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 | Canon PowerShot SD1000 7.1MP Digital Elph Camera with 3x Optical Zoom (Silver) |
 | "Just what I wanted" | 2007-07-12 |
I looked at many little digital cameras before I purchased this Canon. It did not disappoint. I wanted something small enough to slip into my pocket, but sophisticated enough to give me lots of options. It is easy to use. The battery retains its charge longer than I ever hoped it would. I also like the easy-to-use software which downloads the pictures and allows for a little editing. It's a gem of a camera.
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 | Boston Acoustics Receptor HD Clock Radio |
 | "Does not measure up" | 2006-05-31 |
This is a very expensive clock radio, and I bought it because of the HD capability. I was very disappointed in its reception. I placed it on the same spot on the nightstand where my $25 AM/FM clock radio had sat. The cheap radio picked up all my AM/FM stations with pretty good reception. The Boston radio could barely pick up the local PBS station. My favorite local AM station sounded like it was in another state. The engineers should go back to the drawing board. This is a very expensive radio with a very cheap reception system. It's hard to appreciate all the features of HD if you can't hear your station. I returned the radio one day after receiving it. I purchased it from Amazon and was very pleased with the entire transaction. I never hesitate to buy from Amazon because I know they will take returns with no problem. I hope I can find an AM/FM clock radio with HD that will really do the job.
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 | Boston Acoustics Receptor HD Clock Radio (Platinum) |
| "Does not measure up" | 2006-05-30 |
This is a very expensive clock radio, and I bought it because of the HD capability. I was very disappointed in its reception. I placed it on the same spot on the nightstand where my $25 AM/FM clock radio had sat. The cheap radio picked up all my AM/FM stations with pretty good reception. The Boston radio could barely pick up the local PBS station. My favorite local AM station sounded like it was in another state. The engineers should go back to the drawing board. This is a very expensive radio with a very cheap reception system. It's hard to appreciate all the features of HD if you can't hear your station. I returned the radio one day after receiving it. I purchased it from Amazon and was very pleased with the entire transaction. I never hesitate to buy from Amazon because I know they will take returns with no problem. I hope I can find an AM/FM clock radio with HD that will really do the job.
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 | Panasonic DVD Recorder with 120GB Hard Disk - DMRE85HS |
| "Totally changed the way I watch TV" | 2006-02-15 |
I have had this unit for well over a year. It has really changed the way I watch TV. Sometimes I sit down on a Sunday and scan the TV guide for channels I like for the week ahead. The machine records these on the hard drive. At my convenience, I watch the shows. Naturally, I speed through the commercials. Most often, I erase the show after watching. However, it is something I want to save, I either leave it on the huge hard drive or dub it to a disc. I hope the price will come down so that I can buy another one for another room in the house.
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 | Walking to Vermont : From Times Square into the Green Mountains -- a Homeward Adventure |
 | "Not over the hill yet" | 2005-02-02 |
A good book for those who are interested in nature, human and otherwise. At age 65, this New York Times foreign correspondent walks out of the Times building and just keeps on walking. Four hundred miles and five weeks later, he is at home in Vermont. This book chronicles the ups and downs, humanly and geographically, as he hoofs his way on New York city streets, over highways, under bridges, through towns and villages, over the Appalachian Trail, arriving home just in time to feed the cats. Henry David Thoreau is his philosophical mentor as he ponders things like the best way to carry a backpack, filter your water, boil your oatmeal, keep the mosquitoes away, pamper aches and pains, and decide upon a suitable trail name. Along the way he meets an interesting variety of fellow travelers, most walking for reasons that go way beyond just exercise. Civilization is never far away, and the author meets up occasionally with his wife and friends, when he forsakes the Daniel Boone lifestyle for that of the aging jet-setter dining in an exclusive restaurant. He admits that after these respites he is glad to hit the lonely trail again. During the book the reader is treated to gentle flashbacks that reveal Wren's adventurous career as a reporter in Russia, China, the Middle East, and other exotic locales. These recollections seem a bit shoehorned in, but they are necessary to understand how far the author has come. After what he has seen in his life, a hike of four hundred miles is just a walk in the woods. Those like me who are generally the same age as Wren will find the book a nice reminder that we're not over the hill yet. Wren says, "Life seems sweeter once you accept that it cannot endure. The best part of growing old is that welcome relief from being merely young." Great stuff for a graying head! Upon finishing the book, I went out for a good, long walk. But I'll be back for supper.
