FRIENDS' GAZETTE MARCH EDITION

8/12/2019 FRIENDS' GAZETTE MARCH EDITION

1/16

FG NEWS 26 MARCH 2014

Dear Mr Fantasy, play us a tune. Something to make us all happy. Traffic 1967 1

FRIENDS

GAZETTE

ISSN: 2053-4426

Fear over rightsto justice

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a s a l a

z o n e

Win a

50voucher

SEE PAGE 14

special repor !by Stephen Ward

VICTIMS of accidentsand corporate negligence

may be losing out onthousands of pounds incompensation because ofchanges to the law - toplawyers have warned.

The warning comes in the wake ofchanges to the Legal Aid Sentencing andPunishment of Offenders Act 2012.

In an amendment to the A ctcompanies and corporate enterprisesdo not have to pay victims lawyersbills if they settle out of court.

Instead public spirited lawyers areforced to dock their clients awardsby up to 25% to pay their fees.

The change brought in last April willmake smaller claims less worthwhileand those victims could findt h e m s e l v e s w i t h o u t l e g a lrepresentation, the lawyers claim.

Susan Vanden, a partner who dealswith victims of road traffic accidentsat leading solicitors Simpson Millar,said: It is six months since it came in.I think it is going to be in the future alack of access to justice.

Solicitors are being put off riskycases where damages are low.

Colleague Lisa Sheldon, who deals

with personal injuries at the firm,said: The problem at the moment isthat the government seems to besuggesting we should only bepursuing the really big, over 25,000claims. [But] 2,000 to someonewhos on minimum wages and cantwork for a couple of weeks is huge.

Amanda Hopkins of Anthony Gold said: There have been changesrecently to the system which wasfought against when we had a Labourgovernment . It can get quite political.

My concern is that people get thecompensation to which they areentitled.

According to Simpson Millarswebsite the government are underpressure from the insurance industry,therefore introducing laws which arelikely to prevent people who areinvolved in accidents obtaining fullcompensation by preventing legaladvisers recovering insurancepremiums or success fees and limitingany recoverable fees, thereforelooking to lawyers to make deductionsfrom any compensation paymentsobtained.

A government spokesperson wasnot available for comment at the tim eFG went to press. !

(see Friendly Comment p4 and feature p6)

Top lawyers warn change in law is denying victims access to courts
http://www.simpsonmillar.co.uk/http://www.simpsonmillar.co.uk/http://anthonygold.co.uk/http://anthonygold.co.uk/http://anthonygold.co.uk/http://www.simpsonmillar.co.uk/http://www.simpsonmillar.co.uk/


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ISSN: 2053-4426

Raw milk could beon me nuTHE HEAD ofthe Ahimsa DairyFoundation hassaid he may beginproduction ofraw milk i f it getsthe green lightfrom thegovernment. His words come asfood watchdog, the Food StandardsAuthority, holds a raw milk eventin central London next Monday(31st March).

Raw milk is not pasteurised orhomogenised and medics havewarned of its dangers.

Speaking from his farm in

Hertfordshire Sanjay Tanna toldFriends Gazette: People should be

able to get raw milk.We do not produce it as yet but

it is on our list of priorities.The Future of Raw Milk

Regulation will be held at CongressCentre, 28 Great Russell Street,WC1B 3LS from 2pm to 5pm.

Speakers will include raw milkexperts, consumers and scientists.

Anyone interested in the subject isinvited to take part. !

Sanjay Tanna and a curious member of the Ahimsa herd

A GROUP aimed a tpromoting vegetarianism w i t h i n t h e J e w i s htradition has recruited atop cleric and is lookingf o r m o r e t a l e n t e d members to join i tsgoverning and otherbodies.

The news comes as the JewishVegetarians of North America (JVNA)announced recently that it hasformed its Rabbinic council whichincluded Rabbi David Wolpe namedthe most influential rabbi in Americaby Newsweek.

The rabbi said: Judaism, which has apassion for life, understands thateating meat is a compromise with ourbaser nature.

To be vegetarian is both beneficialfor our health and a grace to thegarden God has given us.

Other names which have taken upposts with the group are AlexHershaft, the founder of the FarmAnimal Rights Movement andconvener of the annual Animal RightsConference, and Richard Schwartz,author of the seminal book, Judaismand Vegetarianism.

The pioneering groups websitestates: At all three tiers of leadership

- our new board of directors, ourRabbinic council, and our advisorycouncil JVNA has in place some ofthe brightest, most influential peoplein our nations Jewish community.

