Gloria's Oversexed Mind

I've been following the strange tale of Max Mosley, the F1 racing boss allegedly caught doing Nazi play in an SM dungeon. The alleged part refers to the Nazi play; Mosley himself has openly admitted he engages in SM. In fact, I blogged a while back about how I admired his courage in choosing to openly admit to being a sadomasochist, not apologizing for it or making the vaguest attempt to deny his proclivities, instead fighting to keep his job (successfully) and suing the paper which published the story.

Mosley is particularly piqued about the claim that Nazi play was involved. Mosley -- the son of a notorious Nazi sympathizer -- clearly has an emotional stake in all this and seems determined to prove several points. First, that the paper had no right to violate his privacy; that their story contained lies; that consensual SM is acceptable; and, perhaps, that as the child of a fascist, he is pretty damn pissed off about being tarred with his father's sins.

Meanwhile, as if all the above wasn't wild enough, the story is filled with more twists than a corkscrew.

For one, turns out, Mosley was set up. For another, he was set up by one of the professional dommes who was there. For yet another, that prodomme happens to be married to a British spy. Leading to a whole LOT gossip about conspiracies and why a spy's wife worked as a dominatrix....leading to statements from the spy about how this scandal has destroyed his career and his life.

The MI5 officer who quit after his wife was exposed as a prostitute in a sadomasochistic orgy with Max Mosley has told for the first time how the affair has ruined their lives.

The spy was forced to resign after confessing he was married to the ‘professional dominatrix’, who secretly videoed the sex session with the F1 motor racing boss and sold details to a newspaper.

The former £30,000-a-year mobile surveillance officer – who tracked terror suspects – said he quit to spare his bosses embarrassment.

He would not discuss how much he knew about his wife’s involvement in setting up the sting against Mosley, or if he played any part.

MI5 officer whose wife was exposed as a prostitute in Max Mosley orgy says the ordeal has devastated their lives

But wait! There's more! It now appears his wife has either gone mad, or was mad in the first place, because she's just been declared too mentally unstable to testify.

The Max Mosley privacy case took a dramatic turn yesterday as the star witness failed to appear.

Woman E, a dominatrix, took part in a sado-masochistic session with the motorsport boss and four other women and secretly filmed it for the News of the World.

But yesterday the paper's QC told the High Court her 'emotional and mental state is such that it would not be fair or reasonable to call her to give evidence'.

Dominatrix who secretly filmed Mosley sex party is declared 'unfit' to face court

July 23, 2008 in Post-Modern Pop Culture, Sex and Culture, Sex and History, Sex and Sadomasochism, Sex Laws and Crimes, Sexual Politics | Permalink | Comments (0)

To my mind, THE most fetishistic (and possibly most expensive) of the footwear designers on runways right now, Christian Laboutin's shoes makes me think he has a VERY serious foot fetish. I'll begin with some samples of shoes you can wear...and then a series he did for an art exhibition which are clearly nothing you could or would want to walk in...

I think of this one as the siamese-twin-shoe: the heels seem to be joined.

Mmmmm...

Kneeling works, I guess!

Beautiful to behold -- but just to behold.

July 22, 2008 in Post-Modern Pop Culture, Sex and Sadomasochism, Sexual Beauty | Permalink | Comments (1)

Wow, these shoes come with a girl in them.

And these come with a boy too. How convenient.

Maybe it's just me, but I think Gucci understands the mind of the dominatrix: or at least the aesthetic. Just looking at these next three makes me want to step on someone.

Grind him down...

Make him lick the tips of my toes....

Let him know I mean business. Very STERN business.

Made for a goddess!

So incredibly sensual...I wouldn't even need anyone else to enjoy them...

July 22, 2008 in Post-Modern Pop Culture, Sex and Sadomasochism, Sexual Beauty | Permalink | Comments (0)

A few weeks ago, my slavey-thang (and official chauffeur) convinced me to squander a vast sum of money on a new pair of Prada eyeglasses. I desperately needed new glasses and it'd been ridiculously hard for me to find the time to go deal with it, so sensing an opportunity, Ketzel convinced me I *had* to have the BEST. I protested weakly, then tried on two dozen other pairs and was finally forced to agree that, yes, indeed, the highly fetishistic, faux snakeskin lined Pradas were DIVINE. Being an honorable wife, I figured I'd call Will just to prepare him for the price-tag. "Honey, do you mind if I spend $500+ on eyeglasses?" "Are you out of your mind?" he quietly asked. "Urm...Why yes! I am! Why pretend otherwise at this late stage of the nutty game?" So that sealed it. Besides, the devil wears Prada! Perfect.

Now I needed Prada shoes to match. And being the bargain-loving Jewess I am, I turned to eBay, home to ridiculously discounted designer goods, and promptly bid on a Prada dress (thanks to my slavey-boy in NY for subsidizing that one) and shoes (thanks to my clients for that--if knowing your therapist spends your money on high-end designer goods doesn't motivate you all to get healthy in a hurry, I don't know what willl). Of course, I will probably keep shoes and dress in a private shrine in terror that the first time I wear 'em my dogs will pee on them.

Anyway, shopping for shoes is not just a necessity for me but something of a sexual thrill. Oh, yes, I love the shoes, ladies and gents (and the handbags too). So in addition to shoes I would wear (I refuse to wear super-high heels), I got lost in shoe-lust gazing at models that, as far as I'm concerned, were meant to be kissed and licked, while your tooties are hoisted high, preferably on a bed.

Here are some of my fave Prada picks (and for those who don't know, Miu-Miu is a Prada line).

The teacup handle -- to make drinking champagne from a shoe that much more elegant.

A little ankle bondage makes the world go round.

Inexplicably...I LOVE LOVE LOVE these. So Victorian/decadent.

Proving that sometimes, all that glitters can be gold.

Straaaaaaaaaaaaaaps. Lots and lots of little straaaaaaps.

