Blog Smith

Blog Smith is inspired by the myth of Hephaestus in the creation of blacksmith-like, forged materials: ideas. This blog analyzes topics that interest me: IT, politics, technology, history, education, music, and the history of religions.

Thursday, November 16, 2023

No Hard Feelings, Ian Hunter, Defiance Vol. 1

With No Hard Feelings Hunter situates himself historically, first the World Wars, then Elvis, then Ian! He says: "A pre-war gift, a post war pest" since he was born in June 1939 before the invasion of Poland on 1 September. Most importantly, if ever there was a song that could be filled with rant and rage this is it. However, Hunter brilliantly dissects his relationship with his father Walter along the lines of Ships, Following In Your Footsteps, and as extended in 23A Swan Hill. Ian has come full circle; first, he left home at a young age, detailed the distance he felt, now no hard feelings after his parents passing. Hunter is at peace but the song is not simply introspective but Ian expresses a life lesson similar to a song by Mick Ronson, Hard Life. Here is the key line which reminds me of the humorous song by Johnny Cash, A Boy Named Sue:

When I was down, out on the skids
You were there with your obnoxious kid
I will always remember what you did

Trying to make a man out of me

Belatedly, his father's harshness led to Ian's survival instinct and rejection prompted his ability to be someone someday; now at a mature age it is clear to his musical peers that he attained legendary status in particular with the release of Defiance Part. 1

Ian Hunter On Track for Sonicbond Publishing, TheDoctorOfDigital@pm.me

John Dillon 

Mike, can you shed some light on the last verse. Is it referrering to an area where his father fought during the war?

"It wasn't exactly Custer's last stand
But I shed a tear about the battle lands
Fifteen mile from where it all began
Gonna make a man out of you."

None of the other distances work: Shrewsbury to Butlins, Shrewsbury to Northampton, Northampton to London. 

Custer's Last Stand

https://www.ushistory.org/us/40b.asp 

No Hard Feelings

https://youtu.be/SKpyYDCaXp8

"A Pre war gift, a post war pest" as that makes sense with Ian being born in June 39 before the break out of hostilites in Sept.

No Hard Feelings Lyrics
————————————
Gonna make a man out of you
Gonna make a man out of you
Gonna make a man out of you
I'm gonna make a man out of you
I'm gonna make a man out of you
I'm gonna make a man out of you
If it's the last thing I ever do
I'm gonna make a man out of you
They said, "Don't open that box, it's full of tears
A lot of heavy stuff from my fighting years
So I opened the box and he boxed my ears
I’m gonna make a man out of you
My ears were ringing, I started to cry
I remember thinking, "Who is this guy?"
Said "I'm gonna try, I'm gonna try
Gonna make a man out of you"
I'm gonna make a man out of you
I'm gonna make a man out of you
Well that's what I'm gonna do
I'm gonna make a man out of you
I'm on shifts, I can't sleep
I got problems every day of the week
And you're right up there at the top of the heap
I'm gonna make a man out of you
A pre-war gift, a post-war pest
I could smell the medals on his chest
It’s like livin’ with a traffic light stuck on red
Gonna make a man out of you
No hard feelings, no hard feelings
No hard feelings, no hard feelings, yeah
I said I'm gonna make a man out of you
I'm gonna make a man out of you
If that's the last thing I ever do
I'm gonna make a man out of you
When I was down, out on the skids
You were there with your obnoxious kid
I will always remember what you did
Trying to make a man out of me
I said I'm gonna make a man out of you
I'm gonna make a man out of you
If that's the last thing I ever do
I'm gonna make a man out of you
But it wasn't exactly Custer's last stand
But I shed a tear about the battle lands
Fifteen mile from where it all began
Gonna make a man out of you
Said I'm gonna make a man out of you
I'm gonna make a man out of you
If that's the last thing I ever do
I'm gonna make a man out of you
But I said
No hard feelings, no hard feelings
No hard feelings, no hard feelings
No hard feelings, no hard feelings
No hard feelings, no hard feelings


Wednesday, November 15, 2023

Angel, Ian Hunter, Defiance Vol. 1


Ian always includes a song for Trudi (his wife of 50 years) and Angel is as good as any he's written. He notes "It's hard to kiss an angel... the harps are always getting in the way" 

Angel

https://youtu.be/zm4u37yBur8

Tuesday, November 14, 2023

That Girl Is Rock 'n' Roll, Ian Hunter, All of the Good Ones Are Taken

That Girl Is Rock 'n' Roll sounds a bit rougher than the remainder of the LP which adds life to the effort. This simple straightforward song is summarized perhaps best by Hunter. The meaning is obvious. Some girls are rock 'n' roll, most aren't. It is obvious when you meet one; it certainly is written from an average male's point of view. We just know. 

Ian Hunter On Track for Sonicbond Publishing, TheDoctorOfDigital@pm.me

https://youtu.be/BDyVJwQXmYc

That Girl Is Rock 'n' Roll

(Ian Hunter)

She dresses in leather
She isn't too together
She looks then she lowers her eyes at me

She smokes cigarettes
She likes to get wet
And she's about a woman as a woman can be I said

That girl is rock 'n' roll

She got the cutest figure
I think it's gettin' bigger
She's about, hangin' out, over me

She feels just right
In the middle of the night
'N' she's about a woman as a woman can be I said

That girl is rock 'n' roll


That Girl Is Rock 'n' Roll3:18Originally issued on All of the Good Ones Are Taken.

Monday, November 13, 2023

Tell It Like It Is, (Ian Hunter/Mick Ronson), Ian Hunter, YUI Orta

Tell It Like It Is is a co-written track, with Mick Ronson, echoes the 1960 Shakin' All Over hit by Johnny Kidd & the Pirates and is an up-tempo rocker. Kidd was one of the few British artists to have worldwide success in the pre-Beatle period. With a paucity of lyrics the song is held together by rocking musically. It sounds like it has a nod to T-Rex's Get It On which had paid homage to Chuck Berry's Little Queenie. In short, a tribute to class rock 'n' roll and rock forebears. 

There is a live version from 1989. 

Also recorded at The Cabaret, San Jose CA 16th December 1989 and is on Missing In Action.

Ian Hunter On Track for Sonicbond Publishing, TheDoctorOfDigital@pm.me

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Get_It_On_(T._Rex_song)

Tell It Like It Is

(Ian Hunter/Mick Ronson)

Do you remember truth-you used to tell it everyday
Oh what a feelin'-there was nuthin' in the way
I won't get excited- if you don't slash your wrists
oh oh oh-something is gravely amiss
You gotta tell it like it is

Whats the matter baby- cat got your tongue?
You bin creepin' 'round the alleyways-all night long
You can't hide a secret-more than a week
oh oh oh- we gotta get to the bottom of this
You gotta tell it like it is

Hangin' on a corner- of the danger zone
Just another nightmare- let me take you home

C'mon baby, c'mon baby

You've gotta tell it like it is...


 Tell It Like It Is (Mick borrowing the Get It On riff)

Tell It Like It Is4:23Originally released on YUI Orta.
Tell It Like It Is (live 16th December 1989)6:26This live version (recorded at the Cabaret, San Jose CA) was released on Missing In Action (not on the box set).