While this might seem like animpressive leadership team, JewishVegetarians of North America is notthrough (finished) recruiting the bestand brightest.

There are open slots on all threetiers of leadership as the Jewishvegetarian movement continues togrow and build. !

The group can be contacted on:http://jewishveg.com/content/contact-us-jewish-vegetarians-north-america

InfluentialRabbi heads

vege tariancouncil

Famous and Jewish " but did you know they were veggies?

JEWISH teach ings

emphasise the gravei m p o r t a n c e o fprotect ing humanh e a l t h , y e t t h ec o n s u m p t i o n o fanimal pr oducts inthe US ca uses manydiseases includingh e a r t d i s e a s e ,Americas numberone killer.

By shifting toward or toa plant-based diet, we canfulfill the highest Jewishideals, while enjoyingdelicious healthy food, the

JVNA says.Pictured right clockwise

are : Leonard Nimmoy(Captain Spock Startrek );Natalie Portman (Padme

Amidala Star Wars ); JesseEisenberg (Mark Zuckerbergin The Social Network ) &

Albert Einstein ( E=mc2 ). !
http://jewishveg.com/content/contact-us-jewish-vegetarians-north-americahttp://jewishveg.com/content/contact-us-jewish-vegetarians-north-americahttp://jewishveg.com/content/contact-us-jewish-vegetarians-north-americahttp://jewishveg.com/content/contact-us-jewish-vegetarians-north-americahttp://jewishveg.com/content/contact-us-jewish-vegetarians-north-americahttp://jewishveg.com/content/contact-us-jewish-vegetarians-north-americahttp://jewishveg.com/content/contact-us-jewish-vegetarians-north-americahttp://jewishveg.com/content/contact-us-jewish-vegetarians-north-americahttp://jewishveg.com/content/contact-us-jewish-vegetarians-north-americahttp://jewishveg.com/content/contact-us-jewish-vegetarians-north-americahttp://jewishveg.com/content/contact-us-jewish-vegetarians-north-americahttp://www.food.gov.uk/news-updates/news/2014/mar/raw-milk%23.UyDbqCgs1FIhttp://www.food.gov.uk/news-updates/news/2014/mar/raw-milk%23.UyDbqCgs1FIhttp://www.food.gov.uk/news-updates/news/2014/mar/raw-milk%23.UyDbqCgs1FIhttp://www.food.gov.uk/news-updates/news/2014/mar/raw-milk%23.UyDbqCgs1FIhttp://www.ahimsamilk.org/http://www.ahimsamilk.org/http://www.ahimsamilk.org/http://www.ahimsamilk.org/


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B U D D H I S T p i l g r i m sreturning from a religiousgathering were among thepassengers on the doomedMH370 flight, it is reported.

The Malaysian Airlines plane plungedfrom the sky over the Indian Oceanwith 227 passengers on board and 12crew members. It is thought there areno survivors.

The plane was on its way to Beijingf rom Kuala Lumpur when i tdisappeared earlier this monthsparking a massive two-week hunt.

Singha Manas a member of theTriratna Buddhist order told FG of hissadness at the news.

Its sad that people have died sounfortunately, whether they areBuddhist or not. Most Buddhists

around me would be more concerned

at [general] loss of life.Speaking from the orders centre in

Bethnal Green he added that manyBuddhists travel between Malaysia andChina as the pilgrims were doing.

I wouldnt be surprised [that theywere on the plane] given the fact thatit was going from Kuala Lumpur toBeijing, he said.

His measured reaction comes instark contrast to the scenes of angerand frustration at KL airport asrelatives and friends waited in vain fornews of their loved ones.

Many now accuse the Malaysianauthorities of ignoring their plight andholding back vital information.

Buddhism is the second largestreligion in Malaysia. Famous Buddhistshrines include the reclining BuddhaTemple in Penang and the Wat Meh

Liew temple in Kuala Lumpur.!

Buddhist pilgrims

perish on strickenMalaysian flight

Guru notbothered by

ups and downs

FOLLOWERS of an Indian

guru were looking forwardto attending spiritualmeetings again after a gapof over a month.

Gurinder Singh Dhillon spiritualhead of Radha Soami Satsang Beas,India (RSSBI) withdrew from thepublic eye recently to continuetreatment for throat cancer.

Last November an official visit toThailand was scrapped for the samereason, the first time the news wasmade public. (Gurus visit cancelled:

FG November)The first meeting to be attendedby the guru at the centre in thePunjab is scheduled for this Sunday,(March 30th).

