FG is Charlie - April 2015

FRIENDS GAZETTE
Your articles look at moral reasons for being vegetarian
or vegan which is a very interesting mix and unique
Tim Barford - VegFestUK founder

APRIL 2015

ISSN: 2053-4426
E-mail: friendsgazette@gmail.com - Tel: +44 (0) 7710 692550 - Victoria, London SW1P 1HJ - Tavel 30126, France

100s sign
up to read

Crackdown on
the
trademark
Pledge to maintain standards amidst claims items slipping through net

FRIENDS GAZETTE reader

numbers got a welcome boost
at the Brighton VegFest last
month.
For hundreds took the
opportunity to sign up to
receive the i-mag directly into
their email boxes every month.
Said one signee: Ive always
wanted to see vegan and
vegetarian issues dealt with in
detail. Theres lots going on
that we just dont know about.
Really important stuff.

THE VEGAN society has renewed its

pledge to crackdown on those who
break its trademark rules and send in
the solicitors when necessary.
The distinctive trademark (shown
above) is designed to tell consumers
that a product is free of all animal
ingredients
and
animal
tested
ingredients and processes.
But some claim a number of products
are slipping through the net and gaining
the trademark despite containing traces
of dairy or other non-vegan ingredients.
Speaking in the strongest possible
terms the society's trademark boss
George Gill told FG he would "revoke"
the licences of those who broke the
rules and "send in the solicitors" to halt
any infringements.
In an exclusive interview with FG Gill,
head of business development, said:
Yes, we would, definitely. Even revoke
the licence, when asked what he would
do if a trademarked product was found
to contain milk or dairy.
And he added: Where we are not
getting any joy we would find out which
country it is based and then we would
get our international solicitors involved.
Its an infringement of our trademark.
1

George Gill

So theyre breaking the licence

agreement rules.
And referring to companies who use
the symbol without ever having
applied for it he said: If we dont get
any joy within, say, seven working
days then well just involve the
solicitors.
His comments come as Food Allergy
and Intolerance Inc. an internet blog
said recently: Many manufacturers
make 'vegan' claims alongside a p.6

FG is Charlie - April 2015

Most VegFest visitors

eat compassionately
MORE than 8,000 people who
came to last month's blockbuster
VegFestUK were vegetarian or
vegan because they didn't want to
hurt or kill 'other living creatures'
a survey has revealed.
The figure comes as thousands
flocked to the VegFestUK festival held
in Brighton, a town fast becoming the
veggie capital of Britain.
According to figures taken by the
organisers 87.31% of the 10,000 visitors
were vegetarian or vegan on compassionate grounds; they didn't want to
inflict harm on other living creatures.
The number was well ahead of those
who were concerned about the
environmental impact of eating meat
and dairy, 33.50%; thought vegan
diets were good for my health,

The FG stand at the

Brighton festival

24.87%; were concerned about

people going hungry and thought
vegan diets were better for
sustainable global food production,
17.26%; and whose partners or family
were doing the same, 3.05%. Other
remarkable facts to emerge from the

survey were that after going to

VegfestUK Brighton those considering
reducing their meat intake were
40.74%; going vegan 22.22%; doing
nothing 18.52%; going vegetarian
14.81%; and reducing their dairy 3.7%.
Visitors were also asked: If youre
considering changing your diet, which
of the following reasons would be the
closest descriptions?
These responses too reflected a high
concern for the life and well-being of
animals killed for food: Im looking to
improve my health, 75.00%; Im
concerned about the environmental
impact of eating meat and dairy,
45.83%; I dont want to inflict harm
on other living creatures, 41.67%;
Im concerned about people going
hungry, 25.00% and my partner/family
is doing the same, 12.50%.

