Awesome night at Bound

I had a great time at Bound last night, even though my feet are aching today. Blood rocked, Elise's Playground put on a hot show, Jesse had a very nice new toy to try out on me, and as always great music and friends. Brad requested Combichrist's "God Bless" for me, a song about serial killers. Very nice of him, which reminds me, I should see Zodiac sometime this weekend. So I had a great night, with lots of support from my friends after my last less than pleasant experience out in that area. Even though my ride got delayed for reasons I won't go into here, and I just barely caught the last train at the Gallery Place station.
My dad was telling me about the Peloppanesian (I know I spelled that wrong) War, fought in ancient Greece between the Athenians and the Spartans. Usually when my dad goes off about military history, I don't pay attention, but this was interesting. It illustrated the old saying "History repeats itself." The war between Athens and Sparta started because Athens, a democracy, felt that Sparta, an oligarchy, should become more like them. Sound familiar? Sparta won, with their male citizens groomed practically from birth to be perfect soldiers. Sparta didn't last as a civilization because of their archaic values, with intellect and diplomacy eventually trumping military might in Greece, but at that point, with Athens trying to defeat Sparta on the battlefield, the field all Spartans believed was their destined living and dying place, Sparta was victorious.
The point is, no matter how great any given powerful society thinks their political system is, another society might not agree. When going up against a society where the most zealous are willing to fly planes into buildings and blow themselves up in defense of their beliefs, we have to wonder how much impact a military strike could really have had.

My Prison Break personality

With the second leg of the second season of Prison Break progressing nicely, conspiracy, fights and some finally resolved sexual tension between Michael and Sara, I thought I'd post my results in this quiz. I can't say I'm surprised by the results, since I've found myself relating to Michael since my obsession with the show started: smart and loyal, but not exactly able to function down in the dirt of the real world. He and I both needed a lot of practice in that area.

Michael You scored 81 loyalty, 73 street smarts, 80 cunning, and 97 sanity!

You are MICHAEL SCOFIELD. You've got the stare. You've got the tatts. You'll answer to Snowflake, Pretty, Fish, or Papi. You have to beat off the ladies (and Sucre) with a stick and there's about a zero percant chance that anyone will ever outsmart you in anything. You've pretty much got it all- go ahead and bask in the glory.

This test tracked 4 variables. How the score compared to the other people's:

	Higher than 74% on loyalty
	Higher than 43% on street smarts
	Higher than 86% on cunning
	Higher than 72% on sanity

Link: The Prison Break Personality Test written by cnote15 on Ok Cupid

My crappy night

As I'm sure most of my friends already know, I got robbed last night on my way to Bound. I was walking in the area around the Navy Yard Metro, looking for those elusive things in DC known as taxis, and someone came up behind me and grabbed my purse. I tried to pull it back, but he yanked it away and I fell. There was a gas station nearby, and I called the cops there. I'm not expecting anything, but they did give me money for the Metro ride home. I spent the night at my parents' house, since my house key was in my purse. I didn't even care about the money, but all the damage control was such a hassle. I had to get my lock changed today, stop my credit card and ATM card, and tomorrow I'm getting a new cell phone. I didn't get hurt, and it could have been a lot worse, but I'm still a bit shaken up by the whole thing, and I don't know when I'll feel ready to go out again. Hopefully I'll be out for St. Patrick's Day in a few weeks. I love St. Patty's Day.
I love going to Bound, but it's so hard to get to the new venue without a car. I've always been fine going out on my own, but now I know firsthand what bad things can happen, and I don't know if I'll be comfortable going out alone again. I've always done things on my own, and I hate the idea that I need to be with someone just to be safe. I have great friends, and some of them have offered to come to the club with me. Now I just need to get my new cell phone to contact all of you.

Utah mall shooter update

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070214/ap_on_re_us/utah_shooting

The Utah mall gunman now has a name. He was an 18-year-old Bosnian immigrant, but beyond that, all that's known about him is that he lived in Salt Lake City with his mother. His aunt said he was "such a good boy." How many times have we heard that before? They're all "good boys" until they pull the trigger. Just ask the relatives of former Eagle Scout and newlywed Charles Whitman (of the bell tower in Texas). Like Whitman, the motives for the Utah shooter's spree are unknown and, with the shooter dead, we may never know. All investigators can do is piece together facets of the shooter's life immediately before his rampage, as Texas officials attempted to do with Whitman. Since no one appeared to know anything about the shooter, he may have been a loner and, like many mass murderers, felt a need to exact revenge on the world he thought had ignored him until he ended his own life. Whitman's autopsy revealed a tumor in his frontal lobe, which may have influenced his behavior. There's no word yet on what, if anything, has been found in the Utah gunman's background that might have served as a trigger for his rampage. But you can expect me to keep an eye on this story, as I have with JonBenet Ramsey/John Mark Karr, the Amish school shooter and the Ipswich Ripper in the past.

