to be used for offering buyouts to its workers and paying down debts--can stave off collapse for a short time at best.
I point out that this is the Washington Post's view and the GAO's view, not necessarily that of this Senator.
Nor do the other measures in the bill offer much hope. The bill extends the payment schedule for the Postal Service to prefund its employee retirement benefits from 10 to 40 years. Yes, the funding requirement is onerous, but if the USPS cannot afford to pay for these benefits now, what makes it likely they will be able to pay later when mail volumes most likely will have plummeted further?
The article goes on to talk about one of the favorite tactics around here--more studies.
The bill also requires two more years of studies to determine whether a switch to five-day delivery would be viable.
I have to repeat that for my colleagues. We need to study for 2 years as to whether we need to reduce mail delivery from 6 days to 5 days. Isn't that marvelous. Isn't that marvelous--2 years to study. What it is is delaying what is absolutely necessary; that is, to have 5-day-a-week delivery.
One of my colleagues said it might keep someone from getting a newspaper in the mail. We are talking about $50 billion short, and we can't even reduce the number of days which has been recommended by the Postmaster General himself, so we are going to have 2 years to study whether we should switch to 5-day-a-week and whether that would be viable.
Continuing to quote from the Washington Post article:
These studies would be performed by a regulatory body that has already completed a laborious inquiry into the subject, a process that required almost a year.
So it will actually take 3 years.
This seems a pointless delay, especially given that a majority of Americans support the switch to five-day delivery.
We are sympathetic to Congress's wish to avoid killing jobs. And the bill does include provisions we have supported--such as requiring arbitrators to take the Postal Service's financial situation into account during collective bargaining and demanding a plan for providing mail services at retail outlets.
But this plan hits the snooze button on many of the postal service's underlying problems. Eighty percent of the USPS's budget goes towards its workforce; many of its workers are protected by no-layoff clauses.
Our Postal Service has no-layoff clauses in its contracts. I wonder if most Americans know that.
Seven billion dollars' worth of buyouts may help to shrink the workforce, but this so-called overpayment will come from taxpayers' pockets, and it is a hefty price to pay for further delay.
There is an alternative--a bill proposed by Representative Darrell Issa, (Republican-California) that would create a supervisory body to oversee the Postal Service's finances and, if necessary, negotiate new labor contracts. The bill, which just emerged from committee, is not perfect, but it offers a serious solution that does not leave taxpayers on the hook.
I wish to read from the April 14 Washington Post editorial, which I think sums up the situation.
For better or worse, our children's children will marvel at the fact that anyone ever used to send the paper thing called ``a letter.'' They'll be amazed to learn that we unnecessarily spent billions of dollars propping up a huge, inefficient system for moving these things around. But what would really astound future generations is that we borrowed that money and left it to them to pay it back.
There is no better description of what this bill is all about. My friends, I will be glad to go into a number of details, but it is very clear Congress and the Postal Service cannot make decisions, so what we need is the only thing we found that worked to reduce our bases in America, which was a BRAC. So what we need is a BRAC-like commission to identify those post offices and other facilities that need to be closed.
I wish to go back to what the article said about future generations. My friends, we now communicate with these. We communicate by e-mail and we communicate by tweeting and we communicate electronically in the ways we used to do with pen and paper or a typewriter. That is a fact. So we have seen a dramatic reduction in regular mail. We have seen it go down in a very dramatic fashion, which will accelerate over time. Listen, when guys my age are doing this, everybody is doing it. The fact is, everybody will be doing it, and they will not have to put a 30- or 40- or 50-cent or 60-cent stamp on a letter in order to get a message to their friends, families, business associates, et cetera.
Instead of doing as some did when the Pony Express was replaced by the railroad--trying to prop up a failing industry--let's find a graceful exit and, at the same time, preserve those functions of the Postal Service that will be around for a long time. There are functions that could stay around for a long time. But this is a dramatically changed world. We now have instant communications. We have instant news cycles, and we have today a proliferation, thank God, of information and knowledge that was unknown in previous years or in history. There are upsides and downsides to that, but the Postal Service delivering letters does not play any role in the future of information being shared and made available to citizens all over the world.
First-class mail makes up more than half of postal revenues. It is down by more than 25 percent since 2001. In the last 11 years, it is down 25 percent, and I promise that will accelerate. It continues on a downward spiral with no sign of recovery. This, combined with unsustainable 80-percent labor costs and labor contracts that contain no-layoff clauses, points to the hard reality the Postal Service is broken.
By the way, that is also the conclusion of the Government Accountability Office, which just recently issued a report entitled ``Challenges Related to Restructuring the Postal Service's Retail Network.'' Let me quote from that report.