FG is Charlie - April 2015

God, not religion - the

new British creed

Special report by
FG investigative
team

MORE people in Britain think

spiritual enlightenment is possible
than not, a recent study shows.
And another study has revealed that
half those questioned said they
believed in some kind of spiritual
being or essence.
The first study carried out by the
well-known polling company YouGov
found that despite overall
scepticism, there is still a tendency
to say that spiritual enlightenment
probably is possible (38% compared
to 30% who say it probably is not).
And it also revealed that: Most
British (54%) people say they are not

very spiritual, however a sizeable

minority say they are (41%). Women
(49%) are more likely than men to
be spiritual (33%).
The second ComRes poll - which
confirms a trend identified in
several previous surveys - found
that well over half those questioned
(59%) said that they believed in
some kind of spiritual being or
essence. There were substantial,
though minority, levels of belief in
specific concepts such as spirts,
angels and "a universal life force".
Even a third of people who
described themselves as nonreligious were prepared to own up
to having some such ideas, while a
mere 13% - and only a quarter of
the non-religious - agreed with the
statement that "humans are purely
material beings with no spiritual
element". And more than threequarters of the survey agreed that
"there are things that we cannot
simply explain through science or
any other means".
The ComRes survey was
commissioned by the Christian thinktank Theos. Referring to the
hardline atheism of the likes of
Richard Dawkins, author of The God
Delusion, director Elizabeth Oldfield
commented in the New Statesman
recently:
"notable is
that those
same voices
have not
managed to
convince us
that humans
are purely
material
beings, with
no spiritual
element".
And the
paper itself
concludes:
The
Scientologys London implication is
headquarters
that there's a

More than 2,500 people in England and

Wales claim to be Jeddi knights

huge untapped reservoir of spiritual

longing and that it would be wrong to
attribute the decline in religiosity in
this country, stretching back
decades, to a spread in actual
unbelief.
Many now call themselves "spiritual"
but not religious.
Gaetan Louis de Canonville
practises mindfulness meditation in
Richmond, south London. He told the
magazine: "We're not worshipping a
God or paying homage to something
in the sky. It's about learning to
accept things like impermanence and
living in the moment. If you get a
glimpse of how happy you can be by
embracing the moment, all the
chattering of your thoughts stops."
Mike Stygal, a secondary school
teacher who practises paganism in
his private life, believes in a divine
force in nature. He said: "I believe
everything is connected, I feel very
in touch with nature and the
changing seasons. Awe is a page 12

FG is Charlie - April 2015

Death probe
is ongoing
AN INVESTIGATION into the death
of a volunteer at an Indian
spiritual centre in Bedfordshire is
'ongoing' more than a year after
the event.
And an inquest by has been
postponed indefinitely while the
probe continues.
Amrik Blaggan, 57, of Broad
Street, Kidbrooke, south east
London, suffered severe head
injuries in an incident at the Radha
Soami Satsang Beas India UK
headquarters in Haynes Park,
Bedfordshire on Friday April 4th,
2014.
He was flown out by air
ambulance and then taken to
Addenbrookes
hospital
in

Cambridge where he died on

Sunday, April 6th last year, the day
after his birthday.
An inquest opened on April 11th,
2014 at the Bedford Coroners
Court in Woburn Street, Ampthill.
It was adjourned until July
30th when it was due to be restarted but was scrapped.
In an email to FG in February this
year spokesperson Melanie Guess
said: No date for Mr Blaggan's
inquest has been set at this time.
This
month
a
Central
Bedfordshire Council spokesman
confirmed: The death is still the
subject of an ongoing investigation
and we are unable to comment
further at this stage.

On yer bike!

LONDONS Cycle Superhighway came a pollution-free

pedal closer this month as work began on section five
from the Oval to Pimlico.
The work at Vauxhall gyratory, between Vauxhall
Bridge and Vauxhall Bridge Road, Harleyford Road and
Kennington Oval will go on until autumn 2016.
The route is part of a 160m cycleway across London.
The north-south route will stretch from King's Cross
to Elephant and Castle.The east-west route from
Barking to Acton.
All routes could be open by this time next year.