In an official letter, obtained by FG ,Wayne Caravella, department ofoverseas satsang centres, says: Themaster is in good spirits and isundergoing h is f ina l chemotreatments.

Like any patient the body goesthrough its reaction to thetreatments.

But he is not much bothered bythese ups and downs. !(see Journalism - not an easy life!, p8)

Spiritual gem . . . part of the imposingcentral meeting hall satsanghar at RSSBI

regretterienwith

OndineJames

at

Studio Sienko Gallery57, Lant Street

Southwark SE1 1QN

Saturday, 29th March5.00pm

15 on the door

13.50 pre-bookedCall: 020 7403 7967


4/16



[email protected]

ISSN: 2053-4426

Published by Stephen WardPublications, London, England.

MY FIRST attempt to downloadthe Friends Gazette wasunsuccessful and I thought Id haveto read it on Scribd.com but Itried again just in case and thedownload went through fine.

Ive read about two thirds of theFebruary issue.

For some reason the lead story(Not GuiltyFG Feb 2014) made methink of Noam Chomsky.

Probably because of theemphasis on [protest against the]arms trade, which I wouldntexpect to see in one of the bigbroadsheets.

And probably also because,unlike some of the intellectuals Itend to listen to, Chomsky doesntnormally tend to display anyantipathy towards religionists.

He often highlights their activist

role, especially in Latin America, inrelation to outside interestsmeddling with public life andopinion.

Your article about the groupmeditation ( Chanting for Success,Whats not to LikeFG Feb 2014), onthe other hand, made me think ofanother thinker: Sam Harris.

He is committed to counteringreligious influence in the US, buthe is also into meditation, which isunusual, given the company heoften finds himself in. !

Andre de SouzaLondon

Well done for coveringthe arms protest case TO say I enjoyed reading yourcoverage of the trial of the anti-arms trade protestors would be toput it mildly.

Informed, up-dated andpleasantly surprised might bedescribing it more accurately.

I wasnt the least bit shockedthat the not guilty verdict w as

something that didnt make thenational press, even though it should.

It makes one wonder just what afree society we may or may notbe living in when the organs ofthat free society seem to overlookan important judicial decision likethat (Not Guilty:FG February).

Well done for being braveenough to cover it soprofessionally and thoroughly.

I also loved reading about one ofthe protestors family history andwhat drove him to stand upagainst the arms trade.

Please continue to cover thesekinds of difficult stories as I think itmakes your publication reallyworth reading.

I look forward to the nextedition. !

Muriel RobbinsShepherds BushLondon

Why did you bother?I READ with interest the mainstory in the February issue to dowith the protest against the armstrade and how those people gotoff (Not Guilty:FG February).

Personally, I dont get it. Whatdoes something like that have todo with vegetarianism ormeditation or philosophy?

You say you write about thealternative lifestyle yet you waste

time and resources telling us aboutsomething which is of no interest.As far as I know there were no

mainstream press reports about itso why did you bother?

When you do this you are simplybringing to peoples notice an issuewhich is best left alone.

If governments want to boostarms sales thats something forthem. If we dont like it we shouldvote Green - which is pointlessanyway! !

Name withheldnorth Staffordshire

COMMENT

Article made methink of Chomsky
http://www.scribd.com/search-documents?query=friends%2527+gazettehttp://www.scribd.com/search-documents?query=friends%2527+gazettehttp://www.scribd.com/search-documents?query=friends%2527+gazettehttp://www.scribd.com/search-documents?query=friends%2527+gazettemailto:[email protected]:[email protected]


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6/16



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COMPENSATION culture is definedas a pejorative term used to implythat, within a society, a significantnumber of claims for compensationfo r t o r t s ( c iv i l wrongs )a r eunjustified, frivolous or fraudulenta n d t h a t t h o s e w h o s e e kcompensation should be criticised.

But Lord Dyson, the second mostsenior judge in England and Waleshas dismissed the existence ofcompensation culture in the UK as afalse perception and a media-created myth.

And James Hand, writing in the Journal of Law and Society, observedthat sensationalist stories aboutcompensation awards evidentlymake for go od copy; nationalnewspaper artic les concerning thecompensation culture have increasedexponentially since the mid 1990s,w h i l e s t a t i s t i c s c o n v e r s e l ydemonstrated a broad decline inthe number of claims during thesame period.

Research published in 2006

examinedthe data held byt h e C o m p e n s a t i o nRecovery Unit, a government agencywhich enabled the state to recoverfrom tort (civil) damages any socialsecurity benefits paid as a result of anaccident or disease.

