text:
Perry donor ordered to pay $195 million for fraud
Mar 30th - 5:04 pm
Posted by Allison Sandza in [...]
A Travis County jury Friday ordered Patrick Cox, founder of TaxMasters and big Republican donor, to pay more than $195 mil. for defrauding customers in Texas and elsewhere in the U.S. and committing over 110,000 violations of the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act. TaxMasters must pay more than $113 mil. back to its customers.
"Today's decision marks a significant victory for the Texans and TaxMasters customers nationwide who sought help from TaxMasters with their income tax debts and were taken advantage of in the midst of a national economic downturn," Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott wrote in a statement. "While the TaxMasters CEO made hollow promises about fighting for taxpayers and their pocketbooks in television ads, the evidence proved that the firm didn't even bother to show up when it came time to fulfill those promises, but instead misled and defrauded their customers."
Cox donated to Sen. John Cornyn's campaign in 2008, and Gov. Rick Perry's gubernatorial campaign in 2010.
Abbott's office also accuses TaxMasters of filing Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in "an apparent effort to avoid the State's enforcement action."
Gingrich, Paul and Santorum say yes to Texas debate
The Texas Republican Party is hoping to host a nationally televised Republican debate ahead of the state's May 29 primary. Today, State GOP Chairman Steve Munisteri said Newt Gingrich, Rick Santorum and Ron Paul have committed.
Mitt Romney is the only hold-out. State party officials say they've reached out to the Romeny camp, and he's considering attending the debate. Munisteri said, "I am disappointed that Governor Romney has not yet committed to attending an official Republican Party of Texas event." He called it "disrespectful to all Texas Republicans for a candidate not to attend."
According to Munisteri, an un-named major television network has agreed to carry the debate, but only if all the candidates show up. Tentative dates and a location have been discussed, but no final decisions will be made until Romney makes a decision.
Cornyn is last man standing in Republican Whip race
It's looking more likely Texas Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, will be the number two among Senate Republicans. Roll Call reports Sen. Richard Burr, R-North Carolina, is dropping his bid for Minority Whip.
"In recent weeks, I have come to the realization that the difficult and time-consuming nature of the policy issues I am invested in is not always consistent with a position in leadership. I have introduced many pieces of legislation, including Medicare and Medicaid reform proposals, and I intend to work vigorously to see them enacted. These efforts require serious attention, and they simply cannot be pursued with the focus they demand while also serving as a member of leadership." Burr said in a statement to Roll Call.
Cornyn currently serves as chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee.
Romney sets sights on Texas, picks up major endorsement
Mar 28th - 12:31 pm
Republican Mitt Romney is setting his sights on Texas, this week. Romney will kick off a two-day three-city fundraising tour in Dallas. He'll attend a dinner there, tonight. Tomorrow, Romney makes stops in San Antonio and Houston.
The San Antonio event is closed to the press. In Houston, Romney will be joined by former President and Texan, George H.W. Bush. Bush will formally endorse Romney at an event at the St. Regis hotel. Bush's endorsement could be a sign that the Republican establishment is rallying around Romney.
Romeny's visit comes one week after rival Rick Santorum made a swing through the Lone-Star state. With the nomination far from locked up, analysts say Texas' May 29 primary could play a large role in the republican primary.
Abbott, Cornyn weigh in on SCOTUS health care developments
State Republicans opposed to the Obama administration's health care law say they're pleased with the way the proceedings are progressing. Capital Tonight's Paul Brown spoke with Attorney General Greg Abbott from our Washington D.C. bureau, today.
That interview is here:
Senator John Cornyn and other Republican lawmakers weighed in from Capitol Hill, as well.
Here are Sen. Cornyn's comments:
We did reach out to the Texas Democratic Party for their thoughts on the proceedings, thus far. We have not heard back.
Voter ID trial date set
A Washington DC court will begin hearing arguments in the Texas voter ID legislation trial on July 9. The federal district court will decide if the law should be allowed to take effect. The law, passed last legislative session, requires voters to present photo identification before casting a ballot.
Earlier this month, the Department of Justice denied the state preclearance, saying the law didn't stand up to Section 5 of Voting Rights Act. In other words, the state couldn't prove it doesn't have a discriminatory purpose or effect.
Texas is one of several southern states required to get preclearance. Attorney General Greg Abbott is also challenging that part of the law. In an amended complaint to the original lawsuit, he claimed Section 5 was unconstitutional.
That issue won't be discussed, however, unless the court denies preclearance. In its initial scheduling order, the district court said "Count II of the State of Texas's Amended Complaint alleging that Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act is unconstitutional shall not be addressed unless the Court denies judicial preclearance of Senate Bill 41."
Elizabeth Ames Jones releases first TV ad
State Senate candidate Elizabeth Ames Jones released her first radio and television ads, today. Jones served as Chairman of the Texas Railroad Commission, and is running for Senate District 25. She will face incumbent Jeff Wentworth and Donna Campbell in the May primary.
Here's the ad:
Paul supporters float plan B: third party run?
Mar 23rd - 5:35 pm
In light of the campaign's low number of delegates and low position in the polls, Ron Paul supporters are coming up with a Plan B: a third party run. Volunteers with Grassroots for Liberty, a Ron Paul Super PAC, called supporters Friday asking for donations and floating the idea of a third party bid launched at the Republican National Convention in August.
"Plan B, a third party run, would be greatly [unclear] by having as much support at the national convention as possible. Showing that we can pull a ton of support from one of the major parties would be a gigantic publicity stunt and a great way to launch a third party run," a supporter named Perry said in a voicemail Friday.
Perry went on to say that "things are so different" from when Paul ran in 2008, saying that
Rep. Paul could be successful this time around. Supporters who signed up with RP2012.org are asked to log on and donate money to help buy calls to potential caucus goers in upcoming states.
Paul, and many of his supporters, have said he would not seek a third party nomination if he loses the GOP race.
Hutchison voices support for Planned Parenthood
Mar 22nd - 12:09 pm
In a rare move, Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison is breaking with the Republican party, voicing support for Planned Parenthood. Her comments were in reaction to a state law that cuts funding to women's health clinics that are affiliated with abortion providers. Planned Parenthood is among the providers that will be banned from participating in the Medicaid program. As a result, the federal government will no longer fund the state's Women's Health Program.
In an interview with MSNBC, Hutchison said we "cannot afford to lose the Medicaid funding for low income women to have health care services." She also criticized Gov. Perry's plan to find money to fund the program using state money.
Here's the full interview:
The Texas Democratic Party released this statement, supporting Sen. Hutchison's stance:
"We applaud Senator Hutchison for breaking with her Republican Party's attempt to endanger women's health care. Sadly, every Republican running to replace Senator Hutchison supports the deplorable attacks on women's health care. If Texans want to make sure these types of attacks on women do not continue, they need to vote Democratic."
Paul calls Secret Service protection 'welfare'
Mar 21st - 11:42 am
Given the choice between an appearance on the Tonight Show, and campaigning on the day of the Illinois primary, Ron Paul opted for a TV appearance. He was on Jay Leno, last night.
He talked about his opponents, his time on the campaign trail and his decision not to request Secret Service protection. Of the four remaining candidates, Paul is the only one who doesn't have a Secret Service detail. Last night, he said he's an ordinary citizen who should pay for his own protection. He called Secret Service protection a form of welfare.
Meanwhile, Paul came in a distant third in Illinois, with 9 percent of the vote. He has yet to win any primary or caucuses.
Here's part of his interview from last night:


With a powerful membership and tight focus on the long-term sustainability of the hotel industry – and a collective reach of over 23,500 properties, over 3.4m rooms and over 1.5m employees in over 100 countries worldwide – the International Tourism Partnership (ITP) has a unique leadership role within the hospitality sector. ITP utilises this leadership to ensure that best practice is shared, which constantly raises the bar of sustainable practice within the hospitality industry.
ITP provides its members with a non-competitive platform to share knowledge and resources, develop policy and actively implement programmes and initiatives that have a positive impact on economic, social and environmental issues. This platform also facilitates broader discussions, providing a framework for corporate business leaders to engage and communicate with organisations such as UN World Tourism Organisation, World Tourism and Travel Council and Global Reporting Initiative.
A current example of ITP's ability to share best practice includes the ITP and WTTC working group on carbon measurement. This ground breaking initiative aims to unite hotel industry efforts to calculate and communicate carbon impact by agreeing on a standardised methodology and metrics informed by the GHG Protocol standards. For the first time, leaders within the hotel industry are collaborating to reach a consensus on a single methodology for calculating carbon footprints and consistent metrics for communicating emissions.


text:
Palm Coast man gets 10 years in 1990s sex case
Accused of sex crimes against 9 year old
Jennifer Edwards-Park jennifer.edwards-park@news-jrnl.com
BUNNELL — Andrew Stuart Wilson stood thin and mostly bald before Circuit Judge J. David Walsh on Tuesday, his beard more salt than pepper, as he pleaded no contest to charges that he sexually battered a girl in the 1990s.
Speaking rapidly, and in response to the judge's questions, the 56-year-old Palm Coast resident said he is taking medication for heart palpitations and agreed to a plea deal that would have him serve 10 years in prison followed by two decades of sex-offender probation.
Wilson also "could be subjected to involuntary commitment at the termination of the sentence, committed to a civil facility for the treatment of sex offenders," Walsh said.
Wilson said he understood.
Wilson was originally charged with sexual battery against a victim younger than 12. Investigators said he sexually assaulted a child in multiple ways beginning in 1992, when the child was 9.
Prosecutors said the abuse continued until the victim was 15 or 16.
The statute of limitations had run out on all but a capital sexual battery charge. Conviction on that charge would have meant a life sentence.
Instead, Wilson waived the statute of limitations and pleaded no contest to sexual battery on a person less than 18 years of age by a person in familial or custodial authority.
Walsh adjudicated him guilty.
The first-degree felony carried a potential sentence of up to 30 years in prison.
Now, Wilson may or may not be eligible for "gain time," 7th Circuit Assistant State Attorney Christina Opsahl told the judge. "Its up to the department of corrections."
Gain time is an inmate's opportunity to earn a reduction, if eligible, in his or her overall sentence imposed by the court, according to the Florida Department of Corrections website.
It's used to encourage "satisfactory inmate behavior and motivate program and work participation," according to the site.
Opsahl said the victim was present at the hearing but did not wish to speak.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Hà Đông may refer to several places in Vietnam, including:

