Not such a smart Alec

Advantages: Scores very fast, keeping has improved, fitness
Disadvantages: Poor captaincy, tries to take on too much at once

...So, Alec Stewart has - finally - been exonerated by Paul Condon's corruption investigation, for want of any real evidence against him; an unsurprising, indeed inevitable, outcome given the unwillingness of Indian bookmaker MK Gupta to come forward. Of course, it could well be argued that Stewart's less than co-operative attitude toward Lord Condon's team leaves the player with only himself to blame for the interminable slowness of proceedings. But let us emerge from such murky waters, and concern ourselves with Stewart's performances on the pitch. Most judges would concede that Alec Stewart has not been the best wicket-keeper in England for much, perhaps all, of his Test career - Jack Russell probably holds that distinction. Yet such has been the desire, almost the obsession, from the ECB (and the TCCB before it) for an all...

davidbuttery 18.07.2001 · Read review
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Review of Alec Stewart

FREE DVDs

Advantages: Free trial, large choice, post included,new realeases
Disadvantages: see review

...I like movies and I like freebies, so when you get offered both in one swoop you?re bound to accept! I used my two week free trial with this company and remained with them for a couple of monthsbefore moving on to try many other companies free trials (and winning a new DVD player on Tesco DVD rental site on their free trial offer). I then had an email from DVDs 365 asking me to go back, and offering me a free DVD if I did so. I had just left Tesco (with my new DVD player) so I chose to go back with them. ∆◊◊ THE SERVICE THEY OFFER ∆◊◊ Basically it?s like going to a video shop and hiring films on DVD, except you don?t pay for each film you chose ? rather a monthly fee for which you can watch as many movies as you can fit in, for us this is usually around 8 a month (2 a week usually weekends...

dabmim 15.11.2004 · Read review
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Review of dvds365.com

Surprising Picture Quality - Panasonic DVD-S54

Advantages: Incredible picture quality when compared to my old non-upscaling player with a scart lead
Disadvantages: Sometimes disc drive can be really noisy when DVD's initially load.

...At first I wasn't convinced by up-scaling DVD player technology but was persuaded after reading an article in "What Hi-Fi? Sound and Vision" magazine. Unable to afford a Blu-Ray player my sister and I bought the Panasonic DVD-S54 to match our parents brand new Panasonic TX-32LZD80 LCD television as their Christmas 2008 present. Admittedly it was a slightly selfish purchase as we both live at home and wanted to watch DVDs on the big new TV ourselves! We bought the player from the electrical retailer Comet for about £100 just before Christmas so there were no discounts applied. On Christmas day when opened we found a relatively small box tightly packed with the player in polystyrene packaging. All the components such as cables, remote and manuals were well presented in their own protective plastic bags, to keep them protected. The player...

bobbacon985 12.02.2009 · Read review
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Review of Panasonic DVD-S54

Baldwin's- Home of all things natural!

Advantages: Great selection and cheap!
Disadvantages: Nothing so far!

...Baldwin's is the online shop offering tons of herbal/homeopathy medicine to all for any ailment or problem. I first delved into the world of homeopathy medicines when I developed chalazions on my both my eye lids. After months of these persistant and extremely annoying lumps on my eyelid and the threat of surgery on my eye to get rid of them, I started to look at alternative treatments that may aide me in shifting these annoyances. I did my research online carefully and came up with a number of potential medicines that will help. Next stage was to buy these from a retailer online. Naturally I looked on places that I knew already of but found those to be expensive and not always stocking what I wanted. Finally I came across Baldwins.co.uk. How fantastic! I have many products from Baldwin's in the past year and have never had any problems...

pepsipin 05.09.2007 · Read review
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Review of baldwins.co.uk

Does your colon need cleansing

Advantages: Good range, reasonable price, top quality
Disadvantages: None, except that I spend too much

...If you do need a colon cleanse, you need look no further than a well-known company which is little-known (!) called Baldwins. Herbalists and aromatherapists know all about Baldwins but they aren’t quite so well-known among the general public. I am a qualified aromatherapist and get all my essential oils (plus many other things) from them. They have an excellent range at very reasonable prices. Importantly to me, they have them in different sizes. Most essential oils that are sold in high-street shops come in small, 25ml bottles. Occasionally you will find a very popular oil such as tea-tree or lavender in a larger bottle, but this is still quite unusual. Baldwins not only have the average 10ml bottles, they also supply most of their essential oils in 25ml and 50ml sizes as well. This is much more economical if you use a lot. I...