This found no evidence that thetort system has been flooded with anincreasing number of personal injuryclaims in recent years andconcluded that the number of claims[had] been relatively stable since atleast 19971998, the first year forwhich statistics were available.

George Monbiot a British writerand p o l i t i c a l a c t i v i s t , s a i d :Comp ensation culture has usurpedpolitical correctness, welfare cheats,single mothers and new agetravellers as the rights newbogeyman-in-chief. According to theConfederation of British Industry(CBI), the Conservative Party and

j u s t a bou t eve r y news pape rcolumnist in Britain, it threatens very

soonto bankruptthe country.

B u t a B e t t e r R e g u l a t i o nC o m m i s s i o n ( B R C ) r e p o r tconcluded tha t there i s nocompensation culture in the UK.

The commission also found thatthe myth of the compensationculture is largely perpetuated by themedia. Janet Paraskeva, a former Law

S o c i e t y s c h i e f e x e c u t i v e ,commented: Ironically, it seems thatthose who most decry the possibilityof a compensation culture arep r o b a b l y r e s p o n s i b l e f o rperpetuating the belief that there isone. One analyst said: Loose talk ofa compensation culture no doubthelps to sell the very sorts ofnewspapers that purport to despiseit most. !

Compensation

culture! a mediamyth? by th ! FG investigativ ! tea "

NEWS INVESTIGATION
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7/16



Angry Catholics

boycott churchcollection tray

THOUSANDS of angryCatholics in New Jersey,USA are boycotting theirchurch collection trayafter a top priest revealedhe wants to build himself aretirement mansion ontheir money.

Archbishop John J Myers ofNewark, New Jersey plans toconstruct a 3,000-square-footaddition to the already large housewhere he will spend his retirement.

He has admitted the work will costthe archdiocese far more than the$500,000 allotted for construction.

The congregations drastic actioncame after the priests ambitiousplans, which seem to flout church

tradition of modesty andfrugality among the clergy,were reported in local paperthe Star Ledger. On hearing the news angryMaria Bozza, 69, urged fellowparishoners at the Holy

Family Church in Nutley to witholdcontributions to the archdiocese.

She told the paper: We need tostart an emp ty envelope month toreplace the archbishops annualappeal. If parishioners in every churchin the Newark Archdiocese sent in anempty envelope, then they will getthe message.

The only language the churchunderstands is money.

Father John Bambrick, pastor of aparish in the Diocese of Trenton, andan occasional critic of Myersleadership, said he understood theparishioners frustration. Manypriests share it, he claimed, but areunwilling to speak out publicly.

The average priest lives in tworooms with a bathroom and the Pope

lives in a hotel room.I dont understand why a 75-year-

old man needs a 7,500-square-footmansion with two swimming pools.

According to the IndependentCatholic News (ICN) which has theinside track on Catholic policies inthe area, the archbishops plan comesat a time of high unemployment,when Catholic schools and servicesin the archdiocese a re being reducedbecause of a shortag e of funds.

A fundraising appeal in the area isreportedly set to bring in more than$10m.

This money will go towardssupporting schools, youth ministries,retired priests and the non-profitCatholic agency that runs homelessshelters and provides a wide array ofservices for the poorest residents.

The archdiocese is home to 1.3million Catholics covering thecounties of Essex, Hudson, Union andBergen.

It was unavailable for comment theICN reported this month. !

Archbishop Myers

special report by FG reporter

CORRECTIONS AND CLARIFICATIONSIs an article wrong or unclear?

Get your specs out and tell us about itFriends Gazette

is keen to keep stories fair, balanced and accurateemail: [email protected]

Please put c&c in the subject areaThanks - from us and our readers!
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]


8/16

FG NEWS FEATURE 26 MARCH 2014


TRUE, accurate and

fair reporting is notthe path to an easylife, a top broadcast

journalist has said.Speaking exclusively to

Friends Gazette, KrishnanGuru-murthy of IndependentTelevision News (ITN) said: Aslong as you are telling the truthand you are not libelling[anybody] or doing anythingillegal you have got nothing to fear.

Asked if a story should be pulledbecause of a request from a person ororganisation he said: Certainly not. Ido not think journalism is abouthaving an easy life.

You have got to work out yourstory and whether you are being fair,then take a position.

Guru-murthys comments come as agroup has expressed reservationsover Friends Gazette reportage.

Recently FG was asked whetherstories to do with Radha SoamiSatsang Beas India were really

necessary.In an email to the group FG editorSteve Ward tried to calm any worries.

