Sunday, September 18, 2016

SPANISH WINE FESTIVAL: Sheriff SHOAR's Pals' "Conspicuous Invidious Consumption" -- Wine Fight at Mission Nombre de Dios




The Batalla de Vino or Wine Fight (part of the Spanish Wine Festival) is an example of what Thorstein Veblen would call "conspicuous invidious consumption."
What's the Batalla de Vino or Wine Fight? People squirt wine on each other.
Started under suzerainty of City 450th employee CHARLES SERAPHIN (fired in 2014) and sponsored by LOUIS JOHN ARBIZZANI and local businessmen and corporations who contributed to Sheriff DAVID SHOAR f/k/a "HOAR," helping him buy the illegally closed universal primary election.
In past years, among those photographed in white clothing covered in squirted wine were the "movers and shakers" in St. Augustine and St. Johns County, including then-Mayor JOSEPH LESTER BOLES, JR., his partner in a no-bid, below-market rate commercial lease of city property at 81 St. George Street, CLAUDE LEONARD WEEKS, Jr. and City Manager JOHN PATRICK REGAN.
The Batalla de Vino in 2013 was actually held in the Plaza de la Constitucion, with copyrighted photographs taken by Jackie Hird, available on her website, showing these "movers and shakers" and their "conspicuous invidious consumption."
No one was cited for open alcohol containers or consumption in our park.
That fact was not covered.
But every year, the Batalla de Vino is "news" in The St. Augustine Record.
Naturally, if Sheriff SHOAR et pals wants an "event" covered, it's "news" in The St. Augustine Record.
If not, it's not news -- like the opening of envelopes containing campaign cash from developers.
What do you reckon?

Teams get drenched in wine
Posted: September 10, 2016 - 10:15pm | Updated: September 10, 2016 - 10:19pm
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Dressed in white and splattered with red, participants in the St. Augustine Spanish Wine Festival Team Batalla de Vino, wine fight, attempt to drench one another in red wine at Mission Nombre de Dios on Saturday September 10, 2016. Six teams of five participated in the event, with one person of each team given a yellow headband and designated 'king' or 'queen.' Each team strived to squirt opposing kings and queens with as much wine as possible while protecting its own 'royalty.' The winning team, Team Pump It, with its 'king' Bryan Seiple received a $500 check for the charity of their choice, which was donated to K-9s United. K-9s United raises funds to support K-9 units across northeast Florida in memory of K-9 Baron, who was killed in action in St. Johns County in October 2014. \n\n\n christina.kelso@staugustine.com


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