In 2011, the American Postal Workers Union ..... and USPS management negotiated a 4-year agreement that limits transferring employees of an installation or craft to no more than 50 miles away.
How in the world did they negotiate an agreement that they would not transfer anybody farther than 50 miles away?
If USPS management cannot place employees within 50 miles, the parties are to jointly determine what steps may be taken, which includes putting postal employees on ``stand by'' which occurs when workers are idled but paid their full salary due to reassignments and reorganization efforts.
I am not making that up. If someone is a postal service worker and they want to be reassigned more than 50 miles away, they cannot do it. And if they can't do it, they put employees on stand-by, and they are idled but paid their full salary due to reassignments and reorganization efforts. My friends, it helps us to understand why 80 percent of their costs are in personnel.
The GAO, in its report, makes an argument basically for a BRAC. They call it the Commission on Postal Reorganization. Quoting the GAO once again:
The proposed Commission on Postal Reorganization could broaden the current focus on individual facility closures--which are often contentious, time consuming and inefficient--to a broader network-wide restructuring, similar to the BRAC approach. In other restructuring efforts where this approach has been used, expert panels have successfully informed and permitted difficult restructuring decisions, helping to provide consensus on intractable decisions. As previously noted, the 2003 report of the President's Commission on the USPS also recommended such an approach relating to the consolidation and rationalization of USPS's mail processing and distribution infrastructure. We also reported in 2010 that Congress may want to consider this approach to assist in restructuring organizations that are facing key financial challenges.
GAO has testified that USPS cannot continue providing services at current levels without dramatic changes in its cost structure. Optimizing the USPS's mail processing network would help USPS by bringing down costs related to excess and inefficient resources.
Continuing to read from the GAO report:
Lack of flexibility to consolidate its workforce: USPS stated it must be able to reduce the size of its workforce in order to ensure its costs are less than revenue. Action in this area is important since USPS's workforce accounts for about 80 percent of its costs.
We are faced with a very difficult decision, and the amendment and substitute I have has a number of provisions. I see my friend from Connecticut is on the floor, and I know he wants to discuss this issue as well, but the fact is we are looking at a Postal Service that once upon a time was so important to the United States of America it was even mentioned in the Constitution. Since those days, and in the intervening years, the Postal Service performed an incredibly outstanding job in delivering mail and communications to our citizens all over America-- in all settings, in all parts of our country--and they deserve great credit for doing so. But now we face a technological change.
As I understand it, a huge portion of their mail now is made up of so-called junk mail, which is advertising mail. Americans in greater and greater numbers are making use of this new technology, as I pointed out, and it is time we understood that and we stopped this incredible hemorrhaging of money. According to the Postal Service itself, by 2020, they are expecting to face up to a $238 billion shortfall. They are expecting a $238 billion shortfall in just the next 8 years--$238 billion. The Postal Service has reached its borrowing limit of $15 billion. Even with dramatic cost savings of $12 billion and workforce reduction of 110,000 postal employees in the past 4 years, the Postal Service is still losing money. In fact, the Postal Service has said it could lose as much as $18 billion annually by 2015 if not given the necessary flexibility it needs to cut costs and transform.
What does the legislation before us do? It delays by 2 years for a study--a study--to figure out whether we should go from 6 days a week to 5 days a week. I wonder how long it would take some smart people to figure out whether we should go from a 5-day delivery versus 6 days. According to the sponsors of the bill, it takes them 2 years, after they have already studied it for 1 year. Remarkable. Remarkable.
What we need--and this is, unfortunately, testimony to the lack of political courage of Members of Congress and members of the administration--a BRAC process. We need a BRAC process, where we can appoint a number of men and women who are knowledgeable and who are willing to make these decisions for us and then those decisions would be made and it would come back for an up-or-down vote in the Congress of the United States.
I point out again, this bill before us locks in the current service standards for 3 years. It will make it impossible to go forward with the vast bulk of the Postal Service's planned network consolidation for at least 3 years. It puts in place significant new steps, including public notice and comment, before a processing plant can be closed. It gives appeal rights to the PRC for processing plant closures and gives binding authority to this PRC to keep a plant open to protect service standards.
The bill adds a number of new regulations designed to make it more difficult to close post offices. It includes a post office closure moratorium until retail service standards are created. It gives the PRC the ability to enforce a ``retail service standard'' which would enable the PRC to not only require appealed post offices stay open but even require new post offices to be open if a complaint is lodged.
It continues the 2-year delay before USPS can go to 5-day delivery, as I mentioned, and it removes a provision in the reported text that required arbitrators to take into account pay comparability in any decision. It replaces it with vague language that says ``nothing in this section may be construed to limit the relevant factors that the arbitration board may take into consideration.''