He said: Friends Gazette is a seriousnewspaper, not a blog or any othertype of internet rant.

If anyone thinks something isunnecessary or has reservationsabout it we invite them to tell us whatand why and we will take that intoconsiderat ion. We try and makeabsolutely sure that we only printaccurate information in every story.

The e-paper has now launched acorrections and clarifications columnwhere mistakes can be put right andcontentious points clarified.

Said Ward: We are professional

j o u r n a l i s t s a n d t a k e o u rresponsibilities towards our sources,readers and subjects very seriously.

We are not in the business of

offending anyone for the sakeof it or printing anything whichis incorrect, untrue or unjust. Our news stories do nottouch on moral or spiritualissues.

We only report on factualmatters but we aim to do thiswithout fear or favour. We simply cannot pull orcensor a story just because aperson or an organisation has

reservations or feels uncomfortablewith it.

We would lose the trust of ourreaders at a stroke if we did that, andthat trust is paramount for us.

We cannot risk losing that.As Krishnan says, journalism isnt

about having an easy life.Guru-Murthy is not a stranger to

the awkward interview.When quizzing film director

Quent in Tarant ino about h iscontroversial movie Django Unchainedand the connection between screenand real life violence Tarantino

stormed off saying: Im shutting yourb**t down.The interview was televised in full. !

Friends Gazette is looking for a#

ADVERTISING ASSISTANT for its monthly email publicatio#

sales experience essential $ ork from hom"

right package for the right perso#email: [email protected]

$ ith a covering letter and full cv

Journalism " not an easy life!

Krishnan Guru% murthy whe# he was withChannel 4
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9/16



FEATURE

IN A STUNNING nude Armaninumber Cate Blanchette looked drop-dead gorgeous as she carried off acoveted Oscar at this monthsglittering Hollywood bash.

This was her second win but thefirst for leading actress.

If you havent caught Blue Jasmineyet, here are a couple of snippets of

withering Allen dialogue deliveredexpertly by Blanchette (Jasmine) andco-star, British actress, Sally Hawkins,(Ginger), for you to savour.

A WATERSIDE RESTAURANT . . . Jasmine detaches from the conversationand looks away. The full extent of how far shes fallen(from rich bitch to bankrupt) seems to besinking in.

EDDIE:You always stare into space like that?I had a friend used to do that all thetime.But there was something wrong withhim. He was epileptic.

JASMINE:I'm not epileptic.

LATER . . .GINGER is on her mobile to a married

guy shes been dating whos stood her up.One side of the conversation reveals all.Hello?Is Al there?

Al Minsinger. I know he works in theaudio department.Yeah, I'll hold.(Pause)Hello?Al Minsinger?Al, where the hell are you?What?What, I dont get it.Why cant you come?Who found out?Whos Ellen?Oh!Yeah, I didnt understand you had awife.No.No - you never said. !

Cate scoopsOscar glory! again!

Jasmine and her sister Ginger& Sally Hawkins ' on the pull. Hawkins was nominated for bes! supporting actress. Blanchette is described as an environmental activist on her fan website.


10/16



FEATURE

N O T H I N G &

E V E R Y W H E

R E

T e a s e r S h o

o t G o r d o n F i l

m s

Camera?

Lights? ACTION!

T a k e 2

S c e n e 1

M a r c h 1 4

K i l l e r t h u g % G o p p i s & M a r k S t e v e n s '

Hit the decks:& l % r ' Decker& Benjamin Bailey ' ; Biro& Simo# Furness ' ; Julie& Deborah Ward ' ; John& Dominic Tighe '

Tons of delicious veggie nosh% which kept everyone going

ACTORS, a director, camera andsound people, lighting technicians,a stuntman, assistants and various

other film luvvies descended onChelsea recently to pool theirconsiderable talents and make theblockbuster of tomorrow!

Nothing and Everywhere, written by NigelLesmoir Gordon, tells the story of JohnSmith (Dominic Tighe) a budding author andarithmetical genius who stumbles into aworld of intrigue and murder centeringaround a missing mathematical formula.

This could herald Armageddon if it falls

into the wrong hands.Along the way he meets a host of larger-than-

life characters who shape his destiny and thestory, including Susie Bellavista (Jennifer Bryer),an American maths professor with a tale to tell;

Julie (Deborah Ward), a friend of Johns andpart-time waitress at his favourite wateringhole; killer thug Cyril Goppis (Mark Stevens),ex-soldier Biro (Simon Furness) and their gangleader called Tigran Gevorkian (Jay Simpson) a

Russian mafia boss for whom life is

so cheap hell shoot your brains out- soon as look at yah!The film will cost more than 700k

to create.And a short teaser will be used to

raise the cash from backers. !