These don't say fuck-me so much as oooh, intriguing. On the other hand, it does seem to signal "I'm a girl-who-likes-girls," which is always good for a little fuck-me traction.

July 22, 2008 in Post-Modern Pop Culture, Sex and Sadomasochism, Sexual Beauty | Permalink | Comments (2)

Browsing some breezy site a little while ago, I noted that the blogger included a pic of what she called her "fuck me" shoes. My first thought upon seeing her skanky pair was she must go trolling at Wal-Mart.

But it set me to thinking: what makes a fuck me shoe a fuck me shoe? Improbably high heels? Glaringly bright hues? Straps and buckles? Should they be classy and expensive or is it more of a turn-on when they're priced right for a two-dollar whore?

I decided to surf around and create my own picture gallery of extreme shoes from some the world's most interesting and accomplished clothing designers. I think these shoes scream fuck me, though ymmv.

I'll break this into a few posts since, as you'll see, my shoe fetish got the better of me...

First up, a pair of shoes I found on (of all places!) Gizmodo, which they described as "the fuckiest fuck me shoes," though I think what they really liked was the gadget on the ankle.

What kind of a contortionist do you have to be to check the time yourself? Oh...I get it...it's the guy worshipping these wonder-booties that can keep an eye on the time. As in: "is the session over ALREADY, Mistress?"

July 22, 2008 in Post-Modern Pop Culture, Sex and Sadomasochism, Sexual Beauty | Permalink | Comments (2)

On the off-chance you haven't yet seen this story (currently running all over the blogosphere....)

from Perez Hilton (who also added the "HO" to her jacket).

Introducing: Slutty Barbie

Looks like the people at Mattel are receiving some major backlash!

The toy makers have created a new Barbie doll which many are describing as the S&M Barbie.

The doll comes with black fishnet stockings, a black leotard, gloves, and boots.

S&M Barbie is being modeled after DC comic superhero Black Canary.

The Black Canary Barbie doll is scheduled to be released in September, but we'll see if that goes as planned.

Some are just outraged like the religious group Christian Voice, which said, “Barbie has always been on the tarty side and this is taking it too far. A children’s doll in sexually suggestive clothing is irresponsible – it’s filth.”

Love that quote from a group on the religious right...particularly in light of the next post I'm going to get up on the blog.

July 20, 2008 in Post-Modern Pop Culture, Sex and Culture, Sex and Sadomasochism, Sexual Politics | Permalink | Comments (5)

According to Snopes, the rumor China is recycling Condom into hair bands is true. Great idea on principle: save the planet and tie up your hair.

However they note that they can't yet determine if another rumor whether or not some of those recycled condoms were USED. Ew. Another reason to buy American.

July 20, 2008 in Post-Modern Pop Culture, Sex and Culture, Sexual Health, Sexual Strangeness | Permalink | Comments (2)

From Miss Bunny, this smart little pair of (re-designed) fuck-you shoes. I'm assuming it's sort of a post-modern feminist statement against fuck-me shoes. If not, Miss Bunny really needs to work on her anger management issues.

July 16, 2008 in Post-Modern Pop Culture, Sexual Humor | Permalink | Comments (3)

Exhibit at the World Erotic Art Museum

July 14, 2008 in Post-Modern Pop Culture, Sex and Arts, Sex and Culture | Permalink | Comments (1)

You *know* I'm waiting for the first photo to be published....

A Russian town plans to unveil a monument that shows a man's hand gripping a nubile female breast, which officials say will bring "family happiness" to men who touch it, Russian media reported.

Russian town puts breasts on a pedestal

July 14, 2008 in Post-Modern Pop Culture | Permalink | Comments (2)

...and even if you don't have the fetish...you might after looking at this scary beauty.

This brass and leather Soviet gas-mask is the genuine article, not a steampunk fetish-fashion prop (though, of course, it could be both).

Link: Boing Boing

July 8, 2008 in Post-Modern Pop Culture, Sex and Sadomasochism | Permalink | Comments (0)

Thanks to Noel for this pointer to a review in Slate of Angelina Jolie's latest movie...which is now on my MUST SEE list!

The Dominatrix Angelina Jolie crushes James McAvoy like a bug in Wanted

When I first heard that Angelina Jolie and James McAvoy would be paired up in an action movie this summer, I remember scoffing about what an unsexy couple they'd make. I believe my exact words were, "She'll crush him like a bug." "Sounds pretty sexy to me," said my interlocutor, giving me an unsolicited yet bracing glimpse into his fantasy life.

He was right. For those whose fantasies include being crushed like bugs by Angelina Jolie (or beaten senseless by hulking Russian thugs, or forced to use dead pigs for target practice by Morgan Freeman), Wanted (Universal Pictures) is a compendium of bedside erotica. I don't know when I've seen a mainstream movie that so explicitly caters to the S&M niche. And the chemistry of the central couple, which seemed destined to bring the movie down, is instead the hottest thing in this effects-laden but ultimately empty film.

Link: Wanted, with Angelina Jolie, reviewed. - By Dana Stevens - Slate Magazine

July 6, 2008 in Post-Modern Pop Culture, Sex and Arts, Sex and Sadomasochism | Permalink | Comments (0)

My girl Ketzl found this interview with Uma Thurman's father.

From an interview with the first American ordained as a Tibetan monk, Robert Thurman (father of Uma):

What do you think about when you meditate?

Usually, some form of trying to excavate any kind of negative thing cycling in the mind and turn it toward the positive. For example, when I am annoyed with Dick Cheney, I meditate on how Dick Cheney was my mother in a previous life and nursed me at his breast.

You mean you fantasize about being breast-fed by Dick Cheney?

It’s a fantasy of releasing fear and developing affection. It’s a way of coming back to feeling grateful toward him and seeing his positive side, finding the mother in Dick Cheney.