Hà Đông District, an urban district of Hanoi
Hà Đông, Gia Lai, a commune of Đắk Đoa District
Hà Đông, Lâm Đồng, a commune of Đạ Tẻh District
Hà Đông, Thanh Hóa, a commune of Hà Trung District

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


An interesting phenomenon occurred yesterday when I questioned the reasons why I had more visits to my blog on some days and fewer on others. I am coming to the conclusion that it is the TITLE of the blog entry that may have an impact. For yesterday's blog I chose the title "Understanding Blogging". It was a title chosen purely to announce the discussion I was having (seemingly with myself) about why my blog visitor numbers were so changeable. Well, what a surprise I had when this blog achieved my highest visitor score yet of 182. I was astonished! Then the penny started to drop - was it because of the title? Were people thinking they might learn to understand blogging by checking out my blog? What a disappointment they would have had.
But now, after doing a little research and checking out a site entitled, "How to focus your blog or blogged book on a topic", I have realised that perhaps I should stick to one topic and try to gain an audience on that particlular subject matter, instead of just prattling on about whatever is 'in my head' on a particular day.
But, now, what topic to decide on? Of course I could start plucking pieces from my memoir; but would that be interesting to a wide audience? I could continue on the saga of trying to sell our house, but as any action on that is limited and the 'stories' so few and far between, it could be a non-event.
I'm good at whingeing in the style of "Grumpy Old Women". Perhaps I could give that a go (?).
My current "occupation" of eulogy writing, whilst very interesting, could be a little morbid and, also, there's a privacy factor there.
So, in the meantime, I think I will just concentrate on chatting about how to (try and) make a successful blog.
As I mentioned yesterday, I am not after a huge audience, but, being a writer, I have to admit I am always happy to know that at least someone has read (and appreciated) anything I have written.


text:
Neethling, Beukes win Van Gaalen battle
By Press Office, July 29, 2017
Matthys Beukes and Candice Neethling won the men and women's titles respectively after closely fought battles at the Van Gaalen round of the 2017 Ashburton Investments National Mountain Bike Series, at Skeerpoort in the North West Province on Saturday.
Beukes (Pyga Eurosteel) eventually triumphed in a race-long duel with Round 4 winner, Brendon Davids (Road Cover) to claim the win in a time of 02:55:34. Davids was just 0.1 seconds behind with Gert Heyns (Ascendis Health) rounding out the podium places.
Elite Men. Photo Credit: www.zcmc.co.za
"Brendon is so strong on the flats and there's quite a lot of flat sections here. I was bleeding to keep on his wheel. On the last climb I thought it was game over for me, so I just put in one last attack and it worked out. I got a gap and just tried to hold my small lead to the end, which I only just managed to do," said a weary Beukes, who now takes the Series lead going into Round 6.
In the women's race a tight tussle saw Neethling (dormakaba) and Samantha Sanders (Valencia) duke it out in a sprint, with Neethling just edging ahead to take the win in a time of 03:29:14. Sanders was given the same time with South African champion, Robyn de Groot (Ascendis Health) taking third place in 03:30:31. De Groot still holds onto the Series lead.
Elite Women. Photo Credit: www.zcmc.co.za
"I checked out the finish before the start and knew the first person into the last corner should win. So my positioning at the end was perfect for that sprint. It was a hot pace from the beginning in the women's race today and I'm very happy to have won. It's a really challenging route, which I love," smiled Neethling.
Round 6 of the Ashburton Investments National MTB Series takes place at Dullstroom, Mpumalanga on 2 and 3 September 2017. To enter, or for more information, visit www.nationalmtbseries.com
Leading Results
1 Matthys Beukes 02:55:34
2 Brendon Davids 02:55:35
3 Gert Heyns 02:59:00
4 Philip Buys 03:00:38
5 Nico Bell 03:02:00
1 Candice Neethling 03:29:14
2 Samantha Sanders 03:29:15
3 Robyn De Groot 03:30:31
4 Theresa Ralph 03:42:41
5 Sarah Hill 03:45:34
1 Marc Oliver Pritzen 01:40:03
2 Keagan Bontekoning 01:42:29
3 Chris Du Plessis Du Plessis 01:43:22
1 Danielle Strydom 02:00:04
2 Thana Groenewald 02:03:27
3 Frances Janse van Rensburg 02:08:50
National Mountain Bike Series
National MTB Series
Matthys Beukes
Candice Neethling
Van Gaalen
Posted July 30, 2017 · Hidden
Shouldn't it be Candice Lill ?
Yes, it probably should be. Race results still have her down as Neethling however.
Jonesy k
Damn must of done a diffrent race and missed all those flat sections.... that's why I was so tired must be


Living Room. Best Pictures Of Interior Design Living Room Low Budget Ideas. Splendid Low Budget Living Room Interior Decoration With L Shaped Upholstered Sofa Added Single Creamy Chair And White Pouf Coffee Table Ideas.


Mac Bohlman, a media arts student, tries out a Mobile Studio Pro device during a Wacom product demo event on January 26 in the LCC Media Arts Lab.
The Media Arts Department at Lane hosted a Wacom product demo on Jan. 26 to help determine future equipment choices. A variety of drawing tablets and devices were provided for students to try out, including some already offered for use in media arts equipment checkout. Jan Halvorsen, a media arts faculty member, led a team of student workers in organizing the event. Halvorsen wanted to get feedback about what tools students would likely use so that the department could look into future purchases for the media arts equipment checkout.
Around thirty students visited over the course of the event to try out digital drawing, sculpting and tracing equipment. Halvorsen and student workers were on hand to show event participants how the tools work.
Misty Holmes, a graphic design major, explained that digital tablets have an expansive range of production uses. The smooth workflow the digital interface provides has practical application for those working in graphic design, animation, 3-D modeling, audio production and video editing.
Jan Halvorsen, left, a media arts faculty member, shows students Bryan Emanuel, center, and DJ Martinez, right, how to use the Cintiq 22HD. The pen display was designed to meet the needs of creative professionals.
The media arts checkout currently has Wacom Intuos tablets for student use. The pen and the tablet serve as a way for the user to communicate with the software more ergonomically than the standard mouse and keyboard. It functions like a large laptop mousepad, and the pressure-sensitive pens allow the user to make thicker or thinner lines depending on how hard they press on the pen. During the product demo, some students used the tablets for drawing while others used it for 3-D modeling. New products on display included the Intuos Pro Paper, the Mobile Studio Pro, and the Cintiq Pro 16.
The Intuos Pro Paper is like the tablets already available but uses a physical pen. A piece of paper is attached to the screen, the physical pen draws on the paper, which is then transferred digitally to the software. Emmet Crass, Multimedia Design and Graphic Design student, found its use a bit limited. He considered it good for transferring sketches from drawing to digital, but the lack of pressure sensitivity limited it as an art tool.
Emmet Crass, a media arts student, tries out the Intuos Pro Paper while Damian McDonald, a media arts faculty, tries out the Cintiq 16. Crass found the Pro Paper useful for transferring line art sketches to a computer, but saw the lack of erasing option to be a big drawback.
The Mobile Studio Pro was a drawing tablet that also displayed the screen on its surface and was compatible with the pressure-sensitive pen. Mac Bohlman, a student worker aiming for a career in animation, found the Mobile Studio Pro to be her favorite.
"It makes it quicker to draw. You can feel what you're drawing, and it makes animating more natural," Bohlman said.
The Cintiq Pro 16 is a self-contained device, so the user doesn't need to plug it into a computer to work. The Media Arts Lab has its larger counterpart, the Cintiq 22HD, for students to use, mounted on its own stand for ergonomic drawing. It's a touch-screen computer device paired with a pressure-sensitive pen. The Cintiq Pro 16's smaller size makes it a mobile tool that can fit into a backpack, like a digital sketchbook with its own software system.


text:
Q: How can I call the string from a textbox from other WPF window i have a little problem at getting the string from a textbox that is in a other wpf window. Can anybody help?

