ShareThis

Terry and Lin Green, the owners, claim to have no prior knowledge until their financial advisors contacted them. It is said that Eileen Evis had a huge gambling problem with internet gambling. She also had transferred some of the stolen money to her children. She sent some to her daughter in Australia and some to her son. Her son said that she was just repaying him for a debt that she owed him. On top of the money she stole, Evis also received a substantial divorce settlement during this time. Any money that is left over and seized will be given to workers at the company. Evis took out fake loans in the owners names from the bank.

They now have many debts against them that they never even knew existed. When all is said and done the Greens are in debt for £400,000. They say that their lives were a total mess and with all that has happened they now feel suicidal. Many people were affected by Evis poor decisions. She will face trial for her actions and will have to deal with whatever punishment is handed down. TAG will not be able to be reimbursed for all of the funds that it has lost and many people will lose their jobs for lack of funds to pay them.

ShareThis

It looks valuable, almost like a real gold bar, rich vanilla ice cream with sea-salted caramel, encased in a hard gold chocolate shell. There was an elaborate ad campaign for this new product, where two people decided to “steal” the ice cream or something–pretty much building it up in my mind to be not something that you eat, but some designer kitchen accessories that you put out on the counter to impress the guests.

Anyway back to the product, the Magnum GOLD?!, it had the wow factor, I wanted to try it. I searched high and low, and actually couldn’t find it, I tried three or four stores but their ice cream freezers had all the other flavours, just not Magnum Gold. I eventually managed to buy it from an outdoor vendor, I cost me £1.60. When I bought it, I looked at it, I had it in my hand, the elusive Magnum GOLD?! , I slowly opened the wrapper to reveal a golden coloured ice cream. It looked nice, the gold colour was clearly gleaming realistically, it reminded me of the “Golden Opulence ice cream” which I knew was out of my price range, but the Magnum GOLD?! was good enough for me.

I took a bite, it tasted nice, the gold and chocolate covering, but I couldn’t taste any caramel. A real shame, I thought if the ice cream actually tasted of caramel and not just vanilla it would have really complemented the golden colour, despite it being fine in taste, I didn’t see the real point in buying it, I’d paid £1.60 but would have been better off buying a normal Magnum or a white chocolate one, which would have had more taste. It was disappointing because there was nothing really special about the ice cream in the end, no true sweet aftertaste, nothing special in the end.

I wouldn’t buy this ice cream again I think, I would sooner buy a McDonalds caramel sundae, which is a lot sweeter and covered of caramel, not like this one, a mere drizzle. I wouldn’t advise buying it, as the wow factor soon wears off after you bite into the golden shell–

ShareThis

Shutter Island: the advertisements–the hype–I couldn’t help but get carried away in the excitement of a new Scorsese film. The Departed was great, wasn’t it? So why shouldn’t this one be?! I honestly thought it was going to be one of the best films ever. And I needed to have my faith in the movie industry re-energized. I’d thought that Paranormal Activity was going to be the scariest horror film ever and was sorely dissapointed–

Then came the first review of Shutter Island. It was slightly more negative than I liked, but still, that meant nothing–This was Scorsese, for goodness sake. If anyone knew what he was doing then it was this man here! So I tried to forget about that review, and just get carried away again–

Then came the second review. This was harsher still, but by then I had grown a thick-skin. I could see the critics’ game. They were doing what they always did, bashing a great film just to get people interested. And I was interested, I needed to see Shutter Island.

So that was what I did. And I’m telling you–I almost cried into my c fold towels from the refreshment stand–

This, if you were wondering, is not going to turn in to a proper review. I see little point when there are so many other reviews out there that outline how the film was a let-down more comprehensively than I could ever manage. And believe me, and believe the reviewers–The film is a let-down. I have no idea what Scorsese was thinking when he shot the end of the film, but whatever happened afterwards, I’m sure that he ended up getting a lot of stick in the pub for this mess.

The moral of the story? There is no moral. I suppose I have learnt to be more careful about getting over-excited about film, and I can only hope that I won’t make the same mistake again.

