FG MAY 2015

FG is Charlie - May 2015

1

THOUSANDS of meat eaters havegiven up their slaughter house dietand joined up to a campaign whichaims to turn the world vegan!

And for its size the UK turned in thelargest number ofconverts!

Veganuary is an onlinecampaign thatencourages peopleacross the globe to tryvegan for the month ofJanuary. In just twoyears, over 16,000people have taken part;with four times as manyparticipating thisJanuary than last.

Enthusiastic co-founder, Jane Land,said: Were chuffed tobits with the 2015results. Twelvethousand eight hundredpeople officially signed up toVeganuary.com this year, with over4,000 coming from the States. The UKhad the second highest number ofparticipants, Australia was third, andMexico, Spain, France and Germany all

featured in the top ten. As well astracking the age, gender and eatinghabits of all our participants, ourfollow-up survey gave us the followinginformation:

71% felt more healthy65% discovered somethingthey didnt previously knowabout animal agricultureAnd 51% are staying vegan!

These results haveinspired us to move quicklyinto our next phase, theTry Vegan. Stay Vegancampaign.

This new focus allowsVeganuary to continue themomentum of January andengage with pastparticipants, whileextending their reach tothose who are not yetfamiliar with veganism.

Theyll continue topromote the benefits of a plant-baseddiet in relation to reducing animalsuffering, protecting the environmentand improving peoples healththroughout the year, before switchinginto full campaign mode in

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

Donate- let 130creatures live

E-mail: [email protected] - Tel: +44 (0) 7710 692550 - Victoria, London SW1P 1HJ - Tavel 30126, France

APRIL 2015 ISSN: 2053-4426

Tim Barford - VegFestUK founder

Vegan campaign saves 1.5m+ animals from slaughter in just one month

HungryElka

scoops 10free noshA FRIENDS GAZETTE reader,who never wins anythingscooped up a mouth-wateringoffer recently. Elka Smith, from London, wasone of hundreds who signedup to receive the the FG

directly into their email boxesevery month. Now she can tuck into 10worth of free nosh at Wai KikaMoo Kau, Brighton and enjoyFGs unique blend of veggieand vegan news and featureson alternative living. Said Elka: I like the idea ofhaving somewhere I can readabout veggie- and health-related news.

p.6

Jane Land

Sign here! FG helperscollect email details


2

IT WAS ADEVASTATING nightfor Labour as theTories swept intopower in the UKselection on May 7th.

After five years ofcoalition governmentwith the Lib Dems,David Cameron wastriumphant, securinganother term inDowning Street; thistime with an overallConservative majorityof ten.

The Greens CarolineLucas comfortably held on to herBrighton Pavillion seat with a swingaway from Labour of 10.5%.

Despite capturing bellweather seatslike Enfield North (5.23% swing); IlfordNorth (1.88% swing) and Hove (2.93%

swing) Labour failed to doenough to convince thecountry to make Milibandprime minister.

It took a hammering inScotland, where the ScottishNationalist Party captured allbut three of 59 seats. Final UKresults were: Conservatives,331 (+24); Labour, 232 (-26);SNP, 56 (+50); LiberalDemocrats, 8 (-47); UKIP 1(+1); Greens, 1; Others, 21.l In southern Ireland (Eire) areferendum this month turnedin a victory for gay marriage.There same-sex couples willbe able to tie the knot just liketheir heterosexual brothers

and sisters. The victory comes despite staunchopposition from the Catholic Churchand conservative groups. (Comment p9)

Loves Labours Lost

FG reader Nic Stacey bumps into Ed Miliband on Hampstead Heath post poll.


3

DISAPPOINTED members of anIndian spiritual sect had their hopesdashed recently after the hall theywere renting changed owners andthey missed out on the chance ofbuying it.

Some members of the Radha SoamiSatsang Beas (London group) thoughttheir organisation was in the runningto buy the London Lighthouse inWestbourne Grove which went up forsale in November 2013 with an askingprice of around 1.5m.

