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Re: What news story has caught your attention recently?

Postby Moon-Crane » Fri Dec 06, 2013 12:18 am

Not particularly unexpected, but quite sad to see the death of a historic icon in Nelson Mandela.
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Re: What news story has caught your attention recently?

Postby CatNamedRudy » Fri Dec 06, 2013 1:07 am

Moon-Crane wrote:Not particularly unexpected, but quite sad to see the death of a historic icon in Nelson Mandela.


Quite sad. He was a mover and a shaker for sure.

I was surprised he didn't die earlier this year when he was hospitalized for so long.
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Re: What news story has caught your attention recently?

Postby Bee Gees Fan » Fri Dec 06, 2013 3:11 pm

Yes, it's sad to hear the news of his death. He hung on for a good while. Obviously a fighter.


A rather sick one this - Ian Watkins guilty of attempts to rape a baby, as well as other sex offences involving young children.

http://news.sky.com/story/1173936/lostp ... e-attempts

Although Watkins is quite rightly being excoriated for his behaviour, what's also appalling is that the mothers of the children were also involved:

The charges included sexually touching a one-year-old and encouraging a mother to abuse her own child during a webcam chat. Watkins also admitted possessing and making child abuse images as well as being behind the plot to rape the child.


The court heard he plotted the abuse with two mothers in a series of text and internet messages. The women were described in court as Woman A and Woman B for legal reasons.

Watkins and the woman exchanged emails about how they would not go "easy" on the child next time.

Ian Watkins trial
Watkins admitted 11 charges
The court also heard details of a plot to turn babies in subservient sex slaves using hard drugs.

...Watkins and Woman A swapped messages where they discussed plans to blow crystal meth smoke into the child's face at a secret meet-up in a Cardiff hotel.

On March 23, Watkins sent the woman a message saying he wanted a "summer of filthy child porn" and how he wanted to take things "to the next level" and spoke of a desire to "cross the line".



I hope those children are being kept far, far away from their mothers.
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Re: What news story has caught your attention recently?

Postby Moon-Crane » Sat Dec 07, 2013 6:34 pm

Quite like a few of the lostprophets songs. A shame for the rest of the band that people are unlikely to give their catalogue any future airplay because of what's happened with watkins.
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Re: What news story has caught your attention recently?

Postby Bee Gees Fan » Wed Dec 11, 2013 3:04 am

Moon-Crane wrote:Quite like a few of the lostprophets songs. A shame for the rest of the band that people are unlikely to give their catalogue any future airplay because of what's happened with watkins.


I'd never heard of him (or the band) before his crimes were made public. And I agree, it's a shame for his fellow bandmates that they will also have to be tainted by this; they've done nothing wrong, and, as you say, will probably receive no future recognition now. I can well believe that they had no idea of Watkins' proclivities - people can be very good at hiding certain sides of themselves.

It seems hard to know how many children were victims of Watkins, as obviously the media loves to sensationalise these stories, but he's said to have claimed to have raped a five-year-old, and, as we know, he's pleaded guilty to attempting to rape a baby. Perhaps there are other children who have suffered - I'd hope not, but it seems he's been into this for several years now, so who knows?

In the case of the infant(s?), I only hope that as they're so young, they'll have no memory of the abuse, and thus will probably not be affected by it in later life. If he's abused children who are old enough for it to be a conscious memory, I suppose they'll be scarred for life. I presume they'll be given therapy, though.

Mind, I sometimes wonder how much it helps. According to research I've read, it seems most children who are sexually abused suffer quite a lot as adults - flashbacks, guilt, etc - and seem to have a high depression and suicide rate. I suppose good therapy helps, but either way, it seems sex abuse messes you up for life.

Something I'd don't quite understand is why the child victims of sex abuse blame themselves. Surely, as they age, they can come to understand that the adult is the responsible party, not them, and the abuse is entirely the adult's fault. Yet a lot seem to have immense feelings of guilt and shame. If they could just put those to rest, it might help them.

Like I said, I still find it shocking that mothers were so willing to surrender their children up to him. What kind of parent willingly gives up their child for abuse? I know it's a cliche, but some people should *never* have children.

As someone who's presumably a bit of a fan, MC, how surprising were the revelations about Ian Watkins? Is it/was it completely unexpected?

I also found his alleged quote about not "going easy" on the child rather disturbing - if he said that, it shows he had no care or regard for the child at all.
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Re: What news story has caught your attention recently?

Postby Moon-Crane » Sun Dec 15, 2013 11:19 pm

Bee Gees Fan wrote:As someone who's presumably a bit of a fan, MC, how surprising were the revelations about Ian Watkins? Is it/was it completely unexpected?

Don't know anything at all about him or the other band members. I own a couple of albums and i like a handful of songs. That's it.