July 6, 2008 in Post-Modern Pop Culture, Sex and Spirituality, Sexual Strangeness | Permalink | Comments (2)

This story fascinates me. A transman and his wife wanted kids -- and she couldn't have them, so he decided to lend his (still in place) womb for this miraculous event. It is a reminder that anything in this life is possible, and that expanding human potential through science and technology can bring surprising blessings.

Pregnant man Thomas Beatie has given birth to a baby girl

A man has given birth to a baby girl at a hospital in the United States.

Thomas Beatie, who was born a woman but after surgery and hormone treatment lives as a man, had the child in Bend, Oregon.

Beatie, 34, kept female reproductive organs when he legally became a man 10 years ago.

The baby, conceived through artificial insemination using donor sperm and Beatie's own eggs, was born on June 29 and Beatie and the baby are "healthy and doing well," according to reports.

July 5, 2008 in Post-Modern Pop Culture, Sexual Health, Sexual Science and Medicine | Permalink | Comments (0)

via Boing Boing, a Canadian tattooist who's taking things to a new extreme.

Bizarre magazine interviews a Montreal gentleman named Rick who is tattooing his entire body to look like the living dead. From the interview (photo by Neville Elder):

What look are you trying to achieve with your tattoos?

They’re about the human body as a decomposing corpse – the art of a rotting cadaver. It’s also a tribute to horror movies, which I love.

Link: Tattooed living zombie

Raise your hand if you'd like to be a fly on the wall the day this guy asks his girl's father for her hand in marriage.

July 5, 2008 in Post-Modern Pop Culture, Sex and Arts, Sexual Beauty, Sexual Strangeness | Permalink | Comments (1)

Spore is coming!

And boy is it coming. And coming.

The pre-release of teaser technology to get people hooked on the game is already turning some otherwise reasonably mature adults (blinking at my ketzl) into freaky-sex-crazed Spore-aholics. I checked out some of the colorful characters people have uploaded to YouTube. As you'll see, they're totally cocked up.

July 5, 2008 in Post-Modern Pop Culture, Sex and Technology, Sex On-Line, Sexual Humor, Sexual Strangeness | Permalink | Comments (1)

Link: Toilet-Themed Restaurant

July 2, 2008 in Post-Modern Pop Culture, Sexual Humor | Permalink | Comments (0)

Built by an enthusiastic undertaker who just LOVES his job, this sounds like the perfect destination for goths, vampires, and other folks with a fetish for dark pleasures.

I'll take a wild guess that it's BYOB (bring your own blood)

Ukrainian undertakers say they have built the world's first death-themed restaurant - in a 65ft long coffin.

Link

June 30, 2008 in Post-Modern Pop Culture | Permalink | Comments (0)

From a feature on canoe.ca about outrageous ads, a handful of interestingly SM-y ones (some of which were pulled in response to complaints).

Popular Science pushing an issue on Egypt, suggests that there's an easier way to learn about the techniques involved in mummification. But the duct tape does have its charms, n'est-ce pas?

This one raised an uproar for being too violent and got pulled. But it certainly makes its point. Killer heels indeed.

And the obligatory rear hog-tie involving....OH NO! Not the Easter Bunny!

June 30, 2008 in Post-Modern Pop Culture, Sex and Culture, Sex and Sadomasochism | Permalink | Comments (1)

A New Mexico appeals court on Friday ruled against a Los Alamos man who wanted to change his name to a phrase containing a popular four-letter obscenity.

The man appealed after a state district judge in Bernalillo County refused his request to change his name to "F--- Censorship!"

The man - whose current legal name is Variable - argued on appeal that it was improper government censorship to deny him the name change.

Judge Rejects 'Obscene' Name Change

Apparently this guy has already tangled with the courts on the same issue, forcing them to reach the clarification that now allowed them to turn him down:

That law was clarified in a 2004 case in the same court that apparently involved the same petitioner. In that case, an Albuquerque man whose name was Snaphappy Fishsuit Mokiligon got the go-ahead from the appeals court to change his name to Variable.

This case is starting to make me feel a bit snaphappy myself.

June 29, 2008 in Post-Modern Pop Culture | Permalink | Comments (0)

So I heard that Heinz created a sexually suggestive ad for their new "Deli Mayo." Ooh. Sexually suggestive. *perk* I thought perhaps the mayo would be spurting or oozing from a frankfurter or something equally gross-yet-funny. But no. Here it is.

And now...Heinz has pulled this cute ad because of 202 complaints from viewers that it is "offensive."

Offensive to whom? Ketchup lovers?

Homophobia is sick--and sickening. As far as I'm concerned, homophobia should be listed in the DSM as a pathology, particularly since it leads to violence.

And 202 is such a tiny number. Can't people who have a clue start organizing to praise corporations which attempt to live in the 21st century by playfully acknowledging diversity?? I'm guessing there have to be many thousands of us who would be willing to write Heinz to support their use of progressive themes to sell products. Why does the nut-wing always win these ridiculous battles. GRRRRR.

June 26, 2008 in Post-Modern Pop Culture, Sex and Culture, Sexual Politics | Permalink | Comments (1)

via Boing-Boing, a hilarious dose of televised humiliation as a bouncy babe's earring gets caught on a singer's suit ... and the fucker won't stop singing!

http://view.break.com/526242 - Watch more free videos

June 26, 2008 in Post-Modern Pop Culture | Permalink | Comments (0)

Only in America.

The $6 million lawsuit filed by the New York City street performer known as The Naked Cowboy against M&Ms candy maker Mars Inc can go forward on grounds of trademark infringement, a judge ruled on Monday.

Robert Burck -- for 10 years a fixture in Times Square, who strums a white guitar while dressed only in white cowboy boots and hat and skimpy white underwear -- filed the suit in February over video billboards depicting a blue M&M dressed in his signature outfit.

