Melody Laluz and Claudaniel Fabien are both abstinence teachers in Chicago, and they are about to get married despite never having kissed one another. The pair, which instituted the no kissing rule as a way of avoiding temptation, had elaborate ways to quelling their natural biological impulse to copulate. They avoided being totally alone together, and when they cuddled when watching TV, they made sure to always be sitting up instead of lying down.

I can only shake my head in disbelief about this kind of behavior. The cleverness of avoiding fulfilling their desires only demonstrates how natural an urge sex is. I’m happy that they are content in their arrangement, but I find it naive of them to go around to students in the peek of their hormonal development and think that their message will carry through. Abstinence teachers refuse to give real working sexual advice to teens, and instead indoctrinate them with platitudes on the sinfulness or wrongfulness of sex outside of marriage. The result is higher teen pregnancies and drop out rates in schools.

And cuddling without at least a little making out? What has this world come to?

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I’ve only ever liked one holiday of the year. I usually can’t stand Christmas, mostly because I find it shameful that the celebration of winter solstice has devolved into a consumerist holiday. Halloween is just annoying; although it’s cute to see little kids in their funny costumes, I see more young adults dressed like fools desperately trying to recapture the magic of their childhood. Easter is a waste of my time. But if there’s one holiday I could always get behind, it’s Thanksgiving.

I’m Canadian, and we celebrate around October. My American friends wait till the end of November to celebrate theirs, and as far as I understand, it’s a much bigger deal than it is up here. The act of celebrating harvest makes sense to me. It’s a time when you get together with your family and eat. There’s no bullshit “Thanksgiving carols”, or anything that overly commercial. It’s all about family, friends and food; the three “f”‘s that I care the most about. It makes all the holiday seem like overly commercialized shadows of their former selves.

So, this is the one holiday that gets my big thumbs up. I wanted to give thanks to all the fans of the site that keep making me believe that my dream of writing my book is possible. I get so many great emails and comments that I often take for granted just how lucky I am. So thanks to all of you that make working on the site so rewarding!

Sincerely,
Jacob Fortin

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In 2007, a French teenager jumped off a bridge in Amsterdam. Because he was high on hallucinogens, the dutch government worked diligently to try and reverse their lax policies on drugs, and as such have now made “magic mushrooms” illegal. Selling the drug was already against the law, but now growing it for personal use carries serious penalties.

I think the move is both ludicrous and a giant waste of time. The Dutch government had been wise to take on a “laisser faire” policy on drugs, since it’s been proven time and time again that prohibition does little to affect consumption. Instead, it fuels powerful black markets, which breed violence and more criminality.

I’m not going to debate the relative health hazards of magic mushrooms. They are obviously dangerous if overused, not because of their toxicity, but rather because they can trigger dormant psychological conditions such as schizophrenia. There are rare occasions when some individuals harm themselves when high, but for the most part, these are rare.

What angers me is how people mistakenly believe that laws can avert tragedy. Sadly, our attempts at legislating other for their “own good” often causes far more harm than good. Drug abusers are treated as victims, and because the drugs are illegally obtained, the relative safety of the product is questionable. Drug dealers are not obliged to provide untempered products. They follow a different code of conduct from legitimate business, and their victims suffer from often intolerable lifestyles as a consequence.

Human beings engage in destructive behavior regardless of the legal repercussions. We cannot prevent other human beings from doing what they please with their own bodies, even if we feel it is our moral obligation to do so. By making drugs illegal, we only fuel crime and make violence and death profitable. Drug use is a personal choice, not a societal one. The experiment of prohibitionism has continued to fail, and yet, the war on drugs prevails. How many more deaths can we tolerate? How many incarcerated junkies, wealthy drug lords and overly strained law enforcement officers are enough before we say “no more”?

The Dutch government has now reversed a policy that has made their society a positive beacon of hope. The low instances of drug abusers, lower crime rates and higher standard of living were positive proofs that prohibition is a failure. Now, because some tragically stupid individual plunges themselves into a river and dies, this is being reversed. If the same outrage was placed in the proper direction, we would not allow fellow human beings to suffer at the hands of ineffective legislation.

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My early memories of Christmas involved dreaming about what presents would be waiting for me under the tree when my slumber subsided. I also remember the occasional disappointment that the sweater or sock in my stocking, but generally despite the usual selfishness of children, the experience was fun and enjoyable. Like most of my friends, we celebrated Christmas for the presents, and although the story of Jesus was never to far from our minds, it was never anything that would overshadow the positive experience.