Shooting spree in Utah mall

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17124042/?GT1=9033

No information has yet been released about the shooter, who went into a Utah mall and killed four people with a shotgun, except that he was 18 years old. From the information provided in the article, the shooter looks like a typical mass murderer; the random victims, the public setting, the shootout with police that ended in the killer's death. One witness said that the killer looked like a "regular Joe," a sentiment that is so often heard about the perpetrators of violent crimes. With so little information about the shooter, I can't offer any insight into his motives, but, if he's like most mass murderers, as he appears to be, he lived his life as a nonentity, or had a series of escalating disappointments in his life until he snapped. The mass murderer's ultimate mission is often suicide, with the desire for one final act of revenge on the world the killer feels has wronged him.
On a completely different topic, I had an amazing night at Entre Nous' Valentine's Day Ball last Saturday. A great performance by belly dancer Yasmina, followed by two hot women as a human buffet. I got to see some good friends and a few new faces, and said a final goodbye to Rosie and Moses, who are moving to Arizona. But, as I often do, I got a bit depressed. It was a Valentine's Day celebration, and as much fun as I had at the ball, I got depressed over the lack of love in my life. Again. Sometimes when I go out, it seems that everyone is paired off except me, so often the third or fifth wheel. The guys I want are always with someone else, and the only guys who want me are total losers. Who among the lovelorn doesn't get a bit depressed around Valentine's Day?

Interview with a great writer

http://www.time.com/time/arts/article/0,8599,1585914,00.html

Time magazine has interviewed Martin Amis, one of the world's greatest living writers. It says he's currently in Philadelphia on a book tour. I hope he comes to DC soon, if he hasn't already and I missed him. His book London Fields is one of the best I've ever read, and his latest sounds interesting, a period piece about Soviet and post-Soviet Russia. In talking about it, he comments that if he goes to Russia, he might be poisoned, as has been the standard for perceived enemies in Putin's Russia.
His novel Money was highly critical of the cult of greed that arose in America and England in the 1980s, and in this interview, he wonders why so many Americans can't bring themselves to say that the radical Islamic fundamentalists are wrong. I agree that this violent fundamentalism is dangerous, and those responsible should pay the consequences. But at the same time, the US government should be able to do this without relying on torture and unjustified wars. I'm still waiting for proof of the link between Saddam Hussein and 9/11. As I've said before, it's odd that American evangelicals and radical Islamists hate each other so much, just because they call their gods by a different name. Both factions hate gays, women and sex, and want to make religious law the law of the land. A comment I read on an online forum said that Christian fundamentalists have a "penis envy" of Islam fundamentalists, and this commenter is probably right. These radical terrorists who hate America have beaten radical American Christians at their own prudish and prejudiced game. The Islamists, in many parts of the Arab world, have actually succeeded in making their religious superstitions the law. If more American leaders keep invoking the name of God at every opportunity, give federal funding to "faith-based" charities that discriminate on the basis of religion and let American Taliban groups like the Christian Coalition continue to exert influence over them, we could end up with a Christian theocracy to rival the Islam theocracy of Iran in oppression and fear of God, if we godless liberals (and conservatives, libertarians, etc.) don't fight back. Even now, on the DC Metro, I am faced with posters advertising "A Second Look," an anti-abortion group. That a service used by people all over the city is blatantly advertising this is a frightening sign. To bring it back to Martin Amis, after this tangent, he once said that religion is "the desire for approval from supernatural beings." Outside the indoctrination of faith that many of us have had instilled in us from childhood, having been taught that religious teachings are sacred, the whole idea of religion (magical ghosts in the sky, miracles, angels and demons) is ridiculous.
On the subject of religious nutcases, I heard that Ted Haggard, the evangelical preacher caught soliciting sex from a male prostitute, has just completed a "gay rehab" program. He's no longer gay, according to the evangelical council. If only there was a rehab program to stop him from being a theocratic asshole, but I doubt his church would sponsor that.

