FG is Charlie - April 2015

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THE VEGAN society has renewed itspledge to crackdown on those whobreak its trademark rules and “send inthe solicitors” when necessary.The distinctive trademark (shown

above) is designed to tell consumersthat a product is free of all animalingredients and animal testedingredients and processes.But some claim a number of products

are slipping through the net and gainingthe trademark despite containing tracesof dairy or other non-vegan ingredients.Speaking in the strongest possible

terms the society's trademark bossGeorge Gill told FG he would "revoke"the licences of those who broke therules and "send in the solicitors" to haltany “infringements”.In an exclusive interview with FG Gill,

head of business development, said:“Yes, we would, definitely. Even revokethe licence,” when asked what he woulddo if a trademarked product was foundto contain milk or dairy.And he added: “Where we are not

getting any joy we would find out whichcountry it is based and then we wouldget our international solicitors involved.It’s an infringement of our trademark.

So they’re breaking the licenceagreement rules.”And referring to companies who use

the symbol without ever havingapplied for it he said: “If we don’t getany joy within, say, seven workingdays then we’ll just involve thesolicitors.”His comments come as Food Allergy

and Intolerance Inc. an internet blogsaid recently: “Many manufacturersmake 'vegan' claims alongside a

FRIENDS’ GAZETTEYour articles look at moral reasons for being vegetarianor vegan which is a very interesting mix and unique …

Crackdown onthetrademark

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

APRIL 2015 ISSN: 2053-4426

Tim Barford - VegFestUK founder

Pledge to maintain standards amidst claims items slipping through net

100s signup to read

FRIENDS’ GAZETTE readernumbers got a welcome boostat the Brighton VegFest lastmonth. For hundreds took theopportunity to sign up toreceive the i-mag directly intotheir email boxes every month. Said one signee: “I’ve alwayswanted to see vegan andvegetarian issues dealt with indetail. There’s lots going onthat we just don’t know about. “Really important stuff.”

George Gill

p.6

FG is Charlie - April 2015

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Most VegFest visitorseat compassionatelyMORE than 8,000 people whocame to last month's blockbusterVegFestUK were vegetarian orvegan because they didn't want tohurt or kill 'other living creatures'a survey has revealed.The figure comes as thousands

flocked to the VegFestUK festival heldin Brighton, a town fast becoming theveggie capital of Britain.According to figures taken by the

organisers 87.31% of the 10,000 visitorswere vegetarian or vegan on compas-sionate grounds; they “didn't want toinflict harm on other living creatures”.The number was well ahead of those

who were “concerned about theenvironmental impact of eating meatand dairy”, 33.50%; thought vegandiets were “good for my health”,

24.87%; were “concerned aboutpeople going hungry” and thoughtvegan diets were “better forsustainable global food production”,17.26%; and whose partners or familywere “doing the same”, 3.05%. Otherremarkable facts to emerge from the

survey were that after going toVegfestUK Brighton those consideringreducing their meat intake were40.74%; going vegan 22.22%; doingnothing 18.52%; going vegetarian14.81%; and reducing their dairy 3.7%.Visitors were also asked: “If you’re

considering changing your diet, whichof the following reasons would be theclosest descriptions?”These responses too reflected a high

concern for the life and well-being ofanimals killed for food: “I’m looking toimprove my health, 75.00%; “I’mconcerned about the environmentalimpact of eating meat and dairy”,45.83%; “I don’t want to inflict harmon other living creatures”, 41.67%;“I’m concerned about people goinghungry, 25.00% and my partner/familyis doing the same, 12.50%”.