MichelleScott 14.03.2001 (13.03.2001) · Read review
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Review of Baldwins Oils

Baldwin's Sticky End

Advantages: Stunning, curious
Disadvantages: A tad unsafe

...rebuilt in 1981 and 4 years later was painted inside with frescoes depicting the horror and bloodshed of the end of the Second Bulgarian Empire. The pictures are very unusual and quite haunting. On one occasion I was in the church when a lady started singing an old traditional Bulgarian folk-song, and the echoes around the church were startlingly beautiful; the acoustics are such that she was able to harmonise with herself. The last bit of Tsaravets we come to, (unless you're feeling a bit knackered by all this climbing and would prefer to go for a beer instead), is Baldwin's Tower. This is tucked away in a remote corner of the hill, and whether there is a path there is somewhat debatable. It was in this morbid spot that Baldwin I of Constantinople was held prisoner by Kaloyan of Bulgaria, and eventually met a sticky end. The Bulgarians...

Tricksty 07.04.2007 · Read review
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Review of Tsarevets Fortress, Veliko Turnovo

alec the builder

Advantages: good story, conflict between systems and personalities
Disadvantages: --

...A tale of the building of a bridge for the Japanese forces in WWII Burma by Allied POWs. It is an enjoyable story. Given the time that it was made it is not as gory as it would have been had it shown the true extent of the suffering inflicted. One of the criticisms of this film has been the fact that it has ignored the even greater suffering of the non-whites who were forced to take part in the construction. Alec Guinness plays the commanding officer of the Allied prisoners. He develops the extraordinary notion that the bridge should be finished to high standards to reflect upon British workmanship. Of course the thing to do would be to hamper your enemy's progress I would have thought, especially given the sadistic nature of the opponent. William Holden (whom I don't normally enjoy watching) acts well in this film. He plays...

oclumhain 05.03.2001 · Read review
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Review of The Bridge On The River Kwai (DVD)

Far From Desirable

Advantages: It's short
Disadvantages: Boring

...Kash is an international celebrity, a photographer famous for the number of women she sleeps with. Isabel is a cake decorator who wins a trip around the world with her best friend Gillian. Kash is hired to take photo's of the trip. When Isabel and Kash meet there is an instant attraction but how can a romantic cake decorator live happily ever after with a cynical celebrity photographer? This is the first (and last) book written by Kim Baldwin that I've read. I bought it second hand on ebay because it costs £11.99 to buy a new copy of any of Baldwin's books. You would think that this meant that her books were good, that they were worth paying double the price of a normal paperback book but you would be wrong. This book was awful. I can only guess that there are so few lesbian romance authors that those who want to read lesbian romance...

Brooke3 26.05.2009 · Read review
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Review of Focus of Desire - Kim Baldwin

It is all in the genes

Advantages: Best attacking batsman in the England team
Disadvantages: Wicketkeeping duties affects his batting

...Everyone knows the saying ‘like father like son’. In cricketing terms this would be the equivalent of a father passing on his batting ability to his son via his genes. This is definitely true of the Mickey Stewart-Alec Stewart relationship. Mickey Stewart played for Surrey in the 1950s and 1960s. Older Ciao members will remember that Surrey won the County Championship 7 times in succession during the 1950s. That Surrey team comprised of players such as Peter May, Ken Barrington, Alec Bedser, Jim Laker, Tony Lock, Peter Loader etc. Mickey Stewart later became cricket manager for Surrey and subsequently for England. His crowning achievement was being in charge of the victorious Ashes winning team Down Under in 1986/7. I know nothing of Alec Stewart’s county career for Surrey before he was drafted into...

mrpaella 23.05.2001 · Read review
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Review of Alec Stewart

Baldwin At His Best (Minus Answerphone)

Advantages: Cheap and cheerful comedy drama
Disadvantages: No special features

...It?s a beautiful sunny day, you?re a Hari-Krishna working at Miami airport and everything is just great. Great that is until you run into Junior (Alec Baldwin), and he breaks your finger, just for being happy. Not a good start to your day, but even worse when the shock of having your finger kills you. This slightly off the wall beginning of Miami Blues is just the start of things in this quirky oddity of a movie. Made in 1990, this movie while being at times incredibly dark is quite a jolly film. The characters that you encounter are all incredibly dysfunctional in one way or another. From deaf receptionists to blind super-grasses this movie portrays an interesting image of the murky side of life in Miami. A greatly underestimated actress by the name of Jennifer Jason Leigh, who I have had the great fortune to meet; brings a great...

sghawken 11.05.2007 · Read review
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Review of Miami Blues (DVD)