A: You can get a reference to another open window in the application using the Application.Current.Windows property:
var window1 = Application.Current.Windows.OfType<Window1>().FirstOrDefault();
if (window1 != null)
{
    string text = window1.textBlock1.Text;
    ...
}

A: If you have an instance of the window you could easily access the TextBox using the instance.
var otherWindow = new MainWindow();
otherWindow.Show();

// ....

var text = otherWindow.NameOfTheTextBox.Text;

So you don't have to use Application.Current.Windows.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Back in the old days, a proprietary company needed two directors. The two directors of the Pty Ltd were generally just mum and dad.
Even though both of you may work in the business - you now only need one director.
What are the dangers of being a director? You can be personally liable for the company debts and taxes.
There is a real danger that if the company goes bust the assets of BOTH mum and dad go to the creditors. The risk doubles when both of you are directors. There is no need for this added risk.
In the mid 1990''s, the government changed the laws to allow single director proprietary companies.
But you can''t do this unless the rules of the company are updated. (The company old rules require a minimum of two directors.) You need to check your existing constitution before you start building these documents.
This LawCentral document prepares all the minutes needed to convert a 2 (*or* more) director company to a 1 director company.
This constitution does not include a Division 7A Loan Agreement. Go here to build a Division 7A Loan Agreement.
Why do I want a Single Director Company?
Can any company convert to a single director?
When does the 'single director' take effect?
How do the changes affect the existing Company Constitution or Articles of Association?
How many characters are in an ACN?
Who is a Resigning Director(s)?
I can't work out which Director is resigning?
When do I get to put in the remaining director?
Why does is matter if the director is the secretary?
Who is a Remaining Director?
Do I really have to use my residential address?
Was the Remaining Director also a Company Secretary?
I want to change who owns the shares?
What date should I use?
The ordering party is the firm which orders this document from LawCentral on behalf of the company (Pty Limited) that is changing to a single director company.
It is often the accountant, lawyer or adviser.
2. Put on the front page of the Form that you send to ASIC.
This hint is provided by Greg Mohen.
When your accountant, adviser or lawyer is ordering this document for you they may want to put on their internal reference number.
This helps the documents find their home in the accountant's big office.
Of course if you are doing the "Single Director Company conversion" yourself, you don't need a reference number. In fact you don't then need to even complete anything on this page.
8. Share transfer form and duty kit.
You sign the above and send the Form 484 into ASIC. That is all you need to allow your "Pty Ltd" Company to operate as a single director company.
It is not necessary to send a copy of your new Company Constitution to ASIC (as is the case with public companies).
In the 1990s the rules changed to allow a Pty Ltd company to only have one director. However, your old Constitution required you to have two or more directors. You are on your way to getting a new Constitution for your company that will allow a single director company.
Being a director of a company can be quite risky. A director is exposed to a number of legal obligations.
A director can be personally liable to pay the debts of the company if the company is deemed to be trading while insolvent. Under the Income Tax Assessment Act it is even possible for the director to be personally liable for certain taxes - even while the company is trading and solvent. Being a director is high risk and has led to bankruptcy of the director, when the company became insolvent.
Therefore, it is important to protect as many people as possible in case the company can't pay its debts as they fall due. Under the Corporations Law, sadly, a director can often go down with the company.
Generally, only directors (and defacto directors) go down with the company. Therefore, there is no point in exposing both mum and dad to that threat. You can make, say, just dad the director of the company. Mum can still own some or all of the shares. A shareholder is not normally responsible for the company if problems arise.
Only a "Pty Ltd" company can be converted to a single director.
2. "Limited" - this is a "Public" company. It may be listed or unlisted. It is "Public" in the sense that it has to disclose a lot of information, such as profit, to ASIC.
3. "No Liability" (NL) - this is for mining companies that are going to list on the stock exchange.
Over 90% of companies that are formed in Australia are just the "Pty Ltd".
You cannot have a single director company for a Limited or a N.L. Sorry.
It takes effect immediately after you sign the documents.
You send in the ASIC form after it is done. However, as soon as you sign the paperwork it comes into effect.
Everything you sign is dated the day that you generate the document. Therefore, provided you sign it today it is effective today. You are therefore only a few minutes away from a single director company.
As part of this LawCentral package you receive a completely new company constitution that is 100% compatible with all the other changes that are made.
This replaces any existing constitution or articles.
If you didn't have a constitution before, this creates one.
It is not necessary to lodge a copy of your new constitution with ASIC (as is the case with public companies).
Put in the companies' current Registered Office. The Registered Office address is usually on the original Certificate of Incorporation. That sheet of paper is either pinned to the wall of your business or on the first few pages of your Company Secretary file.
The Registered Office is the address where ASIC send all the correspondence to the company.
The Registered Office address may be your Accountant's office. Just have a look in your Company Secretary file to get the address.
Remember the aim of converting the company from a Proprietary Limited (PTY LTD) to a Single Director company? It is to reduce the risks of exposing more than one director to the risks of being a director. We have to therefore name the Director or Directors that are escaping the horrible fate of being a director.
Press "add" to put in each "Resigning Director" one at a time.
What about the person that will remain on as a director after the rest have resigned? This person is call the "Remaining Director".
Obviously you wouldn't put in the "Remaining Director" on this page of directors that are leaving. We will deal with the "Remaining Director" later.
You need to know who is resigning from the Company. Remember, a Single Director Company has one director only. Therefore, the rest of the Directors must resign or cease to be a Director.
Let me make this simple. John and Angelina are directors. Angelina is escaping as a director. She is going to leave John as the remaining director.
We will deal with that poor unfortunate person later.
For now we just need that director (or directors) of the company that are escaping.
For now it is enough to say that you do not put in the Remaining Director on this page.
This is an important change in the company structure that ASIC wants to know about.
You are given the option later to make sure that the new, sole director is also the secretary.
This Remaining Director will be the sole director of the company.
All the other directors have resigned (as you completed on the previous page).
Sorry, but by law you must use your home address.
You cannot use a postal address. You can't use the company's registered office address. You have to put in your home address.
ASIC wants to know if the Remaining Director was also the Company Secretary before your company is converted to a Single Director Company.
If you were the Director and Secretary of your company before converting to a Single Director Company, you need to inform ASIC.
You tick "Yes" in the box immediately after the question "Did the above mentioned Remaining Director also hold the position of the Company Secretary?".
If you were only the Director and not the Secretary of your company before converting to a Single Director Company, you do not need to inform ASIC.
You tick "No" in the box immediately after the question "Did the above mentioned Remaining Director also hold the position of the Company Secretary?".
4. a company can even own shares in another company. (E.g. Smith Pty Ltd may own shares in your company.) In the first name type in the name of the company: e.g. Smith. In the Surname put in the "Pty Ltd".
You must be very clear on this.
You can own shares in a company and not be a director. For example, you may own shares in BHP, but you are probably not a director.
You can even own all the shares in your company and not be a director (in fact it is a good strategy).
Conversely, you can be a sole director of a company and not own any shares in that company.
Don't get confused between a 'director' and a 'shareholder'. A 'director' runs the company. A 'shareholder' owns the company. Sure the 'shareholders' can sack the 'directors'. However, until they do so the 'directors' continue to run the company. It is the way of the world.
After you convert your company into a single director you will also be able to have only one shareholder as well.
For example, you may want your husband to be the sole director. He carries all the responsibility and care. If the company goes down, he may go down with the company.
If your husband was to go bankrupt (through no fault of the company) then your husband would lose all his assets - including the shares in the company. Therefore, you think to yourself, I better hold all the shares in the company. It is a valid strategy.
It is fine for you to later transfer all the shares in the company to whoever you want. In fact we even give you a link to a Share Transfer Form for you to use and the ASIC form.
However, for the moment we are just converting your company into a single director company. Therefore, just put all the CURRENT shareholders down here.
That is fine. Just press 'add'. Put in the first shareholder. For the second shareholder press 'add' again and put in the second shareholder.
This is the date the members or authorised parties approve the conversion.
Generally, people just use today's date.
However, if the conversion is not for some time, you can select an appropriate date in the future.


