'It's far more widespread than anyone knows': Inside the evil world of cat torture as thousands tune in to watch felines being brutalised for entertainment online
'It's like hell on earth,' says Lara Taylor, who guided me into this world, a nightmarish online place where cats are brutalised for fun, sadism, psychosexual pleasure and money.
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Daily Mail
3 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Who was Sylvia Browne? Truth behind viral 'world's worst psychic' and her wild predictions
TV psychic Sylvia Browne, who gained nationwide infamy for her wildly inaccurate predictions to the families of missing children, has gone viral yet again. Thanks to a steady flow of appearances with Montel Williams and Larry King, she was massively popular, with a years-long waiting list for phone consultations and fans willing to pay thousands of dollars to go on a cruise with her. Browne died in 2013 at the age of 77, but during the COVID-19 pandemic she became a phenomenon again online, where no less than Kim Kardashian shared a quote that many readers regarded as prophetic. 'In around 2020,' Browne had written in her bestselling 2004 book End of Days: 'a severe pneumonia-like illness will spread throughout the globe, attacking the lungs and the bronchial tubes and resisting all known treatments.' Now social media users are sharing clips of her, this time mocking her as an alleged grifter who said the 'wildest nonsense' that she pulled 'out of thin air.' But who was Sylvia Browne, the smoky-voiced, platinum blonde media magnet whom one critic branded the 'world's worst psychic'? Born Sylvia Celeste Shoemaker in 1936 in Kansas City, she claimed to have seen visions since she was three years old during the Great Depression. After she spent 18 years teaching at a Catholic school and trained as a 'trance medium' on the side, she became a professional psychic in 1973. By the 1980s, she had fashioned herself into a charismatic media figure, thanks to her blunt sense of humor, her gravelly voice and her distinctive appearance: a fuller figure topped by an extravagantly made-up face and platinum hair with fringe. In the 1990s she was a regular on The Montel Williams Show, and she also frequently appeared on Larry King Live and the late-night radio show Coast to Coast AM, which specialized in conspiracies and the paranormal. Her sprawling enterprise included several bestselling books in which she professed an ability to see into the future and the afterlife, plus cruise ship appearances, 30-minute phone consultations costing $750 a pop, her own gnostic church and even a murky gold-mining venture that led to her conviction of securities fraud in 1992. But she was most notorious for the jaw-droppingly incorrect predictions she delivered to frantic families about the fate of their missing children. In 2004 on The Montel Williams Show, Browne told Louwanna Miller that her vanished daughter Amanda Berry was 'not alive, honey,' adding: 'Your daughter's not the kind who wouldn't call.' Miller said she believed the medium '98 percent,' and died of heart failure in 2005 - eight years before her daughter escaped years of captivity by Ariel Castro and was found alive, in a case that inspired a media frenzy. 'Only God,' said Browne in her defense: 'is right all the time.' In 1999 on The Montel Williams Show, the grandmother of a six-year-old Texas kidnap victim called Opal Jo Jennings pleaded with Browne: 'I can't stand this. I need your help, Sylvia. Where is Opal? Where is she?' 'She's not dead,' said Browne. 'But what bothers me - now I've never heard of this before - but she was taken and put into some kind of a slavery thing and taken into Japan. The place is Kukouro.' Kokouro, Japan does not exist, and Opal's remains were discovered in Texas, with the pathologist saying she was killed the night of her abduction. In 2002, Browne told the mother of a missing woman named Holly Krewson that her daughter was working as a stripper in Hollywood. Four years later, the dental records from human remains that had been found in San Diego in 1996 were used to identify the deceased as Krewson. In 2003, four months after 11-year-old Shawn Hornbeck disappeared in Missouri, Browne told his parents on The Montel Williams Show that their son was dead after being abducted by a dark-skinned man who had dreadlocks. Shawn Horbeck was discovered alive in 2007 in the apartment of one Michael J. Devlin, who is white and had short hair. The incident prompted the first of Browne's four husbands Gary Dufresne, whom she divorced the year before she became a professional psychic, to give an interview to a website called and openly accuse her of being a fraud. He recalled a tarot party she gave during their marriage, after which he supposedly asked her: '"Sylvia, how can you tell people this kind of stuff? You know it's not true, and some of these people actually are probably going to believe it." And she said: "Screw 'em. Anybody who believes this stuff oughtta be taken."' After his interview, Browne shot back that he was 'a liar and dark soul entity, but at least the a**hole gave me children,' via Jon Ronson's profile of her in the Guardian. Disgruntled exes aside, she was a persistent target of the skeptic movement, particularly one