Sunday, November 12, 2023

(I'm The) Teacher, Ian Hunter, Originally a movie soundtrack, Teachers, Once Bitten Twice Shy

During the lax period of Hunter's career in the 1980s he wrote this song for the 1984 movie soundtrack Teachers. It fits the satirical black comedy-drama well as it expresses a teacher's frustration to reach his students. Not many of the students would be expected to be successful.

There are two live releases of the song from 1987 and 1988 respectively. 

1984 Movie Soundtrack Teachers

satirical black comedy-drama film 

I'm The Teacher

(Ian Hunter)

The question's arisen is this a prison
Some say it is, some say it isn't
Why do I try? nobody listens
I pass by like an intermission

If there's just one weed in this flowerless grave
If there's just one seed I can save
I'm going to reach ya
Pleased to meet ya, I'm the teacher

Outlaws, cruisers, junkies, boozers
Take a back seat, with the three time losers
They're all having a ball, down at juvenile hall
By looking so small they must be victims of the system

I've been inside, (where the lies are hide)
Are you satisfied I never should have tried to beat you
I beseech you, sad little freaker
Pleased to meet you, I'm the teacher

They can snap your soul, blow it away
Like a fragile leaf on a windy day
Can you read? can you write? they couldn't care less
You can graduate on American Express, no personal checks

What do I do to get through to you?
Somebody sue the suit, don't let em eat ya
Don't you let 'em defeat ya Don't let 'em mistreat ya
'Cause sooner or later
They're going to cheat ya
Pleased to meet ya, I'm the teacher
Yeah.


(I'm The) Teacher4:00Originally a movie soundtrack. It can be found on the compilation Once Bitten Twice Shy. It can also be found on Tilting The Mirror - Rarities (box set only).
(I'm The) Teacher (live 11th November 1987)3:52This live version (recorded at Rock and Roll Heaven, Toronto ON) can be found on Bag Of Tricks (Vol 1) (box set only).
(I'm The) Teacher (live 11th June 1988)4:02This live version (recorded at Rock and Roll Heaven, Toronto ON) can be found on Missing In Action (not on the box set).

Saturday, November 11, 2023

Ta Shunka Witco (Crazy Horse), Ian Hunter, When I'm President

Ta Shunka Witco (Crazy Horse) comes somplete with tom-toms sounding like heartbeats, guitar attacks and flute, the song is tense and powerful as Hunter digs into history fairly often and Native American themes are a topic of interest, e.g., River of Tears. The attraction for Ian is the underdog nature of historical characters and Crazy Horse is ideal for that purpose. 

Cavalry tactics dictate that on the defense soldiers dismount but at the Battle of Little Bighorn the accounts state that Crazy Horse (tashunka witco) did the same as noted in the song:

I never shoot from the saddle
Always shoot from the ground
I walk my horse up 'n' I ride him down

The cavalry retreated as they were surrounded and outnumbered as there were a series of ground attacks until all of Lieutenant Colonel George A. Custer's men were killed. 

"I decoyed Fetterman" refers to the Fetterman Fight on 21 December 1866 when Crazy Horse and nine warriors lured a detachment of 81 troopers to their death who were led by Captain William J. Fetterman. The song relates:

The only good white is a dead white
That's what I was taught

Truthfully, Hunter relates that Crazy Horse, Lakota war leader of the Oglala band, fought not only troopers but also other Native Americans such as the Shoshone, Arapahoe, Omaha, and Crow. As a young boy Crazy Horse was known as Curley Hair. Later he was renamed Horse On Sight. During a battle with the Arapahos the young Crazy Horse showed bravery. As a result Crazy Horse, the father, passed on his name to his son in honor of his war deed. The father would be known thereafter as Worm.

There is a live version of the song from 2012 as well. 

Ian Hunter On Track for Sonicbond Publishing, TheDoctorOfDigital@pm.me

https://www.nps.gov/libi/learn/historyculture/crazy-horse.htm

The Fetterman Fight, also known as the Fetterman Massacre or the Battle of the Hundred-in-the-Hands or the Battle of a Hundred Slain,[1] was a battle during Red Cloud's War on December 21, 1866, between a confederation of the LakotaCheyenne, and Arapaho tribes and a detachment of the United States Army, based at Fort Phil Kearny, Wyoming. The U.S. military mission was intended to protect travelers on the Bozeman Trail. A group of ten warriors, including Crazy Horse, acted to lure a detachment of U.S. soldiers into an ambush. All 81 men under the command of Captain William J. Fetterman were then killed by the Native American warriors. At the time, it was the worst military disaster ever suffered by the U.S. Army on the Great Plains.

Lieutenant Colonel George A. Custer

Crow King said, “When they saw that they were surrounded they dismounted.” This was cavalry tactics by the book. There was no other way to make a stand or maintain a stout defense. A brief period followed of deliberate fighting on foot.

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/how-the-battle-of-little-bighorn-was-won-63880188/

Ta Shunka Witco (Crazy Horse)

(Ian Hunter)

All I need is a feather
All I need is a stone
All I need is a shadow
To follow me home
All I need is a vision
All I need is a dream
All I need are my people following me
I never shoot from the saddle
Always shoot from the ground
I walk my horse up 'n' I ride him down, 
I decoyed Fetterman, I got no remorse
They used to call me Curly now I'm Crazy Horse

We fought Shoshone, we fought Arapahoes
We fought the Omahas 'n' we fought the Crows
I can't wait to cut your long hair short
The only good white is a dead white
That's what I was taught

Hey, hey, hey
hey, hey, hey
Hoka hey, hoka hey

Paid by the rich to steal from the poor
There ain't no honour in ya
Ta shunka witco, ta shunka witco, ta shunka witco, Crazy Horse

I know these rivers
I know this land
I know those hills like the back of my hand
Now the buffalo's gone, there ain't nothin' left
'cept little yellow stones in this wilderness
I lost my brother, I lost my wife
I lost my daughter, the love of my life
Tell your great white father up in Washington
I got a knife between my teeth for that fork in his tongue

Hey, hey, hey
hey, hey, hey
Hoka hey, hoka hey

You're gonna wish you'd never been born
When you get to Little Big Horn
Ta Shunka Witco, ta shunka witco, ta shunka witco, Crazy Horse

When you talk peace, you mean war, we'll be waiting for ya
Ta shunka witco, ta shunka witco, ta shunka witco
Never surrender, never surrender, never surrender
Never surrender, never surrender, never surrender
Never surrender



Ta Shunka Witco (Crazy Horse)5:47Originally issued on When I'm President.
Ta Shunka Witco (Crazy Horse) (live 8th October 2012)6:45This live version (recorded at the John Dee, Oslo Norway) was released on Bag Of Tricks (Vol 3) (box set only).

Friday, November 10, 2023

Sweet Jane, (Lou Reed), Ian Hunter, Mott The Hoople, All The Young Dudes LP, Live 2010

Sweet Jane is a Lou Reed song and was originally released on the 1972 All The Young Dudes LP by Mott The Hoople nonetheless it was a staple of Ian Hunter solo concerts. David Bowie strummed the classic riff for Mott and the band reacted wanting to know what it was. Although Ian was puzzled by the New York gay scene Bowie stood next to Ian and sang the lyrics. Thereafter, Lou Reed came in the studio to do a guide vocal and Hunter was even more mystified. Ian told Reed an awful joke and Lou just stared at him and they didn't speak again. It was just one meeting and that's it and they didn't get along at all. Lou reduced his music to its simplest components and Hunter admits that is really difficult to do. How the riff emerged from Reed is just as mysterious. Out of an obligation to Bowie's help Mott recorded the tune although the song was not really Mott. 