U.S. District Court Judge Denny Chin denied a motion to dismiss the lawsuit, ruling that Burck may proceed with his false endorsement claim, "for he plausibly alleges that consumers seeing defendants' advertisements would conclude -- incorrectly -- that he had endorsed M&M candy."

LINK

OK, impromptu poll: who would you rather have melt in your mouth?

June 25, 2008 in Post-Modern Pop Culture, Post-Traumatic Tabloid Disorder, Sex and Culture, Sex Laws and Crimes | Permalink | Comments (3)

I've missed out on the whole Hard Rock Cafe collectible pin thing, and would gladly have continued to miss it, but these kitschy collectibles caught my eye. (Some of these are so desirable, they're selling on eBay for $150. ) Is this what junior's buying while mom and dad are eating burgers in the back?

June 25, 2008 in Post-Modern Pop Culture, Sex and Culture, Sex and Sadomasochism | Permalink | Comments (2)

From Fibre2fashion, an Indian trade journal for the international textile and garment industry, this lovely little history of the corset, with a blithe reference to corset fetishists and BDSM. Talk about BDSM going mainstream!

from...

Corsetry more than art and illusion

by: Amanda Cotterill

There are still people referred to as "tight lacers" who use corsets to constrict the size of their natural waists to be less than 20 inches in circumference. These people are quite rare, however, and most use corsets as sexy underwear for the boudoir. They are also quite popular in BDSM practices, both for their restriction and just for aesthetics.

June 24, 2008 in Post-Modern Pop Culture | Permalink | Comments (0)

Caught something about this on "The Soup," and couldn't believe it was real.

It is. Spray it on a steaming pile of poo and voila! Bet John Waters wishes he'd had some for "Pink Flamingos."

POOP-FREEZE™ is an emergency pet product that every pet owner should have. Just keep it under the sink for those occassions in which your pet has diarrhea or loose stool. POOP-FREEZE™ is ideal for new pet owners as thier pets are learning the basics of potty training. POOP-FREEZE™ is also great for seasoned pet owners whos pets occassionally make a mess in the house. POOP-FREEZE™ is safe to use both on carpet and vegetation. Just Frost & Toss with POOP-FREEZE™.

poop-freeze.com

June 24, 2008 in Pets and Animal Love, Post-Modern Pop Culture | Permalink | Comments (0)

I'm trying to imagine how I'd feel if I went to kiss someone and saw a little face inside his mouth...

AAAAAAAAAAGH!

Tooth "tattoos"

June 24, 2008 in Post-Modern Pop Culture | Permalink | Comments (0)

like this guy is doing?

What is 'A Life 4 Sale' ?

Hi there, my name is Ian Usher, and I have had enough of my life! I don't want it any more! You can have it if you like!

No, I'm not contemplating suicide, I am going to sell my life!! I have my reasons, for further details click the "Why" tab below. However, I am still not sure whether this is inspired madness, complete foolishness, or just some sort of mid-life crisis.

Whatever it is, it's all going up for sale in one big auction. Everything I have and everything I am.

On the day it is all sold and settled I intend to walk out of my front door with my wallet in one pocket and my passport in the other, nothing else at all, and get on the train, with no idea where I am going or what the future holds for me.

read the story on Yahoo News

June 23, 2008 in Post-Modern Pop Culture | Permalink | Comments (6)

One of my very favorite comics of all time....and truly a ground-breaker for free speech.

George Carlin mourned as counterculture hero

Seven Words You Can Never Say on Television. Some People Are Stupid. Stuff. People I Can Do Without. George Carlin, who died of heart failure Sunday at 71, leaves behind not only a series of memorable routines, but a legal legacy: His most celebrated monologue, a frantic, informed riff on those infamous seven words, led to a Supreme Court decision on broadcasting offensive language.

The counterculture hero's jokes also targeted things such as misplaced shame, religious hypocrisy and linguistic quirks — why, he asked, do we drive on a parkway and park on a driveway?

Carlin on obscenity:

"The whole problem with this idea of obscenity and indecency, and all of these things — bad language and whatever — it's all caused by one basic thing, and that is: religious superstition," Carlin told the AP in a 2004 interview. "There's an idea that the human body is somehow evil and bad and there are parts of it that are especially evil and bad, and we should be ashamed. Fear, guilt and shame are built into the attitude toward sex and the body. ... It's reflected in these prohibitions and these taboos that we have."

June 23, 2008 in Post-Modern Pop Culture | Permalink | Comments (0)

A monument to the enema, a procedure many people would rather not think about, has been unveiled at a spa in the southern Russian city of Zheleznovodsk. The bronze syringe bulb, which weighs 800 pounds and is held by three angels, was unveiled at the Mashuk-Akva Term spa. Link.

OK, but I'm waiting for the monument to the urinary catheter....

June 19, 2008 in Post-Modern Pop Culture, Science and Culture | Permalink | Comments (2)

Keep your eyes on the skies tonight. It may not be real but it's one of the loveliest natural illusions known to humanity. I remember seeing it once on a train speeding to Paris from Cherbourg, and thinking the moon would just eat up the earth. Beautiful.

See a Huge Moon Illusion Wednesday

As the full moon rises this Wednesday evening, June 18, many people will be tricked into thinking it's unusually large

The moon illusion, as it's known, is a trick in our minds that makes the moon seem bigger when it's near the horizon. The effect is most pronounced at full moon. Many people swear it's real, suggesting that perhaps Earth's atmosphere magnifies the moon.

But it really is all in our minds. The moon is not bigger at the horizon than when overhead.

The illusion will be particularly noticeable at this "solstice moon," coming just two days before summer starts in the Northern Hemisphere. The reason, according to NASA, lies in lunar mechanics: The sun and full moon are like kids on a see-saw; when one is high, the other is low. This week's high solstice sun gives us a low, horizon-hugging moon and a strong, long-lasting version of the illusion.