If that isn't vague language I don't know what is. Let me repeat it. They want the board to do nothing in this section of the legislation that could be construed to limit the relevant factors that the arbitration board may take into consideration. That is pretty good guidance, isn't it?
I could go on and on, but in summary I would just go back to the Washington Post's final paragraph of their article and repeat--and this is what this is all about, my friends.
For better or worse, our children's children will marvel at the fact that anyone ever used to send the paper thing called ``a letter.'' They'll be amazed to learn that we unnecessarily spent billions of dollars propping up a huge, inefficient system for moving these things around. But what would really astound future generations is that we borrowed that money and left it to them to pay it back.
I thank the sponsors of this bill for the great effort they made. I think we have open and honest disagreements that deserve debate and discussion and amendments. They deserve amendments and they deserve honest debate. We are talking about the future of the Postal Service in America and we are talking about literally, over time, hundreds of billions of dollars of taxpayers' money.
I hope the majority leader will reconsider and allow amendments to be proposed. I hope my colleagues will not insist on a vote on a nonrelevant amendment as a condition to moving forward with legislation. That is not right either.
I have said time after time, because I have been around here for a long time, we should have people sit down, both majority and Republican leaders, and say, okay, how many amendments do you want? Which amendments do you want voted on? Give them a reasonable handful, which we did not that long ago, and then you have those votes and move forward.
This is important legislation. The Senator from Connecticut will point out that May 15 is a critical day. This issue cannot be strung out forever.
I hope we can sit down with the majority and Republican leader and come up with some amendments that would be allowed and then move forward. I don't know if my amendment will be agreed to, but I think it deserves a vote. I think it deserves debate and consideration.
Again, I thank the sponsors, three of the four of whom are on the floor, for their hard work. I look forward to the opportunity to have honest and open debate and discussion on this very important legislation. I know they and their staffs have put in hundreds and hundreds of hours of work on this legislation to bring it to the floor.
I yield the floor.
Source: http://thomas.loc.gov


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Ardell D. Palmquist, age 95 of Taylors Falls, died on Monday, March 19, 2012 at Fairview Lakes Regional Medical Center in Wyoming.
Ardell Dorothy (Knudtsen) Palmquist was born on July 19, 1916 in Sandstone, Minnesota, to parents, Albert and Anna (Bjorklund) Knudtsen. She grew up in Henning, Minnesota, on a country farm.
In 1939, she married Philip Palmquist and they moved to Maplewood where they built the home they lived in for over 50 years. They raised 5 children and an assortment of dogs, cats, and other pets there.
Ardell was very involved with her children and all of their activities. She cheered at sporting events, and sewed many costumes for church plays and Halloween nights.
For many years, she was Mor Mor to many Hmong children and their moms who attended the "New Americans" class at Trinity Baptist church. All of them received Christmas gifts for which she found donations year after year.
In her later years she moved to Almelund where she and Phil rebuilt and restored a house and barn built in the 1850s.
They were active in the Kost Free Church where a new group of children learned to love Mor Mor. Ardell also enjoyed a Bible study group with her church friends there.
She lived independently in her beloved farmhouse until her death at age 95.
She is survived by her children, Joyce (Ron) Halverson of Shoreview; Jim (Beverly Markis) of Minneapolis; David (Yuliya) of Center City; Mary (Nathan) Bixler of Albuquerque, N.M.; Bob (Pam) of Northfield; Her grandchildren are Steve and Eileen Halverson, Jonathan and Kara Halverson, Nancy Jackson, Peter and Jessie Halverson, Ana Maria and Tommy Tufenk, Mark Palmquist, Rachel and Jonathan Milton, Joel Bixler, Daniel Bixler, Alyssa Palmquist, and Lara Palmquist. She is also survived by nine great-grandchildren and brothers, Ron (Jane) Knudtsen of Colorado Springs, Clo., and Roger (Anita) Knudtsen of Red Wing.
She is preceded in death by her parents, husband, Philip on December 3, 2002 and her sister, Marcella Danielson.
Funeral services will be at 1 p.m. on Friday, March 23, 2012 at the Kost Evangelical Free Church in Kost with Rev. Dean Paulson and Rev. Ray Chesire officiating. Serving as organist will be Marlys Christenson.
Interment will follow the service in the church cemetery.
Serving as casket bearers are grandsons, Daniel Bixler, Joe Bixler, Nate Bixler, Steve Halverson, Jonathan Halverson and Peter Halverson.
Memorials are preferred to Kost Ev. Free Church.
Arrangements are under the direction of Grandstrand Funeral Home in North Branch. Condolences maybe left at www.grandstrandfh.com.


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Latest Updates
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Trea M Regan
Horrifying and it was sad cos there little we can do to help them esp if our help is gonna get blocked by putin's neo nazis .... that girl the witch .... shared her facebook and pic but I dont advise...