FG is Charlie - April 2015

Vegan choccie
beetroot cake INGREDIENTS

METHOD

100ml rapeseed oil, plus

Heat oven to 180C/160C

fan/gas 4. Grease and
line a deep 20cm
springform cake tin with
baking parchment. Tip
the beetroot into a food
processor and whizz to a
pure. Add the remaining
ingredients, along with
tsp salt, and blend until
well combined.
Scrape into the cake
tin, level the surface and
bake for 50 mins-1 hr or
until a skewer comes out
clean.
Leave the cake to cool in
the tin while you make
the icing.
Put the ingredients in a
small saucepan, heat and
whisk until smooth. Cool
for 20 mins.
Flip the cake onto a
wire rack, flat-side up.
Pour over the icing and
leave to cool completely.
Sprinkle with dark
chocolate shavings (if
using), then serve.

extra for greasing;

175g (drained weight)
vacuum-packed beetroot
(not in vinegar);
175g dark soft brown
sugar;
200g self-raising flour;
1 tbsp baking powder;
50g cocoa powder;
200g 0% fat natural
yogurt;
2 tsp vanilla extract.
For the icing:
100g icing sugar;
50g dark chocolate (at
least 80% cocoa solids);
1 tbsp cocoa powder;
3 tbsp skimmed milk;
dark chocolate shavings
to serve (optional).

Dont snub election

Scots people urged
VOTING is a Christian
duty, church leaders
have said.
The message came
from Catholic church
bosses in Scotland and
was broadcast across
500 Catholic churches in
Scotland earlier this
month.
According to the
Bishops Conference of
Scotland: Casting a
vote is both a civic duty
and a Christian moral
obligation.
The huge turnout at
last year's referendum
was an exemplary
exercise in peaceful and
participatory democracy
and showed how much
the Scottish people care

about the future of our

country and its
wellbeing, they said.
It was also a reminder
of the power that every
citizen has and the
obligation upon us to
use our vote.
The candidates we
send to Parliament [are
our] representatives,
the bishops said.
The values they hold
will shape their
understanding of what is
good for our country.
A general election in
the UK is set for
Thursday, May 5th.
See Friendly Comment
(p8) for FGs take on the
poll and who we think
has the best policies.

FG is Charlie - April 2015

Crackdown on trademark . . .

Cont. from page 1

Veggie breaks in
the south of
France
We can help organise vegetarian and/or
vegan-friendly bed and breakfasts and
recommend restaurants and places to
visit. We even meet and greet at station
or airport.
may contain dairy traces type disclaimer. The
Vegan Society [does not] take issue with this - on
the contrary, they may well license their trademark
to such manufacturers."
And the blog continues: Also catching my eye was
a may contain dairy traces warning sitting
brazenly alongside the word vegan.
And Plamil (the vegan chocolate manufacturer) has
posted on the same blog: Vegan should mean dairy
free. May contain dairy is unacceptable.
This month a spokesman told FG: "If it is possible
to produce chocolate without any dairy content at
all that should be a recognised benchmark, that
should be the vegan standard.
But Gill pointed out that cross contamination
would only affect a handful of products and they
could still be allowed.
They can apply for the vegan trademark. The
cross-contamination, parts-per-million, is untraceable. Youre not going to find a vast amount of
manufacturing appliances which produce a total
vegan [product].
According to the government's own foods
watchdog, the Food Standards Agency: There is no
definition in law of the terms vegetarian or
vegan either at UK or European level.
The agency refers food businesses to the
Vegetarian and Vegan Societies for more
information on the origin of additives, processing
aids and flavourings.
The term vegan should not be applied to foods
that are, or are made from or with the aid of
animals or animal products (including products from
living animals).
Manufacturers, retailers and caterers should be
able to demonstrate that foods presented as
vegetarian or vegan have not been contaminated
with non-vegetarian or non-vegan foods during
storage, preparation, cooking or display, it says.
For full interview with George Gill go to page 10.

CORRECTION
In a photo caption on page 6 of last months
Friends Gazette actress Angelina Jolies name
was mis-spelled. We apologise for this oversight.