June 18, 2008 in Post-Modern Pop Culture | Permalink | Comments (0)

As long ago as 1992, I remarked (and wrote in Different Loving) that an interesting aspect of human behavior is that pain and suffering are taken for granted when it comes to things like professional sports, yet demonized when it comes to things like our private sex lives.

We think nothing of pro athletes taking beatings on the field, enduring rigorous and painful training, and essentially sacrificing their bodies for the sake of that fascinating human construct, competitive sports. But what, really, is behind that drive? Is it a dream of glory only -- or is there something about the human mind which motivates us to believe that pain is itself a glorious experience?

Some of the food for thought behind my comparison of SM to pro sports was in part prompted by the classic essay on professional wrestling by Roland Barthes, written in 1957 and published in his work, Mythologies, in which Barthes describes the sport as a ritualistic tragedy that follows a specific template: Suffering, Defeat, Justice. It was, of course, the notion of ritualized suffering that particularly intrigued me -- more than that, the very PUBLIC spectacle of suffering which serves any number of cathartic psychological purposes for the audience. (For quick consumption of Barthe's basic theories on pro wrestling, check out this college professor excellent cliff notes. )

A very fine and articulate journalist, Matthew Randazzo, has penned an in-depth analysis of the pro wrestling scene in America today, with a focus on the bizarre life and death of Chris Benoit. When Randazzo says that Benoit had a sadomasochistic relationship with the sport (and with Vince McMahon), he isn't kidding. This was an eye-opening interview into the master-slave relationships McMahon forms with his most vulnerable athletes. Like any pathological, non-consensual sadist, McMahon exacts submission through tyranny and without care for the health or emotional well-being of the men who work for him.

Even if you'd never watch a match, the interview offers food for thought about power and its abuses, and how basic SM impulses drive some people to engage in non-erotic but nonetheless clearly sadomasochistic dynamics. Most particularly, for folks like us, it proves yet again how SM without boundaries (or even acknowledgement of the true dynamic in play) can completely unhinge people. In Benoit's case, it's an object lesson in the terrifying consequences of submitting to the wrong master.

Some excerpts...

Matt Randazzo Interview

....the real story of Chris Benoit's meltdown was nothing close to what was being published either in the mainstream press (who blamed steroids) or the insider wrestling press (who acted as if it was an arbitrary fluke that could have happened anywhere). The real story was very different: Chris Benoit's sadomasochistic drive to succeed in pro wrestling lead him to pursue a lifestyle that, in countless ways, caused his deadly physical and mental decline.

...McMahon himself, as I reveal in Ring of Hell, treats them with so little respect that, in one instance, he mocked and fired a wrestler who sought medical attention for an injury for being "a pussy."

...The wrestling business is often ugly and exploitative, but it is safe to say that McMahon is the most demanding, coldblooded, heartless, and ultimately destructive promoter in the industry.

...It's really incredible when you think about it: in March of 2004, World Wrestling Entertainment, a publicly traded company worth billions of dollars decided that the faces of its corporate brand should be a short, homely, grotesquely steroid-addled Mexican-American wrestler with a history of horrible drug abuse and a short, dull Canadian technical wrestler with a broken neck and multiple severe drug addictions. Chris Benoit and Eddy Guerrero weren't chosen solely on the basis of marketability; according to numerous WWE writers who I interviewed for Ring of Hell, they were both being rewarded for their selfless, suicidal devotion to a business that was completely destroying their bodies and putting their family lives under great stress.

You can get Randazzo's new book at Amazon.

To read Barthes' original essay, pick up Mythologies.

June 18, 2008 in Post-Modern Pop Culture, Post-Traumatic Tabloid Disorder, Sex and Sadomasochism | Permalink | Comments (3)

Couldn't resist posting this sweet little eBay auction in support of the rockin' annual Athens, GA music fair known as AthFest. We LOVE Athens, and if you love R.E.M. and guitars, you might just want to bid on this sweet beauty and help support AthFest's educational initiative to spread good vibes to schools. Bidding starts at $2k.

R.E.M. Signed Gretsch Guitar for Athens, GA Non-Profit

AthFest, the Athens, GA Music & Arts Festival, has a mission to educate people about music and arts. The staff is organizing a program that will bring musicians and music business leaders into local schools to make presentations to classes, as well as mentor kids interested in careers in music.

Savannah, Ga.-based Gretsch Guitars has a foundation that donates guitars that are decorated by artists or signed by musicians and then sold to raise funds for music and arts education programs. Because Gretsch CEO Fred Gretsch believes in "enriching lives through participation in music," the Gretsch Foundation has generously donated a new hollow body style Brian Setzer Model Gretsch Nashville guitar to AthFest.

This beautiful instrument is signed by all four of the original members of R.E.M., including retired drummer Bill Berry....Funds raised from the eBay auction of this autographed Gretsch guitar - includes the new deluxe case shown in the photo - will support AthFest's educational efforts.

June 18, 2008 in Post-Modern Pop Culture | Permalink | Comments (0)

Now that the Borscht Belt has died its inevitable death, where else is a nice Jewish girl-slash-comedy legend going to go but...

FOLSOM?

OMG. Priceless...

Thanks to Mike for sending this.

Saturday, September 20, 2008
The Regency Center - Sutter Room
1290 Sutter Street, San Francisco, CA

Celebrate the 25th Folsom Street Fair with glamour and style at our one-time-only Formal Gala Dinner. This special event is scheduled for Saturday, September 20th at The Regency Center’s Sutter Room. Your admission includes a unique four-station menu (crafted exclusively by Small Potatoes Catering Events), an open bar featuring martinis of all kinds as well as high-end brews, and an astonishing comedic performance by the legendary Joan Rivers.

Link

Wonder if this YouTube is a taste of what the pervs will be getting

June 17, 2008 in Post-Modern Pop Culture, Sex and Sadomasochism, Sexual Humor | Permalink | Comments (2)

for sale on eBay:

SUPER RARE LARGE 12 inch Sexy Goth "TWISTED LAND OF OZ: DOROTHY" action figure from McFarlane Toys 2007...loosely based on the L. Frank Baum novel "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz." The classic characters in the book receive a bit of a 'twist' in this series, an artistic interpretation of what could have been in an alternate Wizard of Oz universe.

