Rakshasas c. 10th century Sandstone India (probably Madhya Pradesh) Feasting on human body parts, these cadaverous rakshasas (malicious spirits) are also attendants of terrifying yet protective deities such as the goddess Kali (and her variant Chamunda). In fact, this sculpture is a fragment from a large image depicting such a deity who once wore a … Continue reading
Author Archives: Justin
The Best Pickup Line?
Written: Winter 2012, New York Occurred: Summer 2001, London Over the summer of 2001 I worked as an intern at an American investment bank in London. After work, I would frequently join my co-workers in a pub down the street that we had locked down. One evening while hanging out with my usual group, … Continue reading
Sicily’s Mount Etna: Climbing The Volcano
Perhaps it is a guy thing, but I have always been fascinated by volcanoes. I remember seeing video footage when I was a child of Etna spraying lava hundreds of meters into the night sky and wanted to visit ever since then. Nice to cross something else off of the list… Mount Etna is actually … Continue reading
Photo Of The Day: The Golden Gate Bridge
Taken in 2010… I know. Believe me, I know. Taking a picture of the Golden Gate Bridge is as about as touristy and cliche as it gets. And I really don’t care for touristy and cliche. But, when I saw the way the light was streaming through the bridge, I thought it was pretty cool. … Continue reading
Cefalù, Sicily
The Velvet Rocket staff are quite familiar with Italy and have seen most of it. And we (including our Italian correspondent) remain unanimous on one point: Sicily is our favorite part of Italy. These scenes from the small Sicilian town of Cefalù, which can be found in the province of Palermo along the northern coast, … Continue reading
Quote Of The Day: Executive Outcomes
I’ve mentioned Executive Outcomes before… Below is an interesting description of the capabilities of Executive Outcomes at their peak: Executive Outcomes is capable of rapidly deploying a battalion-strength force almost anywhere in the world with impressive asset support. EO owns a slew of armored fighting vehicles: two Boeing 727s and a C-47, attack aircraft such … Continue reading
Paintings Of The Day: The Courtauld Gallery
London’s Courtauld Gallery is an impressive place, not just because of the building itself… …but also because of the collection of art contained within: Edouard Manet A Bar At The Folies-Bergere, 1881-82 This famous image was Manet’s last major work. It was first exhibited at the Paris Salon in 1882 and its subject has been … Continue reading
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