Journal of Post-Ralphaelite Thought

My overly rabid friends and occasional drinking buddies at the Whited Sepulchre are all aghast at what they are terming the "snuff film" of some Volvo being disabled for the Cash for Clunkers program (presumably so the car can't be resold by some shifty individual after the trade. According to US News and World Report ,  here are the top ten cluckers being ditched by their owners: 1998 Ford Explorer 1997 Ford Explorer 1996 Ford Explorer 1999 Ford Explorer Jeep Grand Cherokee Jeep Cherokee 1995 Ford Explorer 1994 Ford Explorer 1997 Ford Windstar 1999 Dodge Caravan Sorry, but you won't see me shedding any tears over this lot. Actually I'd like to see the Volvo procedure performed on some of the drivers of these beasts. I have to put up with this assholes on my work commute every day. Here's what the top ten replacement purchase are (again, curtesy of USNWR): Ford Focus Honda Civic Toyota Corolla Toyota Prius Ford Escape Toyota Camry Dodge...

Ayn Rand is to Conservative/Libertarian Free Market True Believers what Mary Baker Eddy is to Christian Scientists (or is that what L. Ron Hubbard is to the Scientologists?). She is the originator and high priestess of "Objectivism," a religious cult for the non-religious which elevates the individual's tendency to be a self-absorbed, selfish prick to evidence of the divine. Its major tenet, boiled down to layman's terms, is "Fuck you, I got mine." As a side note, despite Libertarians' commendably progressive views on gay rights, Rand's views on homosexuality were considerably less enlightened: she held that it was immoral and disgusting . Some of her prophets (profits?) include Milton Friedman, Alan Greenspan, and pretty much the entire Cato Institute. As you might imagine, she's very popular on Wall Street and in Board Rooms all across America. The Randistras' Bible is her novel " Atlas Shrugged ," where in all the world's l...

By now who hasn't at least heard of CNBC on-air financial personality Rick Santelli's " Rant Heard Round the World, " in which he castigates "losers" who shouldn't get help by the government on their mortgages. Santelli, a former commodity and futures trader turned professional entertainer, launched his diatribe from the floor of the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, surrounded by the guys we can thank for $4.00 a gallon gas not too long ago. Short investment lesson: greed whips up panic over the cost of gasoline in 6 months and people investing in futures bid up the price to astronomical levels. Traders make a shitload of money. Fear they paid too much grips investors and the price falls like a stone. Traders make another shitload of money. "On-Air Editor" Rick Santelli's job? Whip up the fear and panic. Down in the pit where Rick prowls there's been a huge market over the last few years in " derivatives :" financial contracts, o...

The first time I ever experienced nitrous oxide was as a college junior back in the mid-70's. I went to a dentist within walking distance of the campus to have a filling made (it should be noted at the time my hair hung halfway down my back). "Do you want novocaine?" he asked. "Never use it," I replied. He glanced at my hair. "Ever tried nitrous oxide?" Without missing a beat, I said, "No, but I'm game." They laid the nose piece on me and turned on the gas. After a few minutes the nurse came to check on me. "How are we feeling?" I shrugged, not really sure what I should be feeling. She called the dentist over, who looked at some knob or valve out of my view and frowned. They turned away from me and consulted in lowered voices. "Sometimes," she smiled, "If you are a heavy drinker or smoker it takes a little more." I rolled my eyes. She patted my arm. "We can tell." The dentist turned something and ...