To find out more

email: friendsgazette@gmail.com
Or call:

07710 692550

WHY NOT WRITE OR

SELL FOR US AND
BOOST YOUR
PUBLISHING CAREER
Friends Gazette is looking
for reporters and advertising
sales people* to join our
team - the right reward
package and word rate
awaits the right people
Send a covering letter and cv stating
clearly why youd be the right person
for the job to friendsgazette@gmail.com

FG is Charlie - April 2015

TITANIC HERO IS SET FOR

SAINTHOOD
Doomed passengers wave from Titanics
deck oblivious of the peril that awaits

Fr Byles

York to officiate
at his brother's
wedding.
His parish had
organised a special collection to fund
the trip so that he could meet his
family duties.
Eyewitness reports say Father Byles
had celebrated mass (religious
service) for second-class passengers
on the morning of the disaster.

Time and time again they asked him: Father, will you
take this raft? The ship is sinking. And time and time
again he refused saying: My place is with my flock.
A PRIEST who refused a life raft on
the stricken Titanic so he could
comfort passengers could be
recognised as a saint.

Father Thomas Byles, rector of St

Helen's Catholic church in Chipping
Ongar, Essex, was travelling to New

When the ship hit the iceberg and

began to sink, Father Byles was
offered a lifeboat place several times
but he refused, staying on to help
others, hear confessions [hearing of
sins which could keep a soul from
finding rest] and pray with those still
on board.
In the ship's final moments Father
Byles prayed with the 100 plus
passengers trapped at the stern.
Protestants, Catholics and Jews
knelt in the rising waters as he gave
absolution to all.
A campaign for the heroic priest is
underway to open the cause for the
beatification, the first step in a long
journey to declaring someone a saint
in the Catholic church.
His body was never recovered.
(source: Independent Catholic News)

*See separate ad on next page

FG is Charlie - April 2015

FRIENDLY FEEDBACK
Feel strongly about an article or related subject?
Tell us about it now! friendsgazette@gmail.com

FRIENDLY
COMMENT

(Annonymous letters not published but contact details can be witheld upon request).

The media cannot report elections

without being scrupulously evenhanded.

Dear editor,
I found your front page
story last month "France
leads world in vin bio
challenge" of interest.
The French have long
had the lead when it
comes to organic
produce or 'bio' as they
call it.
Could this be because
of the huge subsidies
and other help handed
down by their
government.
Compared with us, I'm
told, it's a huge
advantage and
something our organic
growers find difficult to
compete with.
Perhaps you could consider
investigating?
I would be interested to
discover the true facts.
I enjoy the FG and look
forward to each edition.

I find your magazine

indispensable.
Anthony Bridgeman
Hampstead

Dear editor,
Bridget Murphy
Dorset

I cannot believe you

swallowed all that propaganda
about aspartame. "Aspartame
not health hazard" FG March.
Dear Editor,
Don't you realise that big
food companies are very
I was shocked to read of the
happy to push any research
food poisoning incident at
which backs their point of
Neal's Yard. (FG March 15)
view.
It's somewhere I have used
What about all the cases
since the 60s when
where it's obviously a 'health
vegetarianism was new and
hazard' as you so dismissively
nobody had heard of
put it.
veganism. I remember going
And your comment piece in
down to Covent Garden to
the same edition didn't help
pick up some freshly baked
one little bit.
bread and cakes. You could
I'm really not sure I can
also go upstairs to the
restaurant where we all sat on continue reading your
huge floor cushions covered in magazine if you are simply
going to be a mouthpiece for
brightly coloured Indian
cotton cloths and ate off low, the establishment.
wooden tables.
Diana Ronstadt
Thanks for keeping us
informed of these events.
New Malden
The opinions and views expressed here are those of the authors only. Friends
Gazette does not necessarily agree or disagree with them or any part of them and
apart from Friendly Comment holds no opinions or views of its own throughout.
8

All parties must get equal time in the

interests of fairness.
Except, and it's a BIG except, in the
opinion columns.
Here leader writers can wax lyrical about
which party they reckon would do the right
thing by their readers - and/or their
proprietor/s.
Of course on election day papers like the
Sun and Mirror and often higher up the
register, cleverly move these opinion
columns to the front page with a screaming
headline.
Hence Will the last person to leave
Britain please turn off the lights before
Neil Kinnock's defeat at the hands of John
Major in 92.
A headline which the Sun openly boasted
later won it for the Tories.
But at Friends' Gazette we play by the
rules.
So we're not only putting our election
advice fairly and squarely in the OPINION
column - where it belongs - but we also
have no shadowy backers or proprietors to
please, just you - our readers.
So do the following points ring true with
you?
* a radical transformation of society for
the benefit of all, and for the planet as a
whole;
* a belief that other species are not
expendable
* that the earth's physical resources are
finite
* that our actions should take account of
the well-being of other nations, other
species
* that the success of a society cannot be
measured by narrow economic indicators.
They do with us. And they're all Green
party principles.
That's why we reckon you should:
VOTE GREEN IN MAY!
ED