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Enough is Enough! Action against Homophobia
Did anyone watch the Dispatches documentary 'Hunted' on Channel 4 last night? What did you think? http://www.channel4.com/news/gay-russian-sochi-hunting-season-we-are-the-hunted
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Enough is Enough! Action against Homophobia
All Out has organised protests all over the world today to break their silence on Russia's anti-gay laws and speak out in support of LGB&T Russians. The London protest is taking place tonight at 6pm o...
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Enough is Enough! Action against Homophobia
This brilliant speech has been putting a lot of people 'straight' over the last few days over what homophobia is, what it does and how difficult it can be to explain the effect it has on all of us.
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Enough is Enough! Action against Homophobia
More than 50 Olympic athletes have called on Russia to repeal their anti-gay laws... http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2014/jan/30/olympic-athletes-russia-repeal-anti-gay-laws
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Enough is Enough! Action against Homophobia
A positive step for LGB&T human rights.
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Change your profile pic NOW!
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Enough is Enough! Action against Homophobia
In support of Manchester Hate Crime Awareness Week, The LGF are urging any victims of a hate crime or incident to REPORT IT. Read more here: http://bit.ly/lgfreporthate
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Soph Holland
Good man, out and proud sportsman, is the way forward xx
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Sue Weston-Green
Well done Liam wishing you all the best x
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Enough is Enough! Action against Homophobia
Following Thomas Hitzlsperger's coming out after his retirement from football, British footballer Liam Davis has decided to openly reveal that he's gay at the beginning of his career. What do you thin...
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Julie Price
when are heterosexuals going to have a coming out day?
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Enough is Enough! Action against Homophobia
Former footballer Thomas Hitzlsperger says There's 'a long way to go' before a premiership star comes out and continues playing: http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2014/01/09/thomas-hitzlsperger-theres-...
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Enough is Enough! Action against Homophobia
Our best wishes to former premiership footballer Thomas Hitzlsperger who has come out as gay today. If you or anyone you know needs advice and support with coming out then we're here to help. Contact ...
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Stewart Gray
Why does he have a copy of Davidson's P&P of Medicine? (p.s. my eyesight is amazing)
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Adam Thomson
me thinks Imran is tres handsome.
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Enough is Enough! Action against Homophobia
Bollywood star Imran Khan has taken part in a comedy sketch highlighting the ignorance of a law re-introduced by the Indian government prohibiting gay sex. http://www.gaystarnews.com/article/indian-ac...
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Susan Shuttleworth
Backward nation
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Vladimir Petrov
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Enough is Enough! Action against Homophobia
Utterly horrific news coming out of Uganda today as their anti-homosexual law is passed. The bill also makes it a crime punishable by a prison sentence, not to report homosexual activities to the poli...
- 11:35 AM Dec 20thviaFacebook


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With the 9 Tony Award nominations for Rodgers + Hammerstein's CINDERELLA announced this morning, once again Rodgers and Hammerstein stand tall and proud among the best of Broadway.
Perhaps Rodgers & Hammerstein are unique in the world of the Tony Awards for having received so many nominations, awards, and special Tony awards over the years – not only for the premiere productions, but for revivals, subsequent revivals, even revisals, and shows whose Broadway premieres came years after their initial creation. STATE FAIR led that particular way in 1996, when the first stage version of the beloved 1945 film received two Tony nominations.
CINDERELLA, originally created for CBS Television in 1957, has never been on Broadway before, and this spectacular multi-nominated production brings with it not only Rodgers & Hammerstein pedigree, but a host of collaborators and performers whose amazing work was acknowledged this morning. It's a rare breed – a title familiar enough among the world of musical theater to be recognized as a classic – hence the classification of it as a Revival (now a nominated Revival!) – and yet new enough to have an entirely new book (now a nominated book!) as well as an entirely new and fresh take on the fairy tale world the story warrants (now with nominated costumes, lighting, sound, orchestrations!) And then the cast – when Cinderella, the Prince, and the Fairy Godmother all get Tony nominations, you know something is right with the world. Especially with the world of Rodgers + Hammerstein's CINDERELLA.


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I love these letters. The details in the letters come out perfect every time. I have found this stamp set more useful than I originally thought since I have boys; but I have used them on all sorts of pages. I particularly like them on pages about the garden and tropical vacations.
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I love all of Technique Tuesday Stamps, but this one is especially beautiful. The details are clear and distinct in every letter of the alphabet and it is so easy to quicly make your own titles with ready to go stamps.