New potential evidence in Atlanta Child Murders case

http://www.crimelibrary.com/news/original/0207/0202_wayne_williams.html

25 years ago, Wayne Williams was convicted of the infamous Child Murders, despite being believed innocent by many. New DNA testing might reveal that an innocent man has been in prison for 25 years.
The evidence originally presented by the prosecution was hardly airtight. Williams' car was seen speeding away from the dump site of the last victim, who, at 27, was older than the rest of the victims (but was mentally handicapped). The rest of the evidence was based on fibers found on the victims and in Williams' house, and hair found on the victims that supposedly matched Williams' dog. But as the article says, this science was new at that time, and the fibers linking Williams to the victims were common carpet fibers. The DNA evidence was mitochondrial, which is not as exact as most DNA testing.
Even in 1982, some people in Atlanta and around the country questioned Williams' guilt, calling the evidence inconclusive at best. One crime writer I read a while back believes that there was more than one killer in Atlanta at the time, and based on the variety of victims and MOs in the loosely linked cases, I have to agree. Roy Hazelwood, a former FBI profiler who consulted on the case, was positive that the killer was black because a white person would have been easily noticed in the black-populated area of Atlanta where the victims were abducted. That didn't stop the theories circulating that the KKK was responsible for the killings.
While there was evidence linking Williams to the last victim, and he was only officially tried for two murders, he was considered the Atlanta Child Murderer. As with Michael Devlin, the Missouri kidnapper, authorities tried to link Williams to all similar cases. When Bruno Hauptmann was arrested as the kidnapper of the Lindbergh baby, it was assumed that he acted alone, and was subsequently executed for the crime. But recently, far too late, evidence has come out that at the very least casts doubt on Hauptmann's exclusive involvement. Charles Lindbergh was not the most cooperative witness, and as a result many potential suspects might not have been discovered. Another former FBI profiler, John Douglas, believes that while Hauptmann likely had something to do with the kidnapping, it was highly unlikely that he acted alone. For instance, when the baby was carried down the ladder, the evidence indicated that two people were involved, one to enter the room and hand the baby off to the other, who was waiting on the ladder. While Douglas is still a strong supporter of capital punishment, the list of potentially innocent inmates either on death row, serving life sentences or already executed should be enough to make one question the ethics of this penalty.
A final unrelated note: I was looking at one of my old posts, where I referred to a short story by Albert Camus. I listed the title as "The Missionary," but the real title, found in Camus' short story collection Exile and the Kingdom, is "The Renegade." Still, it is definitely worth reading, one of Camus' best pieces of writing.

Half-hearted religious ramblings

This post might be a bit incoherent, since I'm a little tired (by a little tired, I mean I was practically falling asleep at my desk about an hour ago). But I caught a snippet of a Nightline report last night about the "Blasphemy Challenge" put forth by an atheist group. It consists of people recording themselves denouncing belief in God or gods. Of course, the religious establishment was up in arms about this, and the group has received death threats. Even the reporter appeared to be questioning the group's motives, calling it "indoctrination" against religious indoctrination, because they advertise to teenagers. Religious types seem to think that people can't think for themselves, can't be presented with evidence and make up their own minds without the hand of God or advertisers. While, like any ideological faction, atheism has its adherents who take the ideology too far and try everything to bring others to their way of thinking, at its heart, all the Blasphemy Challenge is doing is challenging people to reject religion. Whether or not they do it is up to them. No one is saying, "Denounce God or I'll kill you," unlike some fanatical Christians and Muslims still populating the world in the 21st century.
At this point, I have to say that I consider myself an agnostic, not an atheist. Some atheists, as Richard Dawkins relates in his book The God Delusion, consider agnosticism an easy way out, a way of having the best of both worlds. They say the existence of God can be proven. But I myself cannot prove this one way or another. I find the existence of a supreme being highly unlikely, but not necessarily impossible, and for that reason I have decided not to adhere myself to any particular faith. The uncertainty and hardships that populate our world, natural disasters, harsh climates, living things suffering, do not succeed in convincing me that there is any divine hand guiding us. We are just here, evolved from other life forms, some with higher degrees of intelligence and self-awareness than others, and I can see how that can be difficult to face without the promise of an afterlife or faith to guide the time spent on earth. However freeing it is to no longer pledge allegiance to a god, to live life for the here and now, some cannot bring themselves to take that step. As Albert Camus said, freedom is not a gift, but a chore.
Another prominent atheist, Isaac Asimov, said that the Bible is the best argument for atheism that exists. Richard Dawkins appears to agree. He views the god of the Old Testament the same way I do, as a petty, fickle, angry being that happens to have dominion over the earth. This god demands allegiance, and if he doesn't get it, he'll turn you into salt or command one of his followers to wipe out you and your entire race. Some believers, my mother included, have tried to explain that the Old Testament god was simply acting as a parent and disciplining the young human race. But if this is the supreme being I'm supposed to worship, an omniscient being who is preoccupied with how many sacrifices and prayers he gets, you'll have to forgive me for not wanting any part of it. The god of the Old Testament has the personality of a tyrannical dictator, much like the one that would later imprison and kill off the "chosen people," Adolf Hitler. No wonder so many Jews decided to abandon religion altogether and become communists, atheists and secular humanists.
Dawkins goes on to question, in a section of the book I haven't yet finished reading, if the New Testament is really any better, as many Christians insist that Jesus wiped away the vengeful god of old and replaced him with a kinder gentler deity. Jesus says in the New Testament that anyone who is not for you is against you. Bertrand Russell said that Jesus could not be considered truly moral because he believed in hell. Hell, that scare tactic of fanatical Christians since the Middle Ages, where the loving god sends those who commit any sin arbitrarily decided by him to eternal torture. Jesus has some admirable teachings, like love thy neighbor (although, as Dawkins suggests, this might only be intended to apply to other Jews, making Christians and Jews free to torment unbelievers) and turn the other cheek. But the Bible, as many have pointed out, is full of contradictions, not the least of which is two separate creation myths (try telling that to the creationists), and a lot of Jesus' better teachings are just common decency, which most of us practice with or without fear of hell.
Why, as the religious types suggest, do I need faith to be a good person? One of the major reasons Ronald Reagan didn't like the Soviets was because, as he said, they didn't believe in God and were therefore immoral. Recently, the US was attacked by men who believed so much in their god they were willing to die to please his capricious whims in the hopes of being treated to 72 virgins in the afterlife (that's the Muslim idea of heaven, which says a lot about their view of women). The fact is, people do bad things. They kill, rob and rape each other, with or without religious convictions. Just because I don't fear a god sending me to hell doesn't mean that I would rob and murder at will. When I visited Amsterdam, I didn't smoke pot, even though it was legal and widely available, because I didn't want to. I don't believe in violence as a way to solve my problems, whether or not I have a supreme being peering over my shoulder. I help out those in my life who need it because I think it's the right thing to do and I want to, not to gain access into a magical kingdom after I die. What the religious fanatics preach is an ethical system based on reward and punishment, in other words, fear.
I think I've gone on long enough. I was just in one of those moods where the thoughts kept coming and I could barely type fast enough to keep up. I'm sure I'll read this tomorrow and think, "I shouldn't have said that" or "I should have phrased that differently." Luckily, I know my friends won't send me death threats because of the views I've expressed here.

