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Subscribe to RSSBUCHAREST, Romania - Two self-professed witches were detained in Romania on blackmail and extortion charges on Wednesday in a high-profile case involving a TV star and reportedly other public figures.
Police spokesman Christian Ciocan said the two women — who go by the single names of Melissa and Vanessa — approached public figures promising to help them overcome work or love difficulties, and help them break curses.
He said the women initially charged very little, but then, as their victims became hooked on their services, increased their prices.
Ciocan cited one case where the victim — who later publicly identified herself as TV personality Oana Zavoranu — handed over euro450,000 (US$593,000) in cash and property in exchange for spells.
He said the witches practiced voodoo, and sacrificed animals in graveyards and near rivers, claiming this would protect Zavoranu from her mother and in-laws who had put a curse on her.
The witches, however, claim Zavoranu is being vengeful because she asked them to cast a spell on her mother that would kill her, but the mother is still alive.
The ex-wife of businessman Cristi Borcea, one of two owners of Romanian football team Dinamo Bucharest, was also cited as a victim, but she has neither confirmed or denied the case.
Ciocan said if the victims tried to cease payment, the two women would threaten to put a spell on them, or disclose details of their personal lives.
A court ruled Melissa and Vanessa will be released later Wednesday, awaiting trial.
Many people believe in witchcraft in Romania. President Traian Basescu and his aides have been known to wear purple on certain days, supposedly to ward off evil.
Romania has recently been trying to introduce legislation to limit witchcraft. This month, lawmaker Nicolae Paun, who represents the Roma, or Gypsies, in Parliament, said legislation must be enacted to stop what he called "backward practices."
Most self-professed witches in Romania are Roma.
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It seems like the perfect juncture between capitalism and superstition. The girls are just raising their prices based on supply and demand just like the big corporations do. I find it a stretch to call it extortion; if people are stupid enough to pay that kind of money for something useless, that is their loss. However, threatening people with potential harm if they refuse to pay does cross the line. What the world needs is a good dose of education and enlightenment; it's unbelievable that people still believe in this nonsense.
Seems to me this person, Oana Zavoranu, ought to be arrested. Hiring someone to kill your MIL, no matter the method, is fairly serious. :O
The Dungeon Masters Guide clearly outlines the price for various spells based on the spell level and the level of the spell caster.
What we should be worried about is Romania possessing WMDs. If these are fifth level mages, we need to send in UN Inspectors to look for large amounts of bat guano used to cast Fireballs. Sure, it has a 3 segment casting time, but 5d6 can kill most first level NPCs. Unless the mother-in-law has done some adventuring or has a high Constitution she could be in serious danger even if she made her saving throw.
Of course, this is assuming Romania is still a backwards country using Second Edition AD&D rules.
Defend America: BRILLIANT. Thank you.
The performance of spellcraft is nothing more than the manipulation of energy and it is no more nonsensical to some people than believing in a mythical creator living in a mythical location with the exception that energy can be manipulated but the myth cannot be proven.
They didn't stress this enough in the story.
In Romania they take this witchcraft stuff seriously. Mind as well be paying for indulgences from the Church during the middle ages. It works about the same.
Are you all crazy? Look at the Harry Potter craze that ALL our kids are into. They are waving imaginary wands and broomsticks while utterring the nonsense that the character Harry Pottter & the girl Herminey or something go around mouthing!
Not only that, even the Bella and her moonshine or whatever that book & movie is called. Some teenagers have been going into graveyards looking for their fancy bloodsuckers!
Defend America, assuming all that sh&t you said about D&D is for real, i must also assume that in knowing so much about it you have played it and/or currently indulge leading me to the further assumption that you are still a virgin, aren't you?
Lily Harim -
Believing that people can cast spells that have tangible effects in the material world is exactly as ignorant as believing in gods, angels, and demons.
Magic is not science, it's supersitious nonsense that confuses the gullible, and weak-minded. You can no more manipulate your environment with a spell than you can with a prayer, both of which are nothing more than mental constructs. There is no magic, no psychic powers, no ghosts, no elemental spirits, and no souls.
Well gee ZEN, just because you say it's so it must be so. Who pee'd in your coffee this morning?
Unfortunately, no matter how you say it, you can neither prove nor disprove that any of those things exist, so calm down. People are going to believe whatever they want, including me, so stfu before I cast a spell on you and your little dog too!
Defend America, do not answer Lily Hiram as she may be a witch looking for a virgin to gain some kind of super natural powers.
Lily Harim -
You seem to mistakenly believe that all arguments are equally valid. They are not.
You state that supernatural matters can neither be proven to exist, or not exist. You are incorrect.
Science regularly broadens our understanding of how the universe operates. Using scientific testing methods, magic spells and psychic phenomena are regularly debunked.