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As Different As Night and Day 'The Odd Couple' [VIDEO]
I would of never guessed that Jack Klugman would have out-lived Tony Randall who starred in a show called 'The Odd Couple' as Felix Unger and Oscar Madison. Felix and Oscar were two divorced or seperated men who shared a Manhattan apartment. Felix is a neat freak while Oscar is sloppy and casual. Their different lifestyles lead to conflicts and lots of laughs.


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Volume 9 Issue 2 February 2004
As mentioned in January's newsletter, our ancestor James Rumney Marsh Quanapohkit Wiser was born in 1636 (probably in Rumney Marsh, now known as Chelsea, MA) and died in 1712 in Natick, MA. James was the first of his family to use the surname Wiser. To date, we still do not know why he took this as a last name, but we believe that Quanapohkit may have meant "Wiseman or Wiser" in his native language.
After a little more research, it seems unlikely that Quanapohkit means "Wiseman or Wiser". I would guess based upon the following examples that Quanapohkit probably meant "long pond."
The Wakefield Public Library offered these alternative spellings of our ancestor's name Quanapohkit; Quannophitt, Quonopohit, Quanaphkownatt, Quenepenett, Quanapaug, and Conophit.
We do have the meaning of many Algonquin words (native language of the Massachuset people).
The prefix "Cano, Quana, Quinna, Quan, Quine, and other variations" must mean "long" based upon the following examples:
Canopaug-a long pond, brook and swamp and village in North Scituate, on the east side, sometimes spelled in deeds Quonopaug. The brook rises from the swamp and runs westerly to the Moshwansicut river.
Quanduck-long stream or river.
Quanatumpic-long ford.
Quanacontaug-long beach.
Qunonpaug-long pond
Quinebaug- "long watery open place" or more succinctly, "long pond".
Quinnatisset-"long small place or little long river"
We must note that one of the alternative names for Quanapohkit is Quanapaug, and it's meaning is noted above in three places. It would therefore seem likely that our ancestor's name Quanapohkit probably meant in the native language, "long pond".
However, there is some confusion on this, as there is a reference to "two descendants of Nanapashemet-Quanapaug and Quanapohit, living on Deer Island who had become Christians taking the names of James and Thomas. They became spies for the English during King Philip's war for a promise of payment of 5 pounds each. King Philip has put a price on their heads but they managed to escape his wrath."
Therefore, it is possible that Quanapohkit and Quanapaug were two different people. However, it seems more likely both were referred to as Quanapohkit or Quanapaug, this being a family name in addition to their surname "Rumneymarsh or RumneyMarsh".
My cousin, Robert Raymond, also has a theory about how the Wiser surname evolved that I would like to share with you:
Just in the last couple of months I've started to entertain a different possible origin for the surname Wiser. I've thought it would be interesting to find out the time frame in which he started using the surname Wiser.
It would not surprise me if it occurred after being hated and rejected by fellow native Americans for spying for the British, after his incarceration on Deer Island for being native American, after his forced resettlement in Natick, after the return of his uncle, Sagamore George who had his eyes gouged out by the British and was then sold into slavery in the Caribbean—and then to return to live out his final, blind days in James' house--James, who shared his Christian surname, Rumneymarsh.
(I'm writing from memory here, so if any if this doesn't sound factual, it probably is because I've got my facts mixed up.)
I've started to entertain the possibility that James came out of King Phillips' War a disillusioned man, questioning his early decision of allegiance to the British. Perhaps, just perhaps, he could no longer carry the surname attached to his pain. Maybe he would have preferred never using an English surname again. But assimilation by the whites probably had a way of requiring an English surname. What new name to assume, then? Perhaps he chose a surname that reflected his feelings about his life's decisions, his sufferings and his betrayals.
Just a theory--one that might easily be disproved by a timeline showing what names he used at what times...Robert Raymond
Unfortunately, we probably never will find the actual answer for how our "Wiser" name originated as our surname? But for those of us with the surname "Wiser", or with "Wiser" ancestry, we can be very proud of the legacy left by these men and women we now know as our ancestors.
Over the years as I have corresponded with all branches of the "Wiser" family, in almost every case, relatives have shared the Native American tradition with me. They have also shared the hesitancy of older family members to discuss family history because of the stigmatism and prejudice attached to being Indian in earlier days. I'm grateful we now live in a day when the majority are appreciated and recognized for who they are and what their contributions have been in making this a better country.
Once again, thanks for any suggestions in regards to our family newsletter. Please contact me at or at 6 Baton Rouge, Roswell, NM 88201, or at (505) 623-2534.
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Product Summary
The HP StorageWorks U320e SCSI Host Bus Adapter provides customers with the flexibility and speed they have come to expect from HP. This HBA is ideal for HP MSL Tape Library customers needing to attach to ProLiant servers using the PCI-Express interface, and provides support for Ultra320 SCSI, Wide Ultra3 SCSI, and Wide Ultra2 SCSI protocols. It is the primary building block for SCSI backup solutions that provide the maximum of 320 MB/second bandwidth, twice the speed of previous-generation SCSI adapters.