Nonetheless, Hunter has made the song his own way live and kudos to James "Maestro" Mastro for his original arrangement of the song. 

There are live releases from 2008, 2010, and a Tribes version.  

Sign up now for the pre-release of Ian Hunter On Track for Sonicbond Publishing at TheDoctorOfDigital@pm.me!

Ian Hunter On Track for Sonicbond Publishing, TheDoctorOfDigital@pm.me

Sweet Jane

(Lou Reed)

Standing on the corner
Suitcase in my hand
Jack is in his corset and Jane is in her vest
And me I'm in a rock and roll band
Riding in a Stutz Bearcat Jim
Those were different times
And the poets studied rules of verse
And all the ladies rolled there eyes
Sweet Jane
Sweet Jane
Sweet Jane
Now Jack he is a banker
And Jane she is a clerk
And they're both saving up all their money
And when they come home from work
Sitting by the fire
Radios a-playin'
A little classical music for you kids
To the march of the wooden soldiers and you can hear Jack say
Sweet Jane
Sweet Jane
Sweet Jane
Some people like to go out dancing
Other people they got to work
And there's always some evil mothers
I tell you life is just full of dirt
And the women never really faint
And the villains always blink their eyes
And children are the only ones that blush
And that life is just to die
But anyone who had a heart
He wouldn't want to turn around and break it
And anyone who ever played a part
He wouldn't want to turn around and hate it
Sweet Jane Sweet Jane Sweet Jane Sweet Jane
Sweet Jane Sweet Jane Sweet Jane Sweet Jane
Oh my sweet Jane


Sweet Jane (live 2nd March 2008)5:22Originally a Mott The Hoople track. This live version (recorded at the Mick Jagger Centre, Dartford England) was issued on Acoustic Shadows (box set only).
Sweet Jane (live October 2010)4:23This live version (recorded at an unknown UK venue) can be found on Live In The UK 2010.
Sweet Jane4:39Credited to 'Ian Hunter and Tribes', this can be found on Sampling In Reality (not on the box set).

Thursday, November 9, 2023

Sweet Dreamer, (D. Gibson/Mick Ronson) (Instrumental), YUI Orta

Sweet Dreamer arose from an interpretation of country music superstar's Don Gibson's Sweet Dreams whose most famous version of the tune was by Patsy Cline. Hunter Ronson listened to the song on the road tour bus and then as adapted by the creative mind of Mick Ronson the song became an instrumental and was also a part of live shows with a version available from 1989. 

Mick loved slow and simple songs and he made it his own and something really special. Hunter says this is his all-time favorite Ronno solo. This was Mick as a master of style applying electric lead guitar to a country standard. Hunter added a bit of gospel piano. 

Ian Hunter On Track for Sonicbond Publishing, TheDoctorOfDigital@pm.me

"Sweet Dreams" or "Sweet Dreams (of You)" is a country ballad, which was written by Don Gibson. Gibson originally recorded the song in 1955; his version hit the top ten of Billboard's country chart, but was eclipsed by the success of a competing version by Faron Young. In 1960, after Gibson had established himself as a country music superstar, he released a new version as a single. This version also charted in the top ten on the country chart[1] and also crossed over to the Billboard Hot 100, where it peaked at number ninety-three. The song has become a country standard, with other notable versions by Patsy Cline and Emmylou Harris.

Sweet Dreamer6:28Originally issued on YUI Orta.
Sweet Dreamer (live 15th February 1989)7:42This live version (recorded The Dominion, London England) can be found on BBC Live in Concert.

Wednesday, November 8, 2023

Sweet Angeline, Ian Hunter, Brain Capers

Sweet Angeline was a favorite performed live and was originally released on Mott The Hoople's Brain Capers. It's a great up tempo rocker and was highlighted during the 1979-1980 shows. Hunter likes to perform it on occasion reminding him of producer Guy Stevens. He plays harp in an unusual way for the song; he blows instead of sucks and Ian says it's like reading newspapers backwards. 

Also recorded at My Father's Place, Roslyn NY 12th June 1979 on Collateral Damage. Listed as Angeline

Ian Hunter On Track for Sonicbond Publishing, TheDoctorOfDigital@pm.me

Sweet Angeline

(Ian Hunter)

Oh Angeline, I love you, your mouth is like a stain
and when I close my eyes each night, I often hear you sing
Imagination's hidden book, you wrote it on the wing
And when I vowed to comfort you, well you swallowed everything

Angeline, oh my Angeline
My Sweet Angeline - you have rendered me unseen
I would cry a million smiles for my Indian City queen

Well your body it is broken in so many different ways
And when I stoop to find your head, well it disappeared in haze.
your blood flows like the finest juice - the kiss of burgundy
and where it comes from no one knows, but where it's going I can't see

Angeline, oh my Angeline
My Sweet Angeline - (y'know) you have rendered me unseen
I would cry a million smiles for my Indian City queen

Angeline, oh my Angeline
You little Angeline - you have rendered me unseen
I would cry a million smiles for my Indian City queen

And your crystal-coloured cardboard bins - attack me from the paint
and I think that I am getting lost among the swollen states
oh rescue me or bury me, for I care not what you do
there is just one thing that I want to say am I really you

Angeline, oh my Angeline
My Sweet Angeline - you have rendered me unseen
I would cry a million smiles for my Indian City queen


Sweet Angeline (live 12th June 1979)4:14Originally a Mott The Hoople track. This live version (recorded at My Father's Place, Roslyn NY) was released on Collateral Damage. Not on the box set.
Sweet Angeline (live 18th June 1979)4:30This live version (recorded at the Agora, Cleveland OH) is on the 30th Anniversary issue of You're Never Alone With a Schizophrenic. Not on the box set.
Sweet Angeline (live 5-11th November 1979)4:56This live version (recorded at The Roxy, Los Angeles CA) was released on Welcome to the Club, and on the compilation From The Knees Of My Heart.
Sweet Angeline (live 22nd November 1979)5:00This live version (recorded Hammermith Odeon, London England) was originally issued on If You Wait Long Enough For Anything, You Can Get It On Sale (box set only).
Sweet Angeline (live 19th April 1980)5:00This live version (recorded Rockpalast TV Show, Grugahalle, Essen Germany) was originally issued on Live At Rockpalast (not on the box set)

Tuesday, November 7, 2023

Sunshine Eyes, Ian Hunter, Once Bitten Twice Shy

This is a demo from Hunter's home studio that did not earn a release on his regular album output. It reflects the breath of styles Ian can cover and is a love song for the birth of his youngest son and only child with Trudi. He welcomes son Jesse to the world who he indicates has all the faith, dreams, and spirit to open up his sunshine eyes. 