ShareThis

The Arcade Fire really stunned me with their first album: Funeral. I’m no music expert but even I knew that the band were different to nearly everyone old or new. There were reference points I could draw from their music, of course, but the lyrics and the song construction–I had never heard a combination quite like it. Every song was its own. Nothing seemed forced or repeated. In short, the album marked the beginning of an amazing new band. One that had seemingly come out of nowhere to produce astounding music.

I listened to Funeral every day for months. I was properly obsessed with the songs. Every time I listened there was something new. OK, not every time, there’s a limit to how much new stuff you can pick out when you hear the same song fifteen times a day.

When the band announced their new album, Neon Bible, I was ecstatic. What will they come up with next? I thought. Which direction will they take?

As soon as it came out I ordered it. When it arrived my hands were shaking. Then I put it in the player.

At first I thought there had to be some kind of mistake. What’s this, I mused, the same songs just slightly different? But I gave it a chance, of course. My favourite band wouldn’t let me down. And I listened–

It soon became clear that this was not the album I had expected. I couldn’t deny it any longer–there just wasn’t the same spark, and no amount of thinking about it was going to change that. Such a shame. Mind you, this is only my opinion.

My advice is this: if you’re a huge fan of Funeral, don’t expect the same effect in your head when you listen to Neon Bible. While it’s still a decent album as they go, it’s not what we all expected from the band who brought something so different.

I need some input from all of you on this one, I was talking to my girlfriend the other night and she asked me to visit this site on Smartlipo. I suspect she is actually considering getting this done. How do I tackle the subject of saying that she shouldn’t really go through with it? Because I mean, let’s be honest, she’s totally hot as she is.

ShareThis

Well we waited long enough and it arrived several weeks ago, but it can’t just be me feeling a little short-changed at the moment. Lost, season six, started with a bang, quite literally, just like season five had ended. We were promised answers, to the myriad of questions that avid viewers have built up over the years. We were also promised a gripping storyline, that would leave us begging for the next episode like we have done in the past. However, none of these things have come to pass…yet.

I feel like, right now, I am watching Lost for the sake of watching it. I have put a lot of my time into this show and so far, I am just a little bit disappointed. Nothing major has occurred yet and we are 10 episodes in! I could have had a better use of time by sitting in a self storage container for the last 6 seasons… Sure, we found out that the new John Locke is the smoke monster that has been rampaging its way through the island’s jungle for five seasons and sure, we also found out the real purpose of the island. Whilst there have been two or three questions answered, they haven’t been done in big enough ways and they haven’t involved the cast enough.

They are explaining things that have had many viewers racking their brains over for years so casually that it feels unimportant. Many of the cast have been largely disappointing as well. I don’t mean their acting skills, they are as good as ever, I mean what their characters have done. So far, we have had nothing from Jack. Remember how big he was for five whole seasons? Kate has also taken a back seat, as has Ben. This is all a little disappointing as well.

The flash-sideways seem utterly pointless to me, but we have been promised they will mean something in the end. The only thing I am happy about so far is Hugo (because he is hilarious) and Sawyer, because he was always better as the sour, sarcastic, “in-it-for-himself”character than when he was with Juliet. Here’s hoping for some improvement!

ShareThis

Rules are everywhere, and tea-making is just as rigid. Sorry people, but there are very good reasons as to why this is the case. If they were not in place, the world of tea-making would be thrown in to bedlam. It’d be like the Sun suddenly switching off, gravity ceasing to exist and all the planets colliding into one another!

What a terrifying thought that is–

Here are some stick-to rules. Do not veer from the path dear Tea-maker. Read up and all should be fine!

1) Never, ever, ever take one tea-bag from a cup and drop this into another cup to make a second cup of tea. This is a fine insult indeed! If you plan on doing that then you really don’t understand. So start understanding!

2) Always use filtered water. Bathroom water, rain water, and anything that is not filtered is a waste of time.

3) ALWAYS wash a guest’s cup up after the first cup of tea. I’m not talking about just sticking it under the tap; I am on about actually cleaning it. Who wants to get their second cup with a dirty, filthy, grimy manky mark around the inside? I don’t and neither should you! Give that to me and you’ll be getting tea in the face my friend. Come to think of it we won’t even be friends anymore.

4) Don’t expect masses of conversation as your guest drinks the first few sips and enjoys it. You wouldn’t consult an Englishman about the virtues of tax-free ISA’s and home equity release while he tucks into his Yorkshire pudding, would you? No, you would not! So don’t interrupt. Wait at least five minutes before attempting to speak to a guest.