General Information
|Product Type
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|StorageWorks Dual Channel U320e SCSI Host Bus Adapter
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|Host Interface
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This product is shipped only within Canada and Warranty valid for Canada only.
Computer Valley makes every effort to provide accurate specifications, descriptions, images and price on all products that are found on www.computervalley.ca
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text: Recently, everytime my phone charge says its complete, the charge goes down one seemingly right after i go to start using it. Also just tonight, i charged it, unplugged from the wall, and began to play a song on my phone, and about a minute into the song, my phone just shut down and so i had to turn it back on. Does anyone know what could be wrong and what i could do to maybe fix the problem? Any help on this matter would be greatly appreciated. BTW in case you are wondering, I have had the phone since July of 2011.


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The next time you watch an old movie, close your eyes for a few minutes and just listen. Without the visuals, the movie will likely feel flat—and you may even have a hard time understanding the dialogue.
Film soundtracks from the 1960s were "little more than audible subtitles," Ioan Allen, Senior Vice President at Dolby Laboratories, said recently, and most moviegoers at the time didn't realize how poor the sound quality was: "It's in color. You can see the lips move. And the brain will do all kinds of compensation to understand the words."
Allen, who was hired in 1969 to work with the music industry, was instrumental in the company's innovations in cinema sound beginning in 1971. He recently spoke with a group of Dolby employees about the history of the company's film program. Playing movie clips from 1934 to the present, Allen took his audience from the introduction of Dolby Stereo®, which expanded movie sound from mono to three speakers (left, center, and right) behind the screen, to Dolby Atmos®, which lets the filmmaker precisely place sounds all around the theatre.
(For a visual look at the development of movie sound, check out our cinema sound history infographic.)
Into the world of cinema sound
By the end of 1971, Dolby® noise reduction equipment dominated the music recording industry, and the company needed another challenge to conquer.
Film was clearly the next frontier. Where music recordings included only a few tracks of sound, movies contained hundreds dialogue, music, and sound effects. "The more tracks, the more hiss," Allen noted.
"We did a bunch of mono films with Dolby noise reduction," said Allen, "but to be successful, we had to introduce stereo." Stereo would produce a richer sound and attract more moviegoers. Working with Eastman Kodak, Dolby engineers developed Dolby Stereo in 1974.
The technology's commercial breakthrough was Star Wars (1977). "Every print of Star Wars was a Dolby Stereo print," he said, and audiences came to screenings in droves.
Successful movies of that time ran for six or even nine months, Allen pointed out. With ticket sales booming, a cinema owner who bought new equipment to run Star Wars in Dolby Stereo could recoup the cost in one week. In San Francisco, the 1,350-seat Coronet theatre was one of about 40 in the United States that began showing a 70 mm Dolby Stereo magnetic print of the movie in late May 1977. By early November, the Coronet had sold more than $2 million in tickets.
More hit movies in Dolby Stereo followed, including Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977) and Superman (1978). For Allen, another breakthrough was Terence Malick's Days of Heaven (1978), which he characterized as "the first quiet, subtle movie" to show the power of Dolby Stereo.
"By 1985, every film—without exception—was a Dolby Stereo movie," said Allen.
Analog sound gives way to digital sound
By 1986, the music industry wanted more noise reduction. Company founder Ray Dolby spent much of his time developing Dolby spectral recording, known as Dolby SR, which provided 25 decibels of noise reduction and extremely low distortion. "I would not hesitate to say that [Dolby] SR is still probably the best recording quality you can get," Allen noted.
Dolby SR was used in analog music recording and became ubiquitous in films, starting with Robocop and Inner Space in 1986. But by 1992, Allen said, "the world was digital crazy."
Working with digital audio compression technologies to "squash more things into a smaller pipe," Dolby engineers in 1992 developed Dolby Digital, which delivered 5.1 channels of cinema sound: left, center, right, left surround, right surround, and subwoofer (that's the ".1"). Digital audio data on 35 mm film is stored just left of the analog soundtrack, between the sprocket holes, where film receives the least wear over time.
Asked for a rear surround channel on 35 mm film, Dolby engineers created Dolby Surround EX™, which encodes three surround channels into two surround tracks. And with the introduction of digital cinema, Dolby Surround 7.1 split the rear surround speakers into left and right channels.
Dolby Atmos
It's conceivable that companies could "carry on piling up channels," as Allen put it, and some have. But there's a drawback. "If you have a pan of sound going from the screen to a side wall, that texture change, that transition from a single lefthand front loudspeaker to the lefthand [speaker] array will never sound smooth. The texture will always change."