text:
Current Apparatus
Glen Gardner Fire Company
Our story begins after an unfortunate accident on the railroad tracks that resulted in an oil fire that burned down several buildings in town in 1901. In the January of 1902, a group of men formed a Bucket Brigade as a subdivision of the Patriot Order Sons of American, The A.D.K. In the years of service, the group assisted at fires carrying water in buckets up to the fire and utilized the Copper Fire Extinguishers to snuff out fires in the beginning stages. This Bucket Brigade served the town faithfully until the end of 1922 when it was decided to form a new organization under a more fitting name.
The Glen Gardner Fire Company was formed on the night of January 15, 1923 at the P. O. S. of A. hall not long after the separation of the Borough of Glen Gardner and Lebanon Township.
In the One Hundred and Sixteen years since, the Fire Company has been the one organization that has kept pace with the passage of time. Its activities have never ceased, interest has never diminished, and its unselfish service to this and surrounding communities has never waned.
The 1st officers of the Glen Gardner Fire Company were: President, Elijah Snyder; Vice President, Robert Houston; Secretary, George M. Drake; and Treasurer, F.C. Neiman. At a meeting the following week, George M. Drake was elected Foreman of the Company, and later became Chief. He continued in these positions until early in 1928 when he moved from the Borough. At the same meeting William Smith was elected Assistant Chief, and Peter Sigler was elected Captain.
Members of this new organization realized that their success would depend in large part on the effort they put forth and the money they were able to raise. An entertainment committee was appointed at the first meeting and a "Fireman's Ball" was held March 2, 1923 at the Legion Hall in Hampton. The net proceeds were $166.00. This was the first of many affairs through the years which, while the purpose was to build up the Fire Company's funds, brought entertainment to residents in general.
During the summer of 1923 a carnival was conducted at the upper end of the Borough. A group of ladies conducted a cake sale which netted the Company additional profit. Through the years the women of the firemen's families cooperated generously in the Company's efforts. In February 1946 they organized a Ladies Auxiliary and they were an active force in the Borough for many years. While the "official" Ladies Auxiliary is no longer active, the Firefighter's families still volunteer their time whenever it is needed.
In August 1923 the Company decided to purchase uniforms and wear them in a parade in the Borough on Labor Day Weekend, and also in a parade in Hampton Borough. The Company also attended a carnival conducted by the Lebanon Fire Department, and for a newly formed unit did very well bringing home two silver trumpet trophies.
In its early days the Company was concerned with two things, property for a Firehouse and fire equipment. In the early fall of 1923 the Company purchased land on Main Street from Ervin DeRemer and soon began construction of a building. The building housed our first piece of apparatus, a Model T truck outfitted with extinguishers and fire buckets.
One of the first fire calls after the Company's organization, occurred at 11:30PM, November 10, 1923 and destroyed the home of Thomas Reilly. Another was the blaze at Hornby's Hall at midnight, February 21, 1925.
Preceding the installation of an electrically activated system, the first fire alarm system was the type that was used universally, an iron locomotive wheel ring that was hit with a sledge hammer. Three of these were used to call out the Company in the event of a fire. After the installation of electricity throughout the Borough a modern box-type alarm system was put into service. This was hooked up not only to the siren atop the Glen Gardner building, but also to that in Hampton which until 1947, responded to Glen Gardner under contract with the Borough.
During the early years the Company obtained considerable equipment of its own but until 1942 depended on Hampton for pumping apparatus. In March of that year the Company purchased an engine from the Washington Fire Company, a 1926 American LaFrance for the purchase price of $200.00. During the war years, members that did not directly answer the Government's call were active in the Civilian Defense Corps. There were eleven members that served with honor in the Armed Forces of the United States.
Ordinance Number 14 of the Borough of Glen Gardner passed on final reading and approved by the Mayor on March 10, 1944 incorporating the Fire Company into the Borough. That union of the Fire Company and the Borough over the years has proven beneficial to both organizations.
The Glen Gardner Relief Association was organized on September 12, 1944 and joined the New Jersey State Fireman's Association. Service in the Association officially started July 1, 1945, unfortunately most of the founding members were over-age and therefore not eligible for the Association's benefits.
With the end of the Second World War, the Borough was able to obtain a 1941 Ford government surplus fire truck in 1946. This vehicle was equipped with a 500gpm front mounted pump, a booster tank, and a hose reel. To make the truck more functional, the members sent the truck to L.M. Hart in Hackettstown to add compartments and lower body skirting.
On July 4th 1946, the Fire company held the first Fire Truck Rides in celebration of our Country. With residents and former residents gathering every year, this tradition carries on to present day.
In 1949, The American LaFrance suffered mechanical failure, with little money the members made the decision to purchase a Dodge truck chassis from Zigler's Dodge in Easton. The Company then sent the chassis to L. M. Hart in Hackettstown where the body of the Lafrance was installed with some modifications. While there, a government surplus 500gpm front mounted pump was installed.
1953 & 1954 were the years that a large addition to the old Firehouse was built. It consisted of a furnace room, two bays with overhead doors, a third bay without a door for future development, and two bathrooms. The Ford and the Dodge fire trucks could be housed with ease along with all the additional equipment the Company was acquiring.
In March of 1958 the Fire Company became the Charter institution for the Glen Gardner Boy Scout Troop 125.
In 1962 the company purchased a GMC chassis from DeReemer's GMC in Glen Gardner. Bruco of Altoona, PA built the body. This truck had a 750gpm single stage Hale pump mounted mid-ship and an 800 gallon booster tank. It also had a 120gpm high pressure pump capable of delivering true high pressure fog at 800-1000psi. The ensuing years saw the Company extinguish many involved fires using nothing more than high pressure fog. This meant a great savings in water that had to be used at any one fire. After the GMC truck was put into service the Fire Company sold the 1941 Ford to the Readington Fire Company in Readington, New Jersey. In 1981 the Fire Company sold the 1962 GMC to a fire company in Kentucky.
In 1972 another GMC chassis was purchased from DeReemer's GMC. This time Darley of Melrose Park, Illinois was the successful bidder and built the body. This truck had a 750gpm mid-ship mounted pump, a 1000 gallon booster tank, and a 120gpm high pressure pump. After this truck was put in service, the 1949 Dodge was sold. The 1972 GMC was sold in 1989 to Hillbilly Fire Apparatus in West Virginia.
When the Company first organized, boys between sixteen and twenty-one years of age were allowed to join the fire Company as "Runners". Their duties consisted of assisting the regular firemen at fires and drills. They were not allowed to get involved in any hazardous duty (such as entering a burning building). This was the forerunner of our present Junior Fireman's program instituted in 1973. That program allowed up to ten youths between the ages of sixteen and eighteen to join the fire Company. They must attend County Fire School and company drills, and maintain a good attendance record. They are allowed to function at fires and drills, but must stay out of any hazardous situations. Many of our present adult members started out in the Company as Junior Firefighters.
In 1974 the junior firemen undertook their first project, the building of our first brush truck. This unit was originally a 1945 government surplus 4x4 Dodge Power Wagon. To this the juniors added a 250gpm pump and a 275 gallon water tank. The project was a complete success and provided the interest to get the Junior Fireman program off to a good start. When the railroad was still running through Glen Gardner, it was a common sight to see the Brush Truck driving along the railroad tracks to investigate flare-ups that were sparked shortly after a train would pass by. Sadly this truck was damaged beyond repair at a woods fire in 1985.
In 1979 a two story structure was build onto the Firehouse matching the appearance of the original building. The first floor included an office, radio room, and a workshop/storage room. On the second floor, there was a meeting and social room for the members. Funds for this addition were provided by the Borough, the Fire Company, and donations. All the construction work was done by the members with no outside assistance.
In 1981 a GMC chassis was purchased from DeRemer's GMC in Glen Gardner. Pierce Manufacturing of Appleton, Wisconsin was chosen to build the body. This unit had two significant changes from our previous trucks. First, it had a diesel engine, and second, it had an automatic transmission. It was equipped with a 1000gpm pump and carried 1000 gallons of water. There was an abundance of compartment space and hose bed capacity for at least 2000 feet of 3 inch hose. Of all the trucks the Fire Company has owned, the 1981 Pierce was ranked as the finest and had won 2 awards including "Best Appearing Truck" during the 1998 New Jersey statewide parade held in Boonton, NJ. On December 5, 1998 this truck was destroyed in an unfortunate accident.
On August 13, 1983 our Fire Company celebrated its 60th Anniversary with a town wide parade and picnic in the park. Andrew Stevens at 77 years old was the only charter member still active, and serving as President of the Fire Company. Andrew started as a runner at age sixteen and over his 60 years of active service had served in almost every office. It was only fitting that the members chose Andrew as the Grand Marshall for this event. Andrew Stevens passed away in 1991 leaving 2 more generations to continue his involvement in the community.
In 1985 the Company's first tanker was built by the members. It was a 1968 Diamond Reo with 4300 gallon capacity. It was able to dump its entire load of water in under 2 minutes. This was the largest water tanker in Hunterdon County for quite a number of years. The truck was advertised for sale in 1993 and a rural fire company in Nodaway, Iowa was interested in it but they couldn't afford it. During a meeting of the Fire Company members and the Borough Council, a decision was made to donate the tanker to the Nodaway Fire Company. After talking with numerous surrounding fire companies, a large amount of surplus equipment was gathered and also donated to Nodaway. The tank was filled with equipment as well as a pickup truck.
In 1986, having to replace the 1945 brush truck, the Company purchased a 1985 GMC from William Berg GMC in Easton, PA. This unit was a ¾ ton pickup truck with 4 wheel drive. A skid mount consisting of a large volume pump and a water tank were installed. This unit is currently in service as a utility unit.
1989 saw the Fire Company purchase a full custom built truck from Pierce Manufacturing. It was a conventional cab truck equipped with a 1500gpm two stage pump, 750 gallon tank and the hose beds carried 1500 feet of 5 inch supply hose, and 600 feet of 3 inch hose.
During the late 1980's the Readington Fire Company asked if the Company was interested in the 1941 Ford. Without hesitation the members said yes and the 1941 Ford returned. Upon its return Fire company member Jim Stevens performed minor body repairs and applied a fresh coat of red paint.
In 1993 the Fire Company purchased our current Tanker, a 1993 Peterbuilt chassis with a Walter 3,600 gallon tank. This tanker also is able to dump its water load in under 2 minutes. Because of these capabilities, not only is this tanker invaluable to Glen Gardner, it is used both in the Hunterdon County Tanker Task Force and the Warren County Tanker Task Force. Over the years the tanker has also provided coverage in several New Jersey counties including Bergen County and Middlesex County.
The Fire Company purchased a GMC Suburban in 1997 from Rossi GMC in Washington, NJ. Odssey Conversions in Wharton, NJ was chosen to convert this 4 wheel drive 8 passenger vehicle into a Mobile Command Unit.
The Firehouse on Main Street provided a nice home for many years. Not only did this building house the Fire Company, it also provided office and meeting space for the Borough as well. Like everything else, the Fire Company grew out of their space. When it came time to replace apparatus it was discovered the truck bays were not deep enough to accommodate newer standard sized trucks. It would be very costly to have to custom build trucks to fit in the bays the Fire Company had. Not only was the Fire Company outgrowing the building, the Borough Hall was also in need of more space and needed to expand its public meeting room and office space. It was decided that building a larger, more efficient firehouse was inevitable.
Mayor Stanley Kovach, Fire Chief Paul Drake, and Geleen Donovan approached Senator Robert Littell with the idea of acquiring funds from State grants to build a larger firehouse and an evacuation center. Senator Littell along with Senator Leonard Lance, who at the time was an Assemblyman and Chairman of the New Jersey Assembly Appropriations Committee, worked hand in hand on funding this project. Senator Littell sponsored three grants over a three year period and the State of New Jersey granted three payments of $300,000.00 each year to fund the building of the Firehouse/Evacuation Center.
In 1999 the Borough purchased property on Route 31 next to the Sailboat Shop and adjacent to the Department of Public Works from James Stasyhyn to build the new building. Architect Ed Gagne of Glen Gardner designed the building to be constructed of prefabricated steel. This type of construction would be more economical to build than a typical "brick and mortar" type of building and have minimal maintenance. Building construction began in August, 2001 and November 7, 2002 the Glen Gardner Fire Company moved into its new home.
Bids were accepted in November 2002 to build a new engine, and Pierce Manufacturing of Appleton, Wisconsin was awarded the contract. This truck has a 2,250 GPM pump, 1,000 gallon tank and seating for eight firefighters in an enclosed cab.
On February 21, 2003 the Glen Gardner Fire Company regretfully announced the passing of Alton R. Stevens. Alton was the company's longest active member having serving 56 years in many offices including Fire Chief and President. He was also a member of the Hunterdon County Chiefs Association, and served on the Glen Gardner Borough Council for 11 years. Alton was also a driver for the Hampton Emergency Squad. At the time of Alton's passing, four generations were continuing the Stevens' family involvement in the Fire Company.
In 2003, as a building dedication gift, the Russell Reid and Mr. John company donated a 1998 Chevrolet 3500hd chassis to the Fire Company. An Ambulance body was purchased from the City of Easton for 500 dollars and through in house efforts, the truck was built up to be a support vehicle to carry the equipment that the main apparatus could not. Loaded with Vehicle Rescue Equipment and Hazmat supplies, Utility 12-2 entered into service.
In 2004 our 1989 Pierce custom was rebuilt into a cab-over truck with seating for six firefighters, a 10kw generator, twin speedy dry hoppers, and a 20 gal Class A foam system.
A 2005 Dodge Durango was purchased in 2004 to replace the 1997 Command Unit. Utilizing the console and command box, this unit was converted and placed in service.
Also in 2004, a decision was made to purchase a new Brush truck. A 2004 Ford F350 with a 9ft Reading utility body was obtained. Utilizing the skid unit from the 1985 GMC pickup, the 1284 was completed and entered service. The 1985 GMC pickup was then reclassified as a Utility 12-1.
In February of 2015, an agreement was made with Hampton Fire Company to answer calls together 24/7 to better serve the communities in our coverage areas. A partnership that has been beneficial to both organizations over the past few years. To give back to our members, The Hampton Emergency Squad, The Hampton Fire Company, and Our organization hold annual Christmas Parties, and Summer pig roasts together.
In June of 2017, after serving the town and surrounding areas well, Utility 12-2 was retired from service and sold. After some discussion, the decision was made to convert the 1989 engine into a Rescue engine. After many months of work, Members Mark Stevens and Bryan Pascale completed the conversion to Squad 12 in January of 2018.
In September of 2017, The Fire Company obtained a John Deere Gator 4x6 from the Oxford Fire Company, complete with a 60 gal water tank, 50 gpm pump, and stokes basket carrying capability. After some new equipment was added, Gator 12 entered service.
After 14 years of service, the 2005 Dodge Durango was retired and sold. After much consideration, a 2018 Chevrolet Tahoe SSV was purchased and Converted by the First Priority Group in Flanders NJ. This unit entered service in July of 2018.
The Glen Gardner Fire Company is always growing and changing with passage of time. Our membership is stronger than ever with 29 active firefighters. We still have our Junior firefighter program and are always looking for new members to come and join our team. With determination, passion, and pride, we will continue to serve our communities to the best of our abilities.