Prison Break and faith healers

As you might have guessed, I am ridiculously excited about the return of Prison Break tonight. We loyal fans have been waiting almost two months for a resolution to the killer cliffhanger at the end of the last episode. Aside from T-Bag finally catching up to the woman who sent him to prison, and former CO badass Bellick now sharing a cell with feared Fox River inmate Avocado, Michael and Lincoln are now in a strange spot. Mahone and Kellerman orchestrated an escape opportunity so they could kill the brothers as per their instructions from the company. When they took the bait, Mahone and Kellerman followed them, boxing them in. Then Kellerman, who organized the plan, took out his gun and shot...Mahone. Kellerman, stonewalled by the President's inner circle, now wants to exact revenge by helping Michael and Linc. But I'm not ready to trust him. He's not exactly known for his sincerity, and I think he plans on using Michael and Linc to get back in with the president. As for Mahone, it looked like he got shot in the shoulder, so he might survive. I hope he does, I don't think his story is finished yet. His dynamic with Michael (two similar characters on opposite sides is always a good story) has been the best thing about the current season. Whatever happens, I know I'll be watching, on the edge of my seat, hooked on every last twist and turn.
Onto a more serious topic. I recently read The Faith Healers by James Randi, a book that exposes preachers who claim to heal the sick by divine powers. The researchers for the project could not find one successful healing reported, and several people died after believing they had been "healed" and forgoing proper medical treatment. And of course, these "healers" lived in luxury off the contributions of the faithful. When one woman begged for some of her money back because she was severely in debt after contributing almost all of her savings to this organization, and she was turned away. The healers' techniques are based in trickery. One, Peter Popoff, had an earpiece where his wife relayed information she had received from questioning the audience, information Popoff later called out during the show and claimed came from God. To test this "divine knowledge," Randi and associates made up fake ailments which they related to the questioners working the crowd before the show. Randi says, if this information truly came from an omniscient deity, shouldn't this deity have revealed that the related information was false? But instead, they were "cured" of ailments they didn't have. Some healers even place people in wheelchairs to have them dramatically stand up, although the afflicted person never needed to be in a wheelchair. The "healers" are making millions of dollars from selling false hope to the sick. These people are criminals. But they're criminals protected by the cloak of religion, and to date, none have been prosecuted for making money under false pretenses (if this isn't true, and anyone knows of a faith healer who has been prosecuted, I'd like to hear about it), despite several scathing articles written by dedicated journalists, and Randi's book.
On a related topic, I was extremely disheartened to hear my mother, an otherwise rational woman under the spell of the Vatican, say that she believes in angels and demons possibly populating the world and controlling our actions. Even if an exorcist (and the Vatican still, in the 21st century, has an official exorcist) temporarily eases the mind of a mentally unstable person who believes they have been possessed by the devil, the basic mental illness is still there, and cannot be eradicated through prayers and holy water. The problem is, the fanatics believe that all they need is divine intervention, and disregard the real need for medical treatment as a result of blind faith. And the faith healers of the world are manipulating these beliefs and getting rich off of it, and they need to be stopped.