The FG stand at theBrighton festival

FG is Charlie - April 2015

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God, not religion - thenew British creed Special report by

FG investigativeteam

MORE people in Britain thinkspiritual enlightenment is possiblethan not, a recent study shows.And another study has revealed that

half those questioned said theybelieved in “some kind of spiritualbeing or essence.”The first study carried out by the

well-known polling company YouGovfound that “despite overallscepticism, there is still a tendencyto say that spiritual enlightenmentprobably is possible (38% comparedto 30% who say it probably is not).”And it also revealed that: “Most

British (54%) people say they are not

very spiritual, however a sizeableminority say they are (41%). Women(49%) are more likely than men tobe spiritual (33%).”The second ComRes poll - which

confirms a trend identified inseveral previous surveys - foundthat well over half those questioned(59%) said that they believed insome kind of spiritual being oressence. There were substantial,though minority, levels of belief inspecific concepts such as spirts,angels and "a universal life force".Even a third of people who

described themselves as non-religious were prepared to own upto having some such ideas, while amere 13% - and only a quarter ofthe non-religious - agreed with thestatement that "humans are purelymaterial beings with no spiritualelement". And more than three-quarters of the survey agreed that"there are things that we cannotsimply explain through science orany other means".The ComRes survey was

commissioned by the Christian think-tank Theos. Referring to the‘hardline atheism’ of the likes ofRichard Dawkins, author of ‘The GodDelusion’, director Elizabeth Oldfieldcommented in the New Statesman

recently:"notable isthat thosesame voiceshave notmanaged toconvince usthat humansare purelymaterialbeings, withno spiritualelement".And the

paper itselfconcludes:“Theimplication isthat there's a

huge untapped reservoir of spirituallonging and that it would be wrong toattribute the decline in religiosity inthis country, stretching backdecades, to a spread in actualunbelief.”Many now call themselves "spiritual"

but not religious.Gaetan Louis de Canonville

practises mindfulness meditation inRichmond, south London. He told themagazine: "We're not worshipping aGod or paying homage to somethingin the sky. It's about learning toaccept things like impermanence andliving in the moment. If you get aglimpse of how happy you can be byembracing the moment, all thechattering of your thoughts stops."Mike Stygal, a secondary school

teacher who practises paganism inhis private life, believes in a divineforce in nature. He said: "I believeeverything is connected, I feel veryin touch with nature and thechanging seasons. Awe is a page 12

More than 2,500 people in England andWales claim to be Jeddi knights

Scientology’s Londonheadquarters

FG is Charlie - April 2015

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Death probeis ‘ongoing’AN INVESTIGATION into the deathof a volunteer at an Indianspiritual centre in Bedfordshire is'ongoing' more than a year afterthe event.And an inquest by has been

postponed indefinitely while theprobe continues.Amrik Blaggan, 57, of Broad

Street, Kidbrooke, south eastLondon, suffered severe headinjuries in an incident at the RadhaSoami Satsang Beas India UKheadquarters in Haynes Park,Bedfordshire on Friday April 4th,2014.He was flown out by air

ambulance and then taken toAddenbrooke’s hospital in

Cambridge where he died onSunday, April 6th last year, the dayafter his birthday.An inquest opened on April 11th,

2014 at the Bedford Coroner’sCourt in Woburn Street, Ampthill.It was adjourned until  July

30th  when it was due to be re-started but was scrapped.In an email to FG in February this

year spokesperson Melanie Guesssaid: “No date for Mr Blaggan'sinquest has been set at this time.”This month a Central

Bedfordshire Council spokesmanconfirmed: “The death is still thesubject of an ongoing investigationand we are unable to commentfurther at this stage.”

On yer bike!

LONDON’S Cycle Superhighway came a pollution-freepedal closer this month as work began on section fivefrom the Oval to Pimlico. The work at Vauxhall gyratory, between VauxhallBridge and Vauxhall Bridge Road, Harleyford Road andKennington 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 Crossto Elephant and Castle.The  east-west route  fromBarking to Acton. All routes could be open by this time next year.

FG is Charlie - April 2015

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Vegan chocciebeetroot cake -

INGREDIENTS

100ml rapeseed oil, plus

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).