of its best-known figures, retired stage magician James Randi, who made a crusade out of debunking psychics. In response to his criticisms, Browne audaciously announced that she would accept Randi's million-dollar challenge to submit to a scientifically controlled experiment in which she would have to prove she was a real medium, but she later backed out. The Skeptical Inquirer released a study of 115 of her predictions about murder and missing persons cases, and found that out of the 25 instances when the truth had been discovered at all, Browne had not been right even once. Fans have also sniggered at her false predictions online, including one who posted a 'fraud montage' of some of her lowlights to YouTube several years ago. One woman on The Montel Williams Show told Browne that she 'lost my boyfriend tragically' and he was 'never found,' to which Browne said: 'The reason why you didn't find him is 'cause he's in water.' 'Well, it was September 11. He was a fireman,' the woman explained. Now clips of Browne are once again flying around social media, and a new crop of viewers are reacting with incredulity to her onscreen antics. One showed a woman discussing her mystery illness, and without even hearing any of her symptoms, Browne confidently advised her to 'look for lupus.' An Instagram user posted a clip of a woman almost crying as she discussed a childhood dream that had stalked her thoughts into adulthood. 'Can you tell me the dream, honey? 'Cause I can't read your mind,' said Browne. 'I've recently started rewatching Sylvia Browne, and I swear, this woman would just stare at you and say the wildest nonsense,' wrote an X user over another video. That footage showed Browne confronted by a woman who said: 'Almost a year ago my little nephew had a very violent death. Can you tell me why?' 'Honey, I just got through telling you, it's because it was his time to go,' Browne said, deploying her reputed powers of farsightedness. 'It was his time. He was like an angel that came passing through and then went out.' She then gruffly asked: 'What is this about, that he couldn't breathe? What is that?' and the woman fought back tears as she replied: 'His lungs were blown out.' 'Well, that's why he couldn't breathe,' Browne managed to divine. Browne died of heart failure in San Jose, California in 2013 at the age of 77, a decade after she predicted on Larry King Live that she would live to be 88.
Daily Mail
7 hours ago
- Daily Mail
I love my dad so much I can't bear to think he'll die one day. I'm grieving him while he's still alive. I want to hug you, writes BEL MOONEY... here's the frank truth
Dear Bel, I am in the States, found you online and admire your takeaways on life.
Daily Mail
7 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Nearly 90 per cent of young men feel entitled to a woman's affection if they are kind to them - as 63 per cent say they agree with the views of Andrew Tate in shock survey
Almost 90 per cent of young men say they feel entitled to a woman's affection if they are kind to them, a shocking new study has found. The research has uncovered a worrying trend among 18-25-year-old men and follows several high profile cases of murderers who were inspired by the rhetoric of self-proclaimed misogynist Andrew Tate. Kyle Clifford, who raped and murdered his ex-girlfriend Louise Hunt along with her sister and their mother Carol, was obsessed with the former kick-boxer's videos. And he is certainly not alone, as the study revealed that more than half of 18-25 year olds confessed they agreed with controversial influencer. The misogynist, who has been charged with a string of offences including rape, human trafficking, controlling prostitution and actual bodily harm against three women - all of which he denies - has attracted an army of fans in recent years. The influencer uses his platform to peddle conspiracy theories including that women are only interested in 20 per cent of men – a view shared by 55 per cent of young men. A staggering 46 per cent of young men confessed to agreeing with some of Tate's views which include that women are 'intrinsically lazy' and there is 'no such thing as an independent female'. He has also previously said that women should 'bear responsibility' for any sexual assault. Despite wider condemnation for such statement, 17 per cent of men said they strongly agreed with the ideas he promotes on social media. Tate has been accused of feeding in to incel culture - a mainly online community of those who identify as involuntarily celibate. Those who consider themselves incels claim to be unable to find a romantic or sexual partner and the growing subculture is characterised by misogynistic language, the objectification of women and the idea that men are entitled to sex and female attention. And the shocking data shows a rise in how widespread aspects of the incel culture is with more than a third of those asked, confessing that Tate has influenced how they perceive women. Of those who did agree with Tate, almost nine out of ten young men said they felt they had the right to a woman's affection or attention simply by being kind to her while half of those asked revealed they felt overlooked and ignored by women. When thinking about heterosexual relationships, 47 per cent felt that 'the man should