Thursday, March 09, 2017

Grimes + classical music, bookstore Kardashian assault and party scams of Spain


- If you’re going to scam, scam big and live large for as long as you can. Because when the fall comes, it is hard, fast and ends with a brutal thud. No one needs to tell that to a group of accused scam artists suspected of being responsible for a series of recent incidents in various restaurants in northwestern Spain in which they lived a lavish lifestyle, booking banquets for hundreds of guests and eating, drinking and setting off fireworks only to bolt before dessert and leave behind unpaid bills amounting to thousands of euros. The incident are under investigation by police, who have already detained one man from Romania whose identity matches some of the bookings. "We had just served the cake and they left just like that, without insults, without being rude to us. They got in their cars and sped out," said Antonio Rodriguez, the first restaurateur hit by the scam when he and his staff were left holding unpaid bill of 2,200 euros ($2,300). The incident took place in Bembibre, a town in northwestern Castile and Leon region, and the party was billed as a celebration of the christening of two boys, featuring appetizers, pork chops, dessert and alcohol for 120 guests. As workers brought the cake out, the guests bolted en masse and a similar incident took place a few days later at an establishment in Ponferrada, only 12.5 miles away. This time, it was a well-stocked wedding banquet that cost around 10,000 euros ($10,600) and ended the same way as the first one. Add in a third incident in the northern region of Galicia, where guests came out of the dining hall to set off fireworks but never returned, and the businesses hit by the scam are doubtful they will ever recover their losses. As for the scam, which sounds like something straight out of a B-list Hollywood rom-com, next time at least scam for something that lasts a little longer than a good party……..


- The only mistake Kansas freshman Josh Jackson really made was not back right off campus, out of Lawrence and into whatever performance training center he’ll be working out at leading up to the NBA draft. Jackson won’t be on the court today for his team’s Big 12 tournament opener - likely one of the last games of his one and only season with the Jayhawks - because he’s serving a one-game suspension for going hit-and-run after backing into a vehicle on campus last month and speeding off without stopping or at least leaving behind his insurance and contact information. According to Lawrence police, Jackson was ticketed for backing into an unattended vehicle and not leaving his contact information and received three citatations for which he is due to appear in court on March 27. Knowing that he should probably do something and realizing that his team has a cake walk opening round game, Self announced  that Jackson would miss the game as a result of a Feb. 2 incident "Although Josh has acknowledged his responsibility and has handled it himself, he didn't tell me about it until Monday," Self said in a release. "He should have left his contact information at the time and notified us immediately." Yes, but does a guy who is averaging 16.4 points and 7.2 rebounds per game and considered an almost-certain lottery pick in this year’s draft really need to worry about such trivial details when he’s got a massive payday waiting and will only be on campus for one year anyhow? It’s all about keeping your eyes on the prize…….


- Even doing the right thing the wrong way can still be a crime - sadly. Such is life for Carl Puia, a Connecticut man with whom you probably have a lot in common even if you’re not 74 years old and facing criminal charges for allegedly destroying property inside a large chain bookstore. See, Carl has had just about enough of the plague of reality TV locusts known as the Kardashian clan and when he arrived at the Barnes & Noble in Glastonbury, Connecticut and found copies of Kim Kardashian’s “Selfish” book in which the woman who’s famous just for being famous shares large print photos of her favorite selfies - of which she’s probably taken millions. Puia’s solution was to allegedly splash a red liquid all over those Kim Kardashian books. According to police, six copies of the books were destroyed in the attack on a feeble attempt at literature , so Puia has been charged with third-degree criminal mischief. At least ol’ Carl came prepared, as he left a typed note behind in which he explained that he has committed his benevolent act due to his contempt for the reality TV star and “people like her.” Security footage from the store clearly showed Puia pouring red liquid over the books, all of which were ruined - though can you truly ruin something that was worthless to begin with? - and beyond recovery. Puia turned himself in to police but was soon released on a $2,500 bond, which if Kardashian actually wanted to do the right thing, she would pay herself because Puia just gave her the only thing in this world she loves more than herself - publicity……..


- Do you think blending alternative music and classical concerts sounds like fun? If so, then the process of classically reworking Grimes’ 2012 album ‘Visions’ is just the thing to fill that gaping musical void in your existence. The Canadian singer’s album is being remade  for a concert series called ‘Many Visions: Plumes Deconstructs the Music of Grimes” and to give this thing a unique, artistic vibe, each of the album’s 13 tracks will  receive a classical music interpretation by a different composer. The concert series is the brainchild of Plumes, a Montreal-based ensemble, and since the inspirations for this effort are all Canadian, it only makes sense that the shows will take place across Canada over the course of this month. For those who can't make it to the Great White North or haven’t already fled the Trump-polluted version of America currently being foisted upon the world, there are also plans for some of the performances to be streamed online. “We wanted to see how we could bridge the gap between popular and classical music—we have a suspicion it’s smaller than people think,” said Luke Nickel, co-director of Winnipeg’s Cluster New Music and Integrated Arts Festival. “We want to think about interpretation and rearrangement, not only in terms of musical material but also in terms of the spirit of an artist. That led us to Grimes, whose DIY attitude seems to resonate across genres.” Plues’ Geof Holbrook noted that the festival’s central tenet is taking something apart and reconstructing it, so taking apart Grimes’ album and bringing it back to life in a wholly different way makes perfect and total sense………

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