Despite not having an ounce of religiosity in me, I still wish people a Merry Christmas. I’ve never given a second thought to the religious aspects of the holiday precisely because it never mattered to me. Every so often, however, I hear a few people complain that they feel offended by the well wishes of others. Perhaps some of them feel as though the holiday is being forced upon them. The tradition of winter solstice and the subsequent celebrations have been a part of the human experience for a long time. That Christianity now claims the holiday for themselves does not phase me. Plenty of other religions have come and gone, and yet we still celebrate these days. The 21st of December is the shortest day of the year, but it marks the beginning of the end of winter. From that moment on, the days will continue to have more sunlight. Humans choose to celebrate, and with good cause. Winter can be depressing, lonely, and very cold;  any reason to party seems good enough for me in such times.

I for one enjoy the fact that people are always a little bit more pleasant during Christmas. If the reason is motivated by religion, I still see it as mostly innocuous. We are simply continuing the traditions our ancestors did, albeit with a few twists. I choose to exclude religion out of mine, but I do not expect others to do the same.

If you feel offended by Christmas well wishers, and prefer the ubiquitous “Happy Holidays”, then I believe you may be suffering from an acute case of stick up the ass. The spirit of celebration can often be muddied by the inequities and the selfishness of the few. I urge atheists and non-religious folks alike to see the positive aspects of the holiday, and leave the business of secular conflicts for another day. This is a war we cannot win.

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On a normal day in February. Bernadette Soubirous, a 14 year old living in the small town of Lourdes in France, was gathering firewood with her sisters near a small grotto. She became aware of a presence, and claims that a lady in a white robe with a golden rose on each foot appeared before her. Her sisters, which were present at the time, did not report seeing anything of the sort. Bernadette would return to the site another 17 times, and her visions were interpreted by the townspeople as being of divine origin. They all assumed that the woman was the Virgin Mary, and in the 157 years since her “visions”, the site has become a pilgrimage for the sick and lame looking for a miracle cure.

Every year, over 5,000,000 people visit the town, and the sight of so many ill looking and disabled people can be downright strange. There have supposedly been 67 inexplicable miracle cures since Bernadette’s visions, but in light of the droves of pious individuals making their journey to France, the numbers seem awfully low. There’s every reason to doubt the apparition story, especially since Bernadette had suffered from Cholera as a child, which seemed to have made her simple.

If these visions had occurred today, Bernadette would have been hospitalized. They may have found her to suffer from schizophrenia, or perhaps the victim of hallucinations caused by a poor diet. In any case, almost no one would have believed her sightings to be genuine. It seems, however, that she benefited from living in a much simpler time.

The droves wishing for a cure make the painful trek to Lourdes, but this is not the only example of “Faith healing”. There are many different forms in a large variety of religious denominations. Many involve the imbibing of special and sacred liquids, or the presence of holy relics. Sometimes, it is actual living human beings that are thought to channel the power of healing. These “Faith Healers” are most prevalent in America, where large numbers of indoctrinated individuals believe in their miraculous powers. Their piety and desperation reinforce one another, and the results are lucrative for those claiming to heal the sick.

In the 1980′s Peter Popoff, a German born televangelist, made millions of dollars with his supposed abilities. He seemed to be able to name people’s names, addresses, and ailments. His clientele, which was comprised of desperate and sick people, were easy prey. The powerful tradition of faith that they were a part of, which teaches them that miracles really do happen, made them prime targets for exploitation. But the technique that Popoff used was so simple, anyone could easily duplicate it, and often, they do. Popoff used a simple radio transceiver device operated by his wife, who would read out cue cards written in advance by the audience members. In 1987, he was exposed when James Randi recorded the audio he had intercepted. Although Popoff declared bankruptcy and vanished for a brief time, his ministry is still alive today. Dismantling the hopes of the faithful is much more difficult then can be imagined.

Some faith healers rely on far simpler and low tech techniques to convince the faithful that they possess supernatural abilities, and these tricks are borrowed from mentalists and psychics, who use a tool called “Cold reading” to garner information about people while giving the impression that they are in fact revealing that information themselves. Most of the time it’s the simple act of using visual clues to make observations about an individual. For instance, a person with poor physical appearance would probably suffer from a lack of self confidence. A cold reader would therefore guess that the person might have problems finding someone for a relationship or isn’t getting the promotion at work that they want. In the case of faith healers, they can make snap judgments about ailments by the site of a crutch, a wheelchair or bandages. His gullible victims are only too eager to give information about themselves if the visual clues are not present. All the faith healer needs to do then is speak loudly and suddenly, laying his hands (often on their foreheads) to send the audience member into a kind of trance. Often the exhilaration of the experience temporarily alleviates the symptoms, and this is interpreted as a cure. But once the show is over and the exhilaration fades, the symptoms return.

Some might think that a pilgrimage or dramatic laying on hands does no harm, but this is not the case at all. Often times, when these faith healers perform their “miracles”, their victims will often cease to seek proper medical treatment. One dramatic example involved a woman who had thrown off her braces and run on stage at the command of the faith healer. The woman suffered from cancer of the spine, and the next day, her backbone collapsed. She died 4 months later. Extensive investigations by doctors found that all attendees that has experienced cures during the performance often had worsened after their “cures”, due usually to the strain of the experience.