1 San Bruno CA invested heavily in solar power.
2 Lesson for California: Before increasing solar energy, find out a way to store it.
San Bruno CA invested heavily in solar power.
On 14 days throughout March, specifies energies got a present from San Bruno California: cost-free solar energy.
Well, in fact far better than cost-free. California generated a lot solar energy on those days that it'sed a good idea Arizona to take excess electrical power its citizens weren't making use of to stay clear of overwhelming its very own power lines.
It took place on 8 days in January and 9 in February as well. All informed, those purchases conserved surrounding states ' electricity customers countless dollars this year, though grid drivers decreased to state exactly how much. And also The golden state additionally has paid other states to take power.
The number of days that California discarded its extra solar electricity would certainly have been even greater if the state hadn't gotten some solar plants to reduce manufacturing– also as gas nuclear power plant, which contribute to greenhouse gas exhausts, continued generating electricity.
Solar as well as wind power manufacturing was reduced a relatively percentage– concerning 3% in the very first quarter of 2017– yet that's greater than double the very same period in 2015. And the surge in solar energy can press the number even higher in the future.
Why doesn't California, a champ of renewable resource, utilize all the solar power it can generate?
Lesson for California: Before increasing solar energy, find out a way to store it.
A post correctly reports that California generates as well as pays for even more electrical energy than it currently requires. Yet the "why" is dark by more than a few watts.
Peak everyday electrical use occurs when people in San Bruno returned from job, from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m., simply when solar energy generation starts shutting down with the setting sun. The concern is not why are we continuing to invest in as well as run gas-fired generation, yet why did state political leaders force conversion to solar generation without any method to store the electricity needed to meet peak day-to-day need?
I highly support California's change to sustainable electric generation, however we have to quit playing the blame game over what's creating our power glut as well as rather support the research and monetary motivations had to construct the large-scale electric storage should complete the task.
The Times explains an obvious weak point in our power system. In spite of extensive, large financial investments in renewable energy, the state has only simply started financial investments in huge scale storage. Batteries are an integral part of the remedy of using our excess power instead of disposing it muddle-headed.
An additional important financial investment, which has actually verified to be successful in Germany as well as most lately in a pilot job at UC Irvine, is power to gas. Excess renewable energy can be made use of to break down water into hydrogen and oxygen with hydrolysis, with completion outcome being a carbon-free fuel (hydrogen) that can be utilized straight for powering cars or for power storage.
Hydrogen could be co-mingled with gas securely at a ratio of approximately 20%, yet the state has actually stagnated ahead on incentivizing these type of projects on a large scale. This required makeover in California's energy administration system would get rid of the wasteful technique of unloading valuable renewable energy and relocate California more quickly to a de-carbonized energy future.
Our electrical markets can do a better job managing excess. Power going to waste is no various compared to not consuming every scrap of food on your plate. We are not contacting a halt on new grocery stores due to food waste.
Electrical energy has 2 measurable characteristics: ability (capability to supply) and also energy (the provided stuff). Power systems require capability to support per hour changes in power requirements, as well as local gas-fired power plants are like fire stations, which are idle a lot of the time and respond when we require them. Older plants should be replaced with fast-responding versatile sources.
A lot of The golden state's electrical energy obstacles are the result of plan missteps. A balanced mix of power resources supplying capability to cover our diverse power demands is should assure electrical resiliency, equally as we really hope grocery stores stay for when we need them.
The short article concerning paying to send out power to surrounding states was intriguing. I could not discover any kind of information regarding lowering San Bruno California electricity-user rates when there is an excess of power right here. We have located means to let people recognize when there's a person abducted through phone as well as freeway sign signals. Why cannot we signal electricity individuals when there is an excess? We try not to use our air conditioning system much during height use hours; should not we be alerted when a glut of electricity might make it OK to cool down?


text:
using System;
using Microsoft.Owin.Hosting;

namespace AuthorizationServer
{
    internal static class Program
    {
        private static void Main()
        {
            using(WebApp.Start<Startup>("http://localhost:5000"))
            {
                Console.WriteLine("Server is active. Press enter to stop.");
                Console.ReadLine();
            }
        }
    }

    // TODO: resource server wants to verify token and get user data with the JWT token
    // => verify JWT token
    // => return user data JSON
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Q: Terminology: vertices in every cycle in a graph? Let $\mathcal{G} = (V, E)$ be a (directed or undirected)
graph. Call a set $S \subseteq V$ cycle-needed if every cycle in
$\mathcal{G}$ has at least one vertex in $S$. We say $S$ is minimally
cycle-needed if no cycle-needed set has a strictly smaller cardinality than $S$. In the example below the two  red nodes are cycle-needed but not minimally so, while
the yellow node is minimally cycle-needed.

What are    the 'official' names of cycle-neededness and minimal
cycle-neededness in mathematics?

A: A cycle-needed set is sometimes called a decycling set, and the size of a minimum cycle-needed set is called the decycling number of a graph (see The Decycling Numbers of Graphs by Bau and Beineke).
There's also terminology for the complementary notion: $S \subseteq V$ intersects every cycle of the graph $\mathcal G$ if and only if the subgraph induced by its complement $T = V \setminus S$ is a forest. As a result, looking for minimum decycling sets is equivalent to looking for maximum induced forests.
Somehow finding maximum induced trees in graphs has attracted more attention (there's a paper on this: Maximum Induced Trees in Graphs by Erdős, Saks, and Sós) but the problem is not equivalent even when $\mathcal G$ is connected. For example, in the butterfly graph

there is an induced forest of size $4$ (corresponding to the minimum decycling set of size $1$: the middle vertex) but only an induced tree of size $3$. But there are people talking about induced forests as well, especially in planar graphs (see this overview).


text:
<?php

namespace Engine\View;

use Engine\View;

/**
 * @package Engine
 * @subpackage Views
 */

/**
 * A View class that renders its content as YAML structures
 */
class YAMLView extends View
{

    /**
     * Renders the output of the Controller
     *
     * @param array The result from the Controller object
     * @param Site The site from which the controller was requested
     * @param array An optional key/value set of parameters for this view
     */
    public function render(array $controllerResult, $engine, array $viewParameters=null)
    {
        header('Content-Type: application/x-yaml');
        print yaml_emit($controllerResult);
    }

}

?>


text:
Retired Bedford judge gets jail time for having sex with prostitutes
by: Peggy Gallek
Posted: Oct 15, 2014 / 10:19 AM EDT / Updated: Oct 15, 2014 / 10:20 AM EDT
CLEVELAND, Ohio — A retired Bedford judge must serve 60 days in jail and six months house arrest.
Judge Brian Corrigan said Wednesday during sentencing that he gave the sentence a lot of thought.
Former Judge Harry Jacob was convicted of three charges of having sex with prostitutes and two charges of falsification of municipal court records. All are misdemeanor charges.
Jacob addressed the court and at times fought back tears.
"I am sorry, these have been the darkest days of my life, I am truly sorry," Jacob said.
Prosecutors asked for jail time, saying Jacob was a public official and knew better.
"He was trolling for prostitutes when he was at work," said Assistant Prosecutor Matthew Meyer.
But defense attorneys said he should get probation and noted that he was  found not guilty of the most serious charges.
His attorney, David Grant, told the judge that his client is a decent, hard-working, and honest person.
"He had a practice for many, many years in Solon and ran a youth soccer league," said Grant, adding Jacob was also a leader in his church.
"This trial was a public flogging," Grant said, saying prosecutors soiled his reputation.
"This individual has been punished enough," Grant said, asking for probation instead of jail.
Some friends of Jacob's, including a priest, spoke to the court on his behalf, saying he has always been an honest, kind person.
Click here for continuing coverage on this story.