11/16



Get away to bonnie Scotland!

Rennaldburnself-catering farmhouse

Rennaldburn is a 17th centuryfarmhouse which sleeps seven to eight.

We also rent individual rooms ~ and canprovide a veggie or vegan breakfast if

requested the previous day.

We are Buddhists and revere all life - sowe do not take hunters or anglers.

Best rates. Reductions for FG readers.Find us on: www.gonebeyond.co.uk

Eskdalemuir, Langholm. Tel: 01387 373277
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12/16



MYSTERY surrounds theopening of a groundbreakingnew concept in food shopping- a vegan-only supermarket.

Think Waitrose, Sainsburys, Tescoor Asda - but instead of a butchersdepartment, or even a cheesecounter, Veganz has nothing but veganproducts on every shelf, crammingevery freezer and stacked high inevery shopping trolley.

Trouble is, despite optimisticannouncements as recently asOctober 13

Veganz has stillnot opened inthe UK capitaland no-oneknows wherethe shop mightbe sited.

FG tried tocontac t thec o m p a n y sGerman officebut to no avail.

But a worker in the Berlin storewho preferred to be known only asDave revealed: It is only in [theplanning stage].

I hope[it will open] in the spring in2015, not earlier. I do not knowwhich part of London.

Streams of comments on the VeggieViews website, seem uber-sceptical.

Shyvas says: I called them and theysaid they are planning to open a store

at the end of this year.Liz writes: Its weird that nowhere

gives the location. London is reallypricey.

Veganz is described as the firstvegan supermarket chain in Europe.

There are stores in Berlin,Frankfurt, Hamburg, Munich, Pragueand Vienna. As well as London, plansare afoot to open in Essen, Cologne,and Leipzig.

The company website actively seeksinvestment with the line Invest in an

idea whose

t i m e h a scome.Veganz will

meet withp l e n t y o fcompetitionif and wheni t e v e rcomes t oLondon. There ist h e

ubiquitous Holland & Barrett, anational franchise which runs regularB-O-G-O-H-P ad campaigns.

And the popular Planet Organicwhich has plenty of veggie and veganoptions as well as in-store cafes.

There is also a plethora ofindependents in the hipper areas oftown like Portobello Road, Brixton,Hackney, Hampstead, Southwark andacross the country. !

JAMIE Oliver, (and the like)eat your heart out! Friends

Gazette is coming to town!. . . in the shape of FG editorStephen Ward who will becooking up a storm at the BristolVegfest in May.

Digging deep into his Anglo-Indian roots Steve hopes to knockout childhood favourites likefalouries, paratas and daul.

Indian cuisine was popular withthe British during the Raj. Andwhen India got independencefrom the mother country manyex-pats fled taking their culinarysecrets with them, Steve said. !

Vanishing Veganz

Anglo #Indiacomes to Bristol

YOULL have to be quick tosink your teeth into Pret aMangers NakedAvocadoBloomer whichwill be bitingthe dust in twoweeks.

The vegan-friendlysnack, whichdebuted only a few months ago, isbeing withdrawn from April 8th.

A company spokesperson told FG :Please enjoy this while you can.

Prets customer service department

explained: We still do it but in alimited amount of shops. It is very

much based on thepopularity of theproduct. If not wewould rather notmake it. Meanwhile thestore has launchedthe Super Greens

Sandwich which is mayo-free andvegan. It comes on malted whole-grainbread with avocado, kale and spinachmix, red peppers, toasted almondsand seasoning. !

Pret pulls its naked bloomer

Metallic shoc $ for pud scoffersSWEET-TOOTHED scoffersgot the shock of their livesrecently when they tuckedinto their SainsburysFrozen Sticky Toffee SpongePuddings.

For the unsuspecting nushersfound little bits of metal hiding awayin the otherwise inviting stog.

So much so that Sainsburys havenow had to recall all the items withbest-before dates up to andincluding December 2014.

A spokesperson told FG : Wehave been contacted by a verysmall number of customers whoalerted us to this issue. No otherproducts were affected.

A full refund can be obtained by

returning the puds to the shopswhere they were bought. !