Sunshine Eyes

(Ian Hunter)

Let this morning like this moment
Let the sun break through your hair
All you have is love

Let your spirit be unbroken
Oh I would give you faith
But I know you've got enough

All you do is make me new
All you need is time
Here's the morning
Welcome to the world
Open up those sunshine eyes

Are you dreaming of the red house
Underneath the trees
In a green and pleasant land

Are you wishing you could go back
Well I can't give you this
I hope you'll understand

All you do is make me new
All you want is time
Here's the morning
Welcome to the world
Open up those sunshine eyes

And there's a chill in the air
Little waves flow down the river
I'm naked as the day I was born

Clothes have a way
Of changing what I'm feeling
I try but I can't put them on

May your spirit be unbroken
All you have to know
Is the someplace you can go

You have filled me with devotion
You are in my heart
And you are in my soul

All you do is make me new
All you need is time
Here's the morning
Welcome to the world
Open up those sunshine eyes
 

 


Both Sunshine Eyes and All Is Forgiven are demos, recorded in Ian's home studio and as such are true solo recordings. They are certainly interesting, and demonstrate the breadth of styles Ian is capable of. But demo quality is all they are, and Ian didn't see fit to record them on any of his albums.

Sunshine Eyes4:21This demo was originally released on Once Bitten Twice Shy. It can also be found on Tilting The Mirror - Rarities(box set only).

Monday, November 6, 2023

Stretch, Ian Hunter, Shrunken Heads

The riff-driven and infectious tribute song Stretch was heralded by a jangling guitar chord that is scruffy, strong, and arresting. There are songs that demonstrate that the Northampton years are still very much a part of his life and here Hunter describes one such unfortunate friend, Barry Parkes, also referenced in Rain who Ian lost and how easily it could have been him. Barry passed in 2003 and used the literary reference. 

The Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde reference is about the Gothic novella and used in the vernacular to refer to people with an outwardly good but sometimes shockingly evil nature. Ian tried to intervene but all to no avail since Stretch went his own way. Hunter's mate had a great brain and a sense of humor but with a dark side so he hit people. He had a messed up life and when Ian met his mate again around 2000 they enjoyed a couple of good years until his buddy got cancer and died. Missing him, Ian wrote this song for him. 

The term Stretch does double duty referring to a long term prison sentence contrasted to the rock lifestyle in a stretch limousine. Stretch is the "pirate with the silver tongue" who went to his death. There are powerful images and words in this song about a kid from the wrong side of the tracks who couldn't turn his life around when Hunter escaped a dead end life.  

Ian Hunter On Track for Sonicbond Publishing, TheDoctorOfDigital@pm.me

Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde[1] is a 1886 Gothic novella by Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson. It follows Gabriel John Utterson, a London-based legal practitioner who investigates a series of strange occurrences between his old friend Dr. Henry Jekyll and a murderous criminal named Edward Hyde.

Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde is one of the most famous pieces of English literature, and is considered to be a defining book of the gothic horror genre. The novella has also had a sizable impact on popular culture, with the phrase "Jekyll and Hyde" being used in vernacular to refer to people with an outwardly good but sometimes shockingly evil nature.

Stretch

(Ian Hunter)

Abandoned by - abandoned by - abandoned by your Mother
Stranded in a boys' home - stranded in a boys' home
And never really recovered
Drain that poison from your mind
Or it's gonna take you down

STRETCH
Stretch - fish outta water - yah swim against the tide
Ain't no takin' sense to ya
Jekyll 'n' Jekyll 'n' Jekyll 'n' Hide

Oblivious to - oblivious to - oblivious to the danger
I tried, but I could never - I tried but I could never
I tried, but I could never - change ya
You went your way - I went mine
There was nothing I could do
You wouldn't listen - no you wouldn't listen to me

STRETCH
Stretch - always something' eatin' at ya - never towed the line
Mixed up 'n' dangerous - most 'o' the - most 'o' the
Most of the time

I can still see you walkin' down the street
I can still see the placed we'd meet
I can hear the voices in my head
One 'o' them yours
Even though you're dead

Attracted by - attracted by - attracted to the lifestyle
I could never go the - I could never go the
I could never go the last mile
The pirate with the silver tongue - among my souvenirs
You wouldn't listen -- aah you wouldn't listen to me

STRETCH
Pride of the army - hero of the corps
You hated every minute of it - they gave you two years
You made it four

I gotta stop hangin' out with ya - perhaps it's just as well
Now we're both doing stretches - I'm in a limo
And you're in a cell
I loved you like a brother - deep down sad
You were the best friend - I ever - I ever - I ever - had



Stretch (another guitar-led rocker) sees Ian taking aim at some of the ne'er-do-wells he grew up with, perhaps noting that things could easily have turned out so very differently.

Stretch4:12Originally released on Shrunken Heads.

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Reading since summer 2006 (some of the classics are re-reads): including magazine subscriptions