Bound and blindfolded, this exotic DOROTHY is being branded by a group of evil little Munchkins - she may never find her way back to Kansas.

Wizard of Oz SEXY Goth DOROTHY Bondage Figure MINT Rare

June 6, 2008 in Post-Modern Pop Culture, Sex and Sadomasochism | Permalink | Comments (0)

"It's a little smaller on the top and fuller on the bottom."

--Barbara Walters discussing Hillary Clinton's ass,
Why is Walters talking about Hillary Clinton's backside?.

June 6, 2008 in Post-Modern Pop Culture | Permalink | Comments (2)

A little late, but heart-felt. And, for obvious reasons, my favorite memory of him. :)

June 4, 2008 in Post-Modern Pop Culture | Permalink | Comments (1)

Crappy 4.5" X 2.5" Laser Level Line Marker and Cat Toy

You are bidding on a new, mostly plastic, "Laser Level". Why spend a fortune on a tool you will rarely use? This cheesy, Chinese made, toy like item can come in handy in a pinch. It runs on 2 AAA batteries (not included) and puts out a pretty strong beam (indoors). Personally, I am a little skeptical about the accuracy of the two bubble levels installed on this unit. They are either slightly off or my house is about to fall over. But we all know that the true value of these guys comes shining through when you need to hang things on an angle.

This item is almost a toy except that it puts out a highly focused beam that you wouldn't want your kid pointing at his eye. It also comes with two push-pins (conveniently located under the batteries) that can be used to hold it in place if you are working alone. Wouldn't want a kid playing with those either.

If for nothing else - this is what you'll give to your brother in law when he comes looking to borrow your tools. (This item can also be used to entertain your cat for hours!)

May 31, 2008 in Post-Modern Pop Culture | Permalink | Comments (0)

I have only one question.

WHY?

Guinness World Record holder for the 'Most Pierced Woman', Elaine Davidson....showing some of her five thousand nine hundred and twenty piercings

LINK

May 19, 2008 in Post-Modern Pop Culture, Sex and History, Sexual Strangeness | Permalink | Comments (1)

Not the kind of news I usually cover but as someone who's watched waaaay too many bad SciFi channel movies, and who has a housemate who is morbidly fascinated with the newest and scariest in ecological disasters, I couldn't resist this story about billions of ants overrunning Houston.

In what sounds like a really low-budget horror film, voracious swarming ants that apparently arrived in Texas aboard a cargo ship are invading homes and yards across the Houston area, shorting out electrical boxes and messing up computers.link

They are omivorous and will eat everything from flora to other insects and even the hatchlings of a local grouse called the prarie chicken. They have destroyed all matter of electrical equipment, insinuating themselves into fire alarms and sewage pumps, mucking up the works as they go. link

If any raspberry ants are listening...please make your next stop Crawford.

May 15, 2008 in Post-Modern Pop Culture | Permalink | Comments (1)

I guess today's meme is "sexual civil liberties," because this is another story about a situation where what people want, and what doctors/lawyers believe is appropriate for them, clash.

It's a strange little ruling about a very peculiar case. Pervs may enjoy the nonconsensual SM medical scene twist to it, but the ethics of this case bothers me a tad.

N.Y. jury rejects lawsuit over rectal exam man didn't want

A hospital did nothing wrong when it tried to examine the rectum of a construction worker who had been hit on the head by a falling wooden beam, a jury found Monday....

Marrone said Persaud, 38, was injured while working at a construction site in midtown Manhattan on May 20, 2003. Persaud received eight stitches for a cut over his eyebrow at the hospital, but denied emergency room staffers' request to examine his rectum, the lawyer said. He said doctors told Persaud the exam could help determine whether the accident caused spinal damage.

When Persaud resisted, staffers held him down while he begged, "Please don't do that," Marrone said. Persaud hit a doctor while flailing around, so the staffers gave him a powerful sedative and performed the rectal exam, he said.

Hospital witnesses testified at trial that the exam was never completed, but Marrone said that when Persaud woke up he was handcuffed to a bed and had an oxygen tube down his throat and lubricant in his rectum.

My first reaction to this story was that it sounded like an episode of House, where a patient is forced to undergo a test or treatment s/he doesn't want because brilliant diagnostician House knows what's best and will act accordingly, in the name of science. It makes for a very entertaining premise on a TV show -- and clearly it stands up in court. But ethically? Morally? I think there are some open questions here.

I'm guessing that hospital staff saw a head injury, assumed that someone with a head injury might be raving or delusional from said injury, particularly when he started flailing and trying to stop them from saving his life, and would then knock him out and do the test anyway, knowing it was the standard medical care for anyone with a head injury. No doubt they were in line with hospital guidelines and my guess is the jury believed the docs behaved ethically as well.

BUT. Who really owns your ass? I mean, once you step into a hospital setting, do you also automatically cede your right to your ass (or balls, vagina, penis, breasts)? Should doctors sedate you to perform a test you explicitly said you didn't want? Perhaps this guy had some kind of homophobic complex. Perhaps he had horrible hemmorhoids. Or maybe he had some other, more traumatic association with anal penetration that doesn't make sense to other people but does to him. In fact -- what if he'd rather die than have anyone anally examine him?

It may sound nutty but it isn't. We all have our emotional quirks, our crosses to bear, our hidden traumas. I know from clinical experience that people do develop phobias and traumatic associations with intimate areas of their body; for some the trauma of undergoing certain tests or procedures is more frightening to them than the risk to their life if they don't. It isn't logical but that doesn't make it any less legitimate: human emotions matter. Or they should. As do individual liberties and the right to decide what happens to your body.