The group, a registered UK charity,has a declared worth of more than27m and owns a mansion in

Bedfordshire set in acres of groundssaid to be worth around 10m.

But the iconic west London buildingonce visited by Princess Diana whenit was a centre for people living withAIDS has been snapped up by TheBrand Museum for 5m+, as reportedin last Novembers issue of FG,causing the group to move out.

A member, who preferred not to benamed, said: We thought we weregoing to buy it. Somebody told methat we had put in a bid. I thought itwould have been great to buy it.Maybe it was too expensive.

The hall, with its own car park, wasa popularcentre. Itaccommodated50 or more andwas used by thestrictly lacto-veggie group foraround tenyears.

Responding torumours thegroup mightmerge with itssuburbanneighbour inSouthall, themember said:People do notwant it [a newvenue] to be along way away.

According tothe CharitiesCommission theRadha SoamiSatsang Beas UKgroup has net(own use) assetsof 27.74million and anincome of

3,496,515 for the year ended 31stDecember 2014. Of that income 2.67mwas from gifts, donations and legaciesfor which the donor receives nothing inreturn; 219,947 came frominvestment; and a further 610,551from charitable activities.

The group has a staff of 25, allvolunteers. According to the CC entry itoperates in Bedford, Birmingham,Derbyshire, Ealing, Leeds,Leicestershire, Redbridge, NorthernIreland and Scotland in the UK. InEurope it can be found in the CzechRepublic, France, Greece, Italy, andthe Republic of Ireland.

According to information received byFriends Gazette a new temporarypremises has been found at the DavidGame College in nearby Notting Hill.

The college (see below), charges inthe region of 15-20 an hour for roomhire at the weekend. Its largest roomseats around 50.

A fundamental Christian church calledthe Kensington Temple uses thepremises on Sundays along with aRussian language school.

Storage space for use between hiringswas extremely limited a collegespokesman revealed and would have tobe paid for on top.

FG attempted unsuccessfully tocontact an RSSB trustee for comment.

No official statement has been issued.

Scientologys Londonheadquarters

The veggieand veganfood here isgreat!

. . . I reallylike thefunky name!

I thought wewere goingto buy it! The former London Lighthouse,

in Westbourne Grove

Wai Kika Moo Kau, the home of the healthyindulgence. We pride ourselves on our internationalmenu which offers some of the best vegetarian and

vegan dishes in the North Laines, Brighton11a Kensington Gardens

Brighton BN1 4ALTel: 01273 671117

[email protected]


4

DfID slammed overbusiness partners

GOOD MOVE!FG ADVERTISERS have given a thumbs up tothe Vegan Society for cracking down on theuse of their trademark. As reported in last months FG the societyis to continue to carefully monitor on its use.

Neil Tomlinson founder, director ofAquapax said: The exploitation of the veganlogo is absolutely disgusting. If you believewe have evolved enough not to eat anotherspecies that is when you merit the vegantrademark.

Tomlinson, who sources his waterorganically, continued: He [George Gill]needs to clamp down because big companiescan always buy badges.

The moment the vegan logo becomessomething you can rent it completelyundermines the belief and the integrity ofsomething which people absolutely believein.

Ananda of Ananda Foods, said: I wouldhave thought it was a good thing [thecrackdown].

I have seen some companies takingadvantage of the fact that the Vegan Societydoes not have the resources to check thewording on every single product.

A damning report onthe UKs Departmentfor International Aidsays it is wastingtaxpayers money onhelping businesses indisaster-strickencountries rather thanthe people directly.

Over the last twoyears 494m has beenpoured into the coffersof commerce in thehope it will trickle down to thepeople.

But The IndependentCommission for Aid Impact (ICAI)this month said it was notconfident that DFID's support isadditional to what businesseswould have done anyway.

Polly Jones, head of campaignsand policy at Global Justice Nowsaid: This damning report shows

that there's almost no evidence forthe effectiveness of DfID's businesspartnerships.

And Beck Wallace, a privatesector policy analyst at Catholiccharity CAFOD, told theIndependent Catholic News: DfIDneeds a clear oversight mechanismin place when working with privatefirms that goes beyond just cashflow.


5

APPLE CAKEwith spices & raisins

Via an Americanfriend

INGREDIENTS13 oz applesauce*7.5 oz sugar5 oz block margarinee.g. Stork2 teaspoonsbicarbonate of soda1 tablespoon hotwater9.66 oz plain flour1 teaspoon groundcinnamon1 teaspoon groundcloves5.5 oz seedlessraisins

ICING7 oz icing sugar,sieved2.4 oz margarinea few drops of vanillaessencea few drops ofalmond essence.

APPLESAUCEBest make your ownusing Bramley applesand a little water,though you may findtins and bottles ofapple sauce in thesupermarket, usually

found in the mustardand sauces section. If so, use theunsweetened variety. You could pureesome tinned appleslices (no sugar). Make the puree theconsistency of thicktomato ketchup. Allow to cool.

METHODCream margarine andsugar. Add soda(dissolved in hotwater). Addapplesauce and dryingredients alter-nately. Bake in upper middleof oven in a 8 x 12tin, base-lined, for 30 40 minutes (test witha skewer). Do not attempt toturn out to cool untilthe cake is fairly cool.

ICINGCream margarine withsieved icing sugar andthe essences, addingwater in smallquantities till a softbutter icing isachieved.

Forget soya! This UScheese is nut-asticVEGANS who still longfor a fix of dairy couldgo nuts over somenew products.

For a couple of USfirms havebroughttheir ownveganversions ofsoft cheeseslike Brie andchevre tomarket withoutresorting to soya orvegetables.

Kite Hill, TreelineCheese and Punk RawkLabs are using tree nutsto produce the latestcheese substitutes.

The companies areculturing the milk orpuree of almonds andcashews with the samebacteria used by dairycheese makers, and

letting itmature.

Onecompany,Kite Hillceo,MatthewSade,whoseproducts

include a crusted Brie-like cheese and a smoothchevre-like cheese toldon-line food mag Salt:"[From] that pointforward, it's almostexactly the same processas dairy cheese-making."

Rosemary (pictured) is an accomplished cook and FGreader. When she isnt impressing neighbours and friendswith her culinary skills shes busy testing recipies.Shes currently doing just that for a baking book due outnext year. Here she gives us a taste of a classic pud witha Stateside pedigree.

Kite Hills Brie-likeproduct from almonds


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November. Veganuary.com will also continue toprovide and grow the vital practical resources tohelp people maintain a vegan lifestyle.

Current patterns looking set to continue.Veganuary expects to top 50,000 participants in2016 and will be translating Veganuary.com into anumber of languages in the near future.

Describing themselves as a grassroots campaignfor the modern era, the team, including Landshusband and co-founder Matthew Glover, aim toexpand rapidly and their ultimate goal is very clear.

We want to reduce animal suffering byencouraging and inspiring people to try vegan, saidLand. Sure you feel better as a vegan, you probablysleep better and maybe even look better. Andwithout a doubt, youre taking the single mostpositive step for our planet.

But our reason for being is the animals. And thatis why were so passionate about what we do andhow we live. Because they need us to be.

So whats Veganuarys most important statistic?The number of animals saved, confirmed Land.

This January our participants saved the lives of1,596,180 animals! A drop in the ocean when youconsider that 70 billion land animals alone areslaughtered every year, but a great startnonetheless.

Veganuary has then used this figure to assess howfar their campaign spend goes, so that people canquantify any donations and measure their impact.They have then published this information onVeganuary.com, so that it is readily available for all.

If someone were to donate 10 to Veganuarytoday, then they would be helping to save the livesof 130 animals, continued Land. Were hopingthat statistics like this will help people tounderstand the need for our continued growth. Aswe rely on public support and donations.

Donate 10 save lives . . . Cont. from page 1

Send a covering letter and cv statingclearly why youd be the right person

for the job to [email protected]

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

Cofounder MatthewGlover NEWS IN BRIEF

QUOTE OF THE MONTHOf course I lie to people. But I lie altruistically - forour mutual benefit. That may seem mildly shocking tothe moralist - but then, what isnt? - Quentin Crisp

MARSHMALLOW addicts couldsoon find their favouritevegan treat from Ananda hasbeen given a facelift.

Do not fear, the scrumptiousflavour and to-die-for textureisn't changing - just thewrapping. Phew!

FG has learnt that the new-look packaging design,currently being worked on,should be in place by July.

FG REPORTERS have beenoffered press tickets for theFrench Open 2016 havingapplied too late for this year.

Aim of the trip would havebeen to interview star VenusWilliams about her vegan diet.

But the one-time winner atRoland Garros was beaten inthe first round this time andsnubbed the obligatory post-match press conference.

So not all bad then.Sadly Venus can't say the

same. She was fined a hefty$3,000 by tennis bosses. Ouch!

CLINKING bottles is the newway of saying cheers for beerdrinkers.

But you'd better make surewhat bottles they are beforeyou abandon your glass.

For Wiper and True isrecalling bottles of its MountHood Porter.

The Food Standards Agency iswarning these might shatterbecause of a manufacturingfault.

Watch out for the 500ml sizebottles, batch: 01; barcode:5060408200445 with a bestbefore date of 5 March 2016.

These should be returned tothe place of purchase for a fullrefund. - Cheers!


7

*See separate ad on next page

FOODS watchdog the FoodsStandards Agency is to look intosales of raw milk in the UK in thelight of European practices, whereraw milk is considered to be lesscontrolled.

In France, Germany and othermainland European countriesunpasteurised cows milk can bebought at machines and soft cheesesmade from unpasteurised cows milkare available at weekly markets.

But at a board meeting of the FSAnext week (June 3) members will betold the watchdog is still consideringrecent European opinion andfindings on the issue.

Last October three incidents of foodpoisoning (EcoliO157) cases werereported in the UK and the FSAsuspended sales of raw milk (includingcheese) from the three farmspotentially involved.

As reported in FG lastyear there is a clash ofviews on the subject.

At a meeting in centralLondon in spring 2014 arow erupted after LuisaCandido, a nutritiontechnical manager atDairy UK, the tradeassociation for the British dairy supplychain, claimed: Raw milk does posea serious threat to human health.

A producer who did not give hername retaliated saying: I find thesecomments you made scary anddangerous.

And a German producercommented: I cant understand whyartificial milk should be consideredhealthy while natural milk which hasbeen drunk for thousands of yearsshould pose a problem for health.

One way forward could be thatfarmers can continue to sell raw

bovine milk directly to the public fromtheir farms or at farmers markets or onthe internet but not from vendingmachines or dispensers in shops or evenjust outside them.

But what some UK producers fear mostis that new rules to harmonise controlsmight mean raw milk from other specieslike sheep and goats may come underthe same restrictions as cows milk.

Steve Wearne, head of policy at theFSA, said then that the agencyspreferred approach was to strike abalance between allowing consumerchoice and protecting public health.

Raw milk danger?- report is delayed


8

FRIENDLYCOMMENT

THERE was a time when, as a species, wehumans were fond of banning things.

Led by the nose by organised religionbacked by paranoid politicians we frownedon drugs, alcohol, and, of course, sex!

Three big no-nos in the land of a control-freak god!

Now Ireland, too long in the iron grip oforthodox Catholicism, has broken free, orat least begun to!

Voters were this month asked whether toadd to the Constitution that "marriage maybe contracted in accordance with law bytwo persons without distinction as to theirsex".

The proposal was supported by thegovernment as well as all major politicalparties, and was approved by 62.07% ofvoters.

Make no mistake, voting for gay marriageand the equality and basic human right itrepresents is nothing less than a revolution!What's next? Birth control? Abortion?

Humans are too valuable, too precious aspiritual commodity to be imprisoned byhypocritical, holier-than-thou chains.

As Marshall McLuans Global Villagebecomes a reality thanks in large measureto the dual unifying powers of the internetand the mobile phone so antiquated,restrictive and unjustifiable mores willgradually fade away.

As John Lennon imagined:You may say I'm a dreamerBut I'm not the only oneI hope someday you'll join usAnd the world will live as one.Horse and carriage? Love and marriage,

what else! SW

FG BOOK OF THE MONTH

A MOTHER, spiritual seekerand former actress has putpen to paper in a bid toshare her remarkable lifewith the world.

Jennifer Brookins, 77, livesin Princeton, New Jersey,USA with herhusband, musicianDoug Brookins.

The couplefrequently travel toIndia, and theseexperiences feature inTharon Ann, anautobiography, whichamongst other things,covers their travels in thePunjab, India, and thefascination of a countryconsidered to be the cradle ofhumanity.

Husband Doug said: Its agreat read especially for thoseof you who also havestruggled in this journeycalled life.

Truly, you'll be transportedbeyond the measure ofreading.

And a social mediacommentator says: Jen, yourbook is a page turner. I read

until midnight and mademyself put the bookdown.

To everyone: Jen isa gifted writer.

It flows withstories that are sounique I wonderhow she recallsthem. I am only inthe childhood

section and I love thefeel of this book.This book is funny and full

of witty comments. I hopeeveryone will go to Amazonand order a copy.

It is not even that costlyand worth every penny.

Thank you Jen for yourpresence at the table and inmy life."

Punjabi page-turner is a mustread biography

Jennifer Brookins Doug Brookins

Horse and carriage . . .


9

CORRECTIONS ANDCLARIFICATIONS

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

let us know [email protected]

WANT to learn how tomake carrot flies buzz offwithout using horriblepesticides? Then read Flea Robertson'scolumn below - FG's veryown gardening supremo!Plant carrots between

March and July in a sunnyspot. They like sandy soil,if cleggy (clay) add coursesand and dig deep, removestones.Make the rows by laying a

broom handle or thickbamboopole along thesoil andpress down tomake anindentation ( adrill) about 1cm. or half-inchdeep: sprinklethe tiny seeds along thebottom.Then cover by pulling soil

from the sides over them,only about two or threecms. or an inch deep. Leave30cms (a foot) betweenrows (drills). Then watervery gently. Germinationtakes ten to 20 days.Water only when soil is

dry.When seedlings appear

wait till they are four orfive cms (two inches) high;prick out (pull out)seedlings that are

weak. Earth up making surethe orange top of the carrotis covered if not they mayturn green.After four weeks prick out

your plants again so that aspace of 8-10cms (three tofour inches) is left betweenthem. Why not pull one out.Wash it under the tap. Biteinto it. Great! Nothing like ahome-grown CARROT!Screw off the tops (these

make great soup stock) thenrub off the earth and bury

them in a box ofdry sand tostore for weeks.You can grow

parsnips prettymuch the sameas carrots.Beware of

carrot fly.This fly is a weak flyer. It

feeds its babies on more than100 different kinds of carrotfamily plants includingcarrots themselves, celery,parsnips, celeriac, parsleyand dill.Rusty coloured scarring is

left on the carrots by thelarvae hatching causing thisfly to be known as carrot rustfly (CRF).But if you plant onions,

and/or leeks, and mintnearby you are able to keepthis pest at bay.AND NO KILLING!

Fleas veggie garden

All the tips to keep you growing


10

Dance your cares away on theworld famous Pont dAvignon

Festival crowds gather outsideAvignons Palais des Papes

Well find youveggie/veganfriendly guesthouses, restaurantsand hotels whichwill caterspecifically for yourneeds. Well adviseon places to go,things to do andshows to see.Youll get met atthe station (theresa direct London-Avignon Eurostar)or airport (Nimes)and be personallyguided every stepof the way.

Or if its self-cateringyou prefer well showyou the best bio shops

to find most thingsyoud get at home.

We also know whereto get a taste of thereal Provence, the

parts tourists neverusually see - so youll

enjoy the area likelocals do. Pick up a

bargain at thebrocante; shop at the

open-air weeklymarkets . . .Email us at

[email protected] to find out more.

Make a break for it this summer with FREE guidance from Friends Gazette


11

THE REVELATIONS of a near deathexperience (NDE) by Dr EbenAlexander has drawn a mixedreaction from the public threeyears after he wrote about it.

An academic neurosurgeon,Alexander spent 54 years immersedin the world of science. On hisinternet site he says he thought heknew how the brain and mindworked.

But a transcendental near-deathexperience in which he was drivento the brink of death and spent a

week deepin comafrom aninexplicablebraininfection,made himchange hismind, as itwere.

In a videoposted on YouTube he speaks of aspinning white light with a perfectmelody coming towards me.

He goes on: I had no worries, nolanguage, no body image at all.

And then in true mystical fashionhe brands the world he travelled toas far more real, asserting thatthis life is the dream. He has alsorecounted his extraordinary

experiences in a book entitled Proofof Heaven.

Organboi comments: Greataccount. Of course it was anexperience of the afterlife.

Timbum 1000 says: People wantdesperately to believe in either anafter-life or heaven. The problemwith this persons story is that hedoes not allow for the possibility thathe could have hallucinated.

And only-love-heals says: If any ofyou are really curious and braveenough to let go of your fear you willbegin to explore these realms foryourself and not take anyones wordfor it. Thats his whole point. Youdont need a coma or death to showyou these realms! (although the factthat it happens like this is fascinatingand worth study, another one of hispoints). Begin to meditate!

N.D.E. SPARKSCALL TOMEDITATE

Dr Eben Alexander


12

THE MASS demonstrations after theCharlie Hebdo atrocities in Paris showedthe same spirit of determination, fairplay and love of freedom as Resistancefighters during the war, the Frenchpresident has said.

His words came this week as Francebestowed one of the highest honours in theland to four Resistance fighters, albeitposthumously.

Coffins representing Genevieve deGaulle-Anthonioz, Germaine Tillion, PierreBrossolette and Jean Zay were solemnlycarried to The Panthon in Paris wherethey will be interred along with the likes ofVoltaire, Victor Hugo, mile Zola and Marieand Pierre Curie.

Speaking at the former church where theceremony took place Francois Hollandesaid there had been a resurgence of hatredagainst democracy, Jews and free-thinkers70 years after the end of the war.

It is to ward off this deadly resurgencethat the French rose up on January 11, hesaid, referring to the January Je suisCharlie marches.

Hundreds of French men and women gavetheir lives in a clandestine battle of witsagainst the Nazi jackboot and their ownVichy government colaborators in the darkdays of the second world war.

On January 7 this year 11 people weregunned down in cold blood at the Parisoffices of the satirical magazine CharlieHebdo by two jihadist brothers whoobjected to cartoons it printed of theprophet Mohammed.

The Charlie Hebdo spirit is supported bythis magazine.

5 Balls Pond RoadDalstonN1 4AX

Twitter: @lalitaskitchenwww.facebook.com/lalitaskitchen

Vegan Gujarati &South Indian cuisine

Go away smiling!

Charlie Hebdospirit is todaysResistance

AN INDIAN student who rubsshoulders with the likes of TomCruise is set to rocket into thepublic eye when she weds aBollywood star and puts an end toIndian gossip columnists' fantasies.

Mira Rajput will marry hearthrobShahid Kapoor next month with ahoneymoon planned for Greece.

Both are strict lacto-vegetariansand followers of the Sikh sectknown as Radha Soami Beas India.

FG revealed last year that Kapoorhad only recently become vegetarianafter reading a book by Brian Hines,a former member of the group.

The conversion came in the wakeof Kapoors father, Pankaj, one ofthe groups movers and shakers whohad been trying unsuccessfully untilthen to interest him in vegetarian-ism and the beliefs of the sect.

Group head Gurinder Singh isexpected at the nuptuals set forJune 10.

Bollywood starto wed student

Kapoor (left) withbride-to-be, Rajput

The coffins inside the mausoleum before interrment

FG MAY 2015

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Transcript of FG MAY 2015