Ireland & the USA:

The Superioress and Sisters of The Magdalen Asylum ... very earnestly beg the support of the liberal and kind-hearted to help them with the upkeep of the Institution for 130 Poor Penitents, who receive a home within its walls.

This scandal has been running for many years now, and still nothing has been done.
However, it now seems to have finally attracted international attention.

The brutal treatment of girls over many years is enough to make almost anyone weep.
And brought to you as a public service(!), by your present author.


Much work has been done in this field by a survivor Mary Therese O'Loughlin who went through the Goldenbridge Bead-Factory - a similar slave-labour camp.


Also a hat-tip to the magnificent work done over, and over the years, at the Butterflies and Wheels web-site

Read more:
Will Ireland Apologize to the Women of the Magdalene Laundries?—TIME World, 4th July 2011.

Germany: Lufthansa is one of the sponsors of several "Christopher Street Day" (LGBT Pride) events around the country, and is offering a number of special deals should you wish to travel to any of the cities around those dates. One Catholic extremist "news" service is upset at this, and is not content with simply making a few snide comments about cabin crew. No, according to Kreuz.net, flying with Lufthansa could give you AIDS! Let me translate:

Travel advisory to passengers on the German airline: the upholstery and interior of the aircraft could be infected with HIV. Families and children are particularly vulnerable.

No mention is made of the cooties that could leap out at your delicate regions from the toilet seat.

Fans of the outrageous will be pleased to note that this religious group goes on to compare Lufthansa to another organisation from German history. Yes, that one:

Lufthansa marches the German goose-step in the gay parades in Berlin, Munich, Stuttgart, Frankfurt and Hamburg....

In the Berlin homosexual parade — reminiscent of the Nazi Party rallies in Nuremberg — the homosexual mayor Comrade Klaus Wowereit will ride on a ridiculous vehicle also marred with Lufthansa logos.

Love the mixed metaphors there, and I'm hopelessly disappointed that they forgot to rant about the presence of the Orden der Schwestern der Perpetuellen Indulgenz.

Die ‘Lufthansa’ stürzt ab—Kreuz.net, 27th June 2011 (with thanks to Schwester Aura Scortea Beneficia)

• Northern Ireland: Protestant pastor vows to fight against gay sauna in Londonderry—PinkNews, 8th June 2011.
• Malawi: Malawi 'witches' face old law—Manilla Bulletin, 8th June 2011.
• Zimbabwe: Lupane woman jailed for witchcraft—NewsDay, 7th June 2011.
• Zambia: Woman murdered on witchcraft suspicion—Lusaka Times, 7th June 2011.
• Lebanon: Lebanon Ban Lady Gaga’s New Album—Pattaya Daily News, 8th June 2011. Because it is offensive to Christianity, and no doubt the most downloaded item there right now!

United States: Yesterday, a story broke about police in Texas digging up someone's garden in search of a mass grave. The lack of details was annoying. Had they been listening to fundies and become convinced of the existence of some murderous Satanic cult? Someone who ought to have been noticed and sent to a secure medical facility some time ago? No-one was saying anything, other than they'd had a tip off.

Today, all has been revealed. The tip-off came from a psychic, and the police are not amused about having their time wasted.

Captain Rex Evans, spokesman for the Liberty County Sheriff's Office, said the woman, who twice called in the tip, would be investigated for making a false report.

Evans said the tip-off had to be taken seriously because children's bodies were claimed to be in the property. The department called the FBI for help, and Texas Rangers spent hours obtaining a warrant to search the one-storey brick home at a rural crossroads near Hardin, about 51 miles east of Houston.

Something the news reports don't make clear—did they actually dig, or do police have access to geophys these days?

'Psychic' tip-off sparks police hunt for mass grave in Texas—The Guardian, 8th June 2011.

England

Lorraine Mbulawa, 19, escaped jail after judge Mr Justice Keith accepted the girl had such strong beliefs in witchcraft and evil that she was acting upon what she was told to do by spirits.

The court heard how all her family, including her mother, believe in the occult and did not blame her for what she had done.
AND
In delivering his verdict Mr Justice Keith told Leeds Crown Court: She believed spirits can enter the body and make you do things that otherwise you would not have done. Her beliefs could have made her think she was possessed by evil spirits at the time.

If this ruling is allowed to set a precedent, then no-one is safe, even sleeping in their beds. It is clear that not only is the verdict perverse, but that the relevant judge is clearly unfit to preside over any sane court.

Mercy for witchcraft girl 'told to stab mother'—Daily Telegraph, 26th May 2011.

Russia:

Vladimir Putin has become the object of veneration for a bizarre Russian all-female sect

AND

"According to the Bible, Paul the Apostle was a military commander at first and an evil persecutor of Christians before he started spreading the Christian gospel," the sect's founder, who styles herself Mother Fotina, said.