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text:
require 'spec_helper'

describe RuboCop::Cop::Lint::LiteralInInterpolation do
  subject(:cop) { described_class.new }

  %w(1 2.0 [1] {}).each do |lit|
    it "registers an offense for #{lit} in interpolation" do
      inspect_source(cop,
                     "\"this is the \#{#{lit}}\"")
      expect(cop.offenses.size).to eq(1)
    end

    it "registers an offense only for final #{lit} in interpolation" do
      inspect_source(cop,
                     "\"this is the \#{#{lit};#{lit}}\"")
      expect(cop.offenses.size).to eq(1)
    end
  end

  it 'accepts empty interpolation' do
    inspect_source(cop, '"this is #{} silly"')
    expect(cop.offenses).to be_empty
  end

  it 'accepts strings like __FILE__' do
    inspect_source(cop, '"this is #{__FILE__} silly"')
    expect(cop.offenses).to be_empty
  end
end


Announcement My facebook page is always hopping with activity from the studio! "Like" and get regular updates!
Handmade sterling silver chain maille, gemstone, vintage lucite and glass jewelry, handcrafted by me, Amy C. Sanders.
I offer all my chainmaille creations in sterling, yellow gold fill, and rose gold filled. Copper and silver fill are available as a custom order. If you would like to see a piece made up in an alternate metal than shown, or even a combination of metals, please feel free to convo or email me at amy at raine dot net and I'd be happy to oblige!
My facebook page is always hopping with activity from the studio! "Like" and get regular updates!
Starburst earrings ready to be fired in the kiln.
Several sterling silver Enso bracelets in progress.
The raine studios shipping department (named Ender and Valentine).
Running the gamut from chainmaille to enamelwork, Amy Sanders range of jewelry is an adventure of exploration. Her enamel work displays the influence of mid-century modern design, with a whimisical spontaneity, while her chainmaille jewelry is classic, timeless elegance. From start to finish, all jewelry is handcraft by Amy in her home studio nestled near the Rocky Mountains north of Denver, Colorado.
Her first enamel collection, Emergence (spring 2014), is cultivated from dream of springtime budding through the pale gray of winter.
Amy Sanders began her journey in jewelry in 2008, immediately focusing on chainmaille made in precious metals, and more recently in enamelwork, the ancient art of fusing glass to metal.
I want to make sure the jewelry you purchase is just right for you. If you would like a different length or different findings, contact me and I would be happy to customize to the best of my ability for you.
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text:
Spielberg Sunday- 1941
Posted on April 1, 2012 by bernardovillela
John Belushi in 1941 (Universal/Columbia)
Owing to the fact that I have decided to honor Steven Spielberg this year with my version of a Lifetime Achievement Award I figured it was an appropriate time to dust off some old reviews I wrote when I took a course on his work. The remarks still hold true, he is an amazing filmmaker.
Here is concrete proof that comedy is unquestionably the hardest genre to succeed in. Without trying to get inside Spielberg's head and trying to determine exactly what it was that he was trying to do with this film, one can look at it as is and be left scratching their head. It is at best funny in small patches and most definitely a humongous waste of talent both on and off camera. I applaud Spielberg for not only making a huge departure from his big successes (Close Encounters and Jaws) but also for poking fun at the latter in the opening sequence of the latter film. This stands out as one of the few truly comic sequences throughout a film that is plagued by many difficulties. This film especially pales in retrospect considering that I've laughed much more during his action/adventure and sci-fi films and this film doesn't seem to make any sincere satirical jabs at the paranoia in the United States following the bombing of Pearl Harbor, nor does it really succeed at being a farce. In its better moments, which were few and far between, 1941 is hysterical. More often than not, however, 1941 is poorly executed slapstick, ham-handed, off-the-wall nonsense that follows the wrong characters and actors.
So that this isn't a complete diatribe there are some wonderful performances to be found here but as I've mentioned above these people make their exit from the film much too early. Probably the best performance in this all-star cast is that of Slim Pickens. He delivers not only some of the best lines of the film but delivers them only as he could with that imitable voice of his. Elisha Cook is also there but that's about all what strikes me as really being odd is how ill-utilized these actors were. Most of the cast was a mish-mash of SCTV and Saturday Night Live stars who really didn't do anything noteworthy. Dan Aykroyd got to do some of his shtick but his performance was undermined by some stupid writing, when towards the end for no reason known to man he went bonkers and exclaimed, "I'm a bug," while he had wrapped oranges over his eyes with pantyhose. It got worse though John Candy, one of the funniest people who ever lived was just there for seemingly no reason, it was as if the casting director went amuck knowing that Spielberg could get any actors he wanted and got big names to do meaningless roles. Another under used player was Joseph P. Flaherty who provided the film with one of its best lines following the USO riot ("Maybe in the future we could have some Negroes come in and we'll have a race riot.") was also hardly there. Then there was Belushi, who I've always found overrated, doing an annoying version of the Penguin from Batman. He was occasionally funny in this and in other roles but overall I was unimpressed.
The big problem this film had was that it was more likely to lose its audience before tying all the storylines together. The additional factor of having the last 45 minutes of the film being one explosion, crash or pratfall after another didn't help much at all.
Another factor that didn't help this film was that on home video (apparently this version is somewhat different than the theatrical release) it is 2 hours long, it's very difficult to do a comedy that lasts more than 90 minutes long.
About the only thing that made me realize that this was a Spielberg film was the inclusion of the Dumbo screening, which was both fitting to the story and helped me make it through that part of that performance because it is one of Disney's finer works. The score was also a non-entity that I didn't even think Spielberg worked with John Williams. The writing was also schizophrenic, spotty and unusually unfunny most of the time and I was almost shocked to find that Robert Zemeckis had a hand in writing it. It's as if everyone was embarrassed with the end result so that there were no opening credits only closing ones.
10 Keys To A Better Life As A Fanboy- 3. You're Not The Director, Screenwriter, Etc.
Posted on March 16, 2012 by bernardovillela
Rupert Grint in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Warner Bros.)
This series of articles is designed to help you, the fan, try and divorce yourself from your attachment to source material and judge a film on its own merits and not in comparison to another work. These tips come from my own experience. I hope they are helpful.
While this does connect somewhat to number one, as many ultimately will, trust me this is somewhat different and is very important to remember. It is also key to keep in mind ultimately the decisions that are shaping a series based on a work you love are not yours to make. Now you may be a creative type who makes it and someday you could be in charge of a remake, as film is becoming more like theatre and remakes (read "revivals") are becoming an accepted practice, of your pet project and if that's the case more power to you but then you'll be the one facing the angry postings not writing them. However, as you sit in wait for one of the year's biggest releases you're not going to shift opinion and if your opinion stands for several consecutive installments of a series do one of two things: one, get over it or two, stop watching them.
An example of this would be a friend of mine who told me four movies or so into the Harry Potter series that she hates how Rupert Grint plays Ron Weasley. There is obviously a difference of opinion between the makers and actor and this audience member as to who Ron is, however, the producers wanted nothing more from the early-going than to secure the young triad for the duration. If the interpretation bothers you that much stop subjecting yourself to it or knock it off and just take it with a grain of salt.
I do fully realize there are remakes or sequels that make money simply because you want to "see how stupid it is" but eventually if a series dissatisfies you for several consecutive installments you should pull the plug. Aside from that you really have no sway. Online petitions may have gotten people on SNL but they have yet to change film casting or rewrite plot points so it is an exercise in futility.
Thankful for World Cinema- Night & Fog
Posted on November 2, 2011 by bernardovillela
When looking for a theme in which to select films from the start of November until Thanksgiving being literal is not the best option. Films centered around Thanksgiving tend to be overly obsessed with dysfunctional families. So in thinking about the nature of the day which was initially a celebration of survival in the New World, I thought why not focus on foreign films.
Night & Fog
Night & Fog (Argos Films)
It is virtually impossible to ever come close to fully grasping the totality of the horror of the holocaust. If anything were to ever come close it's Night & Fog. Never has the greatest calamity of the 20th Century been handled so precisely.
Many people are down on voice over narration but it's part of the nature of the beast in a documentary and here, in this film, you have some of the greatest narration ever written by Jean Cayrol, a man who was himself a concentration camp survivor.
Not only does this film uniquely, at the time, mix color and black and white images but also uses the abandoned structures of the camps to haunt the film.
There is no question that this film is the apex of documentary filmmaking. It tried to take a massive subject and condense into something easy to understand. It allows you to reflect on things you see and learn but tries to bring as much of what transpired out as it can.
It also in turn becomes an important historical document. It is a masterpiece in as much as it achieves perfection in its form. If it was a feature length documentary it may not have this kind of impact.
It is an eye-opening and jarring account of the atrocities of the second World War that should be required viewing for all.
61 Days of Halloween- Masters of Horror: The V Word
Masters of Horror: The V Word
Arjay Smith and Branden Nadon in Masters of Horror: The V Word (Starz Productions)
Now all that was previously said about this series is true. Even when you get one of these films that don't quite work there is something to latch on to and take with you which isn't always the case with other films. This film is inconsistent at best with regard to the tale it tells. While it does manipulate time well extending sequences for dramatic effect overall, however, when you take into consideration this film has less time than a traditional feature to work with it ends up being a detriment because it helps make for an anticlimactic end to the tale.
What you can hold onto in this film is that it is a rare kind in a horror film, which allows the characters to fully absorb the reality of their plight and to react to it emotionally.