The James Randi Million Dollar Paranormal Challenge offers $1,000,000.00 to anyone who can prove the existence of supernatural phenomena under controlled observation.
No one has ever claimed the prize. If you are so sure that your spells are anything more than silly flights of fancy, I encourage you to step up and claim your million dollars.
@Zen. Just because YOU can't see it doesn't mean it's not there. some proven Laws of physics were less then a few centuries ago considered magical. Hell, look, you're on a machene that might have gotten you charged with witchcraft less then 100 years ago. less then 300 years ago, Electricity couldn't be proven! Just because Science hasn't caught up yet doesn't mean it won't. We all know that Energy doesn't decay, so what happens to the human energy when the body is gone? I actually feel sorry for you considering your views. Is life as empty as I believe it to be without belief? I'm a scientific mind indeed, I've been into astrophysics since middleschool, But that doesn't stop me from believing in the unnamable Ether as well. As a matter of fact, My mother is a powerful medium and a weather witch (Every city in the winter getting snow when she visits I find is more then coincidence my friend. She made it snow in Arizona) and I, as well as enjoying scientific proofs I can find, Have my own proofs, Such as the fact that I am a very good Aura reader (as in, I've not made a mistake yet, and I'm Definately not observant enough to be faking that.) Really, all I'm trying to say is that your Nothing but science mind is fine for you (cynicisim my shorten your lifespan however) But please, Let those of us with enough proof to our faiths. as the great douglas Adams once said, On god "I cannot prove that I exist, as Proof denies faith, and without faith I am nothing" you cannot PROVE faith, and just as a hardcore believer would see proof where there is none, a hardcore NON-believer would deny proof if it were ever presented.
How do you become "hooked" on coughing up money to cast spells for you? Some people will believe anything.
Yes they will. That is why we are losing rhinos and other endangered species at an alarming rate.
A local woman had been calling one of the psycho ... er, psychic ... hotlines a few years ago. Apparently, this psychic told the woman she was going to die, so the woman took a handful of prescription meds and offed herself. Self-fulling prophecy.
Careful out there kids. It's a crazy ass world.
WOW. I thought Mississippi was backwards! Man, these people are ignorant. Mysticism doesn't really work, but of course when you're talking about an immaterial service that produces immaterial results you can say whatever you want about it and no one can prove you wrong. It's like proving God doesn't exist. You can't do it, but by the same token you can't prove that God does exist either. Same thing with magic, there is a lack of supporting evidence to indicate its veracity.
Seriously though people, do you drive a car to work, or do you fly a broom? Do you meet on internet forums and chatrooms, or do you do your social networking on the astral plane? Do we use telephones to communicate with each other, or telepathy? Point blank science and technology work repeatedly, reproducibly, and predictably. Magic doesn't. Period. No one should waste money on this con artist crap. That's all it is.
Look up the term kyonin no jutsu. It's the use of people's superstitious and religious beliefs to manipulate them. That's what's going on here.
Darrel B., one of the reasons my wife explained in court for divorcing me was because a psychic told her it wouldn't work. I let her have the divorce, I prefer sanity in my relationships.
The world is a strange place
It's people who are strange!
When you're a stranger...
puff puff pass
"The uneducated and the misinformed are easily led astray." -- John Mellencamp
"stupid is as stupid does" - Forrest Gump
"The name's Bond, James Bond" - Sean Connery
"There's a sucker born every minute." PT Barnum
"Oshi bobbo doddo" Jim Carrey
"I'll get you my little pretty; and your bank account too!!"
More power to them. Idiots deserve to be fleeced.
Just an FYI here... The most fundamental rule amongst people who practice witchcraft (Wicca) is "Do as ye will, save that ye harm none."
In other words, practice your magic as you feel it works, as long as you you don't use it to harm others. Most "real" witches don't charge for their services either. Just not good form, as they say. Rather like asking a Catholic priest to hear confession and then having to hand over your Visa card first. Just not done.
A lot of folks feel that magic is a natural force in the universe like gravity or other scientific principles, just one area that has little scientific study. For example, if you could time travel and go back to a century before Marconi built his radio, turn on Your Radio, you would hear static and there would be RF energy out there. How would you explain that to people of say the 16th century? Magic you say?
These two witches violated a lot of ethical and magical rules in trying to hurt someone. Arrest and jail is part of the result.
Try taking two of the little yellow pills tomorrow.
Why, would the yellow pills make me believe in all the Jesus hocus-pocus? Since when is one "magic" any more "valid" than another?
@Happster:
Would you have said the same thing if she'd mentioned a hypothetical bearded man in the sky who, if we don't appease through promises of unfailing belief in his existence and good behavior, will allow bad things to happen to us now and after we die?
