Sunday, February 28, 2016

Pizza guy = rock band hero, Riot Watch! Poland and gambling for a trip to space


- Every casino needs a hook to draw degenerate gamblers in the door. Complimentary drinks and giveaways are fine, but they’re so common that they’ve all but lost their ability to set one gaming establishment apart from another. The powers that be at Maryland Live Casino are right in the middle of the fight to wrangle dollars from the hands of gambling junkies intent on ruining their lives in the name of a quick buck and for once, they have actually come up with an idea that is unique and original. Simply put, the casino is offering patrons a chance to win a trip to space. “To do something actually off this planet is something nobody really has even fathomed,” said casino spokesman Mario Maesano. The casino will actually be sending four people to space and in order to make that happen, the casino is paying close to $300,000 per traveler. Those wishing to win a ride to the great beyond must enroll in the casino’s Live! Rewards program and use their membership card each time they play at the casino for the entire month of March. Those who do will automatically be entered in a drawing for one of the four space travel spots. The casino has even managed to throw a big enough appearance fee at astronaut Buzz Aldrin to convince the iconic space traveler to come to the casino and glad-hand those who would follow in his footsteps. Drawings will be held each of the four Saturday’s in March and in a harsh stipulation, winners must be present in order to claim their prize. The space voyages will begin next year and in the meantime, a whole lot of people will lose a whole lot of money at the casino trying to win this contest………..


- One of the unspoken truths of NCAA Division I athletics is that the weekly time limits placed on what coaches can demand of their athletes are more suggestion than hard-and-fast rule that is never, ever violated. The notion that football players at powerhouse programs like Alabama, Ohio State and Oregon only spend 20 hours a week practicing and working out is laughable and knowing this, the NCAA Division I council and the Division I student-athlete advisory committee want firsthand information about what the hell is happening on campuses across America. The two group distributed a survey last week to all 346 Division I schools, asking athletes in every sport to provide feedback. Results are due in three weeks and will be relayed to the Division I council, which will meet in April. In order to ensure that coaches don’t, um, unduly influence the results, the survey is being conducted online and not being administered by coaches. Respondents are being asked to complete sections on in-season countable athletic-related activities (CARA), out-of-season time demands and travel. According to Northwestern athletic director Jim Phillips, chair of the council, the body will introduce a significant legislative package regarding time demands by September. That will be followed by months of review and a proposed policy going to a vote at the NCAA convention in January. Passing new rules will obviously be the easy part of the equation, while actually enforcing them will be significantly tougher……….


- Riot Watch! Riot Watch! Poland is peaking on anti-establishment rage right now and if you need evidence, look no further than thousands of Poles chanting, “We will defend democracy!" and "Lech Walesa!" during a massive uprising in Warsaw to protest moves by Poland's three-month old conservative government which they say undermine freedoms and constitutional norms. The Committee for the Defense of Democracy, which was formed in November in reaction to moves by the ruling Law and Justice party, spearheaded the gathering in a continuation of its opposition to policies that have essentially paralyzed the Constitutional Tribunal. While this particular gathering was sadly lacking in violence and confrontation, many Poles carried posters showing support for Walesa, the former Solidarity leader and ex-president who has been recently faced accusations of being a communist-era secret police informer. Walesa’s supporters accuse the ruling party of trying to destroy his reputation for political gain and personal revenge, which is such a reach because Eastern European political leaders and government officials have long been known for their honesty, integrity and impeccable character when it comes to how they conduct their business. Just because Walesa is a longtime foe of Law and Justice leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski doesn’t mean Kaczynski  and his sycophants would attack Walesa and attempt to undo much of his impact on the country. Oh wait, yes it does……….


- When a rock band truly makes it, they gain access to a world of luxurious tour buses, posh hotels and backstage pampering at shows. British indie rockers Foals do not seem to have hit that mark just yet, as evidenced by their quirky adventure en route to last week’s Brit Awards ceremony. The band were nominated for Best British Group alongside Blur, One Direction, Years & Years and eventual winners Coldplay and seeing as they were up for a major award, they kind of needed to be in attendance at the event. Getting there, it turned out, wasn’t as simple as it should have been. "On the way to the Brits the other day our cab took us the wrong way and we were stranded North of the river in gridlock traffic,” drummer Jack Bevan posted on Twitter. With the seconds ticking away and their chances to get to their seats alongside Chris Martin and Co. seemingly about to go up in smoke, Foals needed someone to step up, clutch up and help them find their way to the venue. Enter someone who most of us take for granted and even crack jokes about on a daily basis: a pizza delivery driver. "Unexpectedly, a total hero picked us up and drove us all the way to the ceremony,” Bevan wrote in another tweet. “I didn't remember his name as I ran off but he owns TGF pizza in Eltham, SE9. So yeah, if his pizzas are as good as his getaway driving, I would definitely recommend." Not remembering the guy’s name who saved your night is a bit insensitive, but here’s hoping Bevan’s kind words send plenty of business this guy’s way. Maybe some customer got their pie a bit later than expected, but the pizza guy should more than be able to make up for it with the boost to his business from a world-famous rock band giving him props on Twitter……..

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