Venetian Blind

Advantages: A superbly-written detective novel.
Disadvantages: The ending is not as strong as the rest of the plot.

...family still has a home. Whilst appearing to investigate complaints of harassment made by a family friend, Contessa Zulian, he's actually looking into the possible abduction of an American from an island in the Venetian lagoon. Some of his methods are unorthodox, even unethical and he has to examine his own conscience when a fellow detective is brutally murdered. Throw in a good helping of local politics and corrupt local politicians and you have the makings of an excellent story. The story is dominated by the city itself, with the title coming from the lagoon in which Venice is situated ? the Laguna Morta. This isn't a book written by a casual visitor. Michael Dibdin lived and worked in Italy for four years and when he writes of the cities in which the Zen novels are set he brings them to life in a way which few travel books are...

SueMagee 14.10.2003 · Read review
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Review of Dead Lagoon - Zen - Michael Dibdin

The Merchant for Venetians

Advantages: Purpose designed
Disadvantages: A bit fiddly

...This is a boring but necessary review. Boring because you'd all much rather be reading about DVDs or perfumes; necessary because now the spring sunshine is streaming in, have you seen the state of your venetian blinds? This is a purpose-designed gadget for a notoriously fiddly job. There are two parts to it: the brush and the anti-static fluid, so you get a twin-pronged attack on the wretched things. The brush looks like a huge, thin toothbrush with 6 "bristles". Each bristle rotates and is covered with a woolly yellow fibre (don't know what it is and the packet doesn't say). The fluid is in a 375ml spray bottle. Spray a little of the fluid on to the brush, then pull the trigger underneath the brush handle which pulls the bristles apart. Slide the bristles of the brush between the slats of the blind and release the trigger...

Chouchinciao 13.04.2006 · Read review
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Review of Blind Brite

A beautiful album from Venetian Snares

Advantages: Beautiful . Innovative . Intelligent
Disadvantages: None whatsoever!

...(no lifting, similarities are coincidential - past experience in reviewing) MY DOWNFALL Every single music critic has branded My Downfall as a companion piece to Venetian Snares' 2005 release Rossz Csillag Alatt Szuletett. Technically, this is correct but it doesn't really do much to aptly describe the album either. Ever since his 2001 album Songs About My Cats, Aaron has been using the kind of operatic and avant-garde tones found in this particular release. The artist obviously has a deep-rooted interest in modernist music, and in My Downfall this resonates more than anything else. I do not mean to sound snobbish, but I think that many of the fans do not recognize these elements and subtleties, so much that when My Downfall came out, it was immediatly percieved as "soft" or "too classical". You really have to know a bit about...

gantzgraf 26.03.2008 · Read review
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Review of My Downfall - Venetian Snares

Vertical Blinds Scams

Advantages: Information to help you buy Vertical Blinds
Disadvantages: Doe not give information on where to buy

...The Vertical Blind market is mostly a scam. Sales are non existent Discounts are full of terms and subject to etc. Read the adverts carefully: 50% off...............off what? 2 for 1............hmmmmmm how much is the 1st one? Key words to look for: "from" "upto" "selected fabrics" "certain sizes" "on selected" "buy one get one free" These are all terms that will catch you out. The adverts look good, they are meant to be! "free fitting" "free measuring" etc..........nothing is free it is all built into the price. Uks Number One company uses agents (as do most the big companies) they earn commission and will try to up sell to take more money and earn more commission. These agents come and go.......your back service will be very poor. Quality of product a major consideration. We all look at the fabrics, but what about...

bevo69 24.01.2009 · Read review
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Review of Hillarys Blinds

The Blinding Assassin

Advantages: Compelling, easy to read, reveals itself slowly
Disadvantages: Non linear structure can make it hard to read

...I finished reading the Blind Assassin last night and ran to my computer to review it as I found it moving and a fab read and really wanted to share my thoughts with you all. 45 minutes of careful typing away and what do I do, hit the back button! My cry of anguish echoed loud enough to bring Mr running in from the other room, he was sympathetic but gave me the now immortal advice of why didn't you write it in a word document first? Doh? so Im now doing just that. Background I picked up the Blind Assassin to read because it was on my list of Booker prize award winners. In fact Margaret Atwood won it in 2000. I had never read any of her other books so came to the Blind Assassin completely blind as such with no preconceptions at all. From starting to read the book I quickly felt intrigued and compelled to know more...

