In any known culture, murder is considered a heinous crime. This is because human life is valued more than anything else in the world. Throughout history, however, we have seen countless serial killers and mass murderers rise and spread terror. They are often seen as heartless monsters who are incapable of seeing life as sacred.

Many of these serial killers commit murders one after another because of a mental illness or pure hatred and rage. Whatever their reasons are, they still manage to keep the attention of the public on them and mark their names on history. Here are the top 10 most notorious serial killers of all time.

Warning: graphic language and gruesome pictures below.

10. THE PIOUS MONSTER

Real name: Gilles de Rais (France)
Murder count: 80 to 600

Often dubbed as the precursor to the modern serial killer, Gilles de Rais of France was a nobleman and a military captain in the army led by St. Joan of Arc. He was convicted of raping, torturing and killing dozens (or hundreds) of young children, mostly boys between six to 18. Although he preferred boys, if circumstances required, he would make do with girls.

Surviving accounts narrate how Rais would lure young boys with blond hair and blue eyes to his residences. Then, he would sexually molest, torture and mutilate the poor kids. Most of the time, he would ejaculate over the body of the dying victim. He was not alone. He had accomplices helping him set up the heads of these kids so that they could judge who among these kids was the fairest.

Most of the bodies were burned or buried and until now, the exact number of his victims is still unknown. However, it is placed between 80 and 200. Some think that it may even be as high as 600.

9. THE KILLER CLOWN

Real name: John Wayne Gacy (Chicago, Illinois, US, 1972 – 1978)
Murder count: more than 29

We know that clowns bring fun and joy to children. Well, one clown decided to prove us wrong. He brought terror, instead. Move over, JOKER. Hehe.

John Wayne Gacy is one of the most notorious killers in the history of America. He has two jobs. By day he was a respected member of the community and a business owner who loved to entertain children as Pogo the Clown.

But at night, he was a serial murderer, cruising the streets looking for teenage boys to torture and murder. Once he had the young men at his suburban home, he would show them a magic trick using handcuffs. However, there was no magic trick. With the boys already handcuffed, he would sexually assault them all he could. Then, the brutal torture and murder followed.

For six years, the bodies of his victims stacked up in the crawlspace of his home. Due to lack of space, he was forced to throw his next victims into the Des Plaines River.

He was finally caught when he let his last victim escape after a night of horrendous torture. When the police searched his house, they found 29 bodies piled up under the patio floor and in the crawlspace. In 1980, he was sentenced to death. In 1994, he was executed.

8. THE GAY SLASHER

Real name: Andrew Phillip Cunanan (US, 1996-1997)
Murder count: 5

Andrew Cunanan murdered only five people but he was very infamous all over the world. This Filipino-American serial killer was listed on the Ten Most Wanted Fugitives of the FBI.

Cunanan always visited gay neighborhoods in San Diego, San Francisco and Los Angeles. Many of those he met described him as articulate, intelligent and charming. He was also said to have extreme sexual tastes and sadomasochistic inclination. Most of all, he was also very handsome. And he put this asset of his to evil use.

Unlike most serial killers who pick up their victims in the streets, Cunanan eyed the rich and the famous people. Yes, he killed only five people but these people were SOME people. And he managed to kill them in a three-month cross country trip. His first victim was a former US Naval Officer, Jeffrey Trail. Architect David Madson came next. The next to meet his demise in Cunanan’s hands was Lee Miglin, a real estate developer. He then killed William Reese, a cemetery caretaker, for his truck. And his fifth and final victim — Gianni Versace, a billionaire fashion designer. Because Cunanan was reported to be working as a prostitute, the media speculated that four of his victims were actually his clients.

There was a national manhunt for Cunanan. Before being captured, however, he committed suicide in a Miami houseboat.

Andrew Cunanan after the suicide

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Note: This entry was written for Crunkish.com, a site that our team put up. It is still under construction but if you want to take a peek, knock yourself out.

Throughout history, we have witnessed the rise and fall of countless rulers. Many of them did a really admirable job that their names are written in countless history books. Others still linger in our consciousness today not because of their delightful contributions to mankind but their crazy, twisted ways.

“Crazy” is a very vague word. It can refer to someone mentally ill, utterly evil or just plain ridiculous. Whatever your definition of this word is, here are the top ten craziest leaders in world history.

10. KIM JONG IL (North Korea)

For many people, his name suits him well. Kim Jong Il is really as ill as any leader can get. The current ruler of North Korea, he succeeded his father and the founder of North Korea, Kim Il-sung. He did not just replace his father, he proclaimed himself “Eternal President.” He has been consistently criticized by many contemporary leaders and international organizations for his lack of commitment to make the peninsula free of nuclear weapons.

The country also holds large concentration camps where 50,000 people including women and children who are accused of political crimes are being held. Violations of human rights are being reported left and right — murdering babies and enslaving inmates.

While his country is suffering, he enjoys a very luxurious lifestyle. He boasts North Korea’s finest wine cellar, containing 10,000 bottles of expensive wine. He also purchases bottles of Hennessy Cognac worth $700,000 every year. He had also spent more than $20 million on 200 Mercedes Benz S500 sedans added to the country’s pile of 7,000 Mercedes. He is also a huge movie fan with a collection of over 20,000 tapes.

Craziest quote: “National defense is the sacred duty of the young and all other people. “

Craziest moment: He showed off his country’s nuclear power by conducting two rounds of missile tests on July 5, 2006. The tests received immense negative reactions from the international community. But hey, it actually worked for him! Haha. Clever.