METHOD

Heat oven to 180C/160Cfan/gas 4. Grease andline a deep 20cmspringform cake tin withbaking parchment. Tipthe beetroot into a foodprocessor and whizz to apurée. Add the remainingingredients, along with ¼tsp salt, and blend untilwell combined. Scrape into the caketin, level the surface andbake for 50 mins-1 hr oruntil a skewer comes outclean.Leave the cake to cool inthe tin while you makethe icing. Put the ingredients in asmall saucepan, heat andwhisk until smooth. Coolfor 20 mins. Flip the cake onto awire rack, flat-side up.Pour over the icing andleave to cool completely. Sprinkle with darkchocolate shavings (ifusing), then serve.

Don’t snub electionScots people urgedVOTING is a Christianduty, church leadershave said.The message came

from Catholic churchbosses in Scotland andwas broadcast across500 Catholic churches inScotland earlier thismonth.According to the

Bishops Conference ofScotland: “Casting avote is both a civic dutyand a Christian moralobligation.“The huge turnout at

last year's referendumwas an exemplaryexercise in peaceful andparticipatory democracyand showed how muchthe Scottish people care

about the future of ourcountry and itswellbeing,” they said.“It was also a reminder

of the power that everycitizen has and theobligation upon us touse our vote.“The candidates we

send to Parliament [areour] representatives,”the bishops said.“The values they hold

will shape theirunderstanding of what isgood for our country.”A general election in

the UK is set forThursday, May 5th.See Friendly Comment

(p8) for FG’s take on thepoll and who we thinkhas the best policies.

FG is Charlie - April 2015

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‘may contain dairy traces’ type disclaimer. TheVegan Society [does not] take issue with this - onthe contrary, they may well license their trademarkto such manufacturers."And the blog continues: “Also catching my eye was

a ‘may contain dairy traces’ warning sittingbrazenly alongside the word ‘vegan’.”And Plamil (the vegan chocolate manufacturer) has

posted on the same blog: “Vegan should mean dairyfree. ‘May contain dairy’ is unacceptable.”This month a spokesman told FG: "If it is possible

to produce chocolate without any dairy content atall that should be a recognised benchmark, thatshould be the vegan standard.”But Gill pointed out that cross contamination

would only affect a ‘handful’ of products and theycould still be allowed.“They can apply for the vegan trademark. The

cross-contamination, parts-per-million, is untrace-able. You’re not going to find a vast amount ofmanufacturing appliances which produce a totalvegan [product].”According to the government's own foods

watchdog, the Food Standards Agency: “There is nodefinition 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 moreinformation “on the origin of additives, processingaids and flavourings”.“The term ‘vegan’ should not be applied to foods

that are, or are made from or with the aid ofanimals or animal products (including products fromliving animals).“Manufacturers, retailers and caterers should be

able to demonstrate that foods presented as‘vegetarian’ or ‘vegan’ have not been contaminatedwith non-vegetarian or non-vegan foods duringstorage, preparation, cooking or display,” it says.For full interview with George Gill go to page 10.

Crackdown on trademark . . . Cont. from page 1

Veggie breaks inthe south of

FranceWe can help organise vegetarian and/orvegan-friendly bed and breakfasts andrecommend restaurants and places to

visit. We even meet and greet at stationor airport.

To find out moreemail: friendsgazette@gmail.com

Or call:

07710 692550

CORRECTIONIn a photo caption on page 6 of last month’sFriends’ Gazette actress Angelina Jolie’s name

was mis-spelled. We apologise for this oversight.

Send a covering letter and cv statingclearly why you’d be the right person

for the job to friendsgazette@gmail.com

WHY NOT WRITE ORSELL FOR US AND

BOOST YOURPUBLISHING CAREER

Friends’ Gazette is lookingfor reporters and advertising

sales people* to join ourteam - the right rewardpackage and word rateawaits the right people

FG is Charlie - April 2015

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*See separate ad on next page

TITANIC HERO IS SET FORSAINTHOOD

A PRIEST who refused a life raft onthe stricken Titanic so he couldcomfort passengers could berecognised as a saint.Father Thomas Byles, rector of St

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

York to officiateat his brother'swedding.His parish had

organised a special collection to fundthe trip so that he could meet hisfamily duties.Eyewitness reports say Father Byles

had celebrated mass (religiousservice) for second-class passengerson the morning of the disaster.