Missouri kidnapping suspect

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070118/ap_on_re_us/boys_found_investigation

To be honest, I don't think I know enough about this case to provide a detailed analysis. All this article says is that the suspect has pleaded not guilty, and that the county prosecutors are reconsidering another abduction case from 15 years ago in light of his arrest. The suspect is 6'4" and weighs 300 pounds, and the man described as being with the abducted boy was "tall and thin." I'll buy tall, but 300 pounds is not thin, even on a 6'4" frame. For comparison, Edmund Kemper, the "Coed Killer" who terrorized Santa Cruz in the 1970s, also weighed 300 pounds, and was 6'9", but no one ever called him thin.
The boys were found in the suspect's apartment, which leaves me wondering how he could plead not guilty. His lawyers say that he couldn't get a fair trial in the county with all the publicity surrounding the case. But in the 15-year-old abduction case, it seems that the authorities are trying to pin a cold case on a new suspect, which has happened before. When Ed Gein was arrested in the 1950s, almost every missing persons case in the Plainfield, Wisconsin area was attempted to be tied to him. Henry Lee Lucas confessed to practically every unsolved murder his interrogators threw at him, and ultimately evidence forced him to recant his staggering confession. When Atlanta was in the grips of the infamous Child Murders in the early 1980s, and Wayne Williams was officially charged with two of the murders loosely linked in the case, he was presumed guilty for all of the murders. Although the murders stopped when Williams was arrested, and there is conclusive evidence linking him to the two victims for whose murders he was charged, most criminiologists now believe that more than one killer was operating in Atlanta at the time. Even if this Missouri kidnapper is guilty of the abduction of the two boys found in his apartment, that doesn't mean he's guilty of an admittedly similar abduction. Sadly, hundreds of children are kidnapped every year. In a desperate attempt to close the case, Missouri investigators might rely on coercion to get a confession, even if the real kidnapper is someone else. In the words of Nice Guy Eddie from Reservoir Dogs: "If you torture him enough, he'll tell you he started the Great Chicago Fire, that doesn't make it so."

A great night at Bound

I had an amazing time at Bound last Friday. Some hot scenes, great music courtesy of DJs Panic and Blacula, and lots of good friends. I saw John and Emily for the first time since SMB back in September. John has been very sympathetic to my man troubles, and he told me on Friday, "You know, you're hot, you're cool, you're smart, why do you care about these guys?" When I hear it put like that, and in the back of my mind, I know I shouldn't care, but I guess I can't help it. When it comes to love and lust, our intellects aren't exactly the deciding factor most of the time. I met a newcomer to the scene on Friday, and was flirting with him all night, and he seemed to respond, but he ultimately went off with another girl. The best part was, after an initial flash of jealousy, I really didn't care. I didn't really like the guy, he was just a guy who was there who mildly appealed to me. I'm sure I'll get another night where I'll have a newbie to break in, one who won't abandon me in favor of someone else.
I think I have a new favorite dom at Bound. Don't worry Todd, Donna, Andy and Klawdya, I will always want your services. But I met Jesse on New Year's Eve, and saw him again on Friday, and he did quite a number on me. He has a great technique, and some very interesting toys. And he was nice enough to drive me and Cat to the Metro at the end of the night. All in all, a great night. I will definitely try to make it to Bound more often.