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 | Naming New York: Manhattan Places and How They Got Their Names |
| "What's In A Name?" | 2005-01-29 |
Even non-New Yorkers will enjoy the sweeping history that is brought alive when you peek behind street signs. From Broadway to Shinbone Alley, there's something fascinating about how New Yorkers have chosen to name their byways. Each section of town is presented with an introduction which outlines its place in the history of the city. Then each street is listed with an explanation of its name derivation. The mysteries of SoHo, NoHo, NoMad, and NoCa are explained. There are scores of beautiful illustrations. East side, west side, all around the town, Ms. Feirstein puts a human face on every corner of the Big Apple.
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 | Silent Night |
| "Great page turner for reluctant readers!" | 2005-01-15 |
My high school English class had a class set of these books and it was assigned reading for the holiday season. The assignment was met with the usual groans, but the students dove in. Soon I was hearing remarks like, "Hey, I read the whole book in two days!" and "This is the first assignment that I have liked!" and "Guess what? I really read this book!" Most students actually finished reading the book in much less than the assigned time. A couple of them admitted that this was the first book they had actually read all the way through. The story takes place on Christmas Eve and involves a lost boy. It involves some tense situations and presents a number of good role models for children. After our class had completed the reading, each student who felt so moved wrote a note to Mary Higgins Clark. We were delighted a few weeks later when we received a letter from her expressing sincere appreciation for the many laudatory comments from the young readers. I recommend this book to youngsters from 9 to 99 who wish to have a "good read" for the Christmas season.
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 | Silent Night : A Christmas Suspense Story |
| "Great page turner for reluctant readers!" | 2005-01-15 |
My high school English class had a class set of these books and it was assigned reading for the holiday season. The assignment was met with the usual groans, but the students dove in. Soon I was hearing remarks like, "Hey, I read the whole book in two days!" and "This is the first assignment that I have liked!" and "Guess what? I really read this book!" Most students actually finished reading the book in much less than the assigned time. A couple of them admitted that this was the first book they had actually read all the way through. The story takes place on Christmas Eve and involves a lost boy. It involves some tense situations and presents a number of good role models for children. After our class had completed the reading, each student who felt so moved wrote a note to Mary Higgins Clark. We were delighted a few weeks later when we received a letter from her expressing sincere appreciation for the many laudatory comments from the young readers. I recommend this book to youngsters from 9 to 99 who wish to have a "good read" for the Christmas season.
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 | Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House |
| "Delightfully funny reading about building a new home" | 2005-01-14 |
I was walking through a model home a few years ago and this book was one of the "props" on display on the bookshelf. I picked it up and after a few minutes decided I would have to get my own copy. My wife and I went through the home-building process early in our marriage and this book brought back much of the humor and heartache of that experience - mainly the humor. Hodgins was a polished writer with a keen sense of humor. This book was written over a half-century ago but the joys and agonies of building a home have not changed - except for the prices! It is a "must" for anyone who wishes to buy an ancient home and bring it into modern times. The Blandings started with that idea and ended up tearing the old house down and starting over. This book provides a smiling look at human nature and the people encountered along the road to a dream house, including real estate agents, home sellers, well drillers, carpenters, plumbers, meddling neighbors, and all the rest. Nothing is more fun or frustrating than watching your own home grow from a hole in the ground to a castle in the sky. I recommend this book to those lucky people who get to have that experience at least once in their lives.
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 | Up the Down Staircase |
| "Kids are still the same" | 2005-01-09 |
I first read this book back in the 1960s before I entered the teaching profession. I have read it several times since. Having just retired from teaching after 34 years, I can say that kids are still basically the same as described in this book. They may have laptop computers now, but their personalities are the same. We still have the teacher pleasers, the lovesick girls, the politicians, the misfits, the loners, and all the rest. My mind has gone back to this book many times as I encountered situations similar to those that faced Miss Barrett. As a matter of fact, as English Department chairman, I often quoted her boss, Mr. Bester: Let it be a challenge to you. I recommend this book to all who would venture into the exciting and wonderful world of the school teacher.
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