When the ship hit the iceberg andbegan to sink, Father Byles wasoffered a lifeboat place several timesbut he refused, staying on to helpothers, hear confessions [hearing of‘sins’ which could keep a soul fromfinding rest] and pray with those stillon board.In the ship's final moments Father

Byles prayed with the 100 pluspassengers trapped at the stern.Protestants, Catholics and Jews

knelt in the rising waters as he gaveabsolution to all.A campaign for the heroic priest is

underway to open the ‘cause for thebeatification’, the first step in a longjourney to declaring someone a saintin the Catholic church.His body was never recovered.

(source: Independent Catholic News)

Doomed passengers wave from Titanic’sdeck oblivious of the peril that awaits

Time and time again they asked him: “Father, will youtake this raft? The ship is sinking.” And time and timeagain he refused saying: “My place is with my flock.”

Fr Byles

FG is Charlie - April 2015

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FRIENDLY FEEDBACK

Dear editor,

I found your front pagestory last month "Franceleads world in vin biochallenge" of interest.The French have long

had the lead when itcomes to organicproduce or 'bio' as theycall it.Could this be because

of the huge subsidiesand other help handeddown by theirgovernment.Compared with us, I'm

told, it's a hugeadvantage andsomething our organicgrowers find difficult tocompete 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.

Bridget MurphyDorset

Dear Editor,

I was shocked to read of thefood poisoning incident atNeal's Yard. (FG March ’15)It's somewhere I have used

since the 60s whenvegetarianism was new andnobody had heard ofveganism. I remember goingdown to Covent Garden topick up some freshly bakedbread and cakes. You couldalso go upstairs to therestaurant where we all sat onhuge floor cushions covered inbrightly coloured Indiancotton cloths and ate off low,wooden tables.Thanks for keeping us

informed of these events.

I find your magazineindispensable.

Anthony BridgemanHampstead

Dear editor,

I cannot believe youswallowed all that propagandaabout aspartame. "Aspartamenot health hazard" FG March.Don't you realise that big

food companies are veryhappy to push any researchwhich backs their point ofview.What about all the cases

where it's obviously a 'healthhazard' as you so dismissivelyput it.And your comment piece in

the same edition didn't helpone little bit.I'm really not sure I can

continue reading yourmagazine if you are simplygoing to be a mouthpiece forthe establishment.

Diana RonstadtNew Malden

Feel strongly about an article or related subject?Tell us about it now! friendsgazette@gmail.com(Annonymous letters not published but contact details can be witheld upon request).

FRIENDLYCOMMENT

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 andapart from Friendly Comment holds no opinions or views of its own throughout.

The media cannot report electionswithout being scrupulously even-handed. All parties must get equal time in theinterests 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 rightthing by their readers - and/or theirproprietor/s.Of course on election day papers like the

Sun and Mirror and often higher up theregister, cleverly move these opinioncolumns to the front page with a screamingheadline.Hence “Will the last person to leave

Britain please turn off the lights” beforeNeil Kinnock's defeat at the hands of JohnMajor 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 OPINIONcolumn - where it belongs - but we alsohave no shadowy backers or proprietors toplease, just you - our readers. So do the following points ring true withyou?* a radical transformation of society forthe benefit of all, and for the planet as awhole;* a belief that “other species are notexpendable”* that “the earth's physical resources arefinite”* that “our actions should take account ofthe well-being of other nations, otherspecies”* that “the success of a society cannot bemeasured by narrow economic indicators”. They do with us. And they're all Greenparty principles. That's why we reckon you should:VOTE GREEN IN MAY! ED