  • Abbot, Edwin A., Flatland;
  • Accelerate: Technology Driving Business Performance;
  • ACM Queue: Architecting Tomorrow's Computing;
  • Adkins, Lesley and Roy A. Adkins, Handbook to Life in Ancient Rome;
  • Ali, Ayaan Hirsi, Nomad: From Islam to America: A Personal Journey Through the Clash of Civilizations;
  • Ali, Tariq, The Clash of Fundamentalisms: Crusades, Jihads, and Modernity;
  • Allawi, Ali A., The Crisis of Islamic Civilization;
  • Alperovitz, Gar, The Decision To Use the Atomic Bomb;
  • American School & University: Shaping Facilities & Business Decisions;
  • Angelich, Jane, What's a Mother (in-Law) to Do?: 5 Essential Steps to Building a Loving Relationship with Your Son's New Wife;
  • Arad, Yitzchak, In the Shadow of the Red Banner: Soviet Jews in the War Against Nazi Germany;
  • Aristotle, Athenian Constitution. Eudemian Ethics. Virtues and Vices. (Loeb Classical Library No. 285);
  • Aristotle, Metaphysics: Books X-XIV, Oeconomica, Magna Moralia (The Loeb classical library);
  • Armstrong, Karen, A History of God;
  • Arrian: Anabasis of Alexander, Books I-IV (Loeb Classical Library No. 236);
  • Atkinson, Rick, The Guns at Last Light: The War in Western Europe, 1944-1945 (Liberation Trilogy);
  • Auletta, Ken, Googled: The End of the World As We Know It;
  • Austen, Jane, Pride and Prejudice;
  • Bacevich, Andrew, The Limits of Power: The End of American Exceptionalism;
  • Baker, James A. III, and Lee H. Hamilton, The Iraq Study Group Report: The Way Forward - A New Approach;
  • Barber, Benjamin R., Jihad vs. McWorld: Terrorism's Challenge to Democracy;
  • Barnett, Thomas P.M., Blueprint for Action: A Future Worth Creating;
  • Barnett, Thomas P.M., The Pentagon's New Map: War and Peace in the Twenty-First Century;
  • Barron, Robert, Catholicism: A Journey to the Heart of the Faith;
  • Baseline: Where Leadership Meets Technology;
  • Baur, Michael, Bauer, Stephen, eds., The Beatles and Philosophy;
  • Beard, Charles Austin, An Economic Interpretation of the Constitution of the United States (Sony Reader);
  • Benjamin, Daniel & Steven Simon, The Age of Sacred Terror: Radical Islam's War Against America;
  • Bergen, Peter, The Osama bin Laden I Know: An Oral History of al Qaeda's Leader;
  • Berman, Paul, Terror and Liberalism;
  • Berman, Paul, The Flight of the Intellectuals: The Controversy Over Islamism and the Press;
  • Better Software: The Print Companion to StickyMinds.com;
  • Bleyer, Kevin, Me the People: One Man's Selfless Quest to Rewrite the Constitution of the United States of America;
  • Boardman, Griffin, and Murray, The Oxford Illustrated History of the Roman World;
  • Bracken, Paul, The Second Nuclear Age: Strategy, Danger, and the New Power Politics;
  • Bradley, James, with Ron Powers, Flags of Our Fathers;
  • Bronte, Charlotte, Jane Eyre;
  • Bronte, Emily, Wuthering Heights;
  • Brown, Ashley, War in Peace Volume 10 1974-1984: The Marshall Cavendish Encyclopedia of Postwar Conflict;
  • Brown, Ashley, War in Peace Volume 8 The Marshall Cavendish Illustrated Encyclopedia of Postwar Conflict;
  • Brown, Nathan J., When Victory Is Not an Option: Islamist Movements in Arab Politics;
  • Bryce, Robert, Gusher of Lies: The Dangerous Delusions of "Energy Independence";
  • Bush, George W., Decision Points;
  • Bzdek, Vincent, The Kennedy Legacy: Jack, Bobby and Ted and a Family Dream Fulfilled;
  • Cahill, Thomas, Sailing the Wine-Dark Sea: Why the Greeks Matter;
  • Campus Facility Maintenance: Promoting a Healthy & Productive Learning Environment;
  • Campus Technology: Empowering the World of Higher Education;
  • Certification: Tools and Techniques for the IT Professional;
  • Channel Advisor: Business Insights for Solution Providers;
  • Chariton, Callirhoe (Loeb Classical Library);
  • Chief Learning Officer: Solutions for Enterprise Productivity;
  • Christ, Karl, The Romans: An Introduction to Their History and Civilization;
  • Cicero, De Senectute;
  • Cicero, The Republic, The Laws;
  • Cicero, The Verrine Orations I: Against Caecilius. Against Verres, Part I; Part II, Book 1 (Loeb Classical Library);
  • Cicero, The Verrine Orations I: Against Caecilius. Against Verres, Part I; Part II, Book 2 (Loeb Classical Library);
  • CIO Decisions: Aligning I.T. and Business in the MidMarket Enterprise;
  • CIO Insight: Best Practices for IT Business Leaders;
  • CIO: Business Technology Leadership;
  • Clay, Lucius Du Bignon, Decision in Germany;
  • Cohen, William S., Dragon Fire;
  • Colacello, Bob, Ronnie and Nancy: Their Path to the White House, 1911 to 1980;
  • Coll, Steve, The Bin Ladens: An Arabian Family in the American Century;
  • Collins, Francis S., The Language of God: A Scientist Presents Evidence for Belief ;
  • Colorni, Angelo, Israel for Beginners: A Field Guide for Encountering the Israelis in Their Natural Habitat;
  • Compliance & Technology;
  • Computerworld: The Voice of IT Management;
  • Connolly, Peter & Hazel Dodge, The Ancient City: Life in Classical Athens & Rome;
  • Conti, Greg, Googling Security: How Much Does Google Know About You?;
  • Converge: Strategy and Leadership for Technology in Education;
  • Cowan, Ross, Roman Legionary 58 BC - AD 69;
  • Cowell, F. R., Life in Ancient Rome;
  • Creel, Richard, Religion and Doubt: Toward a Faith of Your Own;
  • Cross, Robin, General Editor, The Encyclopedia of Warfare: The Changing Nature of Warfare from Prehistory to Modern-day Armed Conflicts;
  • CSO: The Resource for Security Executives:
  • Cummins, Joseph, History's Greatest Wars: The Epic Conflicts that Shaped the Modern World;
  • D'Amato, Raffaele, Imperial Roman Naval Forces 31 BC-AD 500;
  • Dallek, Robert, An Unfinished Life: John F. Kennedy 1917-1963;
  • Daly, Dennis, Sophocles' Ajax;
  • Dando-Collins, Stephen, Caesar's Legion: The Epic Saga of Julius Caesar's Elite Tenth Legion and the Armies of Rome;
  • Darwish, Nonie, Now They Call Me Infidel: Why I Renounced Jihad for America, Israel, and the War on Terror;
  • Davis Hanson, Victor, Makers of Ancient Strategy: From the Persian Wars to the Fall of Rome;
  • Dawkins, Richard, The Blind Watchmaker;
  • Dawkins, Richard, The God Delusion;
  • Dawkins, Richard, The Selfish Gene;
  • de Blij, Harm, Why Geography Matters: Three Challenges Facing America, Climate Change, The Rise of China, and Global Terrorism;
  • Defense Systems: Information Technology and Net-Centric Warfare;
  • Defense Systems: Strategic Intelligence for Info Centric Operations;
  • Defense Tech Briefs: Engineering Solutions for Military and Aerospace;
  • Dennett, Daniel C., Breaking the Spell: Religion as a Natural Phenomenon;
  • Dennett, Daniel C., Consciousness Explained;
  • Dennett, Daniel C., Darwin's Dangerous Idea;
  • Devries, Kelly, et. al., Battles of the Ancient World 1285 BC - AD 451 : From Kadesh to Catalaunian Field;
  • Dickens, Charles, Great Expectations;
  • Digital Communities: Building Twenty-First Century Communities;
  • Doctorow, E.L., Homer & Langley;
  • Dodds, E. R., The Greeks and the Irrational;
  • Dostoevsky, Fyodor, The House of the Dead (Google Books, Sony e-Reader);
  • Dostoevsky, Fyodor, The Idiot;
  • Douglass, Elisha P., Rebels and Democrats: The Struggle for Equal Political Rights and Majority Role During the American Revolution;