The cinematography much of the time is uninspired, for example, at the start there is a tiresome series of rack focuses between hands of one friend playing a video game and the other texting.
Where this film falls into the realm of mediocre at best is what happens after the two friends leave the morgue. There is a very hard to swallow sequence with a series of attempted 911 calls all of which are disbelieved. It falls short both because of how it is written and because of the performance which is believable and makes the operator's disbelief harder to swallow. There is also a mom who is far too slow on the uptake that something is seriously wrong with her son. The scene plays out for too long before its addressed. Not to mention the bloodstain which is explained away as something else and not investigated.
This is also a film, as is typically the case, with pretty good effects when they decided to do things practically and not so great results when it comes to CG.
If you're a completist and make it a point to watch this whole series, which I highly recommend, then this film shouldn't be high up on your list. If you're just looking for really good horror look elsewhere.
61 Days of Halloween- Children of the Corn V: Fields of Terror
David Carradine in Children of the Corn V: Fields of Terror (Dimension)
Here we are again in Gatlin, mind you that's not a complaint. As you have seen and will see later on in the series keeping the geographical ties in this tale are quite difficult. The fact that Urban Harvest works so well in Chicago is nothing short of astonishing. No, this series didn't have the affinity for Gatlin, Nebraska that Friday the 13th had for Camp Crystal Lake but both those series had a successful airing outs. Here though despite the many possibilities that still existed the returns to nearby towns and Gatlin itself almost always have a bit of staleness to them.
Perhaps no film in this series does more to distance you at the beginning of the film than this one does with the intro it has. Not only do you have the stereotypical college kids on a road trip but to not put too fine a point on it they're douche college kids. Fantastic. And these are the people I'm supposed to want to see escape the grasp of smarter, more organized albeit crazed zealot children, to quote the great philosopher Ed from Good Burger "Uh, no?"
As if their intro with blow-up doll road markers and typical over-the-top fratboy-jerk-loserness isn't bad enough we're supposed to then think that these broad, over-the-top types have dimensions, heart and a conscience and want to save some of the of the children of Gatlin from the fate that's befallen them. Even if the performances to this point had ridiculously exceeded what was on the written page, the script had already doomed the notion would pass the suspension of disbelief test.
It's a ludicrous notion to want to save the children because the one thing that has always been somewhat a strength and a detriment to this series, depending on how it's handled, is that the kids aren't subtle. Basically, because kids just aren't usually. They hate b.s. and subterfuge. So in an insular setting with a mob rule/cult mentality they'll yell "Outlander!" at you and chase you with a scythe no problem. This film is not that different. The children don't waste a lot of their time telling the students they're trespassing on private property and that they best be on their way. They proceed to get lost and then trapped there by the children yet there's still some trust there, some you're willing to try and save?
Now as mentioned the acting here again is not stellar which you could almost come to expect but what makes it more difficult to take is that there were some weird casting choices. One of the students is played by Ahmet Zappa, now I can't argue he doesn't fit the type of character he plays but why Ahmet Zappa would be cast in anything is beyond me.
A bit more unfortunate I feel is the casting of Adam Wylie in the role of the preacher boy, Ezeekial, now I stress that it's the casting I question here. Adam Wylie in this era was a child actor who'd pop-up in almost anything you can think of, rather akin to Nathan Gamble in as much as you saw him in many things but just likely never placed a name to the face and minus a breakout role now but talented nontheless. Wylie in the realm of a horror film was suited more to be the scared kid you'd be rooting for rather than the flip the switch type: seeming all sweet and innocent until you get on his bad side. A polar opposite of Daniel Cerny in III film.
This film also has a stellar bit of casting that sadly does little to nothing to help the film at all. David Carradine plays the role of an elder guide here. Despite the fact that he gets some decent dialogue that he's allowed to work brilliantly with his susurrous delivery it adds a weird wrinkle to the story. In the original run of the series The Age of Reason, meaning the age at which children reach adulthood and must sacrifice themselves to He Who Walks Behind the Rows, changes clumsily. In the short story and remake it's clear why, however, never is it adequately explained why a group with such a rigid dogma would not just allow this man to live among them but act as counselor.
This is one of the cases in this series where the film lost their religion. At certain points it seemed to vanish entirely other times fundamental precepts were change regardless of consequence or lack of sensibility. Clearly installments of this nature suffer more than most.
This film also changes the ritual of sacrifice, which is one that I can forgive so long as one character is the interpreter of the will of He Who Walks Behind the Rows things like that may shift. However, on top of everything else in this film there was a lack of explication.
The very least I can say for the film is that they did create other avenues for leaving town once a car is taken out of the equation but it very predictably goes wrong. However, it does beg the question why is a bus stopping in a ghost town? Other locals may have a handshake agreement to leave the children alone and keep their lives but a bus? Why?
Everywhere you look in Children of the Corn V: Fields of Terror there are head-scratching decisions. Such that my initial reaction was after this installment no wonder they felt it necessary to re-hash Isaac for the next one.
61 Days of Halloween- Mother's Day
Posted on September 30, 2011 by bernardovillela
Rose Ross in Mother's Day (Troma)
Mother's Day is a film with many problems. Firstly, it tries to introduce its three protagonists in two different time periods. First, you meet the characters very briefly in college and then separately ten years later.
A lot of screen time in this film is wasted. For example these friends waste a lot of time goofing and being drunk when they reunite and there is also an unnecessary very extensive prank scene from their college days which halts whatever forward momentum the film had built up.
Furthermore this comes after we are introduced to our villains and their M.O. so we are just sitting about waiting for them to strike anew so it becomes doubly painful.
As if you didn't know going in that you'd get a lot of overacting in this film it goes beyond even what is expected. There's also terrible example of the 80s work montage, bad scoring and introduced-to-the-mix-real-late ghost character, ghost in the literary sense not supernatural.
As if that wasn't enough there is a grainy, poorly-focused twist-ending shot that adds insult to injury. Skip this one.
61 Days of Halloween: Children of the Corn II- The Final Sacrifice
Ryan Bollman in Children of the Corn II: The Final Sacrifice (Dimension Films)
When dealing with a series, like I am currently or have in the past, I will tend to lean towards something akin to Franchise Criticism. I will focus on the continuous narrative thread and other things pertaining to the franchise. My opinion of each individual film I will try and compartmentalize but there will be commentary along the lines mentioned above because it is necessary to gauge the franchise as a whole which I will do later on.
One thing to note with the Children of the Corn films is that there is a very distinct aspect about them which acts as a double-edged sword; it is that many times in the sequels you will see a new wrinkle, fact or other bit of information added to the mythos and you'll think to yourself "God, I hope they don't continue this strain." The double-edged sword part is that they usually don't. The good of that is that stupid subplot never rears their head anew, however, that does hurt the continuity of the series. With each installment you need really only know the basics and can walk in cold, which by my definition makes it a bad series. While there are a few occasional highlights be it a moment, performance or a whole film I cannot contradict myself there. Most of these films will receive failing grades yet it was oddly enjoyable to watch them all for two reasons: one, the basic premise is one I love and I am addicted to series. I can't help it.
As for Children of the Corn II: The Final Sacrifice not only does it hold the distinction of being the most premature false ending to a horror franchise but it's also pretty darn lousy. It's not the worse but but perhaps runner-up in the franchise pecking order.
Firstly, the film lets the cat out of the bag so to speak; the massacre in Gatlin has been discovered and it's now on the news. This in and of itself isn't an issue, however, the way it's handled is. The focus of the narrative is bifurcated between reporter John Garrett (Terence Knox) and his annoyingly dysfunctional relationship with his equally annoying and whiny son Danny (Paul Scherrer) and his relationship with Lacey (Christie Clark).
Oh yeah, there's also Micah (Ryan Bollman). He's the new preacher and how Danny nearly gets lured into the cult is one of the few things that comes close to working in this film. The acting is terrible all around in this film it is without doubt the worst in the series. Micah is good for some random evil glares and when he gets a chance to finally be mean it's fine but many sequels in the series put the antagonist (read the Preacher Boy) too far away from the center of it all.
The film plays at love story for quite a while and despite the fact that Lacey is in with the cult the tension surrounding their relationship is never really elevated. Michah's involvement only increases when he's actively trying to get Danny involved. It's also one of the sequels that seemed to feel uncomfortable in its own skin meaning that instead of trying to lay a good foundation of drama there were times it tries too hard to be something it's not, in this case, a star-crossed romance.
This also marks the beginning of the shifting of location of this series. The horrors in Gatlin were discovered. Many children, presumed innocent, are now orphaned and in need of foster care. Many people in Hemingford, the closest town up the road, offer to take them in. Here's where bad writing and acting combine to really take the film down another notch: several times they refer to the orphans as a whole as "the sweet, innocent children of Gatlin, (or some such rot) there is not a time this line is uttered where it doesn't sound insincere. I'm not speaking about audience omniscience, meaning we know they're really evil so we chuckle, I mean the line reading itself sounds like the actor is being sarcastic or comedic so suspension of disbelief is most difficult.
