BDSM Digest

Archive for April, 2010

A martyr is a person who is put to death or endures suffering because of a belief, principle, or cause. The themes of torture, sadism and captivity have been touched on by many horror films of the 2000s. “Martyrs” is the first film that could be called “torture porn” that doesn’t come from a conflicted moral point of view. On the surface, the film looks a lot like “Hostel” or “Saw”. Beneath the skin, though, it has much more in common with “Funny Games” or “Irreversible”, films where graphic violence isn’t just a series of vicarious thrills that are the entire reason for the film’s existence. “Martyrs” tells a story in a grotesque, mysterious way while hinting at possible religious motifs throughout. Not for the faint of heart this film starts off with scenes of female torture and really stays in an apologetically dark tone during the show. Progressing to more strange territory in the later half of the film viewers will need to prepare for director Pascal Laugier’s shock and awe visual assault that will surprise the senses. For those sadists and masochists who appreciate pure horror and intelligent moviemaking, “Martyrs” is a real find.

“Martyrs” is a French film. The French can make very strong horror movies. If the audience is open-minded and strong-willed enough to go along with “Martyrs”, they’ll find a movie that is possibly the best of the recent spate of high quality horror films coming out of France. The film is written and directed by Pascal Laugier. “Martyrs” stars Morjana Alaoui as Anna and Mylene Jampanoi as Lucie with support given by Catherine Begin as Mademoiselle, Robert Toupin as Le pere, and Isabelle Chasse as La Creature.
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BDSM is not a solo practice. You need at least one other partner to safely satisfy that urge, whether you are dominant or submissive. Finding a BDSM partner is not easy and it takes time and patience.

There are many ways to find a partner. Ads in specialized magazines, social gatherings in the lifestyle (munches) where people in the BDSM lifestyle meet in a non-threatening situation. Also play party (private or public), introductions from other lifestylers, internet with forums, chat rooms (a good places to get to know others with same or similar interests) and dating websites. Some links with the biggest dating sites you can find below.

On the Internet you can find web sites and chat rooms in which there are people who are living a 24/7 BDSM relationship and they want the same for themselves. They crave that intimacy and bond that an established relationship has. They crave the sensations that physical BDSM activities give them, and the euphoria with which many people describe their sessions.

You should remember that there are about 3 times more men than women in the lifestyle. There are about 4 male Doms for every female sub and it makes the search hard. There are always a lot more ads for male Doms looking for a female submissive then there are ads for female submissive doing a search for a Dom. There are not many female Doms looking for a male sub. About 25 percent of players switch in some form. The best partner for a switch is a switch.
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The garrote, also known as garrote vil, garotte and garrotte – the execution device used by the Spaniards until the end of Francisco Franco’s dictatorship as recently as 1974. In Spain, it was abolished, as well as the death penalty, in 1978 with the new constitution. Originally, it was an execution where the convict was killed by hitting him with a club (“garrote” in Spanish). Later, it was refined and consisted of a seat to restrain the condemned person while the executioner tightened a metal band around his neck with a crank or a wheel until suffocation of the executee. With the handle the executioner slowly crushed the victim’s neck causing death from asphyxia.

The safe prototype of the garrote without movable parts is used now in BDSM play. This device is intended only to fix the submissive without causing an injury of the vital structures of the neck.

This device has a Spanish name because it was improved in Spain. It is not clear how complete earlier records are and even modern ones are somewhat patchy. But at least 736 people, including 16 women, were executed in Spain in the 19th century. 65 men and 2 women were executed by garroting between 1950 and 1974 in various parts of Spain. The first woman to be garroted was Juana Rivero in Madrid on the 3rd of November 1824 for robbery. Twenty seven year old Mariana Pineda became the first woman to suffer for treason when she was executed on the 26th of May 1831 in Andalusia. It was reported that the spike of the garrote pierced her neck and protruded through her mouth. Garroting was last used on the 2nd of March 1974, when two men were executed on the same day for the shooting of a police officer during a robbery.
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“Dare… to Try Bondage” by Axterdam is part of the new Dare series on sexuality published by Hunter House. This book is recommended to those who want to know and/or try bondage. Bondage is not without danger, and yet it opens the door to dramatic new pleasures. Whether a complete newcomer or a seasoned bondage expert, sexual adventurers can use this guide for simple, necessary instructions, scenarios, techniques, and advice. Including chapters on shibari (the Japanese art of knot-tying), appropriate equipment, conducting a satisfying session, and what sensations to expect, this guide is a comprehensive resource for both men and women who are seeking sexual liberation and pleasure through restraint. Those who are shy to go into the sex section of bookstores to learn and read about bondage, well this is the book for you.

It is a quick read and teaches almost everything you wanted to know about bondage. What is nice about this book is that there are illustrations and background information the author gives, including personal experiences. The author wanted to share his knowledge with his friends and more so he wrote this very interesting book. The author gives background information from personal experience. He wrote it for his friends in mind, who kept asking him questions.

French artist and author Axterdam’s illustrations of the Japanese rope-tying art of Shibari, also known as Kinbaku, bring to life the simple yet visually striking patterns of “beautiful bondage.” Axterdam is well known in the world of amateur erotic imagery; his drawings are considered inspirational in the universe of fetishism. He published his Carnets d’un obsede (Notes of an Obsessive) in 2003.
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