  • Doyle, Sir Arthur Conan, The Hound of the Baskervilles & The Valley of Fear;
  • Dr. Dobb's Journal: The World of Software Development;
  • Drug Discovery News: Discovery/Development/Diagnostics/Delivery;
  • DT: Defense Technology International;
  • Dunbar, Richard, Alcatraz;
  • Education Channel Partner: News, Trends, and Analysis for K-20 Sales Professionals;
  • Edwards, Aton, Preparedness Now!;
  • EGM: Electronic Gaming Monthly, the No. 1 Videogame Magazine;
  • Ehrman, Bart D., Lost Christianities: The Battles for Scriptures and the Faiths We Never Knew;
  • Ehrman, Bart D., Misquoting Jesus: The Story Behind Who Changed the Bible and Why;
  • Electronic Engineering Times: The Industry Newsweekly for the Creators of Technology;
  • Ellis, Joseph J., American Sphinx: The Character of Thomas Jefferson;
  • Ellis, Joseph J., His Excellency: George Washington;
  • Emergency Management: Strategy & Leadership in Critical Times;
  • Emerson, Steven, American Jihad: The Terrorists Living Among Us;
  • Erlewine, Robert, Monotheism and Tolerance: Recovering a Religion of Reason (Indiana Series in the Philosophy of Religion);
  • ESD: Embedded Systems Design;
  • Everitt, Anthony, Augustus: The Life of Rome's First Emperor;
  • Everitt, Anthony, Cicero: The Life and Times of Rome's Greatest Politician;
  • eWeek: The Enterprise Newsweekly;
  • Federal Computer Week: Powering the Business of Government;
  • Ferguson, Niall, Civilization: The West and the Rest;
  • Ferguson, Niall, Empire: The Rise and Demise of the British World Order and the Lessons for Global Power;
  • Ferguson, Niall, The Cash Nexus: Money and Power in the Modern World, 1700-2000;
  • Ferguson, Niall, The War of the World: Twentieth-Century Conflict and the Decline of the West;
  • Feuerbach, Ludwig, The Essence of Christianity (Sony eReader);
  • Fields, Nic, The Roman Army of the Principate 27 BC-AD 117;
  • Fields, Nic, The Roman Army of the Punic Wars 264-146 BC;
  • Fields, Nic, The Roman Army: the Civil Wars 88-31 BC;
  • Finkel, Caroline, Osman's Dream: The History of the Ottoman Empire;
  • Fisk, Robert, The Great War For Civilization: The Conquest of the Middle East;
  • Forstchen, William R., One Second After;
  • Fox, Robin Lane, The Classical World: An Epic History from Homer to Hadrian;
  • Frazer, James George, The Golden Bough (Volume 3): A Study in Magic and Religion (Sony eReader);
  • Freeh, Louis J., My FBI: Bringing Down the Mafia, Investigating Bill Clinton, and Fighting the War on Terror;
  • Freeman, Charles, The Greek Achievement: The Foundations of the Western World;
  • Friedman, Thomas L. The World Is Flat: A Brief History of the Twenty-First Century Further Updated and Expanded/Release 3.0;
  • Friedman, Thomas L., The Lexus and the Olive Tree: Understanding Globalization;
  • Frontinus: Stratagems. Aqueducts of Rome. (Loeb Classical Library No. 174);
  • Fuller Focus: Fuller Theological Seminary;
  • Fuller, Graham E., A World Without Islam;
  • Gaubatz, P. David and Paul Sperry, Muslim Mafia: Inside the Secret Underworld That's Conspiring to Islamize America;
  • Ghattas, Kim, The Secretary: A Journey with Hillary Clinton from Beirut to the Heart of American Power;
  • Gibson, William, Neuromancer;
  • Gilmour, Michael J., Gods and Guitars: Seeking the Sacred in Post-1960s Popular Music;
  • Global Services: Strategies for Sourcing People, Processes, and Technologies;
  • Glucklich, Ariel, Dying for Heaven: Holy Pleasure and Suicide Bombers-Why the Best Qualities of Religion Are Also It's Most Dangerous;
  • Goldberg, Jonah, Liberal Fascism: The Secret History of the American Left, From Mussolini to the Politics of Meaning;
  • Goldin, Shmuel, Unlocking the Torah Text Vayikra (Leviticus);
  • Goldsworthy, Adrian, Caesar: Life of a Colossus;
  • Goldsworthy, Adrian, How Rome Fell: Death of a Superpower;
  • Goodman, Lenn E., Creation and Evolution;
  • Goodwin, Doris Kearns, Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln;
  • Gopp, Amy, et.al., Split Ticket: Independent Faith in a Time of Partisan Politics (WTF: Where's the Faith?);
  • Gordon, Michael R., and Bernard E. Trainor, Cobra II: The Inside Story of the Invasion and Occupation of Iraq;
  • Government Health IT: The Magazine of Public/private Health Care Convergence;
  • Government Technology's Emergency Management: Strategy & Leadership in Critical Times;
  • Government Technology: Solutions for State and Local Government in the Information Age;
  • Grant , Michael, The Climax of Rome: The Final Achievements of the Ancient World, AD 161 - 337;
  • Grant, Michael, The Classical Greeks;
  • Grumberg, Orna, and Helmut Veith, 25 Years of Model Checking: History, Achievements, Perspectives;
  • Halberstam, David, War in a Time of Peace: Bush, Clinton, and the Generals;
  • Hammer, Reuven, Entering Torah Prefaces to the Weekly Torah Portion;
  • Hanson, Victor Davis, An Autumn of War: What America Learned from September 11 and the War on Terrorism;
  • Hanson, Victor Davis, Between War and Peace: Lessons from Afghanistan to Iraq;
  • Hanson, Victor Davis, Carnage and Culture: Landmark Battles in the Rise of Western Power;
  • Hanson, Victor Davis, How The Obama Administration Threatens Our National Security (Encounter Broadsides);
  • Hanson, Victor Davis, Makers of Ancient Strategy: From the Persian Wars to the Fall of Rome;
  • Hanson, Victor Davis, Ripples of Battle: How Wars of the Past Still Determine How We Fight, How We Live, and How We Think;
  • Hanson, Victor Davis, The End of Sparta: A Novel;
  • Hanson, Victor Davis, The Soul of Battle: From Ancient Times to the Present Day, How Three Great Liberators Vanquished Tyranny;
  • Hanson, Victor Davis, Wars of the Ancient Greeks;
  • Harnack, Adolf Von, History of Dogma, Volume 3 (Sony Reader);
  • Harris, Alex, Reputation At Risk: Reputation Report;
  • Harris, Sam, Letter to a Christian Nation;
  • Harris, Sam, The End of Faith: Religion, Terror, and the Future of Reason;
  • Hayek, F. A., The Road to Serfdom;
  • Heilbroner, Robert L., and Lester Thurow, Economics Explained: Everything You Need to Know About How the Economy Works and Where It's Going;
  • Hempel, Sandra, The Strange Case of The Broad Street Pump: John Snow and the Mystery of Cholera;
  • Hinnells, John R., A Handbook of Ancient Religions;
  • Hitchens, Christopher, God Is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything;
  • Hogg, Ian V., The Encyclopedia of Weaponry: The Development of Weaponry from Prehistory to 21st Century Warfare;
  • Hugo, Victor, The Hunchback of Notre Dame;
  • Humphrey, Caroline & Vitebsky, Piers, Sacred Architecture;
  • Huntington, Samuel P., The Clash of Civilizations and the Remaking of World Order;
  • Info World: Information Technology News, Computer Networking & Security;
  • Information Week: Business Innovation Powered by Technology:
  • Infostor: The Leading Source for Enterprise Storage Professionals;
  • Infrastructure Insite: Bringing IT Together;
  • Insurance Technology: Business Innovation Powered by Technology;
  • Integrated Solutions: For Enterprise Content Management;
  • Intel Premier IT: Sharing Best Practices with the Information Technology Community;