Tasty % Prets new super

greens sarni "

A Veganz stor "
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13/16



Stephen drops fryQI HOST, actor and best-sellingauthor Stephen Fry was spottedin a fashionable Londonrestaurant recently. The committed athiest andhumanist listened intently as ourWATUT spy chatted with acolleague but soon skid-addledto meet other friends. Yearst!Stephen seems to do quite a bit of

dropping by. I once caught a glimpse of him at the Polishclub in Kensington. He nipped in and back out again inabout two minutes flat!ED !

Nice veggie boyEVERYONE knows YairNetanyahu is a veggie or if theydont they certainly should. Butcould his dad Benjamin befollowing in his sons footsteps?The Israeli prime minister has

let it be known both he and hiswife Sara (whose dad wasvegan BTW) now hardly eatmeat. And the Israeli PM haseven joined the meatless

Monday craze sweeping the country. According toreports, Netanyahu senior told the Israeli parliamentrecently, animals are more conscious than we thought.We could have told you that, Bibi!!

You can call mevegan . . .FORMER US vice-presidentand campaigningenvironmentalist, Al Gore, hasgone vegan. Gore, who claims the meatindustry could be partly toblame for global warming, is inCape Town this month to train

climate reality leaders - whatever they are! There is a serious issue about the connectionbetween the growing meat intensity of diets around theworld and damage to the environment, Gore has said. Lets hope hes doing better than his former boss,President Bill Clinton, who has also become vegan -only he sometimes slips up and tucks into a bit ofsalmon. Seems old habits die hard! !

Put a ring on thatSINGER and multi-awardwinner, Beyonce is so happy tobe vegan shes posting picturesof her meat and dairy freemeals on-line. According to reports the A-list celebrity took to Instagram recently to post a photo of oneof her latest treats - a veganprotein bar with banana slices,alongside the caption 22 days a vegan. Well, you gotta start somewhere, Be. Just dont let thatHalo slip, eh? !

Bloody cheek A DEVOTEE of the SapamChinese Shrine in Phuket,Thailand, works himself into atrance prior to a night-timestreet procession at thevegetarian festival.

The Nine Emperor GodsFestival, better known as thevegetarian festival because itinvolves consumption ofstrictly vegetarian foods is aTaoist celebration observedby the Chinese minorities in South East Asia. It iscelebrated on the ninth lunar month of the Chinesecalendar and is believed to cleanse the body. !

Seeking a nicecuppaAUSSIE spiritual seeker anddevout lacto-vegetarian

Judith Durham is set to visitBritain this year on thecomeback tour of thecentury. Singer Judith had to cancelher 50th anniversary Britishtour with her band TheSeekers after she suffered abrain haemorrhage in May last year. With hits like Ill never find another you and A worldof our own, the group has sold 50 million records. The tour is set to kick off next month in Cardiff andend at the Albert Hall in London in June. She is reported as saying: Its going to be such acelebration, even if we take it easy and just drink tea. !

What are they up to? PEOPLE


14/16



THINK you know yourbhajias from yourbiryani; your kormafrom your kulfi?

If so, you could be in line for amassive 50 voucher at one ofLondons top Indian restaurants.

For the highly-rated Masala Zonegroup has joined forces with FriendsGazette to give you the chance totuck into their menu for free!

The veggie-friendly London-widegroup was created by CamelliaPanjabi who was born in Mumbai andstudied economics at Cambridge.

Her book, 50 Great Curries of India is an Amazon best-seller.

Marketing manager, Joe Sripitanatold FG : The group is in the midst ofrefurbishing the restaurants to raisethe decor standard up to match thefood in order to appeal to a wider

range of clientele. We are happy to

offer your readers an opportunity towin this voucher and experience areal taste of India at Masala Zone.

We offer genuine Indian food fromthe true sources the gourmethomes and street stalls across Indiasregions prepared by skilled chefsfrom those regions.

FG editor Stephen Ward said:We are glad to be able to offer

readers this opportunity.We are always pleased to work

with our partners who spot the valueof tapping into our engaged, diverseand rapidly growing readership.

We are familiar with Masala Zoneand its a favourite destination withmany of our readers. Masala Zone branches can be found

at Bayswater: 75 Bishops Bridge Road,W2 5BG Tel: 020 7221 0055. CamdenTown: 25 Parkway, NW1 7PG Tel: 020

7267 4422. Covent Garden: 48 Floral

Street, WC2E 9DA Tel: 020 7379 0101.Earls Court: 147 Earls Court Road, SW59RQ Tel: 020 7373 0220. Islington: 80Upper Street, N1 0NU Tel: 020 73593399. Soho: 9 Marshall Street, W1F 7ERTel: 020 7287 9966. Selfridges: GardenCafe, 4th Floor, Selfridges, 400 OxfordStreet, W1U 1AT. Answers should be emailed to

[email protected] and markedquiz in the subject area.