Spud-u-likeGET all the latest tips on how to growyour own spuds this year. They tastebetter, look better and are better foryou. (See Flea’s veggie FG garden, p9).As well as using her own experience Flea

garnishes (pun intended) advice from othersources to make sure you get the best up-to-date information to keep you growing!Thanks Flea! ED

FG is Charlie - April 2015

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CORRECTIONS ANDCLARIFICATIONS

Something not quite right? If you spotan error, misinterpretation or generalgoof-off then get off your backside and

let us know onfriendsgazette@gmail.com

THERE is nothing like ahome grown potato. The taste is fuller,deeper and generallymuch more delicious thanthe shop bought variety.Potatoes don't need heatso they suit an Englishclimate very well. But watch they don't getsunburnt. If they do they'llturn green and couldbecome poisonous. Flea

The eyes have itPlant seed potatoes(pieces of whole potato ora small whole potato, withat least 2 eyes per piece)0-2 weeks after last springfrost. You may startplanting earlier, as soonas soil can be worked. Spread and mix in rottedmanure or organiccompost in the bottom ofthe trench beforeplanting. Potatoes thrivein well-drained,loose soil. They needmoisture, so waterregularly when thetubers start toform. When the plant isabout 6” tall hoethe dirt up around

the base to cover the rootas well as to support theplant. This is called hilling. Do itevery couple of weeks toprotect from sunburn. Dig potatoes on a dry day.Dig up gently, being carefulnot to puncture the tubers. New potatoes will beready after ten weeks,usually in early July.

Give ’em the brush offMake sure you brush off anysoil clinging to thepotatoes, then store themin a cool, dry, dark place. The ideal temperature forstorage is 35 to 40°F.Do not store potatoes withapples; their ethylene gaswill cause potatoes to spoil. Whether you dig your ownpotatoes or buy them at astore, don’t wash themuntil right before use. Washing shortens life.

Flea’s veggie garden

All the tips to keep you growing

FG is Charlie - April 2015

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How many products currently bear the vegantrademark?It’s probably about 18-19,000 products. Something likethat.

Is it very difficult for people to get that mark?It’s not difficult as long as they meet our criteria which isthat there’s no animal ingredients used within thatproduct and there’s no animal testing in themanufacturing process, and that nothing is mixed, oneingredient with another, during that process.If all those ticks are done that’s pretty straightforward,

yeah. It does take time to go through the ingredients list.

Do you carry out tests yourself or do you take people’sword for it?We have a declaration certificate that needs to be signedevery year by the companies, from the manufacturers.And audits I have started recently. They weren’t available before because of lack ofresources. We are an educational charity rather than abusiness training arm. The bigger the company the more audits that areavailable. Usually it’s within the manufacturing processwhich needs to be checked out as well as the ingredientsas well.

There are people who say that there is stuff which getsthrough that process. That they still have traces ofnon-vegan products, milk and stuff like that, especiallysome chocolates. What is your response to that?It depends in which country you are in. Which country’sstandards you have to abide by. If you are in Europe, or ifyou’re having your chocolates produced in Europe such asthe UK you’re going to have to have your allergy labelswritten on the back. “May contain milk, may containnuts, may contain whatever”. They need that. Otherwisethat product is not going to be able to be sold into the UKmarket or within Europe.

But does that prevent them from having a vegantrademark on it?No, it doesn’t. They can apply for the vegan trademark.The cross-contamination, parts-per-million, is

untraceable. You’re not going to find a vast amount ofmanufacturing appliances which produce a total vegan[product].There’s probably only a handful, rather than hundreds.

I’ve been with this society for approximately six years.When I say a handful I think three of them actually

closed down. They just couldn’t push out the units tomake a profit.

If there’s any likelihood that a product may containmilk or dairy product is that something you would lookvery carefully at in the current light of things, wouldyou say?Yes, we would, definitely. Even revoke the licence.