ALL world religions sound a bit ludicrous if you look at it from an outsider's point of view, so before you suggest someone take "little yellow pills" for their beliefs, maybe you should consider your own. Honestly, grow some tolerance and quit trolling.
You forgot - there a white (good) witches and black (bad) ones. No racial pun intended.
Until it gets proven under controlled laboratory conditions, I refuse to believe in something as far-fetched as witchcraft.
Until it gets proven under controlled laboratory conditions, I refuse to believe in something as far-fetched as
witchcraftChristianity.And why should these idiot "victims" be protected from their own stupidity?
They have buyers remorse
Witches in Romania and a witch gets beheaded in Saudi Arabia. Yes, the world has come far. I am waiting for Perry or Bachmann to make a speach concerning the danger of witchcraft to the U.S. Remember Americans still spend more money on astrology than they do astronomy. All this crap about witchcraft, vampires and zombies has gone overboard in the U.S. and probably much of the world. Spells do nothing, good or bad. No such thing as vampires and never was. If vampires existed, human beings would have become exinct thousands of years ago. The puffer fish is behind the zombie idea. People who are dead for a few days are not coming back alive. All this is silly superstition and should have died out many years ago. Sorry Wicca people, your religion is phony and has no connection to religion practiced by people in pre Christian Europe. Yours was invented in the late 1800's. However, your beliefs are no more farfetched than people who think someone can walk on water or a woman who is a virgin give birth to a baby.
Harry, as long as Christine O'Donnell is around I doubt that you'll hear Bachman or Perry making any speeches about witches.
Sorry, you are wrong on one count, there are vampires, they just are not undead and do not have razor sharp fangs. Some are people who dress in costume and drink each others blood, the rest are politicians and bank CEO's.
Harry, last time I checked a religion was not set on a timetable. A religion can be invented today, if that's the choice of the advocate. Believing (or not) is simply a personal decision. It usually gives comfort to the believer. If it instills fear or hatred, it's not worth following (but that's just me.) Vampires, zombies, the undead are all a genre in the fictional realm. On the other hand, connecting with our world, other people, our heritage are all real. Using those connections (in a positive way) can lead to a fulfilling, spiritual belief system.
Does this qualify or quantify all beliefs? No, but it's how some of them get their starts. I won't deny anyone the comfort they seek by believing in something a little more existential than what they can touch and see in the corporeal world. Yes, we can live in a solid black and white world; but I prefer a little color in mine.
They sound like wonderful capitalists. I am surprised they are not American, they are religious and greedy.
religious and greedy huh?
trust me, these traits are not exclusive to the US. Go spew your anti-american speech somewhere else.
Again, what a LOAD.
Sounds like they work for this fool. I bet this gets a spell put on me.
Benet, you hit on an unfortunate truth. I guarantee that if you grew up in the South you would know about family members who gave lots of money to some kind of preacher after being softened up for a period of years. If you got to church, guard your wallet!
Tetrapoda, what type of guarantee were you offering? I grew up in the south and know of no family members being bilked by a preacher. Not everyone in the south is gullible.
@Erock17..hehe. So like conservatives to tell someone with an opposing view to leave a country that was founded on free speech. It seems the only rule you people admire is the right to bear arms, this follows your desire to have religious freedom (for just your religion). Then you can use your weapons to take away the freedoms of others and make them believe in your baby jesus.
Benet what is the religion of conservatives? Just wondering.
@WeAllHaveOpinions - You ask that question as if they are not generally tightly coupled. Conservatives generally believe in an imaginary being of some sort, someplace after they die where things are better than here, and that for those that do not believe as they do the universe has some nasty plans...etc All of this goes to justifying their actions, and is used to subjugate others into their thrall.
just like a liberal to take a point out of context.
please explain where i said you need to leave this country. You act like greed is an american trait.
IT IS A HUMAN TRAIT!
Americans are just better at it because we have more stuff.
Such a shame... all these comments and I bet not one of you has ever been to Romania.
I haven't but my husband lived there for 9 months or so about 8 years ago. He loved it. He said the people there were some of the kindest and friendliest he had ever met. I wish I had been able to go but just couldn't make time away from work. One of my biggest regrets.
There's nothing wrong with a few well done spells. If it works then that's great. If it doesn't you are free to try something different. Unless these people held a gun to their heads, it can't be extortion.