One thread that does develop hear that dies hard is the notion of disease, mental or physical, is brought into the equation as a possibility, which is unforgivable because it changes the nature of the films. Essentially the film is in not so many words is trying to play the psychotic, cultist, religious zealot children off as victims. However, one thing I do appreciate later on is that it is treated as a white elephant, meaning it's a concept so big it can't just be dropped from the series but needs to be gradually written out. Franchises would benefit from story editors because not many changes were handled that smoothly.
Then you have the characters, yeah, those guys. Despite the efforts to develop them I don't like them. If the audience is going to identify with anyone it's the kids trying to run away not the father, not the way he's written. So here you have it again the most annoying permutation of horror film you don't really like anyone and you know that in all likelihood they're gonna walk away at the end and you'd rather they be dead.
Few horror films, as a franchise, really survive in their most earnest form: if the villain wasn't the protagonist to start eventually they become them because they're who the movie is named after and the characters seem to get dumber, more disposable less identifiable, therefore what do you want to happen to them in a horror film, a piece of entertainment designed to feed on your baser instincts? Kill them. All I'm saying is few far between are the effective, affable protagonists later on in horror series. The constant gives you comfort and a twisted ending gives you pleasure from time to time.
There's none of that here. After I saw this film I lamented on Twitter about deciding to place the original film last in my viewing order thinking it'd be all downhill until got there. This series like so many has its peaks and valleys. This is a chasm, not quite an abyss, we will get their but its rather painful to endure.
Review- Creature
Serinda Swan and Mehcad Brooks in Creature (The Bubble Factory)
Creature. What does Creature do right? What is Creature? Why does Creature exist and why was it released to 1,507 screens? Why did I watch Creature? These are all questions I asked myself while watching this film.
To answer the first question there's not much this film does right at all. It's the kind of film that thinks character development is giving someone a piece of dialogue in which they say something weird and it never gets explained or an inside joke is shared and we never get let in. A film can overcome the shortcomings of its cast with its narrative, technical proficiency and artistry. There is very little of that so I'm left watching a cast that might have been rejected for Final Destination 5.
So it ends up being the worst permutation of all horror films: one wherein you actually want all the characters dead but know they likely will survive. The characters are for the most part as annoying as the actors. To be fair there are but two positive developments: one is a twist and the other is that Niles played by Mehcad Brooks emerges as someone watchable and that you can almost pull for. In the end he's like a poor-man's Duane Jones (Night of the Living Dead) but this movie is nowhere near a classic.
The edit of this film is painful. At a climactic moment there are so many cutaways that it goes beyond foreshadowing to bludgeoning you with obviousness. The film is also riddled with nonsensical dissolves and cuts and worse yet cutaways were you know they're not showing an entry wound to save money.
Despite the fact that I did manage to find some good things to say about it about I was tempted to walk out of this film due to its sheer crappiness. This was right before the aforementioned twist. A twist which does not absolve most of the characters of their stupidity and is therefore wasted.
Stupidity rears its ugly head in a big way at least twice in this film and it's truly insufferable. In Fright Night I discuss one of the paradigms of modern horror being about disbelief, well stupidity is another. Any horror fan cut their teeth on films where screaming girls run upstairs and trap themselves when a killer is chasing them. It was fine for a time but we've grown tired of it. These kids willingly seek out the local lore to mock it and become endangered. It doesn't engender sympathy.
Then there's the Phantom Menace, I mean, The Creature. It may be the best thing going for it but it's consistently, purposefully under-exposed like they're giving it the Jaws treatment sans theme song through most of it. It doesn't make it scarier, when it's revealed it's laughable.
As if the creature's lack of ferocity isn't bad enough the film is like softcore porn at times.
To address one of my initial questions about how wide the release was my only guess is that it's a kind of reverse psychology. Now it's the biggest bomb of all-time and everyone with a morbid streak will want to see it on video.
Review- Fright Night (2011)
Imogen Poots and Anton Yelchin in Fright Night (DreamWorks/Disney)
Here's another case of full disclosure is necessary, there are two things that bear mentioning with regards to Fright Night: first, I am in no way a fan of the original Fright Night, it has some strong elements but overall I was not entertained in the least. Therefore, I walked into this version with an open mind as it with this remake I actually felt there was a need for it.
This incarnation of Fright Night does absolutely wonderful things with the aspect of disbelief in the horror genre. Typically and you get very weary of this if you're a fan of the genre. You are therefore used a long struggle were characters doubt the supernatural elements of the story. The modern notion respects the audience enough and is just reflexive enough that this part of the story is quickly addressed but sped through. Never has it been so quickly and intelligently handled as in this film.
This, of course, lends itself to much comedy. Comedy in a horror film can be a precarious thing. Many people do need that release valve for their nervous energy but many horror films veer too heavily towards comedy. This one does something odd in as much as it keeps the horror subsumed and allows it to bubble to to the surface and take over when necessary.
Not to say that those who like their horror in a more classical style will necessarily walk away disappointed from this film. You get in this film very well-done gore and perhaps what I was most grateful for good, old fashioned scary vampires. The horror elements are there in spades.
Another way in which this film is a kind of throwback is that its a horror property that was able to attract talent to it. First, you have your protagonist in Anton Yelchin, who may not be a household name yet but has certainly done his fair share of films and should be recognizable to most. You also have the ever-versatile Toni Collette as his mother. Then there's Christopher Mintz-Plasse as his friend. Then perhaps the most important duo is the vampire (Colin Farrell) and the vampire hunter (David Tennant).
It's truly a shame that the 3D backlash came at a time when good films with effective 3D work was released. This is one of them. Yes, there is an over-saturation of 3D but this film should not have fallen victim to our general malaise with it.
The pace of this film as intimated earlier is fantastic. Due to the fact that it deals with the niceties quickly, effectively with great dialogue it allows the film to move quite quickly and still manages to build suspense while doing so. There are quite a few memorable sequences in this film.
It's quite easy to look at Fright Night and say "Oh, look, another remake and another vampire movie at the same time," however, this one gives both a good name and is worth seeing.
Review: Spy Kids: All the Time in the World in 4D
Mason Cook, Joel McHale, Jessica Alba and Rowan Blanchard in Spy Kids: All the Time in the World in 4D (Dimension Films)
Here's another case where compartmentalization is key. In My Rating Scale I try and stress that I am grading each and every film on what it is and not against every other film in the world. Meaning, I will not downgrade a film simply because I cannot live in a world where both See no Evil, Hear No Evil and Touch of Evil have the same score. In fact, I live in world where they do. I think they're both brilliant in their own way. Which is just another way to introduce the fact that I will rate a Spy Kids film (or a Rodriguez family film) as such and not against El Mariachi or other films in this genre.
Having said that I do like this film. It's not better than the first but it's better than the third at the very least. There is in its circularity a cohesion to the narrative that one might not necessarily appreciate through the CG and 3D. Not to say that there's any subtlety here but the theme seems more unified and more parallel than it has in most other installments it just doesn't always seem like it is.
Reboots can be a tricky thing. Whether you're just restarting a story with new characters or re-casting those characters you're finding new actors to fit the archetypes that have made the franchise work. The most resoundingly successful aspect of this Spy Kids film is the new kids in the persons of Mason Cook and Rowan Blanchard. While they each show some echoes of their predecessors they have characters and abilities uniquely their own. Cook has a quiet depth and Blanchard an unpretentious spunkiness that make this new tandem a worthy rival of Vega and Sabara who themselves have very humorous and effective supporting roles in the film. Also, very entertaining in this film is Jeremy Piven whose interpretation is as funny as it is wild and he becomes a rather memorable villain in the series because of it.
One note of warning to send out there those that are not fans of potty humor best stay away from this film as it is most definitely the more pronounced in this film than ever. As a whole the story is enjoyable and moves quickly except for those parts where it circles around the drain, so to speak, before making that final connection. One piece of that puzzle is kind of apparent at the very beginning but I think even if you do get ahead of it it's not likely to ruin it.
The effects work is somewhat stepped up here and holds up better to the 3D than the previous edition did. This is where most of the creativity in the film shines through.
While I will defend Robert Rodriguez in principle as it is his right, much as William Castle saw it as his duty, to create a fun gimmick to promote his film, the fact of the matter is the Aroma-Scope just does not work. I saw the movie twice at two completely separate theatres. The cards all have a unified odor and it's hard to get those squares to smell like something different and when they do they rarely smell like what they're supposed to be. However, that only detracts from the film minutely. Even if the smells were brilliantly accurate it's still distracting you from the film (you look down, find the number, scratch and sniff). So no real damage done there.
Overall, I think that this film will definitely win over fans of the series, myself being one of them I was more than a bit skeptical when I first heard about it and I think that it will also create many new fans in its target audience. Moreover, I think that it ends on a note where growth of the story and the franchise is yearned for and not a place where you think potential has been maximized. Should the new generation continue it will do so in stronger films.


The largest of the Exhibition Halls, Hall G is the only hall on Level 1. It is best suited for smaller pipe and drape-type booths. Two escalators connect to Halls A and B.
Hall G is not subdivided by airwalls and does not share any airwalls with any other space.
Ceiling Height -- 13' 5"