And what kind of products would you say that theywere, chocolates?It’s happened in bakery. It’s happened in cosmeticswhere clients have used honey. The honey issue wouldbe that in certain countries such as America they have“vegan certified”.

Their rules are thathoney is accepted. InAmerican books incooking and otherpublications you’ll see alot of them may usehoney. We make surethat honey is not inthem [the books westock], especially if it’sfrom the US. If it is wedon’t stock that book.

And does your policy oftightening up also apply to dairy?Yes, dairy is the same, it falls into the same . . . Wehave certificates which get signed for cross-contamination by the person who’s applying for thetrademark and if it’s a private label manufacturer orproducer they will also need to sign that because they’rethe ones who are actually using this.

Is that something that you haven’t done before?

George Gill has been vegetarian since birth - apartfrom a year or so while at university. He became a vegan after ‘reading lots of books -some spiritual’. He has been head of businessdevelopment at the Vegan Society since 2009 where

he is credited with bringing the society to a much-coveted position where it “sits head and shouldersabove all other global vegan trademark schemes”. Here he talks exclusively about his work with FGeditor, STEPHEN WARD.

Being vegan?It’s pretty easy

FG is Charlie - April 2015

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Since I’ve joined in 2009 from that point onwards thesedeclaration forms have been sent out. If it’s somethingbefore 2009 I wouldn’t know.

If you find something that’s contravening the strictvegan laws, what will you do? How will you sort it out?We would approach the company straight away. We wantto know what’s happened. Where does this lie? Is itsomething at fault at the manufacturers?Have the products already been dispatched? Have they

already gone to the supermarkets? Where is this productat? Where is it misleading? We would investigateeverything? Where we are not getting any joy we wouldfind out which country it is based and then we would getour international solicitors involved. It’s an infringementof our trademark. So they’re breaking the licenceagreement rules.

And when willyou start doingthis, George?As soon as we arenotified aboutsomething unlesswe find out at thetime of renewalor perhaps alongthe line. Socialmedia seems tobe a good tool atthe moment. There are somethings in thepipeline or whichhave alreadybeen through our system, such as cosmetics, [which have]already been dealt with, something like two or threeyears ago. Someone might pick that individual product up from theinternet again and say: ‘Look, I’ve just found anotherproduct’, when actually that product was dealt with afew years ago.

Excellent. Because it’s not a question of the VeganSociety wanting to trademark as many products aspossible. You are intending to tighten up in everyaspect. Correct?That’s correct. Don’t get me wrong. At the same time wehave a lot of companies out there that we are alreadydealing with through solicitors who have not applied, whohave not sent their application in. Who have not actually submitted any ingredients list buthave actually just picked up the trademark and justinserted it on to their labels and are using thisinfringement. [In some cases] we are already aware. We don’t have a dedicated person to do the police workfor us. As much as we can find which gets told to us whetherit’s through members, whether it’s through social mediawhatever and we give them the opportunity to take theproducts off or quickly submit the application. If we don’tget any joy within, say, seven working days then we’lljust involve the solicitors and we’ll take it from there.

Anything like that in the pipeline at the moment?I think there’s maybe 20 or 30 cases.

Are they all cosmetics?

Not all of them. Some of them are food, beverages, somecosmetics. Some are not products of any type. Could bejust services. We don’t 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 withyour trade mark on are really, really ‘pukka’ veganproducts, would you say?100%. We’ve got to be 100% in giving that certificate.Until we’re satisfied, the client may be upset with us, itmay take us a lot longer to do the checks, until we’reconvinced, yes, the ingredients in the manufacturingprocess and in the filtering process is fine then we’ll say,ok, you can continue with this now.

Is it difficult to be a vegan in this day and age, with somany products on the market?No. It’s pretty easy, I would say.