For those who would criticize and ridicule the religious beliefs of others, you should be aware that such ridicule and derision usually comes back to haunt you. It's no surprise that a lot of liberals are critical of religion and the religious beliefs of most who believe in anything. The fact is that there beliefs work for them. There is no objectivity to measure it. Now, politics and economics, on the other hand, is a completely different matter. It does seem that the less one believes in Gods and other spiritual matters the more they believe in politicians and government. It's no coincidence that the dems are less likely to believe in Gods and more likely to want the government to have more power. This is so even though history is replete with example after example of the complete and utter failure of such socialist types of systems. Such systems are "belief" systems, not unlike religion, but with objective proof of their failures. So, it seems to me that the real fools are those who believe the government is the answer.
yawn. . .zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
asknreceive1-1054310
"yawn. . .zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz"
Just look in the mirror?
witchrunner -
"For those who would criticize and ridicule the religious beliefs of others, you should be aware that such ridicule and derision usually comes back to haunt you."
How so? Please explain to me anything is going to "come back to haunt" me.
"It's no surprise that a lot of liberals are critical of religion and the religious beliefs of most who believe in anything."
I think that you will find that, statistically speaking, those who tend towards political liberalism are better educated than those who tend towards political conservatism. I think you will also find that the better educated tend to be more critical of religion (and other superstitions) than the less educated. Ergo, your observation that "a lot of liberals are critical of religion..." is correct, but probably not for the reasons you would attribute.
"The fact is that there beliefs work for them."
Please define what you mean by this. How does lying to oneself benefit you? How does suppressing one's reason in favor of a delusional worldview make your life better?
Zen: Sorry, haven't found any liberals to be too well educated. Sure, they may have degrees galore, but that doesn't mean they are educated. The sad fact is that libs usually turn to name calling and other diversions before they provide logical arguments to support their beliefs. You are a case in point. Your post offers absolutely no support that liberalism is superior to being conservative. At least you don't provide any argument in support of how government is the superior way to go. I guess you are correct that being critical of others won't come back to haunt you. You don't care whether you are right or wrong. You are right, people without a conscience generally don't care what others think of them or even whether they are just full of hot air or not.
"The sad fact is that libs usually turn to name calling"
...says the person who just ranted that libs are uneducated and buy degrees they didn't intellectually earn, lumping everyone who's part of a group you don't like in together. Seriously? How can you post ridiculous crap like this with a straight face? Oh, wait, because there is no face... this is faceless ranting. There's nothing like anonymous rudeness, stupidity, intolerance, and hate, huh? You'll notice MY real name is on this post. So blow it out your tailpipe, witchrunner.
It seems there ought to be a way to arrest the fools who thought these women could actually cast a spell.
this just seems like a case of a fool and their money shall soon part.
EXACTLY!!!!
The tv personality should be arrested for stupidity. If you are handing over this amount of money just because you think you are cursed, thats your problem! Don't waste taxpayers money on a ridiculous lawsuit. The "witches" did nothing wrong!
Something similar happened in this country awhile back. One of those television preachers claimed he'd be "called to God" if they didn't raise $1 million. Did he get arrested for fleecing people? I really don't see any difference between that and charging for protection spells.
A true witch (person who practices Wicca) would not "charge someone" for a spell to be cast. Wiccans first rule is to harm none-thus they would not cast a spell to hurt a person. It's BS like this story that create prejudice.
LOL at "true witch"
Laugh all you want. Your religion isn't all that far, chronologically, from when it was the hocus-pocus practiced by uneducated invaders who fell under the spell of a sky king. No religion has any claim to anymore validity then any other does, and you would be good to recognize that. Just because more people believe in one line of BS doesn't mean it's not still a line of BS.
No where in the article did it say these particular witches were Wiccan. Wicca is not the only form of magic so your comment in and of itself is BS. The tenet of WICCA may be to harm none, but that is not the tenet of many other magic based religions.
Lily Harim -
It doesn't matter one bit. Wicca, or not, it is not real. Every spell-caster on earth could bring the magic to bear against someone (me for instance), and it would have no effect because magic isn't real. You can't will something to happen. You can't beseech a spirit to intervene.
The only harm a person can do with a spell, is to their own credibility.
Totally worth the price if it keeps the inlaws away!
What a LOAD.
Thank you for sharing. Now flush.
Christine O'Donnell (remember her?) would be advised to not visit Romania any time soon.
Another story from the shallow end of the gene pool...
"In view of the fact that God limited the intelligence of man, it seems unfair He did not also limit his stupidity." Konrad Adenauer
spells are B S - they do not work ... i have been disproving 'spells' for years ... there are no quick fixes to your problems and if anyone is dumb enough to believe handing over money to another will solve their problems deserves to be taken by these con artists
Sounds like a good episode for Two Broke Girls.
sarah palin had a christian witchdoctor/pastor perform a ritual to prevent her from being hurt by witchcraft. its on youtube. so it must be real.
Did Christine O'Donnell, making the news again? I try tell her not do to that. But she wouldn't listen.