"In his days in the KGB, Putin also did some rather unrighteous things. But once he became president, he was imbued with the Holy Spirit, and just like the apostle, he started wisely leading his flock. It is hard for him now but he is fulfilling his heroic deed as an apostle."

My brain hurts - does yours?

All-female sect worships Vladimir Putin as Paul the Apostle
—Daily Telegraph, 19th May 2011.

• Sweden: Drunken chaos mars Walpurgis celebrations—The Local, 1st May 2011
• Uganda: Uganda gay activist Kasha Jacqueline Nabagesera hailed—BBC News, 4th May 2011
• Scotland: Hydro plan 'threatens' Perthshire pagan shrine—BBC News, 4th May 2011
• Iran: Iran Christians Facing Trial For “Activities Against Order”—BOS News Life (note this is a Christian source), 4th May 2011
• United Kingdom: Church-run state schools have reached the end of their term—The Guardian (comment), 3rd May 2011
• United Kingdom: Aliens watching Ashbourne rugby?—Ashbourne News-Telegraph, 4th May 2011
• South Korea: The body of a man with his hands and feet nailed to a wooden cross and a crown of thorns on his head has been found in an abandoned South Korean stone quarry. Crucified man found in South Korean quarry—The Guardian, 4th May 2011

• United States: Man believed his Pasadena landlord was warlock, killed him—Baltimore Sun, 27th April 2011
• Nepal: Woman battered on witchcraft charge cries for justice—República, 28th April 2011
• Kenya: Woman Hacked to Death Over Witchcraft Suspicion—Nairobi Star (via allAfrica.com), 27th April 2011
• United Kingdom: UFO hovered over Will-Kate wedding venue, shows video—Mangalorean, 28th April 2011

England: This is the first paragraph.

It is curious that atheists have proved to be so intolerant of those who have a faith, He said.

As opposed to those having faith persecuting, lets see:
Women, jews, other ("the wrong" sort of christian/muslim) believers, "witches", scientists, or anyone who asks awkward questions, presumably.

Your author would love to accuse the smug and ignorant Patten of lying, but he cannot.
That is because Patten has been so obviously completely brainwashed by the all-encompassing propaganda of the RC church that it is plain that he is simply deluded.

Unfortunately this delusional has-been has just been appointed chairman of the BBC trust!

Lord Patten attacks 'intolerant' secularists
—Daily Telegraph 24th April 2011.

• Greece: Arsonists attack Corfu synagogue at start of Passover—The Guardian, 19th April 2011
• England: Presenters prepare for Flora Day—BBC News, 19th April 2011
• A timely reminder that Hot Cross Buns are nothing to do with Christianity. Consider the hot cross bun—The Guardian, 19th April 2011
• Nor are Easter eggs. What about Easter, the Bunny and the Egg?—The Bahamas Weekly, 17th April 2011
• And especially not the Easter Bunny! Who is the ‘Osterhase?’—, 14th April 2011
• United Kingdom: Some people are getting married soon. BEWARE: Prediction spells doom for Royals—Vexnews, 19th April 2011
• India: Techie couple wakes up to witchcraft outside home—Bangalore Mirror, 19th April 2011
• United States: Psychic Could Not Foresee Her Own Arrest—LAist, 19th April 2011
• United States: John F. Kennedy requested UFO files 10 days before his assassination—abc15, 19th April 2011

• India: Fourth murder in as many days by superstitious fuckwits. Another woman killed for suspected witchcraft—Assam Tribune, 18th April 2011
• England: A vicar and a druid involved in an event to celebrate Malvern's holy wells. Procession will celebrate town's water heritage—Malvern Gazette, 18th April 2011
• United States: An academic study of an Hispanic healing tradition. Anthropology professor explores curanderismo—The Ranger, 18th April 2011
• Israel: French solution proposed to Israel's modesty dicksizing Jewish women. France’s Ban, Israel’s Problem—Forward, 18th April 2011

Today's stunning bargain is this Mercury Retrograde Spray from the Daily OM. It can be yours for a mere $17.95 for a 4oz bottle, which translates as nearly 11 quid for 113.6ml. So, what does this remarkable substance do?

The Mercury Retrograde Balancer Spray is a tool to help influence the powerful positive and negative mental and energetic effects of Mercury retrograde.… To Use: Spray around yourself and your home and work space to protect you from the negative effects of Mercury in retrograde.

Apparently, when Mercury goes retrograde one often feels mentally wobbly, forgetful, and introverted. Mentally wobbly enough, it seems, to buy something like this!

Thanks to Geri Corvus for drawing this fabulous product to my attention. The site also looks like it will feature in Bargain of the Day in future.

Poland

The letter from Gliwice diocese also warned that in the best-selling books the “dangerous world of magic is presented as good”
And:
“Teachers and parents should teach children to go the Lord Jesus if they have problems, and not seek help and answers from fortune telling,”

As opposed to the fairy-tales of the Catholic church, one presumes?

Harry Potter books 'unacceptable’ because they encourage magic
—Daily Telegraph, 16th April 2011.