Can't remember the last time i listened to any of their songs but it won't stop me listening to any of their stuff in the future.

I don't get particularly surprised by anything that comes out in the news about anybody.
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Re: What news story has caught your attention recently?

Postby Moon-Crane » Wed Feb 12, 2014 9:20 pm

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Re: What news story has caught your attention recently?

Postby welshben23 » Thu Feb 13, 2014 12:17 am



:lol: Is it wrong that I laughed a lot?
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Re: What news story has caught your attention recently?

Postby Patrick » Thu Feb 13, 2014 6:29 am

MacGruber... :D
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Re: What news story has caught your attention recently?

Postby CatNamedRudy » Fri Feb 14, 2014 1:33 am

welshben23 wrote:


:lol: Is it wrong that I laughed a lot?


Is it worse that I laughed at the fact that you laughed? :lol:
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Re: What news story has caught your attention recently?

Postby Patrick » Fri Feb 14, 2014 6:41 am

CatNamedRudy wrote:
welshben23 wrote:


:lol: Is it wrong that I laughed a lot?


Is it worse that I laughed at the fact that you laughed? :lol:

I take my laughing very seriously.
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Re: What news story has caught your attention recently?

Postby Moon-Crane » Fri Mar 14, 2014 12:31 pm

Sad to see old Labour MP, Tony Benn, has died. Excellent speaker and great campaigner.
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Re: What news story has caught your attention recently?

Postby CatNamedRudy » Sat Mar 15, 2014 3:32 pm

This whole Malaysian Airline thing is just bizarre. It's "Lost" in real life!
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Re: What news story has caught your attention recently?

Postby Wyokie » Sat Mar 15, 2014 7:24 pm

CatNamedRudy wrote:This whole Malaysian Airline thing is just bizarre. It's "Lost" in real life!


I was thinking the same thing. Hollywood couldn't come up with a script this bizarre!!!!!! That's saying something!!!!
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Re: What news story has caught your attention recently?

Postby Bee Gees Fan » Thu Apr 10, 2014 2:43 pm

http://spiritualityhealth.com/articles/surviving-prison#sthash.FhxzFaNe.uxfs

This is quite a lovely story of a guy who was imprisoned at the age of eighteen for some murders that he didn't commit. (His interest in the occult was something which biased law enforcement against him.) He was on death row, no less, but was finally released from prison in 2011 and now teaches workshops on energy healing and reiki. He relates how his study of spirituality, mysticism, magick and occultism helped him survive prison.

It's a heartwarming story with a positive outcome, but how sad that there was such prejudice against occultism (and those who practice it) that he ended up being jailed for so long for murders he was not responsible for. The prejudice still exists, unfortunately, though I would like to see it wane in my lifetime.


Suffering from severe nerve damage in his teeth as a result of repeated beatings in prison, Echols was unable to eat or sleep without pain. After two years of agony, he finally reached a breaking point and decided to try something new. He filled a glass of water, took it in his hands, and began “charging” it with healing energy—the way a Reiki practitioner might channel energy into a patient’s body. After years of studying the principles of magick, Echols knew the exercise was worth a try. “There’s something about water,” he says. “Water and quartz crystals hold energy.”

After an hour of concentrated focus, Echols drank the water, draining the glass. To his astonishment and exhilaration, the pain disappeared. In that moment, he felt the foundations of his world shift. “It was like, oh my God, I’ve been lied to since birth about what’s possible,” he says in a husky whisper. “It was an epiphany. That’s when I realized I can do anything. There is nothing you have to be scared of.” Echols began spending hours each day practicing complex magickal rituals. He learned how a pattern of walking, chanting, and performing certain invocations in his cell could create an energetic vacuum in him that would allow him to draw in pure, white energy. Or he might recite incantations invoking the archangels to wrap himself in a healing gauze of light. “It’s like lifting weights,” he says of building up the mental endurance necessary to perform these ancient and demanding rituals. What started as one- or two-hour sessions grew into an eight-hour-a-day spiritual discipline.
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Re: What news story has caught your attention recently?

Postby Bee Gees Fan » Tue Apr 29, 2014 5:47 pm

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2014/04/28/citing-religious-freedom-nc-clergymen-sue-state-for-right-to-perform-same-sex-marriages/

Christian clergymen in North Carolina sue the state for denying them their right to perform same-sex marriages for couples in their congregations. While equality for gay people is of course the major issue, this also highlights the more minor but still important problem that barring gay marriage also interferes with the rights of religious people who WANT to perform same-sex marriages. It is not the government's place to dictate to clergymen who they can and cannot marry.

Reverend Joe Hoffman, a plaintiff, states that he is often asked to perform same-sex marriages by members of his church, and that - "my denomination - the United Church of Christ – authorizes me to perform these ceremonies. But Amendment One denies my religious freedom by prohibiting me from exercising this right.”