Spud-u-like
GET all the latest tips on how to grow
your own spuds this year. They taste
better, look better and are better for
you. (See Fleas veggie FG garden, p9).
As well as using her own experience Flea
garnishes (pun intended) advice from other
sources to make sure you get the best upto-date information to keep you growing!
Thanks Flea!
ED

FG is Charlie - April 2015

Fleas veggie
garden
All the tips to keep you growing
THERE is nothing like a
home grown potato.
The taste is fuller,
deeper and generally
much more delicious than
the shop bought variety.
Potatoes don't need heat
so they suit an English
climate very well.
But watch they don't get
sunburnt. If they do they'll
turn green and could
become poisonous. Flea

the base to cover the root

as well as to support the
plant.
This is called hilling. Do it
every couple of weeks to
protect from sunburn.
Dig potatoes on a dry day.
Dig up gently, being careful
not to puncture the tubers.
New potatoes will be
ready after ten weeks,
usually in early July.

Give em the brush off

The eyes have it
Plant seed potatoes
(pieces of whole potato or
a small whole potato, with
at least 2 eyes per piece)
0-2 weeks after last spring
frost. You may start
planting earlier, as soon
as soil can be worked.
Spread and mix in rotted
manure or organic
compost in the bottom of
the trench before
planting.
Potatoes thrive
in well-drained,
loose soil.
They need
moisture, so water
regularly when the
tubers start to
form.
When the plant is
about 6 tall hoe
the dirt up around

Make sure you brush off any

soil clinging to the
potatoes, then store them
in a cool, dry, dark place.
The ideal temperature for
storage is 35 to 40F.
Do not store potatoes with
apples; their ethylene gas
will cause potatoes to spoil.
Whether you dig your own
potatoes or buy them at a
store, dont wash them
until right before use.
Washing shortens life.

CORRECTIONS AND
CLARIFICATIONS
Something not quite right? If you spot
an error, misinterpretation or general
goof-off then get off your backside and
let us know on
friendsgazette@gmail.com

FG is Charlie - April 2015

Being vegan?
Its pretty easy
George Gill has been vegetarian since birth - apart
from a year or so while at university.
He became a vegan after reading lots of books some spiritual. He has been head of business
development at the Vegan Society since 2009 where

he is credited with bringing the society to a muchcoveted position where it sits head and shoulders
above all other global vegan trademark schemes.
Here he talks exclusively about his work with FG
editor, STEPHEN WARD.

How many products currently bear the vegan

trademark?
Its probably about 18-19,000 products. Something like
that.

untraceable. Youre not going to find a vast amount of

manufacturing appliances which produce a total vegan
[product].
Theres probably only a handful, rather than hundreds.
Ive been with this society for approximately six years.
When I say a handful I think three of them actually
closed down. They just couldnt push out the units to
make a profit.

Is it very difficult for people to get that mark?

Its not difficult as long as they meet our criteria which is
that theres no animal ingredients used within that
product and theres no animal testing in the
manufacturing process, and that nothing is mixed, one
ingredient with another, during that process.
If all those ticks are done thats pretty straightforward,
yeah. It does take time to go through the ingredients list.
Do you carry out tests yourself or do you take peoples
word for it?
We have a declaration certificate that needs to be signed
every year by the companies, from the manufacturers.
And audits I have started recently.
They werent available before because of lack of
resources. We are an educational charity rather than a
business training arm.
The bigger the company the more audits that are
available. Usually its within the manufacturing process
which needs to be checked out as well as the ingredients
as well.
There are people who say that there is stuff which gets
through that process. That they still have traces of
non-vegan products, milk and stuff like that, especially
some chocolates. What is your response to that?
It depends in which country you are in. Which countrys
standards you have to abide by. If you are in Europe, or if
youre having your chocolates produced in Europe such as
the UK youre going to have to have your allergy labels
written on the back. May contain milk, may contain
nuts, may contain whatever. They need that. Otherwise
that product is not going to be able to be sold into the UK
market or within Europe.
But does that prevent them from having a vegan
trademark on it?
No, it doesnt. They can apply for the vegan trademark.
The cross-contamination, parts-per-million, is