In the end, this guy was anally raped twice: by a medical staff which plainly needs a lot more training in bedside manner; and by the courts which apparently did not take his emotional suffering seriously. I hope the poor guy gets some sympathetic counseling and can get on with his life, without feeling too scarred by the experience. My fear is that if he's ever in an accident again, he will refuse to go to a hospital altogether.

April 24, 2008 in Post-Modern Pop Culture, Sex Laws and Crimes, Sexual Science and Medicine | Permalink | Comments (2)

I thought this was a spoof at first but, no, modern science (or at least quacks looking to make a buck off it) has devised a DIY forensic kit for insanely jealous men.

Some of the ad copy, and a picture of the product.

Do you suffer from the nightmare of suspicion and doubt caused by the infidelity of a cheating spouse? Find out what's really going on, the quick and easy way with CheckMate.

CheckMate is a patented home use semen detection test kit that instantly detects traces of dried semen that can be found in a woman's underwear after sex.

from Spygadgets.com

Sure, by all means: start looking for spoo samples in your wife or girlfriend's underwear. In fact, why limit its applications? Want to make sure your daughter isn't fucking every yahoo in the neighborhood: make her give you her panties. How about your Mom -- you don't want interlopers getting too close to your Sainted Mother, much less your sainted inheritance. And how about that woman at work who just beat you out of a promotion and you think it's because she's fucking the boss!. Yeah. If you could land your hands on her undies, you might get the hard evidence to prove why you got screwed.

It's the perfect gift for violent, abusive men with hair-trigger tempers, don't you think?

April 23, 2008 in Post-Modern Pop Culture, Sex and Relationships, Sex and Technology | Permalink | Comments (3)

I'm not saying I wouldn't play with this but wow it is CREEEPY.

via Ebay

On the other hand, Mr. Bean is downright scary.

April 14, 2008 in Post-Modern Pop Culture, Sex and Sadomasochism | Permalink | Comments (0)

The debut of new Speedo swimwear, as modeled by Olympian athletes.

Are they ALL going to be that transparent or is that guy trying to make a point?

Oh. It's his schtick. He sticks his schtick in every shot he takes. Oh.

Well, it's not much of a shtick, but I guess when you are Michael Phelps, it seems bigger.

April 14, 2008 in Post-Modern Pop Culture, Sexual Beauty | Permalink | Comments (0)

No wonder I spend so much time on eBay...so many uniquely strange sex things you can find. Here's another crafty artsy eBay vendor with a unique markety niche: something to perk up your bath or kitchen...or anywhere you are in need of an EROTIC MOSAIC MARBLE MURAL HANGING ART TILE.

The face could use a little work -- but the important bits look just FINE. And how very thoughtful of the artist to shave the model's balls.

April 10, 2008 in Post-Modern Pop Culture, Sex and Arts | Permalink | Comments (0)

There are some mighty creative people out there. This curiosity is being sold by a custom-designer on eBay Motors named, appropriately, BawdyPartz.

For the kinky car fantatic who thought he or she had everything....Be the first one on your block to have an shift knob in the form of a vulva.

You are viewing a magnificent shift knob of the most erotic nature. This is a casting of an original BawdyPartz sculpture meticulously detailed to resemble the most intimate of body parts set in the shape of a seedpod. How fortunate a man, to sow such seeds.

eBay Motors: * Custom Made * Hand Sculpted * Erotic Shift Knob

April 10, 2008 in Post-Modern Pop Culture, Sex and Arts | Permalink | Comments (0)

Thanks to lobster johnson for adding this link to the comments section on last week's Wonder Woman art show. The vid is so funny it deserves its own little feature (esp. since I know a lot of readers don't actually click the links in comments).

April 7, 2008 in Post-Modern Pop Culture, Sexual Humor | Permalink | Comments (0)

Thanks to Andy for pointing me to this must-see event which...uhhh...oops...I didn't see (it happened over the weekend), but which is funny enough to blog anyway.

Jessica Juggz extinguishes the flame forever

Jessica Reed, aka Jessica Juggz, is the vocalist for Atlanta punk-metal band Mourdella, but she’s best known for a little trick she performs onstage that she likes to call “pussy flambé.”

For those who are unfamiliar, the exotic stunt involves Ms. Juggz inserting a container of butane or lighter fluid into her nether regions and shooting-forth a gigantic, arching flame. Anyone who has seen the trick is dazzled. Tell a new person about it and you can see the wheels turning in their heads, doing the math and puzzling over the mental image.

Sadly, after a few close calls of what she describes as nearly “blowing up my pussy,” Juggz has announced that she is putting out the fire forever.

Andy, did you go? Did you get scorched? We're dying to know if she blew herself up!

April 7, 2008 in Post-Modern Pop Culture | Permalink | Comments (1)

If your cable service doesn't carry it and if you are serious about getting a non-mainstream source of hardcore investigative news, I really strongly urge you to check out Link TV | Television Without Borders on the Web. The channel delivers all the important news stories -- national and international -- that mainstream media suppress. Spend a little time clicking around. I guarantee you'll find news stories worth reading. It's a wonderful site.

We watched a superb show the other night on Link, about how the Republican party may try to hijack the 2008 elections, much as they did in 2004, through bullying, dirty tricks and racist election manipulations. Scared the shit out of us. The threat is real. Hosted by the eternally-sexy left wing activist/actor Peter Coyote.

March 31, 2008 in Post-Modern Pop Culture | Permalink | Comments (0)

I showed this to Will last night and asked "could you piss in a bathroom like this?" "Are they alive?" he peered. "No, no, they're mannequins." "Oh," he said, "no problem."

Hm.

Urinal in Portugal

Imagine a toilet with male mannequins posed like that. Women -- would you? Could you?

March 26, 2008 in Post-Modern Pop Culture | Permalink | Comments (2)

I mentioned "extraordinary rendition" in my rant about Iraq earlier today. Here, from Wiki, some excerpts about its techniques. If this doesn't sound like a hardcore Adult Baby's UseNet fantasy, I don't know what does....