That led Dolby engineers to develop Dolby Atmos. The new format gives filmmakers the flexibility to place a sound anywhere in the theatre, even overhead, then precisely move that sound to reflect the action on the screen. The effect is to transport you into the story in a way no other cinema sound can.
Filmmakers have praised the new audio format. Academy Award® winning director Alfonso Cuarón used Dolby Atmos in Gravity, which won seven Oscars, including the awards for sound editing and sound mixing. Cuarón said, "I was always asking for possibilities in the mixing room that were not achievable, and now finally with this system—that is, Dolby Atmos—you know, [it's] this dream come true … You really can explore the possibilities of depth and separation as never before."
More than 100 film titles have been released in Dolby Atmos. At last count, more than 450 Dolby Atmos equipped screens have been installed worldwide, with another 150 planned.
Although proud of what's been done so far, Allen, who won an Oscar® in 1989 for his many technological contributions to the film industry, will consider the format a true success when filmmakers begin using Dolby Atmos to make movies that plumb its subtle power: "I'd like to find the Days of Heaven of this day and age in order to show how Dolby Atmos can be used for a quiet movie."


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Nathan Kirykos Articles
Last 50 articles...
- Is Now the Time for a Bargain Hunter to Invest in Stone Energy?
- Does Miller Energy Have Rebound Potential?
- These 3 Companies Can Reap the Low-Hanging Fruit of Mexican Energy
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- Drilling Into Cathedral Energy Services' Present And Future
- Attention Bargain Hunters: Magnum Hunter Has Run Its Course
- Growth and Innovation Drive These 2 Oilfield-Service Companies
- International Expansion Can Help Total Energy Services Grow


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Last Sat CD 11 & 12 I had pos OPKs and copious amounts of EWCM, in fact there was so much I was worried it was the preseed . (but this didn't appear on any of the other days I used preseed). On monday I had a slight temp rise. enough to make my chart show ovulation. I have had a steady rise in temp every day since. My cervix was so high on Sunday that I couldn't even reach it. By Monday is was still very high but very firm and closed. Monday my CM dried up, completely dry it was a massive difference from the previous two days. Monday and tuesday my cervix stayed high and firm and dry. Then Thurs with my cervix still high and firm but easier to reach my CM was EWCM with a little bit of creamy with it. Then today more EWCM, but also mixed with a little bit of creamy. Has anyone ever experienced this ? I am worried. I thought we really covered O day but now my husband has been out of town for 3 days. if this EWCM means ovulation then we really missed it.
Help! EWCM 6 days after ovulation?
3 posts / 0 new
Help! EWCM 6 days after ovulation?
I hooked my FF chart on to my sig today somehow that chart looks easier to read to me. Thanks to anyone who has any info!!
Hi Stephanie-
Don't know if this will help or not, but a couple days after I O I almost always have creamy CM. And it sticks around periodically during my entire 2ww. It does have a bit of a stretch to it sometimes but doesn't exactly resemble my EWCM. It is more creamy colored and doesn't stretch very much. I remember one of the girls a while back said that it is caused by a surge of estrogen your body produces after you O and is normal (hope I'm remembering that correctly).
I don't check my cervix so I can't be of help there, but I'd say by your chart it absolutely looks like you have O'd.


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We have mentioned BigDogs being used by the military and now it seems the Boston Dynamics robots are actually being sent to Afghanistan.
Also going to war will be unmanned K-Max helicopters that can carry loads of up to 6,000 lbs. During its run, its autonomous flight brain finds the best route and will alter course should it come across a no-fly zone. The more we read about robotics in war situations, the more we think that both sides should send bots to fight and the last BigDog standing wins.
Via Fox News
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Samplitude Pro X3 delivers the highest level of audio quality, even in complex recording sessions. Arrange audio and MIDI data on a total of 999 tracks.
With up to 256 physical inputs and outputs, working on large projects is no problem at all. Use common audio formats from 16-bit to 32-bit floating point as well as sample rates up to 384 kHz.
The hybrid audio engine includes a combination of a high-performance engine and full latency compensation. The Low Latency Engine reduces response times when calculating real-time effects and enables accurate Live Monitoring at lower latencies.
The integrated High Performance Engine provides for highly efficient system utilization. This in turn allows for sophisticated effects, software instruments and other plug-ins to be added to Samplitude Pro X3.
Thanks to the ongoing improvements in CPU performance, DAWs can be operated completely independent of external DSP hardware.
Multi-core support in Samplitude Pro X3 offers you the option to scale your studio setup according to its intended use and thus achieve optimum system performance.