The practice of faith healing is popular precisely because of how lucrative it is. Lourdes’ tourist trap invariable provides a great deal of money for the town, and evangelical ministers often make millions of dollars going around the country collecting “donations”. The harmful effects have been heavily documented, and yet, we choose to continue to allow this fraudulent behavior. I can only assume that it is because we place a higher value of faith than we do on life. Faith healing prays on the most desperate of human emotions; the need to live a life without suffering. Their practitioners exploits the fears and hopes of our fellow man to enrich themselves. This is unacceptable, and it must be stopped.

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Forgive the quality of the video above. Apparently, this spectator was too nervous at the sight of a bunch of nuns and monks dancing hypnotically at the basketball game to hold the damn camera steady. The troop, based out of Australia, is on tour in Italy, in perhaps the weirdest conversion ritual I’ve ever seen.

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Here’s an amusing site that jokes about the Genesis story through the eyes of a computer programmer. Click here to “login”
WARNING** If you were not born in the age of DOS, you may not fully appreciate.

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The headline would have been more effective as “finally, someone from Florida shows common sense”, but the joke had to be sacrificed for the importance of such a ruling. The Miami Judge found that there was no rational basis for denying adoption rights to gays, and in the light of the tough times the homosexual community has endured, it’s good to have some positive news for once.

There’s undoubtedly going to be a lot of legal saber rattling at this point, but it’ll be interesting to hear how the other side of the debate will argue that there really is a reasonable explanation for denying homosexuals the right to adopt kids. I’m sure it will be “enlightening” to hear their homophobia disguised as legalese.

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Vampires have been part of human folklore in almost every culture and civilization. Creatures who suck life blood, energy or souls have a long history of being cautionary tales against trusting strangers, against eating the dead, or simply an excuse for some to fear the dark. Although some cultures have very different ideas about how vampires operate, the modern Nosferatu legend is almost exclusively based on 18th century western lore and these creatures have benefited from a great deal of stylization over the years. They are now generally regarded as cultivated, sensual and seductive;  a far cry from their carrion heritage.

There are many who covet the abilities of a vampire; so much so that individuals identify themselves as such. Linda Rabinowitz is a mom living in Virginia under the assumption that she is a psychic vampire. She believes that she possesses the ability to “suck” the energy and life force of other human beings. Linda (or Selket, the vampire name she has chosen for herself) refuses to sap innocent victims, and chooses only willing partners. Sometimes she drinks her lovers blood. The difficulties of modern life makes her feel tired and exhausted, and so for her, the ritual of vampirism seems to take the edge off.

There is a huge community of individuals that identify themselves as vampires, but there is not a consensus about the supposed different types that exists. Some claim to be only psychic vampires, but the blood drinkers feel that they are not of their kind. Even in the world of make believe, there is still exclusion and bigotry. How comforting.

Although there may not be any direct harm in people identifying themselves as vampires, I can’t help but shake my head in disbelief. I don’t really mind that some individuals might find pleasure in drinking blood, or in fantasizing that they have special powers, but when did fantasy take precedence over reality? Surely, even they may have days where they question the validity of their bold claims. I don’t really mind groups of people identifying themselves with the strange cultist behavior of vampires, since I don’t see it as generally very different from any religious belief. What I do mind is how far the delusion has taken them; here’s a quote from Sanguinarius‘ (a “star” in the vampire world) website.

It is very driving need and takes a great deal of resistance to overcome the desire / craving / urge / lust / need / pull / demand / thirst / hunger / addiction / want. When I feed, I am very [sic]focussed on only that; it is not my main concern, it’s my only concern. The taste is beyond delightful. It alleviates the thirst, the need. It gives a sense of peace, of well-being, of euphoria, of relaxation and [sic]energization at the same time. — I don’t know how to [sic]explaine that, but if you’re one who has experienced it, you’ll know what I mean. It’s akin to being drunk almost, but different. Drunk, without the sluggish clumsiness of enebriation. You could take on the world. I sleep like a baby [sic]afterwards. As for what I’m thinking during feeding, not much. I’m [sic]focussed on the feeding, almost entirely, wanting more, wishing it were gushing down my throat…frustrated if it’s not; [sic]focussed on the taste, on the relieving feeling….

Um, I’m going to quit this now, because it’s starting to get to me.

I’m no psychologist, but I would venture to say that this level of obsession is not unlike what addicts might experience when they do heroine or crack. The only difference here is that the physical addiction to blood is based entirely on a psychological need. This negative behavior is only reinforced, especially in a community where other share their ecstasy in partaking in the same activity.

I’m not going to humor a person who believes that they need to drink blood to stay alive and vital. At the same time, if people want to run around in capes, sleep in coffins, or drink the “life essence” of their partners with their minds, I won’t stop them. Just don’t expect me to respect your silly belief.

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