Some wag dubbed the Prius the "Pious," for the smug self-righteousness of its greener-than-thou owners.  CNBC ran a segment this morning highlighting an even pricier form of conspicuous green consumption: the installation of geothermal wells in Manhattan as an alternative form of HVAC.

Narrating a segment that would have had Veblen nodding in approval, CNBC's Bertha Coombs observed "for many, it represents bragging rights in the pursuit of green luxury."  That segued to a clip of New York magazine's Jesse Oxfeld explicitly making the conspicuous consumption point.

View video here.

I should have known that elite Manhattan gossip site Gawker was a piece of crap the minute I saw the New York Times endorsement on the Gawker Media advertising page.

"…the national go-to spot for keeping up with the rich and scandalous, the media elite and the pop-culture trends of the moment." -New York Times

Let’s add self deprecating Jew bashing as another go-to category for Nick Denton’s flagship outlet of left of center writers who pride themselves in their unapologetic embrace of decadence.

Here’s the latest entry by Gawker editor Alex Balk (edit on f&%kfest and all emphasis mine throughout)

Happy Rosh Hashanah, Jews! It's time to celebrate the new year, eat apples and honey, blow the shofar, and, if you're lucky, blow some cute single guy you hook up with in temple! Apparently, these holy days are the genesis of a two-week f&%kfest amongst desperate single Jews who want to get their nagging mothers off their backs.