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Status: My legs are numb.
Music: Sober - Kelly Clarkson

After getting stuck in the capital city for more than two weeks (I don’t have cable TV there), I’m finally back here in my hometown where I get to have my daily dose of HBO, National Geographic, and the most important channels for me right now, CNN and BBC. And it’s not just because of their hot correspondents. (Oh don’t get me started with that, I can talk about it all day. Max Foster. Colleen McEdwards. Hotness. And John Vause, marry me. Hehehe.) Of course, I need to be completely aware of the going-ons in the international scene for my Foreign Service career path.

Anyways, besides the devastating quake in Peru, two things caught my interest and they’re about two different farmers in the land down under, Australia.

OK, the first one. David George, a 53-year old farmer was forced to spend an entire week (yes, every minute of every day of it) up a tree in a remote crocodile-infested swamp where crocs stalked him until he was rescued. Wow. Talk about patience. Everyone, give him a round of applause. I can’t even imagine myself being stranded in an island! But this guy, he spent a week up a TREE. Damn! Very admirable. But no, I won’t try it. I mean, take away my TV and I won’t stop ranting. But up a tree? Where you can’t do practically anything pleasurable. (Other than jacking off, that is.) And not to mention the hungry maneaters waiting for you to just give up and fall. Gawd. And he’s 53-years old.

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Status: Off to Israel… Kidding
Music: Shoulda Woulda Coulda - Beverly Knight

No, I’m not encouraging you to go to that Maxim party. (It’ll be in New York, hello!?) I want you to look at the woman on that poster. She’s one of the female (former) Israeli soldiers to grace Maxim’s cover this July. (Yes, she’s a soldier. Really. I swear.) There’s nothing controversial about it really EXCEPT for the fact that it is sponsored by the Israeli government itself. And why the hell is Israel doing this? Well, they say, to promote a positive image of the country. Hehehe. You think it’s absurd? Welcome to the club!

The rationale: the Israeli Consulate in New York found out that, apparently, Israel, as a nation, was not particularly well-regarded in the United States and was perceived as “too religious and too militaristic” by the 18-35 male demographic. So, they felt they had to do something about it, and *surprise, surprise* they thought, “We’re not just about guns and Hanukkah. We got pussies, too! Hot pussies! Hot military pussies! Oh yeah! The damn tourists will be flooding our airports soon.”

Of course, this “hot” move by the Jewish nation was not that hot or may be too hot for some people. Protesters claim that the Israeli government is resorting to pornography and trying to sell sex to promote tourism. Oh, protesters, shut up, will ya? It’s not everyday that we see hot bikini-clad Jewish soldiers. (Kidding. Shoot me.)

I can imagine myself talking with a friend:

Yoshke: Hey, I’m going to Jerusalem!
Friend: What for? To see the light?
Yoshke: Not really, dude. No light. Just heaven.

And this reminds me of a marketing gimmick by an airline in Ecuador, where they offer free bikini and swimsuit shows on board. The aisle is the runway, of course. And you can get this close to the models. That airline has already reported a significant increase in bookings. And again, I can imagine:

Yoshke: Let’s go to Ecuador.
Friend: And why? There’s nothing much to see there.
Yoshke: It’s not the destination, man. It’s the journey.

It’s funny how we use women to generate profit. States and businesses alike. It’s funny. But it’s pretty sad, too. Really.

Status: Amused
Music: Fly By - Blue

I know this issue is so not new especially here in the Philippines and also in the US, but I would just like to talk about it now that Europe is finally noticing what we’ve been laughing about (/ at). Anyway, are you aware that the Polish government tries to ban the hit television programme for kids Teletubbies? Why, you ask? Because they say that this show promotes homosexuality. Poland’s government has always been conservative when it comes to gender issues (to the point that it’s been dubbed homophobic) so this did not come as a surprise to me when I first heard about this on CNN about a month ago. But I really find this issue so interesting and somewhat amusing. They have a point, though. I mean, just look at Tinky Winky (see pic, left). Tinky Winky, the largest of all the teletubbies, is a male character, yet he always carries that red woman’s handbag. Not to mention he’s sooo purple. Ehehe. You think I’m kidding? No. I’m so damn serious. Poland’s Children’s Ombudsman Ewa Sowinska said that Tinky Winky’s purse could be a latent sign of homosexuality, and that the show may have some kind of hidden sexual subtext. No wonder some gay communities use Tinky Winky as an icon. Years ago, the late Jerry Falwell, an American fundamentalist pastor and televangelist, had criticised this show long before this issue sparked in Europe. Thank God Jerry Falwell is dead, that avaricious chauvinistic feminist-hater, homophobe, hatemonger, son-of-a-bitch. (Sorry, I got carried away.) And oh, can somebody tell me what Po’s gender really is? You know, the red tomboyish-acting one. Hehehe.

Anyway, I was also able to watch a Democratic Presidential Debate (I love watching and hearing the liberal Democrats argue. I also watch the damn conservative Republicans but all I could do everytime is either cringe or puke.) When the issue on the lifting of the ban on gay men and lesbians in the US military was brought up, I liked what former First Lady Hillary Clinton said:

“You don’t have to be straight to shoot straight.”

Very well said, Senator. Were I an American, I’d vote vote for you. Too bad I’m not American. (Damn, what have I said? I’m soo happy I’m not, actually.) Hehehe.
*Photo courtesy of bbc.co.uk