What’s your advice to somebody trying to be a veganthese days?I think a lot of is that nowadays you can have diets, justin general diets there are a lot of products which are justvegan. But it is unknown. For example if you’re havingsomething where conventionally you’d use milk. You’vegot the options of almond, rice, coconut milk or soya milkand if someone says, ‘well, actually that tastes a little bitbitter or a little bit sweet,’ now you’ve got so manyflavours coming on the market so the availability’s thereto find one that suits the individual.The majority of people will have salad with their lunch

or evening meals. There’s a lot on the market which usethe meat replacers now. Maybe 20 years ago it wasn’tavailable; now in the 21st century so much is available. And some of the products which are available, texturewise, they’re so good they could almost be real. You say,hang on, this is real.

What’s your advice to people who are told it’s veryunhealthy being vegan. How can you live withouthaving dairy and animal products? What do you say tothem?I always say have you ever tried it? How do you know untilyou’ve had an experience of it? Give it a try, say once aweek or something and slowly build up. It’s like going tothe gym. If you went to the gym and you’re going to pick up someweights you’re certainly not going to pick up 300kg in onego. You have to build up slowly. Or if an individual is asked, look, how many press upscan you do and they say I can manage five then the nextday they can manage another five, another five, anotherfive, then eventually they can do 20 or 25 press ups inone day.

FG is Charlie - April 2015

12

very good word for how I feel. It's asense of deep respect for nature. Ican communicate with the deity."Bridget McKenzie, a cultural

learning consultant, who does dailywalking meditations said: "It's aboutmaking time to contemplate theawesomeness of life on earth, theextraordinary luck this planet has insustaining life."But it isn’t all good news for

alternative lifestyles and beliefs.In the same study YouGov, which

was commissioned to discover whatBritish people thought aboutScientology, concluded they werehighly doubtful that Scientologywas a real religion.Sixty-one per cent said it was not

while only 8% said it was. Fewpeople (25%) knew very much aboutit, but those who did were evenmore strongly convinced it wasn’t areal religion (79%).

However 2% thought it was morecredible than Christianity, 19% ascredible and 45% less credible.Scientology was founded in the

1950s by science fiction author LRon Hubbard.The organisation, which has its

London headquarters in QueenVictoria Street, Blackfriars, claimsthat human beings contain the soulsof immortal alien creatures, calledThetans, which have beencorrupted, but which can becleansed with the help of costlytherapy.Hollywood A-listers like Tom

Cruise and John Travolta numberamong its followers.In the 2011 UK census there were

2,418 Scientologists in England andWales, fewer than the number ofpeople claiming to be Jedi Knights.In 2008 there were reportedly

25,000 Scientologists in the USA,according to the researchconducted by YouGov.

Winner to beannounced in nextedition of

God, not religion . . . from p.3

SULTRY French singer-songwriter OndineJames is to jazz it up this weekend with agig at the atmospheric music venue Oliver’sin Greenwich.“Oliver’s is definitely one of Grenwich’s most

hidden treasures,” she says on her blog.Her songs, often more spoken than sung, take

listeners deep inside her world of highs andlows.Splitting her life between London and Paris she

writes and sings in English and French and occa-sionally in Spanish.Classically trained, she started studying piano

when she was eight. Later on, she studied sing-ing with Abdul Salam Kheir, the great Lebanesesinger/oud player/composer who has an interna-tional reputation.She is inspired by the likes of Brigitte Fontaine,

Edith Piaf, Patti Smith, Juliette Gréco, Billie Hol-iday, Milva and Mercedes Sosa because they“combine a powerful voice with the ability tomove you emotionally”.Songwriting heros include Jacques Higelin,

Jacques Brel, Leonard Cohen, Léo Ferré, BobDylan, Barbara and Serge Gainsbourg.She has performed in The Cockpit Theatre,

Ronnie Scott’s Bar, Charlie Wright’s and TheElgin (London), as well as ‘Le baiser salé’ (Paris).She will be at the club in Spread Eagle Yard,

Nevada Street, London SE1 9JL on Friday, May1st.Doors open at 8pm. Entry is £8.

Greenwich jazz club gig for‘sultry’ Parisenne chanteuse

Ms Ondine James