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Bike Ride
53 ft
- Begins in:
- White Castle, LA, United States
- Created By:
- Carl Barbier
- Description:
- This is a 32.67 mi Bike Ride in White Castle, LA, United States. The Bike Ride has a total ascent of 53.1 ft and has a maximum elevation of 52.53 ft. This route was created by carlbarbier on 01/23/2006. View other Bike Rides that carlbarbier has done or find similar maps in Saint Gabriel.
- Type:
- Bike Ride


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Kensington, MD 20895-4041
Sarah McKechnie, MA, AHFS, is the manager of community fitness at Holy Cross Hospital in Silver Spring, Maryland.
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Below: Sonny demonstrating the pretzel for the Salsa for Fitness series.
I am new to the dance scene & never had a dance lesson in my life. I was always afraid to take dance lessons because I felt people would stare at my two left feet and the teacher would simply give up on me. I had always thought a dance lesson would be an uncomfortable experience until I had my first dance lesson from Sonny. I didn't expect a teacher to be so patient, intuitive, and accommodating to my inexperienced dance skills. The dance studio was the most charming and relaxing environment to learn in too. Everyone was so professional & the other students were simply too focused on the joy of dance to evaluate my lack of ability. Sonny made my beginning dance lesson a comfortable and enjoyable experience. I look forward to many more lessons from Sonny. - Nick P.


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Ten years ago, a crowd gathered in Firdos Square in Baghdad and pulled down a 12-metre statue of Saddam Hussein. The event provided perhaps the iconic image of the Iraq invasion, and the day – April 9 – came to mark the end of Hussein's regime.
It also marked the beginning of the process of writing the history of Iraq under Hussein's Baath regime. That remains a controversial undertaking. In the days and weeks after the fall of Baghdad, occupying US troops seized records from Hussein's palaces, Iraq's ministries of defence and intelligence, as well as Baath party institutions.
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I married young. After our first child, a son, my wife decided she wanted no more babies. So, I had a vasectomy to please her. Three years later, she decided she wanted more babies, which I couldn't give her. We divorced. When she remarried, her husband didn't like my son. So, I got custody of him. I married a lady that had never been married but had a daughter two years younger than my son. We knew our two kids got along fine together. We made sure they knew about safe sex as we were sure they were into hot sex. When my son graduated from high school, he joined the military. Last summer, when my stepdaughter graduated from high school, we went on a tour of Europe and visited my son stationed in Germany. London was lots of sight seeing, then to France. We saw some sexy show with nude ladies that turned us all on. Once in Germany, we visited my son for a few days. As tourists, we were handed brochures about brothels. My son explained that brothels were legal and for both men and women. My wife and I discussed us going to a brothel as a family. The next weekend, we had dinner with my son on a Friday night. Then we visited a brothel. The four of us chose our own people to play with. That night in the hotel, my wife and I shared a bed while my son slept with his stepsister. The next day, we did some sightseeing and had the same arrangement at the hotel. On Sunday, my son had to return to his base. After dinner, my wife and stepdaughter again visited a brothel. Back at the hotel, my stepdaughter showered. Then my wife showered. Knowing my wife always spent lots of time in the shower, I was in my robe sitting on the bed along side of my stepdaughter. Both of us just had our robes on. I asked if she enjoyed the brothel visits. She assured me she did, especially the last one where she had a black man that knew how to please her. I was getting excited, so I moved over to kiss my stepdaughter. She responded by kissing me very hot. I touched her. She didn't object as we were still kissing. I moved down to give her oral. Then we had full sex. It was fast and done before my wife came out of the shower. Since then, we have gotten together many times before she went away to college. During the holidays, we had three more times. Like her mother, she is always wild and kinky. Nothing but the best. -Bryan, 46
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3010 Haseley Court, Grovetown, GA, 30813
Tudor Branch
Honey Stop The Car... We've Got To See It Today! Built in 2008, has been meticulously and lovingly maintained. This residence a Great room with fireplace and vaulted ceiling with exposed wood beams, formal dining room, stained wood ceiling in Kitchen & breakfast area. Beautiful custom Kitchen with granite countertops and custom cabinets. Heavy crown molding and wood treatments throughout add to the upscale elegance. The cares of the world seem to take a welcome respite at this wonderful place you're now fortunate to call home.


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Christian Bale Can Be Nice. See?
Although we have audio proof that Christian Bale can be a hell of a Grumpy Gus when crossed, he seems in good spirits as he walks through Brentwood with his arm around his wife Sibi Blazic.
The couple made their way to their car after enjoying lunch at Sor Tino with Christian sporting a Terminator Salvation t-shirt with the word "crew" conspicuously printed on the back. Cause he's such a team player.
Gallery Info: Christian Bale and wife Sibi Blazic leaving Sor Tino in Brentwood, California.