Shoka 13.04.2006 · Read review
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Review of The Blind Assassin - Margaret Atwood

Blind Justice, blindly brilliant

Advantages: A great unknown, one of the best of its kind
Disadvantages: nothing

...Background ««««««««« Blind Justice is a 1994 HBO made movie. It is a Western movie, set shortly after the American Civil War. It is a film that moves along the same parallels as Bind Fury with Rutger Hauer, and Zatoichi with Beat Takeshi. This is because both these films have stories about central characters that are blind, but instead of being encumbered by this loss of a fundamental sense, on the contrary they are deadly. All these films draw on the irony that they are perceived as vulnerable, a trait that these characters play on to lull others into a vulnerable position themselves. So Blind Justice is a film starring the bright actor Armand Assante. Assante plays Canaan, a blind gunfighter. During the American Civil War Canaan served as a Union soldier who gets wounded in a battle and is left unconscious. During the clean up...

tayloa22 02.12.2007 (03.12.2007) · Read review
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Review of Blind Justice DVD

The Venetian Fortezza

Advantages: Brilliant View, Never Crowded
Disadvantages: Can be Very Hot, Quite A Steep Walk

...Description ---------------- The construction of the Rethymno fortress (or Fortezza), by the Venetians, started about 1571 and continued until about 1600. It was built for the protection of the local inhabitants from the Turkish threat, i.e. the usual reason a castle is built on a Greek island. It is appears to be star shaped, with three gates and six bastions, and dominate the town below. In the middle is the church of St Nicolas which was turned into the Mosque of the Sultan Ibrahim Han by the Turks during their occupation of the island of Crete. There were the Commander' s house, the Counsellor' s house, barracks, stables, ammunition - storehouses, a cistern and houses which were later destroyed and are just ruins now. There does not seem to have been any systematic excavation on the site. There is evidence of the odd...

Wanchai05 09.11.2006 · Read review
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Review of The Venetian Fortezza, Rethymnon, Crete

Beautiful blinds

Advantages: Professional,kept to their promises,polite,quality,price,choice,in all A+ *****
Disadvantages: None what so ever

...We contacted Blindology in regards to some blinds, we booked a home visit with them in the evening as both of us work during the day, they duly arrived bang on time, asked what thoughts we had on blinds to have put into our home, we were then advised as to what he would recommend and we were advised accordingly. Out of the ranges of blinds that Blindology do, we opted to go with vertical blinds, which we would have liked anyway, we were then shown all the fabrics available and an explanation was given for each fabric, then the man measured up and gave us a price, which was very resonable, the man then left saying that if we wanted to purchase, please give Blindology a call. After a day me and my husband didnt bother with any other quotes as we were very happy with the price,quality and customer service. We contact Blindology and had to...

deester 07.08.2008 (24.07.2008) · Read review
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Review of Blindology Blinds Plymouth

Hillarys Blinds

Advantages: Made to Measure, Very good quality, someone else does the hard work!
Disadvantages: having to take a morning off work?

...I'd previously bought ready made blinds from places such as IKEA and others, as they are cheap and look the part (well kind of, trimming the edges isnt easy and never really looks right) but on moving into my new house i decided to get some real made to measure blinds that will last (the others have only ever lasted a few months, then i've given up and replaced with curtains). I know people say Hillarys are expensive, but there are more expensive companies out there, and the advisor was so lovely and helpful, took no time at all in the measuring, and was happy to wait whilst i took ages to decide on the blinds i wanted! To be honest, the blinds were cheaper than what i've paid in the past for ready mades, and then the replacement curtains!! Only 2 weeks later, i was the proud owner of some lovely blinds, which i'm confident will be there...

5ugar 19.03.2008 · Read review
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Review of Hillarys Blinds

Hillarys Blinds - great service

Advantages: Salesman turned up when he said he would, good quality blinds
Disadvantages: None as yet

...I was a little scared about using Hillarys Blinds after reading some of your reviews but was attracted by their current red hot sale so decided to get someone round anyway. I did it all over the internet which was so quick and easy to make an appointment and the guy came round when i had asked (a surprisingly rare occurance nowadays!). I picked out my blinds and the guy arranged to come back round to fit a couple of weeks later. Once again he came round dead on time and fitted them perfectly - even my husband (a diy expert or so he likes to think) agreeed he'd done a good job. All in all was very pleased - maybe it depends on the guy you get round as to the experience you get? But i've recommended family and friends....

KT1975 08.08.2008 · Read review
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Review of Hillarys Blinds