Bush says: "More troops to Iraq"

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070111/wl_nm/iraq_iraqis_dc_2

As illustrated by the thoughts of several Iraqi citizens (you know, the people this war was supposed to help), the US presence is not helping. One civil servant says that it is a mistake to focus on the military when the problem is politics. The insurgency is still a problem, but the major focus, now that we've gotten ourselves stuck in this mess, should be on building a solid government, which is what the US promised Iraq, after searching in vain for WMDs, of course.
One Iraqi even called the escalation of troops "undemocratic," since it's not what the majority of Americans want. I have no comment on that, I think it speaks for itself. Another Iraqi said that the government has promised a lot but hasn't delivered. Iraq might become an American-style democracy after all.
But Bush wants more troops put in harm's way in Iraq. Another Iraqi citizen expressed fears that a greater US military presence might even escalate the violence. Overthrowing Saddam Hussein and installing a democratic government was a noble thought, but it didn't quite work in practice. Bush admitted to a "mistake" in his Iraq policy, but will sending in more troops correct it, or will more US soldiers and Iraqis die in pursuit of a so-far elusive goal (and the all but impossible goal of stamping out terrorism)? We'll have to wait and see.
A while ago, Saddam Hussein was executed for his crimes against his enemies. Bush says he didn't watch the video. I'm afraid I'll have to call bullshit on that, but don't hold me to it, I don't have any proof. I find it very hard to believe that Bush didn't watch the man who he said tried to kill his father getting hanged. We all know how much Bush loves a good execution, and this was the biggest one in years, and it was Bush's sworn enemy getting killed. Based on this circumstantial evidence, I have to conclude that Bush and his league of evil were sitting at the White House cheering as Hussein was led to the gallows. But like I said, I have no proof, so don't force me to take an oath and testify.

My political ranting aside, things are starting to look up for me. I've all but forgotten about the last two guys who screwed me over, and I got to see Dolphy and Angie after a way too long absence at Entre Nous last Saturday. Dolphy said she'd have something for me at Bound tomorrow night, so I'll be coming back to Club Lime to find out what she's got. I haven't been to Bound in far too long.

Assorted theological and political musings

As you may have noticed, I changed the name of my blog. The first title was off the cuff, uninspired, and every time I saw it I hated it. But I didn't change it, because I didn't know what to change it to. After seeing another blog subtitled, "From a godless liberal" I thought, this is perfect. What better phrase to encapsulate what my blog is all about? So I am now Salomedesade: Godless Liberal.
On to something I've been thinking about for a while. The Bible, that historical document/holy text that many believers take literally to the detriment of differing beliefs and rationality in general, works best as a surrealist novel. Like all works of fiction, it incorporates elements from the time it was written, so it has historical significance in that respect. The fantastical devices it employs, epic floods, voices in the sky, raising the dead, are not meant to be realistic, but are used to make a general point. Through the supernatural fiction elements, a basic theme of the nature of humanity and how to live comes through to most people, the ones who don't dwell on the gory punishment parts. While the Bible imparts valuable life lessons in parts, altruism and unconditional love, its implausible explanation of the creation of the world should not be taken literally to the detriment of real science and science education and it should not be used as an excuse to murder and pillage those who don't interpret it the same way. Have you ever heard of literature scholars killing each other over differing interpretations of Marquez's or Borges' (masters of magical realism) works? Maybe that's not the proper way to speak of a text that so many hold sacred, but like I said, I'm an unbeliever, and an English major.
My parents and I were talking about Gitmo today (we are all firmly opposed to "President" Bush's foreign "policy"), and my dad said he was surprised that Cuba hasn't kicked us out yet. After all, the US has been at cultural war with communist Cuba and its now ailing dictator Fidel Castro since the 1960s. So I was thinking, the US is housing prisoners suspected of plotting against America in a country they know hates America. For all we know, the Cubans are secretly aiding the "evil" Arab terrorists housed there (if any) in a massive plot to destroy America. But I'm the paranoid type.

Post New Year's Eve report

I had an interesting weekend to close out the year. On Saturday I went to Entre Nous to help my friend Sharon celebrate her birthday, and it was one of my best trips to EN in a long time. I saw a lot of friends who I hadn't seen in a long time, and had a very nice bathroom break with someone (that's all I'm saying here, I'll leave the rest to your filthy imaginations). And Larry B. played some Def Leppard, which got my ass all over the dance floor. At the Bound/Entre Nous bash at the Republic Gardens on Sunday, I had a great time with all my friends, but two exes were also there, both with the new girlfriends they ditched me for. I hope I created a bit of an envious stir in them in my red dress (which I got several compliments on), but most likely they just ignored me. Although that would have been difficult if they were downstairs while James was using his vibrator glove on me. Maverick said they could probably hear me down the street.
I have to admit I got a bit depressed around midnight, with everyone off in pairs kissing each other to ring in the new year, and me all alone. But I got over that quickly, with my amazing friends coming up to me to wish me a happy new year (two asshole guys excluded). All in all, not a bad way to start the new year. Thank you to Todd and Jennifer, and Todd and Elena of LoveVoodoo, for hosting this huge event.
To all of you out there in my MySpace and Blogspot net universe, I wish you a happy new year, and I wish you the very best, even if the best is yet to come to me. Don't let me get you down with all of my complaining about the lack of love in my life.