If theres any likelihood that a product may contain

milk or dairy product is that something you would look
very carefully at in the current light of things, would
you say?
Yes, we would, definitely. Even revoke the licence.
And what kind of products would you say that they
were, chocolates?
Its happened in bakery. Its happened in cosmetics
where clients have used honey. The honey issue would
be that in certain countries such as America they have
vegan certified.
Their rules are that
honey is accepted. In
American books in
cooking and other
publications youll see a
lot of them may use
honey. We make sure
that honey is not in
them [the books we
stock], especially if its
from the US. If it is we
dont stock that book.
And does your policy of
tightening up also apply to dairy?
Yes, dairy is the same, it falls into the same . . . We
have certificates which get signed for crosscontamination by the person whos applying for the
trademark and if its a private label manufacturer or
producer they will also need to sign that because theyre
the ones who are actually using this.
Is that something that you havent done before?
10

FG is Charlie - April 2015

Since Ive joined in 2009 from that point onwards these

declaration forms have been sent out. If its something
before 2009 I wouldnt know.
If you find something thats contravening the strict
vegan laws, what will you do? How will you sort it out?
We would approach the company straight away. We want
to know whats happened. Where does this lie? Is it
something at fault at the manufacturers?
Have the products already been dispatched? Have they
already gone to the supermarkets? Where is this product
at? Where is it misleading? We would investigate
everything? Where we are not getting any joy we would
find out which country it is based and then we would get
our international solicitors involved. Its an infringement
of our trademark. So theyre breaking the licence
agreement rules.
And when will
you start doing
this, George?
As soon as we are
notified about
something unless
we find out at the
time of renewal
or perhaps along
the line. Social
media seems to
be a good tool at
the moment.
There are some
things in the
pipeline or which
have already
been through our system, such as cosmetics, [which have]
already been dealt with, something like two or three
years ago.
Someone might pick that individual product up from the
internet again and say: Look, Ive just found another
product, when actually that product was dealt with a
few years ago.
Excellent. Because its not a question of the Vegan
Society wanting to trademark as many products as
possible. You are intending to tighten up in every
aspect. Correct?
Thats correct. Dont get me wrong. At the same time we
have a lot of companies out there that we are already
dealing with through solicitors who have not applied, who
have not sent their application in.
Who have not actually submitted any ingredients list but
have actually just picked up the trademark and just
inserted it on to their labels and are using this
infringement. [In some cases] we are already aware.
We dont have a dedicated person to do the police work
for us.
As much as we can find which gets told to us whether
its through members, whether its through social media
whatever and we give them the opportunity to take the
products off or quickly submit the application. If we dont
get any joy within, say, seven working days then well
just involve the solicitors and well take it from there.

