Everyone's a Critic
A security guard at the Carnegie Museum of Art in Pittsburgh has been charged in the vandalism of a $1.2M painting.
Timur Serebrykov, 27, is an immigrant from Azerbaijan, and his fiancée is due to give birth soon, lawyer James Sheets said. Concerns about his life and future caused Serebrykov to use a key to slash Night Sky #2 by Latvian artist Vija Celmins on May 16.
"He's under a lot of pressure, and he just snapped and did something dumb," Sheets said.
Pittsburgh police arrested Serebrykov on a charge of institutional vandalism May 20 after museum officials examined a surveillance tape. Serebrykov apologized and confessed, telling police that he simply did not like the painting.
crispy thinks there's nothing better than a quickie on a Sunday afternoon.
Worlds Greatest Tagger
The Santee Education Complex opened in July 2005 and was expected to be a model for future schools in Los Angeles but gang violence, social problems and academic failure crushed the dream. The endless gang activity around the school caused students to pass on after-school activities. One glaring problem was the two-block walk students had to survive to catch a Metropolitan Transit Authority bus.
Tired of being robbed, thirty students rallied together and asked for a bus stop closer to campus. Their request went all the way up to the mayor, who brought in the MTA. It was decided a bus stop would be added behind the school, so students would not have to walk the crime gauntlet.
On Monday, Mayor Villaraigosa and other backslapping politicians rode the inaugural trip to the new stop. They had come up with a genius plan they MOVED a bus stop closer to a school. So, why shouldnt they celebrate this crowning achievement and incredible victory against crime?
But the party didnt last too long. While the mayor smiled for the many cameras on the bus, a student ran up and tagged a window. It was clearly a cry for help.
"It's a cry out for help," said Vince Carbino, Santee's principal. He said he will meet with the youth, together with one of the school's social workers, to "help the student and get him on the right track."
Yesterday officials apprehended the criminal, a 15-year-old student nicknamed Zoner. Apparently Zoner didnt realize the bus was full of self-congratulating politicians. When he realized his error he hid his face and stopped tagging the bus, but not before a beautiful photo was taken.
Zoner is now facing a misdemeanor charge of vandalism. But in the real world of high school popularity, Zoner is the king.
Students Tuesday were "glorifying" the tagger. "They were saying, that's my homie, that's my homie.' "
Nay, he's America's homie.