lead, and the woman should follow' and thought it was essential for men to be considered strong and stable as half of all 18-25 year olds asked thought that vulnerability is a sign of weakness in men. Fears around relationships was also highlighted as a key issue with 36 per cent worrying that they won't find a woman who wants to be with them in the future, despite more than half having felt at some point entitled to a women's attention or affection after being kind or generous to her. But concerns and worries they may have around relationships are not things that young men felt comfortable talking about with 42 per cent of men saying they would rather anonymously share their opinion on social media or seek guidance from male influencers rather than voicing concerns with family members. More than a third put that down to feeling that there weren't any clear role models for young men and as a result they turned to figures such as Tate. Almost three quarters of those who felt they lacked a male role model agreed with all or some of Tate's views and 62 per cent of them would turn to male influencers or social media instead of talking to friends and family. However, more than two thirds believed that men have a clear role and space in today's society and world. Despite this, many confessed they felt uncomfortable talking to their family members and especially their parents about their problems because it had changed the way they viewed women. A staggering 66 per cent of those asked believed their relationship with their parents had impacted their attitude towards women. Following influencers such as Tate's views also meant that 41 per cent strongly disagreed that Bonnie Blue is a good role model for women. The controversial porn star, who claims to have had sex with 1,057 men in one day, has openly discussed that she believes feminists have become lazy in their relationships and condones extra-marital affairs. She and Tate also appeared on a podcast episode together earlier this year where they discussed sex, relationships, porn and attitudes towards women. Discussing the findings, Leading Conscious Relationship Coach, Lorin Krenn, who commissioned the study said: 'It is extremely concerning how social media is impacting young men's attitudes towards women. 'Social media has replaced family, mentors and real-life connections as the main influence in young men's lives. The most extreme voices are dominating that space. 'Figures like Tate tap into real pain in men, but instead of helping them grow, find their place in today's world, they turn that pain into resentment towards women. That is not empowerment. 'Tate does not help heal insecurities. He exploits them, offering young men an enemy instead of a solution. 'Half of respondents admit to feeling dismissed or overlooked by women because of who they are, which is another of Tate's conspiracies. 'One third recognise how Andrew Tate has influenced how they perceive women. The true number is likely higher, because many do not even see how they have been influenced. 'It is evident how deeply toxic this ideology has become.' He added: 'This is not just about misogyny - it is about the loss of healthy, grounded masculinity. A strong man does not demand a woman's attention. He earns respect through presence, integrity, and strength, and he honours her autonomy.' Worryingly 36 per cent of young men feared they won't find a woman who wants to be with them in the future, despite feeling entitled to a woman's affection (Stock image) The survey results come after the Netflix smash hit Adolescence. The four-episode programme follows the Miller family, whose lives are torn apart when their 13-year-old son Jamie is arrested for stabbing a female classmate to death after being influenced by online misogyny. In a bid to tackle more young men flocking to Tate and absorbing incel culture or acting out violently towards women, schools are planning to give students anti-misogyny lessons in the wake of the Netflix show. The classes form part of the government's new relationships, health and sex education (RHSE) guidance, which will be introduced before the end of the academic year. the impact of the show was evident and 60 per cent of those interviewed in the study said that Adolescence changed how they perceive children's access to social media. It comes after Sir Keir Starmer revealed at Prime Minister's Questions on Wednesday that he was watching the mini-series with his two teenagers - and that he backs the show creators' calls for it to be shown in parliament and schools. Though Labour's classroom guidance is still being developed, it is understood to include content to 'support healthy relationships', to 'enable schools to tackle harmful behaviour and ensure that misogyny is stamped out and not allowed to proliferate', an insider source said, the Times reported. From as early as primary school, children will be encouraged to 'express and understand boundaries, handle disappointment and pay attention to the needs and preferences of oneself and others', with content modified for older children to reflect the 'real-life complexities of romantic and sexual relationships', the source added. Lorin provides identity and relationship coaching and his next event, Evolve is taking place in London on October 3rd 2025.
