News gem

I came across this article on the bbc and couldn't stop laughing...poor parishioners

'Spitting vicar' sacked by bishop

Rev Dr Tom Ambrose was a vicar at St Mary and St Michael Church
A Church of England vicar accused of spitting at and intimidating his parishioners has been ordered to leave his Cambridgeshire post by his bishop.

Rev Dr Tom Ambrose, 61, of St Mary and St Michael Church in Trumpington, has been disqualified from carrying out any of the functions of his office.

A church tribunal last year recommended the move citing "pastoral breakdown".

Dr Ambrose had clashed with parishioners over his plans to modernise the church.

The tribunal heard evidence of "arrogant, aggressive, rude, bullying, high-handed, disorganised and at times petty behaviour of Dr Ambrose".

'Astonished and dismayed'

In the decision letter to the vicar and those who brought the tribunal, the Bishop of Ely Dr Anthony Russell wrote: "I am astonished and dismayed that there are recorded two occasions on which it is said that Dr Ambrose spat at parishioners, allegations which were not challenged in cross-examination."

The incidents were part of a long line of disagreements between Dr Ambrose and worshippers at the church, the tribunal was told.

The tribunal heard allegations that he inundated opponents of his plans with e-mails and letters.

Dr Ambrose also allegedly upset older parishioners by using slide shows instead of sermons and using so much incense in church that some worshippers felt sick.

Dr Ambrose denied being aggressively confrontational and claimed that "envy" had been behind the allegations against him.

A Diocesan spokesman said Dr Ambrose remained a vicar.

He said: "He has not lost his orders, essentially he's lost his job."

The case of the exorbitant wedding dress

I have been on a few websites to get an idea of what I wanted especially because
am one of those females that does not had an idea of her perfect wedding or wedding dress .I don’t have names picked out for potential offspring’s and nor do I have an idea of what my ideal house would look . Basically am not really all that fused… I like to think that this is because am not materialistic and people matter to me more then things.

So being non-fussed and non-impressed with what I have seen so far I went to a particular wedding shop recommended by a friend. I had planned to take a couple of siblings and a few friends till It occurred to me that I hate shopping unless its grab and go and that 6 differing opinions would drive me crazy I had to ask a 2 of my friends if they could sit this one out ( I felt really bad actually and it stayed with me for 2 whole days although they were understanding).

I called the shop in advance and they told me it takes about 6 months for an order to be fully processed and to allow for fitting etc…Dear lord, what non-sense people planned to get married this far in advance…that beach wedding with select family and friends sounded better and better by the second.

The day arrived and I had chosen 6 from the website , I tried them on one after the other and eventually fell in love with a period dress, of lace and embroidery. Well the coat is and the dress underneath is rather plane except for the waist. I was having this one no matter what and it helped that I didn’t have to return for more shopping. I and my advisors were all agreed we loved it. The assistant then gave me the prices, they were priced separately…oops!

For someone who is so anti extravagant weddings, hates the idea of what should be a simple ceremony ended up buying a dress that she will only wear once that could easy feed an orphanage…ouch! I am telling myself that the rest of wedding cost I totally disapprove of and if it was up to me I would do away with them all so one expensive item is okay…..i feel the need to bellow don’t judge me…clearly that’s my own inner voice struggling with my self concept! Something to bring up in my counselling course me thinkith…I love it though!

Hermit no more

After what can loosely be termed as advice (or realistically as threats of violent bodily harm) if I don’t start blogging again. I have taken my virtual quill and parchments and started writing (if it can even be called that). Gosh were to start, well its been over 8months since I returned from Egypt. I have turned 24(yesterday actually).

I am enjoying my counselling course very much although it has turned me into a hermit and taken over my social life. I am still mourning the loss of the myf circles on Tuesday my spiritual and social hub…Its an utter killer.

I am getting married on the 19th of July to a friends brother and yes he is Somali, my fathers sense of relieve is soo obvious. Other then that really am not sure what else is happening except I have been told for someone who only has 3plus months left until the big day (what an odd title anyway) that am freakishly calm. I don’t see anything to get stressed about as of yet. Although things might change closer to the date although I feel in control so I doubt that.