The First Amendment to the constitution clearly states that there shall be no law "prohibiting the free exercise thereof" of religion. The refusal of the state to recognise same-sex marriages is prohibiting the free exercise of clergymen to perform Christian marriage ceremonies for gay couples and is therefore unconstitutional.
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Re: What news story has caught your attention recently?

Postby Moon-Crane » Tue Jun 10, 2014 11:14 am

Fair play to him, BGF. Hopefully shouldn't be too long before it's no problem at all for him anyway. Judges are striking down the bans on same-sex marriage state by state. Funny seeing the idiots go apeshit crazy about the changes. So many arguments being repeated from the days when interracial marriages became legal. And of course the noise is about how it's wrong for these judges to interfere with state laws and pass laws that they dislike, while it's perfectly laudable for those same judges to pass laws they find agreeable.

Only thing we have to watch for is the time it takes before religious preachers change their position and tell everyone that their holy book of choice has always been supportive; that you can happily belong to their particular religious denomination and be accepting of marriage between Humans of any gender.
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Re: What news story has caught your attention recently?

Postby Moon-Crane » Tue Jun 10, 2014 11:19 am

Very sad to hear of the untimely death of actor/comedian Rik Mayall :( Only 56.

As Colin Grigson, he was part of my favourite Comic Strip shows about fictional heavy metal band, Bad News
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Re: What news story has caught your attention recently?

Postby CatNamedRudy » Wed Jun 11, 2014 2:02 am

Speaking of striking down the bans on same sex marriage: Wisconsin's was struck down last Friday. One more state says "Yes" to Marriage Equality!
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Re: What news story has caught your attention recently?

Postby Patrick » Wed Jun 11, 2014 8:34 am

CatNamedRudy wrote:Speaking of striking down the bans on same sex marriage: Wisconsin's was struck down last Friday. One more state says "Yes" to Marriage Equality!

Good for you guys! The sooner you are rid of this biblical prejudiced nonsense, the better. The ancient Greeks were open minded about homosexuality. It's all the Judeo-Christian crap that put us in the terrible situation we were in for centuries. Centuries of oppression and torture of the different, thanks to the "compassionate" Christians and the likes.
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Re: What news story has caught your attention recently?

Postby Moon-Crane » Wed Jun 11, 2014 12:50 pm

There're plenty of wingnuts fighting hard against human progress. Has anybody seen the Texas Republican Party's manifesto? :lol: They are insane.
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Re: What news story has caught your attention recently?

Postby Wyokie » Wed Jun 11, 2014 1:02 pm

Moon-Crane wrote:There're plenty of wingnuts fighting hard against human progress. Has anybody seen the Texas Republican Party's manifesto? :lol: They are insane.


LOL That's nothing. There's a guy here in Oklahoma running for state office who believes we should execute ALL homosexuals. :roll:
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Re: What news story has caught your attention recently?

Postby CatNamedRudy » Sun Jun 15, 2014 12:53 am

Wyokie wrote:
Moon-Crane wrote:There're plenty of wingnuts fighting hard against human progress. Has anybody seen the Texas Republican Party's manifesto? :lol: They are insane.


LOL That's nothing. There's a guy here in Oklahoma running for state office who believes we should execute ALL homosexuals. :roll:


Is he the guy that said he wouldn't put a bill like that forward but he would certainly support one if it was put forward? I'm sure he calls himself a good "Christian" man too. :roll:
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Re: What news story has caught your attention recently?

Postby Wyokie » Sun Jun 15, 2014 2:48 am

CatNamedRudy wrote:
Wyokie wrote:
Moon-Crane wrote:There're plenty of wingnuts fighting hard against human progress. Has anybody seen the Texas Republican Party's manifesto? :lol: They are insane.


LOL That's nothing. There's a guy here in Oklahoma running for state office who believes we should execute ALL homosexuals. :roll:


Is he the guy that said he wouldn't put a bill like that forward but he would certainly support one if it was put forward? I'm sure he calls himself a good "Christian" man too. :roll:


IDK but it does sound like him. As for the bold....Welcome to Oklahoma. Here they break every one of the Ten Commandments during the week then on Sunday, ask for forgiveness to God then, go right back at it again, the day after, breaking the Ten Commandments.
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Re: What news story has caught your attention recently?

Postby JT » Thu Jun 19, 2014 11:15 pm

CatNamedRudy wrote:Speaking of striking down the bans on same sex marriage: Wisconsin's was struck down last Friday. One more state says "Yes" to Marriage Equality!


I can't wait to start my movement for marriage between man and reptile. Marriage 'Equality'! (or at least polygamy. Why not.).
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