5) NEVER just make the tea. ALWAYS ask how much milk the guest would like. Not doing this had led to the break-up of companies, marriages, and even some relationships between countries!

ShareThis

That is not to say that it isn’t a good horror film, because there are enough creepy moments to keep all but the most hard-core fans entertained. And nobody can argue that the format doesn’t work. But that’s not the problem I have with it: the problem I have is that it was billed as “the scariest movie ever made” and it just didn’t live up to the hype.

If you didn’t know, Paranormal Activity is about a young couple who believe they are being terrorized by a malevolent poltergeist. Well, Micah should believe it, but he doesn’t. Subsequently the cat and mouse game ensues, with events turning all the more sinister and strange happenings keeping the couple from sleep–

See P.A. if you like a good horror-film every once in a while and you’ll be surprised, maybe even shocked. Don’t see it if you’re a horror-buff. Or at least go in knowing that you’ll most likely not be too afraid to turn out the lights that night.

ShareThis

I feel sad. Not in a seasonal affective disorder kind of a way–though it is cold out, and this is England–but In a way that might make Pierce Brosnan and the other Bonds weep themselves to sleep; why? Well, I can’t remember the theme tune to Quantum Of Solace, the main point of the story, or any of the dialogue, of which I recall there was quite a lot to get through; to me that means that the sequel to Casino Royale, which was a shock surprise for many—and featuring one of the best opening scenes in recent film—must have been a let down. I don’t remember thinking that while I watched it though—those film-makers aren’t stupid, they know how to do it, they know how to send film racing through our veins so we get all excited and unable to not smile: the car chase at the beginning was nifty, and there was plenty of action, so, how come it wasn’t all it could have been? OK, well we can’t really blame Daniel Craig for becoming darker, as he was just following a script, and by all accounts he should be used to that by now. So I suppose we better blame the director, or the financiers, if they were the ones who applied the pressure. In my opinion Marc Forster, or maybe the entire Bond team in general, got too caught up in trying to make the film seem serious and justified—and he’d every right to feel like that in this age; if we’re going to chuck that much money at a film while the world is falling to pieces, we had better be able to say it was worth it—and relevant. But what happened was the story suffered. Each scene blended into one another and more importantly, Bond lost some of his mojo. But still, it was James Bond, so I doubt it will matter how the next few turn out–I’ll still get excited and I’ll never stop seeing them.

So, if you have all remembered, it is my birthday soon and in case you are pondering what to buy me (that means you Lea) I have been thinking a lot about that dvd set for Battlestar Galactica, just in case you couldn’t think of anything…

ShareThis

The Woodsman (2004) confronts the disturbing subject matter of pedophilia with a conviction that makes it both hard to digest, and also strangely watchable.

Released after twelve years of imprisonment for offences that the film only ever hints at–offences somewhat skewed out of all proportion by the chinese whispers that follow–Walter (played by a dedicated Kevin Bacon) comes face to face with the old life and neighbourhood he used to call his own; with a new job and a new chance at living his life decently, Walter—and those around him—struggles against his inner demons, while trying hard to re-associate himself with the world he so long ago left behind.

Like all good films which dare to tackle delicate subjects which some may find deeply inappropriate for film, The Woodsman asks a number of compelling and uncomfortable questions about sympathy, empathy, and the temptation of the human sole. Should we believe that Walter really wants to get better? Or is that too much to ask of? As the film progresses the viewer is made to wrestle with these questions almost as much as Walter himself, eventually forced to find his or her own conclusion when the film steers away from the easy route of pointing the finger at Walter for things that may or may not be his fault.

Personally speaking I still find it hard to make my mind up about Walter and people of his ilke; on the one side I found him to be a fairly decent kind of a guy, but on the other I couldn’t shake the frightening prospect that lurking in the background was some demonic force willing itself to break free.

But I feel that films such as The Woodman play an important role in society; Kevin Bacon should be commended for having the guts to take on such a role, doing a good enough job of acting that we really do wonder.

I just found this great business who agreed to give us a discount on the CD packaging for the new band. Tell me what ya’ll think!

ShareThis