  • Irwin, Robert, Dangerous Knowledge: Orientalism and Its Discontents;
  • Jeffrey, Grant R., The Global-Warming Deception: How a Secret Elite Plans to Bankrupt America and Steal Your Freedom;
  • Jewkes, Yvonne, and Majid Yar, Handbook of Internet Crime;
  • Johnson, Chalmers, Blowback: The Costs and Consequences of American Empire;
  • Journal, The: Transforming Education Through Technology;
  • Judd, Denis, The Lion and the Tiger: The Rise and Fall of the British Raj, 1600-1947;
  • Kagan, Donald, The Peloponnesian War;
  • Kansas, Dave, The Wall Street Journal Guide to the End of Wall Street as We Know It: What You Need to Know About the Greatest Financial Crisis of Our Time--and How to Survive It;
  • Karsh, Efraim, Islamic Imperialism: A History;
  • Kasser, Rodolphe, The Gospel of Judas;
  • Katz, Solomon, The Decline of Rome and the Rise of Medieval Europe: (The Development of Western Civilization);
  • Keegan, John, Intelligence in War: The Value--and Limitations--of What the Military Can Learn About the Enemy;
  • Kenis, Leo, et. al., The Transformation of the Christian Churches in Western Europe 1945-2000 (Kadoc Studies on Religion, Culture and Society 6);
  • Kepel, Gilles, Jihad: The Trail of Political Islam;
  • Kiplinger's: Personal Finance;
  • Klein, Naomi, The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism;
  • KM World: Content, Document, and Knowledge Management;
  • Koestler, Arthur, Darkness at Noon: A Novel;
  • Kostova, Elizabeth, The Historian;
  • Kuttner, Robert, The Squandering of America: How the Failure of Our Politics Undermines Our Prosperity;
  • Lake, Kirsopp, The Text of the New Testament, Sony Reader;
  • Laur, Timothy M., Encyclopedia of Modern US Military Weapons ;
  • Leffler, Melvyn P., and Jeffrey W. Legro, To Lead the World: American Strategy After the Bush Doctrine;
  • Lendon, J. E., Soldiers and Ghosts: A History of Battle in Classical Antiquity;
  • Lenin, V. I., Imperialism the Highest Stage of Capitalism;
  • Lennon, John J., There is Absolutely No Reason to Pay Too Much for College!;
  • Lewis, Bernard, The Crisis of Islam: Holy War and Unholy Terror;
  • Lewis, Bernard, What Went Wrong?: The Clash Between Islam and Modernity in the Middle East;
  • Lifton, Robert J., Greg Mitchell, Hiroshima in America;
  • Limberis, Vasiliki M., Architects of Piety: The Cappadocian Fathers and the Cult of the Martyrs;
  • Lipsett, B. Diane, Desiring Conversion: Hermas, Thecla, Aseneth;
  • Livingston, Jessica, Founders At Work: Stories of Startups' Early Days;
  • Livy, Rome and the Mediterranean: Books XXXI-XLV of the History of Rome from its Foundation (Penguin Classics);
  • Louis J., Freeh, My FBI: Bringing Down the Mafia, Investigating Bill Clinton, and Fighting the War on Terror;
  • Mackay, Christopher S., Ancient Rome: A Military and Political History;
  • Majno, Guido, The Healing Hand: Man and Wound in the Ancient World;
  • Marcus, Greil,Invisible Republic: Bob Dylan's Basement Tapes;
  • Marshall-Cornwall, James, Napoleon as Military Commander;
  • Maughm, W. Somerset, Of Human Bondage;
  • McCluskey, Neal P., Feds in the Classroom: How Big Government Corrupts, Cripples, and Compromises American Education;
  • McCullough, David, 1776;
  • McCullough, David, John Adams;
  • McCullough, David, Mornings on Horseback: The Story of an Extraordinary Family, a Vanished Way of Life and the Unique Child Who Became Theodore Roosevelt;
  • McLynn, Frank, Marcus Aurelius: A Life;
  • McManus, John, Deadly Brotherhood, The: The American Combat Soldier in World War II ;
  • McMaster, H. R., Dereliction of Duty: Johnson, McNamara, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the Lies That Led to Vietnam;
  • McNamara, Patrick, Science and the World's Religions Volume 1: Origins and Destinies (Brain, Behavior, and Evolution);
  • McNamara, Patrick, Science and the World's Religions Volume 2: Persons and Groups (Brain, Behavior, and Evolution);
  • McNamara, Patrick, Science and the World's Religions Volume 3: Religions and Controversies (Brain, Behavior, and Evolution);
  • Meacham, Jon, American Lion: Andrew Jackson in the White House;
  • Mearsheimer, John J., and Stephen M. Walt, The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy;
  • Meier, Christian, Caesar: A Biography;
  • Menzies, Gaven, 1421: The Year China Discovered America;
  • Metaxas, Eric, Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy;
  • Michael, Katina and M.G. Michael, Innovative Automatic Identification and Location-Based Services: From Barcodes to Chip Implants;
  • Migliore, Daniel L., Faith Seeking Understanding: An Introduction to Christian Theology;
  • Military & Aerospace Electronics: The Magazine of Transformation in Electronic and Optical Technology;
  • Millard, Candice, Theodore Roosevelt's Darkest Journey: The River of Doubt;
  • Mommsen, Theodor, The History of the Roman Republic, Sony Reader;
  • Muller, F. Max, Chips From A German Workshop: Volume III: Essays On Language And Literature;
  • Murray, Janet, H., Hamlet On the Holodeck: The Future of Narrative in Cyberspace;
  • Murray, Williamson, War in the Air 1914-45;
  • Müller, F. Max, Chips From A German Workshop;
  • Nader, Ralph, Crashing the Party: Taking on the Corporate Government in an Age of Surrender;
  • Nagl, John A., Learning to Eat Soup with a Knife: Counterinsurgency Lessons from Malaya and Vietnam;
  • Napoleoni, Loretta, Terrorism and the Economy: How the War on Terror is Bankrupting the World;
  • Nature: The International Weekly Journal of Science;
  • Negus, Christopher, Fedora 6 and Red Hat Enterprise Linux;
  • Network Computing: For IT by IT:
  • Network World: The Leader in Network Knowledge;
  • Network-centric Security: Where Physical Security & IT Worlds Converge;
  • Newman, Paul B., Travel and Trade in the Middle Ages;
  • Nietzsche, Friedrich Wilhelm, The Nietzsche-Wagner Correspondence;
  • Nixon, Ed, The Nixons: A Family Portrait;
  • O'Brien, Johnny, Day of the Assassins: A Jack Christie Novel;
  • O'Donnell, James J., Augustine: A New Biography;
  • OH & S: Occupational Health & Safety
  • Okakura, Kakuzo, The Book of Tea;
  • Optimize: Business Strategy & Execution for CIOs;
  • Ostler, Nicholas, Ad Infinitum: A Biography of Latin;
  • Parry, Jay A., The Real George Washington (American Classic Series);
  • Paton, W.R., The Greek Anthology, Volume V, Loeb Classical Library, No. 86;
  • Pausanius, Guide to Greece 1: Central Greece;
  • Perrett, Bryan, Cassell Military Classics: Iron Fist: Classic Armoured Warfare;
  • Perrottet, Tony, The Naked Olympics: The True Story of the Olympic Games;
  • Peters, Ralph, New Glory: Expanding America's Global Supremacy;
  • Phillips, Kevin, American Dynasty: Aristocracy, Fortune, and the Politics of Deceit in the House of Bush;
  • Pick, Bernhard; Paralipomena; Remains of Gospels and Sayings of Christ (Sony Reader);
  • Pimlott, John, The Elite: The Special Forces of the World Volume 1;
  • Pitre, Brant, Jesus and the Jewish Roots of the Eucharist: Unlocking the Secrets of the Last Supper;
  • Plutarch's Lives, X: Agis and Cleomenes. Tiberius and Gaius Gracchus. Philopoemen and Flamininus (Loeb Classical Library®);
