Jodistrict

It works on my computer. There is no paywall. Russell Brand has been quietly moved to a lower-security prison, which offers inmates activities including yoga, choir and indoor bowls. Brand, who was convicted of raping one woman and sexually assaulting three others, has been transferred from Wandsworth jail in south London to HMP Littlehey in Cambridgeshire, a category C prison for 1,200 inmates, nearly all of whom are sex offenders. Prison insiders suggested that the move, first reported by The Sun, might be linked to concerns about Brand’s safety and his assessment as a low escape risk. They suggested his categorisation and subsequent move were quicker than normal, although not exceptional. Brand, who was jailed for 10 and a half years, is said to have asked for extra blankets on his first night at Littlehey. The move came only five days into his sentence, which was handed down last Monday. Prisoners can play football and bowls at HMP Littlehey, while origami classes, yoga and choir sessions are also laid on for inmates. There is an astroturf football pitch, two gyms and two sports halls at the jail. Helen Whately, the shadow work and pensions secretary, said the Conservatives would be asking questions in Parliament about why Brand had been moved to a category C prison. “I think about how the people who’ve been abused by him feel about that,” she told GB News. “He was given a serious sentence for a serious crime. Justice should be done.” Brand is said to be housed in a single-person cell on the prison’s E Wing, where inmates spend their early weeks. So far, he has had no contact with any of the other 1,200-odd inmates, almost half of whom are older than 50. Max Clifford, the disgraced celebrity publicist, and Barry Bennell, the convicted paedophile, who molested dozens of children in his role as a football coach, both died in Littlehey. Brand’s wife Laura Gallacher, 39, can visit him once a week but faces a 180-mile round trip from their £5m Oxfordshire home. She and her born-again Christian husband moved there from Florida before his trial at London’s Southwark Crown Court. Brand was convicted of sex offences against four women from 2004 to 2009 and is expected to serve two-thirds of his prison sentence before being released on licence. He will be on the sex offenders’ register for life. The former actor and presenter has since been accused of sexual misconduct and predatory behaviour by six more women. The new accusations include allegations from one woman who claimed Brand had sex with her without her consent, and apologised afterwards. The woman, who said she had had an on-off relationship with Brand in the late 2000s, said the comedian had continued to have sex with her despite her saying: “No, stop.” After the alleged incident, the woman said Brand had apologised to her in person and by text message.

"Russell Brand has been quietly moved to a lower-security prison, which offers inmates activities including yoga, choir and indoor bowls." https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/11/15/brand-quietly-moved-low-security-prison-with-yoga-classes/

This is an excellent question. The nondualists look at it from the first person and say that the scientific theory is only another thought in your mind. So they deny the validity of objective reality as knowledge. For a more detailed discussion see works by Greg Goode. The Ancient texts didn’t have science so they don’t talk about it. I personally think the explanation is too simplistic. Somehow they both have to be true.

And his millions of followers convince him that he is right. It is one hell of a trap to get out of.

It depends on the person, Russell Brand needs suffering to wake him up. But it is up to him. He could end up doubling down.

For me the only reason is a path to direct experience.

As stated in the Four Noble Truths, the Buddha taught a method to end suffering, focusing like a laser beam on this single issue. He avoided unproductive discussions of metaphysics, a stance illustrated in the famous Parable of the Poisoned Arrow. In this story, the Buddha compared metaphysical speculation to a man shot by a poisoned arrow who refuses treatment until he knows the archer's name, caste, and village. Thus, the Buddha maintained that belief in a creator God is not necessary for liberation, offering instead a path emphasizing total personal responsibility to liberate oneself.

In Hinduism, the view supports a particular practice for self-realization. The view of Vedanta supports a renunciation practice. Tantra supports living in the world. Thus, all views are valid. Pantanjali’s Yoga Sutras is dualistic, but if you read the entire sutras you will discover that it leads to non duality.

The judge went over the top with his eloquent speech. Precise and clear, the opposite of Brand’s word salad. He is Sir Joel Bennathan - knighted by the Queen in July 2023. In the trial, he dotted every i and crossed every t. I don’t see an appeal’s court overturning his decision. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joel_Bennathan

This is a cultural thing. There are other cultures that don't mak a big deal out of age. My ex-wife is 20 years younger than me.

"Watch this powerful documentary, Meditation in Progress: The Dhamma Brothers, showcasing the impact of Vipassana meditation on inmates in an Alabama prison. See how meditation transforms their lives, providing a rare look into the challenges faced by the inmates."

This is the text of the “Soldier’s Declaration”, written in 1917 by Siegried Sassoon, who had distinguished himself for bravery in combat in World War I . “I am making this statement as an act of wilful defiance of military authority, because I believe that the war is being deliberately prolonged by those who have the power to end it. I am a soldier, convinced that I am acting on behalf of soldiers. I believe that this war, upon which I entered as a war of defence and liberation, has now become a war of aggression and conquest. . . . I have seen and endured the sufferings of the troops, and I can no longer be a party to prolong these sufferings for ends which I believe to be evil and unjust.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siegfried_Sassoon

One thing to keep in mind is that at that time there was no such thing as a “world” war. They had no idea what they were getting into. It was a militaristic culture and it was assumed there would be a conventional war that would be resolved. Technology had created an integrated world that created unknown consequences.

This is a big difference in actual practice. For example, Vedanta (and Buddhism) are both body negative. In Buddhism there are meditations to contemplate how disgusting the body is. Tantra is body positive, everything about the body is divine.