I have taken to being a full time specy, I can’t seem to switch back to contacts although eventfully am sure I will break them and then go back to sticking bits of jelly like plastic in my eyes every morning.

That’s it jolly good people I am however looking forward to reading all your blogs and catching up on everyone’s lives

spoof news

I came across this story and it made me laugh enjoy ;)


METROPOLITAN Police Commissioner Sir Ian Blair has refused to resign despite setting fire to a tramp in central London.

Sir Ian said he was too important to the fight against terrorism to be forced from his post by people who were sentimental about vagrants.

He faced down his critics after the Independent Police Complaints Commission pin-pointed a series of management failings which led to Sir Ian torching an anonymous hobo under a railway arch near Vauxhall tube station.

Sir Ian said: "There is nothing in this report to suggest that a future Metropolitan Police Commissioner, faced with the same set of circumstances, would not set fire to a tramp.

"A senior policeman who has finished work for the day, is a bit bored and is looking for someone to set fire to is just one of the many risks we now face.

"I deeply regret the chain of events which led to me setting fire to that tramp, but I have to tell you I would not hesitate to do it again."

Sir Ian stressed that the tramp in question was not English, adding: "Throughout this inquiry I have made it clear that he looked and sounded foreign. If I had to guess, I would say he was Scottish.

"Are we really going to hand a victory to Al-Qaeda because I set fire to some random Scotsman?"

Continuation

Mona D has flown the nest and i have a driving lesson after work who would have thought it eh? Life doth continue

Relocating

My older sister just sent me a text to say that she has finally booked her ticket to Dubai as she is relocating! Who does these things? just ups and leaves everyone and everything to work and live in a different continent because you fancy a change . Honestly this is what happens when parents give their children too much freedom.

Its only finally starting to register that i will be losing my older sister! We have always been incredibly close although there is a 5 year gap, she has always looked after me emotionally and financially am sure over half of the things i actually own she has paid for at one time or the other. I don't need her financially anymore but how do i replace the emotional support, there is nothing quiet liking discussing something with an older sister for a different respective!

I am finally going to have my own bedroom since ifrah has gone to university and muna is relocating. I can't believe i ever thought having my own room would be great! Who will listen to my nightly pondering, its going to be just me, my lamp and a book how sad

Subhanallah this is already difficult and emotional its going to be like when ifrah (my younger sister) went to university but at least we knew she would return every other weekend. I am going to have to book a ticket to Dubai for Easter now just so that i KNOW when i will see her again. Why do siblings grow up and decided to make their own way in life

Boycott list (there you go AYA)

Here is a list of the worst of the bunch (from ethicalconsumer.org)


3 Mobile
for being on Free Burma UK's list of companies with investments in Burma. Contact Burma Campaign UK for a full list or ring 020 7324 4710


Aeroplanes
Aviation is the fastest-growing source of climate change causing greenhouse gas emissions.
Contact Flight Pledge Union or send an email


Adidas
for using kangaroo skin to make some types of football boots.
Contact Viva tel 0117 944 1000

Altria (previously Philip Morris)
for giving the fifth largest donations to the Republican party in the period 2002-2006
See Boycott Bush campaign
Ethical Consumer magazine (issue 108, September/October 2007) has also called for a boycoptt of Altria becuase it has funded groups which claim that global warming is a "myth" or “uneconomic” to address.

Asda and Wal-Mart
for being on Ethical Consumer's list of top donors to the Republican Party. See BoycottBush for more information.

Bacardi
for continuing to use its Cuban origins in its marketing despite being active in anti-Cuba lobby groups in the US.
Contact: Rock around the Blockade on 020 7837 1688
Buy instead: Rum buyers' guide available online to Ethiscore subscribers. The report can also be found in issue 87 of the magazine, price £3.50.

Barclays
CorporateWatch has called for a boycott of Barclays due to its financing of the Narmada Dam in India (and the Trans Thai-Malaysia gas pipeline). The Narmada dam (or rather a series of 30 large dams) would flood one of India's most productive agricultural regions and forcibly displace two million people.
Buy instead: Bank buyers' guide available online to Ethiscore subscribers.

Body Shop
Since L'Oreal (26% owned by Nestlé) bought out the Body Shop earlier in the year, campaigns have brought together concerns about animal testing, relations with the Majority World, human rights, discrimination in the UK and the environment.
Contact: Boycott Body Shop or 01452 539 916
Naturewatch (01242 252 871) have a long-standing boycott of L'Oreal due to animal testing, and have extended this to cover the Body Shop.

Botswana
for forcing the Gana and Bwi Bushmen out of their land in the Central Kalahari Game Reserve
Contact: Survival International on 020 7687 8700


British Heart Foundation
for conducting animal testing in order to find out about a human condition.
Buy instead: The boycott is called by PETA whose British Heartless Foundation website contains a list of health charities which do not test on animals.
Contact: PETA on 020 7357 9229

Burma
is ruled by one of the world's most brutal regimes and has used forced labour to prepare the country for tourism. Burma Campaign UK has a list of companies operating in Burma.
Contact: Burma Campaign UK, 28 Charles Square, London N1 6HT,
Tel: 020 7324 4710 or email


Bush and the Republican party
Take a look at our Boycott Bush site for the main corporate donors to the Republican party.
Buy instead: see the Brand List on the Boycott Bush website.

Canada
for the government-subsidised slaughter of nearly one million seals over the last three years. Campaigners are also calling for a boycott of Canadian fish and seafood, as exports to the UK earn five times more for Canada than the landed seal hunt in Newfoundland.
Contact: Respect for Animals www.boycott-canada.com 0115 952 5440
Humane Society of the USA www.hsus.org/ace/19076
International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) www.ifaw.org 020 7587 6700

Caterpillar
for selling bulldozers to Israel in full knowledge that they will be armoured and used to destroy Palestinian homes, infrastructure and agriculture in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. These abuses are detailed in War on Want's alternative company report on Caterpillar.
Contact: War on Want, Fenner Brockway House, 37-39 Great Guildford Street London SE1 OES
Tel: 0845 193 1952

ChevronTexaco
For dumping billions of gallons of toxic waste in the Ecuadorian Amazon and failing to clean it up.
Contact: www.chevrontoxico.com


China
for its continued human rights abuses and for its occupation of Tibet
Contact: Boycottmadeinchina, email usa@boycottmadeinchina.org

Coca-Cola
for its repression of trade union activity in Colombia and its depletion of groundwater resources in India.
Contact: Colombia Solidarity Campaign, UK arm of campaign on 07743 743041 or email.
Websites: Colombia's Food and Drink Workers' Union SinalTrainal, who called the boycott on 22nd July 2003, Killer Coke, and Coke Watch
In India, Coca Cola has caused severe water shortages, polluted groundwater and soil around its bottling plant, distributed its toxic waste as "fertiliser" to local farmers and sold drinks with extremely high levels of pesticides.
Website: India Resource Centre

Colgate-Palmolive
as part of a boycott of the products of companies which still test on animals. The focus of the boycott is the testing of household goods and their ingredients.
Website: BUAV on 0207 700 4888

Daewoo International Corporation
for involvement in the development of gas projects off the coast of Arakan State in Western Burma. Contact SCHWE Gas Movement


De Beers
for supporting the Botswanan government’s efforts to forcibly remove Bushmen from their ancestral lands to resettlement camps.
Contact Survival International on 020 7687 8700

Dolce & Gabbana
for using a chimpanzee in an advert.
Contact: Animal Defenders International on 020 8846 9777.

Donna Karan
to hold the clothing company accountable for sweatshop conditions in its suppliers' factories. The Ain't I A Woman campaign is sponsored by National Mobilisation Against Sweatshops and the Chinese Staff and Workers Association.

Esso
for doing more than any other company to sabotage international action on climate change, and for being a top donor to George W. Bush. Find out why you should Boycott Bush or contact Greenpeace at 020 7865 8100.
Website: www.stopesso.com

Gecko's Adventures
for being on Free Burma UK's list of companies offering tours to Burma. Contact Burma Campaign UK for a full list or ring 020 7324 4710


Iams (owned by Procter & Gamble)
for unnecessary animal testing. It is estimated Procter & Gambles is responsible for the deaths of 50,000 animals each year.
Contact: Uncaged Campaigns, 9 Bailey Lane, Sheffield S1 4EG tel: 0114 272 2220, info@uncaged.co.uk
See also Procter & Gamble.

Israel
following 'decades of refusal to abide by UN resolutions, International Humanitarian law and the Fourth Geneva Convention.' Click here to find out more about the boycott of Israeli products.
Film-makers, musicians, performers and academics have also added their voices, and are calling on their colleagues not to visit, exhibit or perform in Israel.
Websites: Boycott Israeli Goods or Palestine Solidarity Campaign, Box BM PSA, London WC1N 3XX tel: 020 7700 6192. See the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel and the British Committee for Universities of Palestine (BRICUP) for information on cultural boycotts. BRICUP can be contacted on 0207 712 1709 and info@bricup.org.uk

Japan
due to whale hunting for "scientific" reasons in a protected whale sactuary around Antartica. This year, Japan may also start hunting endangered humpback whales. See Boycott Japan for more information.
The International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) on 020 7587 6708 is also campaigning for the conservation and protection of whales and co-ordinates letter writing campaigns to the Icelandic, Norwegion and Japanese governments.

Joseph Ltd
for selling coats and other products made from animal fur.for selling boots made from rabbit fur. Contact the Campaign Against the Fur Trade Tel: 0845 330 7955

Junckers
due to selling Indonesian merbau flooring despite confirming that it is of unknown source. Without guarantees of the wood's origin, it's likely that merbau wood flooring could have come from Indonesia's last remaining rainforests.
Contact Environmental Investigation Agency for more information or ring 020 7324 4710.

Kahrs
due to selling Indonesian merbau flooring despite confirming that it is of unknown source. Without guarantees of the wood's origin, it's likely that merbau wood flooring could have come from Indonesia's last remaining rainforests.
Contact Environmental Investigation Agency for more information or ring 020 7324 4710.

Kurt Geiger
for selling boots made from rabbit fur. Contact the Campaign Against the Fur Trade Tel: 0845 330 7955

Let's Go
for being on the Free Burma UK's list of companies publishing travel guide books with information on travel in Burma. Strong evidence exists that tourist facilities, roads and other constructino programmes in Burma have used forced labour and involved severe human rights abuses.
Contact Burma Campaign UK for a full list or ring 020 7324 4710.

Liberty Apparel
to hold the clothing company accountable for sweatshop conditions in its suppliers' factories. The Ain't I A Woman campaign is sponsored by National Mobilisation Against Sweatshops and the Chinese Staff and Workers Association.

Lonely Planet Guides
for being on the Free Burma UK's list of companies publishing travel guide books with information on travel in Burma. Strong evidence exists that tourist facilities, roads and other constructino programmes in Burma have used forced labour and involved severe human rights abuses.
Contact Burma Campaign UK for a full list (tel: 020 7324 4710)
or Tourism Concern on 020 7753 3330 or email info@tourismconcern.org.uk

L'Oreal
Naturewatch has a long-standing boycott of L'Oreal due to its continued use of animal testing for cosmetics. The French multinational uses ingredients that have been tested on animals, despite public statements to the contrary. It has also been criticised for lobbying against an EU ban on animal testing for cosmetics.
Contact: Naturewatch on 01242 252 871

Lucozade (owned by GlaxoSmithKline)
for being on Ethical Consumer's list of top donors to the Republican Party. See BoycottBush for more information.

MBNA
for being on Ethical Consumer's list of top donors to the Republican Party. See BoycottBush for more information.

Microsoft
for being on Ethical Consumer's list of top donors to the Republican Party. See BoycottBush for more information.

Nestlé
for its irresponsible marketing of baby milk formula which infringes the International Code of Marketing of Breastmilk Substitutes.
Contact: Baby Milk Action, 23 St Andrews St, Cambridge CB2 3AX, 01223 464420

Nouvelle recycled toilet paper
Boycott called by Ethical Consumer magazine, issue 108 (September/October 2007). Brand owners Koch Industries, also makes toilet tissue from virgin forests, was the main US importer of wood from Indonesia and came bottom in a recent World Wildlife Fund comparison of toilet tissue companies. It has also been part of a team advising George Bush on “conservative environmentalism,” or in short, deregulation. See toilet roll report in issue 107 for alternatives.

Pakistan International Airlines
The International Transport Workers' Federation (ITF) have launched a consumer boycott of PIA, acting on behalf of eight trade unions to pressurise the Pakistani government to stop the victimisation of aviation workers. For more information contact ITF +44(0)20 7940 9260.

Peugeot
for moving production from the UK to France and low-wage Slovakia. Contact Amicus and T&G unions for more information or ring 020 7611 2500

Procter and Gamble
for its continued use of animal testing for cosmetics, household products and pet food. Brands made by P&G include Always, Ariel, Bold, Camay, Clearasil, Crest, Daz, Dreft, Fairy, Flash, Head and Shoulders, Insignia, Milton, Napisan, Oil of Ulay, Old Spice, Pampers, Sinex, Tide, Viakal, Vidal Sassoon, Vortex and Zest.
Contact: BUAV, 16a Crane Grove, London N7 8LB (0207 700 4888)
and: Uncaged Campaigns, 9 Bailey Lane, Sheffield S1 4EG
tel: 0114 272 2220, info@uncaged.co.uk

Reckitt Benckiser
as part of a boycott of products of companies which still test household goods and their ingredients on animals.
Contact: BUAV on 0207 700 4888

Rolls-Royce
for being on Free Burma UK's list of companies with investments in Burma. Contact Burma Campaign UK for a full list or ring 020 7324 4710

SABMiller
Altria (formerly Philip Morris) has a substantial shareholding in SABMiller, which also owns Appletiser, Peroni Nastro Azzuro and Pilsner Urquell. See above for details of the Altria boycott
For alternative mainstream beer brands, Ethical Consumer magazine gives the best scores to Budvar (13.5) and Grolsch (12.5).

SC Johnson
as part of a boycott of products of companies which still test household goods and their ingredients on animals.
Contact: BUAV on 0207 700 4888

Shell
until the peoples of the Ogoni region in Nigeria receive a fair share of profits from oil extraction, and are able to live in better environmental conditions.
Contact: MOSOP-UK (Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People), Suite 3-4, Albion Place, Galena Rd, Hammersmith, London W6 0LT, 020 8563 8614


Starbucks
because for every cup of coffee that it sells, farmers in coffee-growing countries such as Ethiopia earn about 2p. It has also been accused by the Industrial Workers of the World union of 'retaliatory firing' of four union organisers in the US
Contact US Organic Consumer's Association for information on the campaign for fairer terms for Ethiopian coffee farmers. More information on how to support the union can be found on by visiting the National Lawyers Guild website or telephoning (001) 212 679 5100.

Singapore Airlines
in protest against threats of government repression during the World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF) Annual Meeting. The Singapore Government had issued a warning that it was prepared to cane or imprison protestors who committed "violent crimes" during the meeting meetings, but Friends of the Earth International argued that it was very difficult to identify violent offenders in crowds.

Superdrug
for being on Free Burma UK's list of companies with investments in Burma. The connection is via Superdrug's parent company Cheung Kong Holdings.
Contact Burma Campaign UK for a full list or ring 020 7324 4710

Suzuki
for being on Free Burma UK's list of companies with investments in Burma.
Contact Burma Campaign UK for a full list or ring 020 7324 4710



Tarkett
due to refusing to provide evidence to prove the legal source of their merbau flooring. Without guarantees of the wood?s origin, it?s likely that merbau wood flooring could have come from Indonesia?s last remaining rainforests.
Contact Environmental Investigation Agency for more information or ring 020 7324 4710.

Tesco
due to its escalating use of Radio Frequency identification. The tiy computer chips embedded in products or packaging allow monitoring of items which consumers normally consider private, like clothing, wallets and backpacks. Contact CASPIAN (Consumers Against Supermarket Privacy Invasion and Numbering)
also due to the sale of live turtles, tortoises and frogs in their Chinese stores. China currently has no animal welfare laws. Contact Care for the Wild International Tel. 01306 627900


Unilever
as part of a boycott of the products of companies which still test on animals. The focus of the boycott is on the testing of household products and their ingredients.
Contact: BUAV on 0207 700 4888