The winner will be selected atrandom from correct answers.

The judges decision is final.Closing date is April 15th, 2014 !

ADVERTORIAL

" 50 prizeup for grabs!

THE QUIZ Who created Masala Zone?

Which restaurant is the Masala Zone flagship?

What is the meaning ofmasala? There are plenty of

veggie dishes on offer at Masala Zone; name two.

What is a kulfi? A spicydip, a type of bread or anIndian ice cream?

answers to:

[email protected] subject: quiz

Puppet on a string # th ! enchanting decor a %

Masala Zones flagshiprestaurant in Floral Street,

Covent Garde &
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]


15/16


16/16

FEATURE 26 MARCH 2014


steps which are easy to follow:! Find a free recipe at

www.londonvegansocieties/recipes and cook athome or see our Southwark Food map forplaces to eat out

! Eat some wonderfully tasty and healthy food!

! Tweet us a picture@LondonVeganSoc or share on

our Facebook Page - for yourchance to win a meal fortwo in London!

The whole community istaking part, with greengroups like SouthwarkFriends of the Earth,Greenpeace, Green Partyand Peckham TransitionTown.

Three Southwark MPsand 46 Councillors havepersonally pledged togive it a go, andon March 26th, 2014 weare putting forward adeputation to SouthwarkCouncil to implement ourmotion: For SouthwarkCouncil to officially support#Southwark#MeatFreeMondays and toimplement meat free meals on Mondaysin all the council buildings and the promotionof the meat-free option over the meat option in

council run schools (meat will still be made available

onrequest).

We are also encouraging schools and churches to getinvolved, and have produced a flyer with over 15businesses that serve meat-free food shown on a map.

So why should everyone in Southwark try a meat freeday? Its better for the environment: meat is a high-energy product using large amounts of oil, land, fresh

water and 90% of the crops grown to create meat arewasted in the process.

The livestock sector is currently one of the top twoor three most significant contributors to the mostserious environmental problems, at every scale from

local to global Food and Agriculture Organisation of the

United Nations (FAO). Its also better foryour health.Many of the worlds leading

health organisations nowencourage a reduction in

the amount of meatpeople consume.

Oxford Universitysdepartment of publichealth found thateating meat nomore than threetimes a week couldprevent 31,000deaths from heartdisease, 9,000deaths from cancer

and 5,000 deathsfrom stroke, as well

as save the NHS 1.2billion in costs each

year.So if you can h elp with

your local group , or pr omote#London #MeatFreeMond ay,

please get in touch using the contac tdetails below! !

Thomas MicklewrightLondon Vegan SocietiesT: 07789 322 920

www.londonvegansocieties.comE: [email protected]

Facebook: London Vegan Societies Twitter @LondonVeganSoc .

eat as much as you like for 5.95 at the . . .

Tuck in where Miss India, Miss Philippines, Miss Asia and Miss Afro-Carribean all once feasted - at the INDIAN VEG

92-93 Chapel Market , Angel , Islington ,London N1 9 EX Tel : 020 7837 4607

INDIAN VEG

Sandra Seifert, Miss Philippines Earth, 2009
https://twitter.com/LondonVeganSochttps://twitter.com/LondonVeganSochttps://www.facebook.com/LondonVeganSocietiesmailto:[email protected]://www.facebook.com/LondonVeganSocietiesmailto:[email protected]://www.londonvegansocieties.com/http://www.londonvegansocieties.com/http://www.londonvegansocieties.com/https://twitter.com/LondonVeganSochttps://twitter.com/LondonVeganSochttps://www.facebook.com/LondonVeganSocietieshttps://www.facebook.com/LondonVeganSocietiesmailto:[email protected]:[email protected]://www.londonvegansocieties.com/http://www.londonvegansocieties.com/http://www.facebook.com/londonvegansocietieshttp://www.facebook.com/londonvegansocietieshttp://www.twitter.com/londonvegansochttp://www.twitter.com/londonvegansochttps://mapsengine.google.com/map/edit?mid=zqOXcKXeUHhU.kLObqhDlheuYhttps://mapsengine.google.com/map/edit?mid=zqOXcKXeUHhU.kLObqhDlheuYhttp://www.londonvegansocieties/recipeshttp://www.londonvegansocieties/recipeshttp://londonvegansocieties.com/recipes/http://londonvegansocieties.com/recipes/

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FRIENDS' GAZETTE MARCH EDITION