  • Podhoretz, Norman, World War IV: The Long Struggle Against Islamofascism;
  • Posner, Gerald, Case Closed: Lee Harvey Oswald and the Assassination of JFK;
  • Potter, Wendell, Deadly Spin: An Insurance Company Insider Speaks Out on How Corporate PR Is Killing Health Care and Deceiving Americans;
  • Pouesi, Daniel, Akua;
  • Premier IT Magazine: Sharing Best Practices with the Information Technology Community;
  • Price, Monroe E. & Daniel Dayan, eds., Owning the Olympics: Narratives of the New China;
  • Profit: The Executive's Guide to Oracle Applications;
  • Public CIO: Technology Leadership in the Public Sector;
  • Putnam, Robert D., Bowling Alone : The Collapse and Revival of American Community;
  • Quintus of Smyrna, The Fall of Troy;
  • Rawles, James Wesley, Patriots: A Novel of Survival in the Coming Collapse;
  • Red Herring: The Business of Technology;
  • Redmond Channel Partner: Driving Success in the Microsoft Partner Community;
  • Redmond Magazine: The Independent Voice of the Microsoft IT Community;
  • Renan, Ernest, The life of Jesus (Sony eReader);
  • Richler, Mordecai (editor), Writers on World War II: An Anthology;
  • Roberts, Ian, The Energy Glut: Climate Change and the Politics of Fatness in an Overheating World;
  • Rocca, Samuel, The Army of Herod the Great;
  • Rodgers, Nigel, A Military History of Ancient Greece: An Authoritative Account of the Politics, Armies and Wars During the Golden Age of Ancient Greece, shown in over 200 color photographs, diagrams, maps and plans;
  • Rodoreda, Merce, Death in Spring: A Novel;
  • Romerstein, Herbert and Breindel, Eric,The Venona Secrets, Exposing Soviet Espionage and America's Traitors;
  • Ross, Dennis, Statecraft: And How to Restore America's Standing in the World;
  • Roth, Jonathan P., Roman Warfare (Cambridge Introduction to Roman Civilization);
  • SC Magazine: For IT Security Professionals;
  • Scahill, Jeremy, Blackwater: The Rise of the World's Most Powerful Mercenary Army [Revised and Updated];
  • Schama, Simon, A History of Britain, At the Edge of the World 3500 B.C. - 1603 A.D.;
  • Scheuer, Michael, Imperial Hubris: Why the West Is Losing the War On Terror;
  • Scheuer, Michael, Marching Toward Hell: America and Islam After Iraq;
  • Scheuer, Michael, Osama Bin Laden;
  • Scheuer, Michael, Through Our Enemies Eyes: Osama Bin Laden, Radical Islam, and the Future of America;
  • Scholastic Instructor
  • Scholastic Parent & Child: The Joy of Family Living and Learning;
  • Schopenhauer, Arthur, The World As Will And Idea (Sony eReader);
  • Schug-Wille, Art of the Byzantine World;
  • Schulze, Hagen, Germany: A New History;
  • Schweizer, Peter, Architects of Ruin: How Big Government Liberals Wrecked the Global Economy---and How They Will Do It Again If No One Stops Them;
  • Scott, Sir Walter, Ivanhoe;
  • Seagren, Eric, Secure Your Network for Free: Using Nmap, Wireshark, Snort, Nessus, and MRTG;
  • Security Technology & Design: The Security Executive's Resource for Systems Integration and Convergence;
  • Seibel, Peter, Coders at Work;
  • Sekunda N., & S. Northwood, Early Roman Armies;
  • Seneca: Naturales Quaestiones, Books II (Loeb Classical Library No. 450);
  • Sewall, Sarah, The U.S. Army/Marine Corps Counterinsurgency Field Manual;
  • Sheppard, Ruth, Alexander the Great at War: His Army - His Battles - His Enemies;
  • Shinder, Jason, ed., The Poem That Changed America: "Howl" Fifty Years Later;
  • Sidebottom, Harry, Ancient Warfare: A Very Short Introduction;
  • Sides, Hampton, Blood and Thunder: The Epic Story of Kit Carson and the Conquest of the American West;
  • Simkins, Michael, The Roman Army from Caesar to Trajan;
  • Sinchak, Steve, Hacking Windows Vista;
  • Smith, RJ, The One: The Life and Music of James Brown;
  • Software Development Times: The Industry Newspaper for Software Development Managers;
  • Software Test Performance;
  • Solomon, Norman, War Made Easy: How Presidents and Pundits Keep Spinning Us to Death;
  • Song, Lolan, Innovation Together: Microsoft Research Asia Academic Research Collaboration;
  • Sophocles, The Three Theban Plays, tr. Robert Fagles;
  • Sound & Vision: The Consumer Electronics Authority;
  • Southern, Pat, The Roman Army: A Social and Institutional History;
  • Sri, Edward, A Biblical Walk Through the Mass: Understanding What We Say and Do In The Liturgy;
  • Sri, Edward, Men, Women and the Mystery of Love: Practical Insights from John Paul II's Love and Responsibility;
  • Stair, John Bettridge, Old Samoa; Or, Flotsam and Jetsam From the Pacific Ocean;
  • Starr, Chester G., The Roman Empire, 27 B.C.-A.D. 476: A Study in Survival;
  • Starr, John Bryan, Understanding China: A Guide to China's Economy, History, and Political Culture;
  • Stauffer, John, Giants: The Parallel Lives of Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln;
  • Steyn, Mark, America Alone: The End of the World As We Know It;
  • Strassler, Robert B., The Landmark Herodotus: The Histories;
  • Strassler, Robert B., The Landmark Thucydides: A Comprehensive Guide to the Peloponnesian War;
  • Strassler, Robert B., The Landmark Xenophon's Hellenika;
  • Strategy + Business;
  • Streete, Gail, Redeemed Bodies: Women Martyrs in Early Christianity;
  • Sullivan, James, The Hardest Working Man: How James Brown Saved the Soul of America;
  • Sumner, Graham, Roman Military Clothing (1) 100 BC-AD 200;
  • Sumner, Graham, Roman Military Clothing (2) AD 200-400;
  • Suskind, Ron, The One Percent Doctrine: Deep Inside America's Pursuit of Its Enemies Since 9/11:
  • Swanston, Malcolm, Mapping History Battles and Campaigns;
  • Swiderski, Richard M., Quicksilver: A History of the Use, Lore, and Effects of Mercury;
  • Swiderski, Richard M., Quicksilver: A History of the Use, Lore, and Effects of Mercury;
  • Swift, Jonathan, Gulliver's Travels;
  • Syme, Ronald, The Roman Revolution;
  • Talley, Colin L., A History of Multiple Sclerosis;
  • Tawil, Camille, Brothers In Arms: The Story of al-Qa'ida and the Arab Jihadists;
  • Tech Briefs: Engineering Solutions for Design & Manufacturing;
  • Tech Net: The Microsoft Journal for IT Professionals;
  • Tech Partner: Gain a Competitive Edge Through Solutions Providers;
  • Technology & Learning: Ideas and Tools for Ed Tech Leaders;
  • Tenet, George, At the Center of the Storm: The CIA During America's Time of Crisis;
  • Thackeray, W. M., Vanity Fair;
  • Thompson, Derrick & William Martin, Have Guitars ... Will Travel: A Journey Through the Beat Music Scene in Northampton 1957-66;
  • Tolstoy, Leo, Anna Karenina;
  • Trento, Joseph J., The Secret History of the CIA;
  • Twain, Mark, The Gilded Age: a Tale of Today;
  • Ungar, Craig, House of Bush House of Saud;
  • Unterberger, Richie, The Unreleased Beatles Music & Film;
  • VAR Business: Strategic Insight for Technology Integrators:
  • Virgil, The Aeneid
  • Virtualization Review: Powering the New IT Generation;
  • Visual Studio: Enterprise Solutions for .Net Development;
  • VON Magazine: Voice, Video & Vision;
  • Wall Street Technology: Business Innovation Powered by Technology;
  • Wallace, Robert, Spycraft: The Secret History of the CIA's Spytechs, from Communism to al-Qaeda;
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