Retirement, gangland style

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061230/ap_on_re_us/mafia_old_man

In the Mafia, you're not allowed to retire. You're in until you're dead, as this 96-year-old recently arrested mobster proves. At an age where he's lucky to be alive, he was still out making threats and running rackets. I'm sure he had the assistance of younger thugs, but still, you've got to hand it to the guy. No one ever raged against the dying of the light quite like this. Through his life experience, he is a living time capsule of the American Mafia. He was a boy during the alleged 1919 World Series fix engineered by Arnold Rothstein (the architect of modern organized crime), was middle-aged during the heyday of the mob in the 40s and 50s, and was an aging gangster in the 90s when John Gotti was taken down. Like many his age, he retreated to Florida, as Myer Lansky did when he grew older (there's a great photo in the book "Tough Jews" of an older Lansky walking his dog), but his retirement was not what it was for the rest of the senior citizens in Florida. It involved all of his old gangland activities, with no accomodations made for his old age. The Feds finally got him, but he might not make it to trial.
After a quiet holiday, I'm coming back out this weekend. Tomorrow night I'll be at Entre Nous to help Sharon celebrate her birthday. I'm sure Larry B. will play some 80s metal for us to celebrate properly. On New Year's Eve, I'll be at Bound and Entre Nous' joint bash. With my usual date currently out of commission, it looks like I'll be on my own. I might be running into an ex (the one who thought my name was Katie the last time I saw him), but I'll have plenty of friends to keep me occupied, even if some of them, like Dolphy, Angie and Jennifer, won't be there. Will anyone be there to kiss me at midnight?
On a positive note, I've been writing. I actually spent a good part of today writing, and not just blogging. I also found a writing group, and got some very helpful comments from them on a story I've been working on. Smart creative people are so hard to find, and I found a group of them. Sometimes the forces of luck smile on me. Not in the field of love, but in other ways.

Ipswich and Atlantic City under attack

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15835101/

With a suspect in the Ipswich Ripper case caught, here on American soil, another killer has claimed four women (the article doesn't make it clear if they were prostitutes or not, but it was Atlantic City). A recent autopsy revealed that at least one of the victims was strangled. All four bodies were found lined up behind the same motel, which could indicate a disorganized offender (the dumping ground was convenient) or a connection to that specific spot. The article points out that all the bodies were facing east, which almost sounds ritualistic. So far, there are no suspects in the Atlantic City case, but we can probably expect him to be similar to the Ipswich suspect; a loner who has had problems with women. But that could also describe many men who don't become serial killers. Dennis Rader, arrested a few years ago as Kansas' BTK killer, referred to a "factor X" that made him kill, that he could not define. Even if Rader was just looking for a justification for his crimes, he raises a valid point. What is that one factor, that one trigger, that turns an unfortunate but common event, like a divorce, or an all too common torment like child abuse into a thirst for blood and vengeance in a select few? Many criminologists indicate that it is not only genetics or only upbringing that turns someone into a killer, but a still unknown combination of the two, possibly along with an undetermined "factor X."

Ipswich Ripper suspect

http://www.sundaymirror.co.uk/news/tm_headline=ripper-hunt%2D-the-suspect%26method=full%26objectid=18275623%26siteid=62484-name_page.html

Suffolk police made an arrest in the Ipswich Ripper (or Suffolk Strangler) case. But the police shouldn't jump to conclusions yet (I have three words for them: John Mark Karr). The suspect is a 30-something loner who turned to prostitutes after his marriage fell apart. From a general sex-crimes profile aspect, he looks like the perfect suspect, but in the interview, he sounds like he had something of an affection for the prostitutes he patronized. That he knew some of the victims is an obvious red flag, but it seems unusual for a killer to advertise his relation to his victims. Killers of this type don't usually go after victims that can be easily traced to them, although I remember reading about one killer who only murdered his female acquaintances, and he was quickly caught. Still, a broken marriage could be seen as a trigger for a man who had a long festering desire to harm women. The suspect sounds confident that he won't be formally charged, and maybe new evidence will be revealed that clears him. But, like he says, he doesn't have a solid alibi for the disappearances of the victims. Recently, a sixth prostitute in the area went missing, and, as far as I know, hasn't turned up yet, dead or alive.