According to a December 4, 2005 article in the Washington Post by Dana Priest:

Members of the Rendition Group follow a simple but standard procedure: Dressed head to toe in black, including masks, they blindfold and cut the clothes off their new captives, then administer an enema and sleeping drugs. They outfit detainees in a diaper and jumpsuit for what can be a day-long trip. Their destinations: either a detention facility operated by cooperative countries in the Middle East and Central Asia, including Afghanistan, or one of the CIA's own covert prisons.

LINK

The irony is that people who get hot thinking about this (as a safe, sane, consensual play scenario) are viewed as sick by the same government which now conducts military business this way.

March 25, 2008 in Post-Modern Pop Culture | Permalink | Comments (1)

According to a news story today, news about the Iraq war plays second fiddle to gas prices and stupid human interest stories.

Iraq war disappearing in US media

The US death toll in Iraq had just passed 4,000, but on Monday the most viewed story on Yahoo News was "Oil fluctuates as dollar, stocks rise." And the most emailed story was: "1986 message in bottle drifts 1,735 miles."

Five years after the US-led invasion of Iraq began, Americans' interest in the war, and press coverage of it, is flagging.

Uh huh. Turn on the news and, even when events in Iraq are reported, they're squeezed in alongside non-news, such as celebrity drunks on sprees and the new world-record in fly-swatting.

Why, to go by the news, one could almost forget that we are fighting a war in which men and women (and children too) die every day. A war we started for -- in retrospect -- no real reason and which we may be fighting -- according to Dick Cheney's latest pstatements -- for many more decades.

Come to think of it, while I'm sure that thousands of reporters will swarm Britney the next time she shaves her head, no one (except Jon Stewart, to my knowledge) made a big deal out of Cheney's comment about future generations of Americans continuing to kill and be killed, while our economy and our patriotic spirit freeze up and die.

But, wait, it's even worse than that. Thousands of Americans have been rallying against the war, just like in the Vietnam War era. There are marches and demonstrations all over the U.S., and this time it isn't just a bunch of hippies. It's moms and dads, college students and combat vets, marching together as one. Did you read about it? See the exciting footage of the movement growing legs across America? No? Gee. That's funny. Me neither. At least not in big media or outside the liberal blogosphere. Media aren't just filling us up with idiot news instead of news about Iraq; they are deliberately burying news about anti-war social actions.

Is America in a state of national denial? Has the war and all its facts become too big a bummer, even for people who once defended it? Or maybe it's cognitive dissonance: the American public wanted to believe the BS that politicians fed us about Iraq. When it turned out that the politicians were lying, instead of demanding that they be thrown out of office everyone's strangely quiet -- not unlike children who stay loyal to abusive parents which, frankly, is how I see it. This White House could have united us into a better nation than we ever were after 9/11. Instead they abused our trust, wasted our money on an insanely expensive war that is breaking the back of our economy, and have proven incompetent to provide even a modicum of relief, much less compassion, to Americans in need (think Katrina). Meanwhile, the media is either reflecting our national state of denial or helping to forge to it, depending on your POV.

I remember when the war started, an ex-mil. buddy of mine (who was, at the time, pro-Bush and pro-war), telling me how confident he was that we'd be in and out of Iraq in a year's time, just as the president was predicting. I haven't been in touch with him in a while -- and I wonder occasionally if he is watching the news about the deaths and atrocities (Abu Ghraib, Guantanamo, "extraordinary renditions," water-boarding, etc. etc. etc.) and thinking to himself, "Holy crap, I was so wrong!" ....or if he, like (apparently) most Americans, has just decided not to think about it anymore because it's easier to close your eyes to the truth than to deal with accepting responsibility for the mess.

Unfortunately, the more we deny and avoid what's really going on, the worse things will get. The truth is the truth and it will prevail, whether we discuss it or try to sweep it under the carpet. There will be consequences for this miserable fucking war that we started. 4000 American men and women and their families have already paid. Thousands more who've returned crippled, disfigured, and psychologically shattered are paying. Civilians are beginning to feel it in their pocketbooks. As I see it, America will continue to pay for this war -- economically, politically, spiritually and morally -- for decades to come.

An aside: Remember the people who were vilified when Bush first ordered troops to Iraq. Shouldn't someone apologize to Tim Robbins and Susan Sarandon for the way the nation treated them like traitors for questioning a war which has kind of turned out the way they predicted it would?

March 25, 2008 in Post-Modern Pop Culture | Permalink | Comments (3)

from Cracked.com

The 10 Most Bizarre Military Experiments

The Plan:
Military forces have been playing with this idea for decades. A number of smells have been patented, including the smell of human feces, which makes us think we probably owe a hell of a lot of royalties to someone every day at about 8AM. In the Second World War, some intrepid people invented the hilariously named Who Me? as a way to make Germans disperse as well as humiliate them by making them smell worse than people on the bus.

The US has something called US Government Standard Bathroom Malodor which is apparently so bad, people who have experienced it actually start screaming within seconds. Written accounts describe it as smelling like every bad smell you can think of, put together, times ten. Reports say it actually creates visible cartoon stink lines in the air. The military thinks that's as hilarious as we do and wants to throw it at people.

What went wrong:
Though the ideas are still being developed, the fact is, historically, they don't work out so well on account of you're going to end up smelling like unbelievable ass too. Back in WWII, Who Me? couldn't really be effectively used since it not only made the target stink, it made the bomber stink and the entire area where the bomb went off stink.

Stink is a fickle mistress, and obeys no master.

March 11, 2008 in Post-Modern Pop Culture | Permalink | Comments (0)

Aw darn. Just bought myself some external speakers for the laptop. Wish I'd seen these first. Of course, the dogs would probably end up treating it like a chew toy but still...

via Gizmodo: