Advantages: The defining work of Industrial Metal
Disadvantages: The case has an anoying cardboard sleeve

...Reznor again blends harsh, industrial noises and twisted lyrics with moments of calm retrospect and serenity to create his second, and best album, toppling his previous effort, pretty hate machine, as the defining album of indutrial music. The artwork on the album is warm,textured painted backgrounds and feathers, giving no obvious clues as to what the album is about, but this means it comes in a CD single case with a card sleeve, which can be a pain to put in a CD rack. This is the only flaw with the album, and the obvious solution is to permenantly keep the CD in the player. The album as a whole is both incredibly crude and blatent (the song "closer" springs to mind) and very subtle, it took me quite a few listens before I really understood the prog-rock style story that unfolds, culminating in the song "hurt", a tortured final... Read review

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Advantages: Portable
Disadvantages: Filling the base when you are out and about

...couldn't be simpler, just fill the base with ballast, sand or water, fit the 4 poles together with the spiral at the top, insert into the base and then loop the nylon spring ring attached to the ball, over the spiral, set it to the middle of the spiral and 'Hey presto' you are ready to give John McEnroe a run for his money ! The main aim of the game is to be the first to get the ball to either the top or the bottom of the spiral, depending on which way you have decided to go. If you choose to hit backhanded the loop will move down the spiral each time you hit it, if you choose forehand then the loop will move up. Simple ! There is an art to this game, depending on how hard you hit the ball and at what angle you can make it very difficult for the other player to hit it back and, of course, every time they miss this brings the ball further up... Read review

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Advantages: Scent is nice, attractive bottle
Disadvantages: Scent not at all long-lasting, scent expensive overall

...RRP: £34.10 for 50ml @ www.strawberrynet.com --What does the promo say?-- "Joyful and radiant, the eau de toilette exhibits a sparkling new freshness while retaining the J'adore olfactory signature. It may have a strong family resemblance, but also has its own identity: the reworked proportions of the floral bouquet give it an ultra-feminine touch. The new transparent bottle for the eau de toilette is now taller and slimmer. A spiral ring of gold, the symbolic colour of the legendary J'adore fragrance and a sign of excellence, wraps around the precious amphora. In this new version, the subtle gold reflections of the fragrance are mirrored in the crystal glow of of the pearl-shaped stopper. Also available in 100ml." --Packaging-- A simple but beautiful bottle, with a gold aura to it. The golden spring is unusual and distinctive while... Read review

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Advantages: Easy plant to grow, impressive specimen in flower.
Disadvantages: Hard to come by at present.

...This foxglove is a real gem and relatively unknown in the horticultural trade. Although very difficult to come by ( I only know of one nursery that stocks it - Beeches Nursery ) it is well worth seeking out. In late spring the flower spikes start to emerge reaching between 1.2 and 1.8 metres by mid July. The lower half of the stem clothed with glossy dark green strap like leaves arranged in a very elegant fashion. Over 100 exquisite, thimble sized flowers adorn the upper half of the spike in a tight spiral. These are pale straw colour on the exterior surface and a rich golden colour with darker veining on the inside. The spikes also remain impressive after the flowers fall exposing the pink flush to the rim of the calyx. Unlike our native foxglove this plant appears to be perennial - the plants I have grown are now forming strong new... Read review

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Advantages: Beautiful Diverse Country
Disadvantages: Negative attitudes

...thrives today as a super rich country......with of course, a super poor majority. Unfortunately a culture of this complex nature has more than its fair share of corruption, I hope that time has brought more stability and trust. I still have images of thin long tarmacced highways running for endless hours and hours up and accross Nigeria, littered with oil tankers upside down in the ditches on both sides of the road, usually with the marketing message of the time branded on their sides "Happy Motoring". I remember army convoys driving straight down the middle of the road stopping or moving asside for no-one.... and local dessert whirlwinds which would spring from nowhere and then make their way almost deliberately towards villages ripping the straw rooves from the mud daubed buildings. House contents would then follow spiralling... Read review

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Advantages: Longevity of entertainment, easy to attach
Disadvantages: None found as yet

...This activity spiral was purchased for my son at birth and now 6 months later is still keeping entertained. The spiral consists of three dangly elements, a small mirror, a pullable vibrating Mr Whoozit face and a brightly coloured rattle with ribbons. The combination of colours, sounds and textures provide baby with great entertainment and stimulation. The use of black and white patterns means that from birth the elements are eye catching to the limited sight of a new born as is the mirror when it catches flickers of sunlight. At six months my son is now fascinated by the mini Mr Whoozit (who's big brother he also has) and the sensation that he feels of the vibrations as he retracts. The spiral is a great shape as it can attach to almost anything, we have used it on the cot, the pram and the car seat and go nowhere without it.... Read review

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Advantages: delicious, cheap, nice size, practical
Disadvantages: cheese aint the most slimming food in the world...!

...Browsing the tins on the shelf at Asda, my attention was cast across to a little tin, located near the childrens' pasta shapes and spaghetti options. Mounted on its green and silver label was a comic character of a little pasta spiral, with its own pair of teeny square glasses which looked as if they had been drawn on. Although it was obvious that this product was aimed at young children, I was in no way hesitant to pop the cheesy spirals into my trolley! I decided to sample this new product with my tea; a chicken and broccoli lattice, carrots and peas. It seemed like a fair combination, and only hoped the tastes combined as successfully! Pulling back the ring-pull, a thankfully simple and mess-free procedure, I plopped the gloopy contents into the bowl; a pale yellow shade of sauce coating a nice amount of spiral shaped pasta. I... Read review

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Advantages: You don't have to chase the ball around the garden
Disadvantages: A smack in the face off the ball hurts

...To any-one who does not know a swing-ball is a tennis ball on a piece of string which is attatched to a long metal tube that goes into the ground. At the top of the tube is a spiral and you start the game by placing the ball in the middle of the spiral and then hit it with a bat, the first person to get the ball to top or bottom is the winner. It is a great family game and can keep the adults just as amused as the children.... Read review

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Advantages: Glorious autumn, winter and summer too
Disadvantages: What's up with the spring of our discontent?

...Those of you who know me well - and any of you who have assiduously read my reviews know me as well as anybody, which may be a poor reward for all the effort but I can't help that - know that for a tired old cynic I am strangely susceptible to irrational optimism and groundless good cheer. I am one of those people who go through life grinning or even chuckling for no obvious reason, causing those sitting nearby in public places to look askance and change their seats as soon as they can discreetly do so. As summer darkens into autumn, therefore, and the human spirit here in the northern hemisphere spirals down towards its customary seasonal nadir, I feel it incumbent upon me as a customarily cheerful person to try to lighten the mood. Why, you may have wondered as you read the preceding paragraph, should the mood be darkening, just... Read review

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Advantages: close shave, good grip, head that follows contour of face, saves cash in long run
Disadvantages: no timmer and battery could last a bit longer

...The spiralling costs of disposable blades is enough in my opinion to justify a one-off £60 investment in the Panasonic ES 7036 PRO Curve. £60 may seem like a bit much, but when you consider that 4 disposable blades that will last around a month cost £8 over the long term an electric shaver will save you money. Saving money was my primary motivation and I believed that putting a previous bad experience with a Braun electric shaver to one side I could immediately see a massive difference in quality, control and the closeness of the shave. The grip has a rubbery consistency which makes it easy to grip wet or dry and speed controls are positioned to aid the user. A comforting hum accompanies the addition of power and instead of having a head that moves at a fixed paceforwards and backwards the head of the shaver is constructed and placed... Read review

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