Not all of them. Some of them are food, beverages, some

cosmetics. Some are not products of any type. Could be
just services. We dont register services.
They are just labelled [with the vegan trademark].
There are definitely cases like that.
How important is it to make sure that products with
your trade mark on are really, really pukka vegan
products, would you say?
100%. Weve got to be 100% in giving that certificate.
Until were satisfied, the client may be upset with us, it
may take us a lot longer to do the checks, until were
convinced, yes, the ingredients in the manufacturing
process and in the filtering process is fine then well say,
ok, you can continue with this now.
Is it difficult to be a vegan in this day and age, with so
many products on the market?
No. Its pretty easy, I would say.
Whats your advice to somebody trying to be a vegan
these days?
I think a lot of is that nowadays you can have diets, just
in general diets there are a lot of products which are just
vegan. But it is unknown. For example if youre having
something where conventionally youd use milk. Youve
got the options of almond, rice, coconut milk or soya milk
and if someone says, well, actually that tastes a little bit
bitter or a little bit sweet, now youve got so many
flavours coming on the market so the availabilitys there
to find one that suits the individual.
The majority of people will have salad with their lunch
or evening meals. Theres a lot on the market which use
the meat replacers now. Maybe 20 years ago it wasnt
available; now in the 21st century so much is available.
And some of the products which are available, texture
wise, theyre so good they could almost be real. You say,
hang on, this is real.
Whats your advice to people who are told its very
unhealthy being vegan. How can you live without
having dairy and animal products? What do you say to
them?
I always say have you ever tried it? How do you know until
youve had an experience of it? Give it a try, say once a
week or something and slowly build up. Its like going to
the gym.
If you went to the gym and youre going to pick up some
weights youre certainly not going to pick up 300kg in one
go. You have to build up slowly.
Or if an individual is asked, look, how many press ups
can you do and they say I can manage five then the next
day they can manage another five, another five, another
five, then eventually they can do 20 or 25 press ups in
one day.

Anything like that in the pipeline at the moment?

I think theres maybe 20 or 30 cases.
Are they all cosmetics?
11

FG is Charlie - April 2015

Greenwich jazz club gig for

sultry Parisenne chanteuse
SULTRY French singer-songwriter Ondine
James is to jazz it up this weekend with a
gig at the atmospheric music venue Olivers
in Greenwich.
Olivers is definitely one of Grenwichs most
hidden treasures, she says on her blog.
Her songs, often more spoken than sung, take
listeners deep inside her world of highs and
lows.
Splitting her life between London and Paris she
writes and sings in English and French and occasionally in Spanish.
Classically trained, she started studying piano
when she was eight. Later on, she studied singing with Abdul Salam Kheir, the great Lebanese
singer/oud player/composer who has an international reputation.
She is inspired by the likes of Brigitte Fontaine,
Edith Piaf, Patti Smith, Juliette Grco, Billie Holiday, Milva and Mercedes Sosa because they
combine a powerful voice with the ability to
move you emotionally.
Songwriting heros include Jacques Higelin,
Jacques Brel, Leonard Cohen, Lo Ferr, Bob
Dylan, Barbara and Serge Gainsbourg.
She has performed in The Cockpit Theatre,
Ronnie Scotts Bar, Charlie Wrights and The
Elgin (London), as well as Le baiser sal (Paris).
She will be at the club in Spread Eagle Yard,
Nevada Street, London SE1 9JL on Friday, May
1st.
Doors open at 8pm. Entry is 8.

Ms Ondine James

God, not religion . . .

from p.3

very good word for how I feel. It's a

sense of deep respect for nature. I
can communicate with the deity."
Bridget McKenzie, a cultural
learning consultant, who does daily
walking meditations said: "It's about
making time to contemplate the
awesomeness of life on earth, the
extraordinary luck this planet has in
sustaining life."
But it isnt all good news for
alternative lifestyles and beliefs.
In the same study YouGov, which
was commissioned to discover what
British people thought about
Scientology, concluded they were
highly doubtful that Scientology
was a real religion.
Sixty-one per cent said it was not
while only 8% said it was. Few
people (25%) knew very much about
it, but those who did were even
more strongly convinced it wasnt a
real religion (79%).

However 2% thought it was more

credible than Christianity, 19% as
credible and 45% less credible.
Scientology was founded in the
1950s by science fiction author L
Ron Hubbard.
The organisation, which has its
London headquarters in Queen
Victoria Street, Blackfriars, claims
that human beings contain the souls
of immortal alien creatures, called
Thetans, which have been
corrupted, but which can be
cleansed with the help of costly
therapy.
Hollywood A-listers like Tom
Cruise and John Travolta number
among its followers.
In the 2011 UK census there were
2,418 Scientologists in England and
Wales, fewer than the number of
people claiming to be Jedi Knights.
In 2008 there were reportedly
25,000 Scientologists in the USA,
according to the research
conducted by YouGov.
12

Winner to be
announced in next
edition of