Slow torture before the holidays

I would love to go to Bound tonight, but I don't think I'll make it. My boss is out of the office today, so I can get away with not working, but after work I have to go to a stupid driver's ed class, because apparently I have to have a license to get by in the world (that's the impression I get anyway). I've had to spend three hours in a cramped classroom surrounded by idiot teenagers, with the worst teacher I've ever had to suffer. He constantly goes off topic, is easily distracted by stupid things, and seems to think he's actually worthy of respect. I hate when dumb people think they're smart. And on top of that, he's from the Phillippines, and his English isn't great. Yet he doesn't seem to understand that the reason so many people in the class have to ask questions is because they can't understand his fractured English. Imagine the worst, least focused and qualified teacher you've ever had, and combine it with MVA bureaucracy, and that's what I'll have to put up with until the end of next week. But don't feel too sorry for me, I'll make it if I stifle the urge to punch my teacher in the face. Maybe I should go to Bound tonight, of course I'd get there at 11 at the absolute earliest, to work out all this frustration through dancing and maybe a good flogging. I will definitely be at Entre Nous this Saturday, so you will see me out soon.

Another Ripper in England

This one's actually strangling his victims, but the same principle applies: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16171063/
This article provides little information about the killer's methods (dubbed the "Suffolk Strangler"), except that he's murdering prostitutes, just like two other infamous UK murderers: the still-unidentified Jack the Ripper (sorry Patricial Cornwall, not buying it) and Yorkshire Ripper Peter Sutcliffe, who terrorized Northern England in the late 1970s while maintaining the cover of a devoted husband and father.
That the UK police are publicizing and devoting such resources to solving the murders of prostitutes is surprising. As many serial killers and violent offenders know, law enforcement officials are reluctant to investigate the murders of "undesireables" like prostitutes or poor minorities. The reason these killers target prostitutes is not ethical, though Sutcliffe claimed he was on a mission from God, but opportunistic. These killers hate women, all women, and prostitutes are the most available victims. Their work depends on going off with strange men, and likely, police won't pay too much attention if they turn up dead. America's most prolific serial killer, Gary Leon Ridgeway (the "Green River Killer") was loose for almost 20 years, during which time he murdered roughly 50 women, most of whom were prostitutes from an infamous stretch of highway in the Pacific Northwest.
Five women have already died at the hands of the Suffolk Strangler, Jack the Ripper's total body count. And if this killer is anything like others of his breed (I'm assuming the killer is a man), he won't stop killing until he's caught. And you can expect me to keep track of this case, as I have previously with the John Mark Karr/JonBenet debacle and the Amish school shooting.

Random thoughts

Check out this link. I thought it was hilarious: http://www.bushorchimp.com/ Considering that Bush was at one point pushing to get "Intelligent Design" taught in public school science classes, he himself is definitive proof of evolution, as you'll see.
On an entirely different shallow topic, there are so few celebrities for me to lust after. My guy crush used to be Russell Crowe, but then he lost his edge by getting married and appearing in one too many Ron Howard movies. Not that I don't still dig out my DVDs of LA Confidential and Romper Stomper once in a while. My former girl crush, Scarlett Johansson, who I fell for the moment she appeared on screen in Lost in Translation, has been a bit overexposed of late, and, while I still think she's a cut above the Jessica Simpsons of the world in terms of intellect, sometimes in her interviews she comes off as trying too hard. Still, when she was on the cover of Esquire, I spent considerably more time staring at the magazine rack, and there will always be a special place in my heart and pants for Russell and Scarlett. But things change, and crushes get stale. For guys, I always have Prison Break (but not until January 22, thanks again FOX); Wentworth Miller, Dominic Purcell, and William Fichtner (if Mahone comes back from his gunshot wound), all very hot in different ways, especially in their roles as fugitives or rogue FBI agents. I don't have a boyfriend, and these men on Monday nights are my substitute for the moment, even if William Fichtner is old enough to be my father. So is Viggo Mortenson (who I recently discovered was born in 1958, the same year as my father), but that doesn't stop me from watching the Lord of the Rings and A History of Violence alone with my hand straying down my pants. I saw Albino Alligator last night, and while I didn't care for the movie itself (Kevin Spacey should stick to acting), it was great to see William Fichtner and Viggo Mortenson in the same movie. As for girls, it's tougher, with Paris Hilton and the aforementioned Jessica Simpson being passed off as sex symbols. Two come to mind though, Jessica Alba and Salma Hayek. They're sexy, not stupid, and look like they eat once in a while (just like my Scarlett), which is so rare these days.
I have absolutely no desire to work any more today. My arms are actually starting to cramp from working the mouse and keyboard all day. And because of work, it looks like I won't have the energy to go to Bound tomorrow night. But on Saturday, I will likely be at Mistress Purgatori's Saints and Sinners Show, if the scheduling gods smile on me. It should be a fun fetish-filled evening, and it's for a good cause (the Center for Missing and Exploited Children), so check out the Mistress' MySpace page for the details if you're in the area.