Day: 19 May 2015
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UK COURT: Unlawful Discriminaton For Christian Bakery Who Refused Gay Cake
BREAKING: A UK Court has found that a bakery in Belfast, owned by Christians acted unlawfully when it refused to fulfil an order which had an inscription in support of same-sex marriage.
Ashers Bakery in Belfast, Northern Ireland refused an order by Gareth Lee in July 2014. The cake in question had a message that supported same-sex marriage.
The bakery owners refused the order based on their Christian beliefs Gareth Lee a gay rights activist took the civil case against the bakery with the support of the Equality Commission.
A judge has ruled that the bakery’s refused to make the cake was unlawful. The judge commented:
“Whilst defendants have right to religious beliefs they are limited as to how they manifest them.”
https://twitter.com/DeborahMcAleese/status/600598827700224000?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
Speaking outside the Belfast court just before the ruling, Ashers general manager Daniel McArthur said:
“We happily serve everyone but we cannot promote a cause that goes against what the Bible says about marriage.
“We have tried to be guided in our actions by our Christian beliefs.”
Mr Lee told the court that the decision to refuse his order him feel “unworthy” and ” a lesser person”.
A Belfast judge said Ashers were not exempt from discrimination law adding that the bakery were “conducting a business for profit”, they are not a religious group.”
They were found to have discriminated against Mr Lee on the grounds of sexual orientation.
https://twitter.com/DeborahMcAleese/status/600594149063204866?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
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COMMENT: Dear Fitness Instructor
This morning I discovered not one but two new followers on twitter that were both fitness instructors, one was a supposed celebrity instructor and the other one from what I could gather was specifically for the gay community.
©-stetsik-Depositphotos It made me take note a bit because when I’m going through my twitter feed I am inundated with images of delicious food which in itself makes me constantly hungry and reminds me that I wish I could spend all of my time in the kitchen, cooking, eating, writing and entertaining. Unfortunately like a lot of us foodie bloggers I have a full time job so this is just not a viable option not yet anyway. Intertwined with all these images of food are images of equally delicious men, all bronzed, toned, bulging in the right places with teeth gleamingly white as snow. It’s my own fault, I follow these feeds so I only have myself to blame. Some are celebrities, some are photographers, and then there are the underwear companies, gay magazines, swimwear sites, other aesthetically pleasing fitness instructors, actors, singers and even the odd porn star. Please note that I only followed them, the porn stars that is, just because they followed me and it’s courteous to do so on twitter, is it not? As far as I’m aware I’m not being followed by any celebrities that I know of.
In theory, my obsession with food should make me obese or at the very least in that slightly lower category of just fat or the even more polite arena of “you’ve put on a few pounds”, as my best friend not so long ago told me. I most certainly should be on the Katie Hopkins hit list and be told that I need to “eat less and move more”. The fact is that I do eat an awful lot of food. I eat obviously at home, I also eat out a lot, I entertain at dinner parties, have friends over for breakfasts, host supper clubs, test recipes, bake cakes, eat biscuits, review cookbooks, attend launches, the list seems endless with one common denominator, food.
I would love to have a toned rippling body but I just don’t have the time, no really I don’t, I don’t live near a gym so it would take me forty minutes to get to one, add that to a minimum of an hour in the gym then you are talking two and a half hours’ worth of my day, it’s just not going to happen. Ideally what I’d like is one those fitness instructors to knock on my door, I will be ready in my gym gear, he can have an hour’s worth of my time at times to suit me five times a week for the next eight weeks and then by all means he can photograph me ‘before’ and ‘after’ and prove that it can be done.
I don’t need the nutritional advice stuff, I know all that I just need the workout. I have no doubt it can be achieved but then after those eight weeks what happens? Rest assured no doubt my fitness instructor will issue me with a daily twenty minute routine I can do in my own home without the need to go to a gym, only one problem here, I used to enjoy getting ready to get sweaty with my fitness instructor, I’m unlikely to motivate myself to do sit ups, push ups and weights on my own in my bedroom with two cats a dog running around my feet when I’d rather be watching Mary Berry on TV saying to myself “those hands are not going to whisk much longer” or planning my next ten course supper club the theme of which could be ‘How to lose those love handles and still eat well’ featuring a course from all the latest health guru cookbooks like Deliciously Ella, Eat Nourish Glow or the annoyingly beautiful mother and daughter team whose recipes are all the vogue these days, Hemsley and Hemsley. I won’t go there with my opinions on the model turn cook brigade.
I do exercise, I walk most places and run a few times a week and I am on my feet more often than not, granted a lot of the time with a glass of wine in my hand but standing up still counts as calorie burning in my world. I can safely say that the main reason I’m not overweight is that I eat in moderation, I always cook from fresh, never eat processed foods, never touch anything with artificial sweeteners in, never calorie count, never diet, I listen to my body and I understand food. When it’s coming up for my holidays and I need to look reasonably alright in my swimwear (not speedo’s, that’s another debate) I will cut out the carbs a bit and eat less sugars. I am happy, happy with myself, happy with the way I look, happy with my boyfriend and he is happy with me. I’m not depressed that I will never have a six pack, the time and effort getting one must be extremely satisfying if that’s your thing. I’d much rather my time and energy went on my hobby of food.
However on a final note I was wondering if I could cut a deal with any of my fitness instructor followers.
You knock at my door five times a week so we can get sweaty together and I’ll provide you with a perfect nutritionally balanced meal to take away with you every visit? Get in touch.
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The five best Abba comedy videos
With Eurovision rapidly approaching most of us are recalling the dazzling days of yore where the contest could create lasting stars and songs the whole world remembered.
No act, though, could ever match the massive legend that would become ABBA the fabulous foursome left a legacy that continues to influence new generations.
The most interesting thing is that ABBA did not just touch the gay scene and the music scene, but the comedy scene as well.
Let’s take a look at some British comedians whose acts were touched by Swedish genius.
5 ½. Dannii Cohen Yes, I too am part of those the group influenced. When starting out as a comic in the late 90s I had a comedy music group with a friend. It was called Mayallzone: named in tribute to both Rik Mayall and Boyzone (yes, yes I know.) The music was strictly ABBA, though. Understandably, it did not last very long.
Okay, now that’s out of the way:
Let’s take a look at some British comedians whose acts were touched by Swedish genius.
5. Peter Kay Kay has acknowledged his love for ABBA several times, giving a rare interview to talk about the group in a documentary about 1976 and even refusing to host ITV’s Sunday Night at the London Palladium because the group would not reform for him.
He performed the Bjorn and Benny classic “I Know Him So Well” with Susan Boyle for Comic Relief.
4. Rowan Atkinson Starting with this amazing performance with the cast of Not The Nine O’Clock News:
Rowan has used the music of ABBA on various occasions, with this great scene of Johnny English as a highlight.
3. David Walliams What was it that made David Walliams survive the gruelling swim down the Thames in 2011? Was it strength and pure determination? Or did it have something to do with playing music by 4 magic Swedes in his head? It certainly helped. David requested various songs by ABBA when calling into radio stations for updates about the swim, but no song drove him more then the all time classic Dancing Queen, his favourite song, which saw him through the worst day of the swim, when falling ill.
After recovering he paid tribute to the group on Sport Relief night with pall Miranda Hart.
(Bonus: a very funny sketch ABBA sketch from his Rock Profile series)
2. Steve Coogan AHA!! With the first series of his TV show named after an ABBA track Steve was a strong contender for the number one spot. In earlier years, of course Steve Coogan claims it is Alan Partridge who is the ABBA fan, but no-one can know so much detail about a group and it’s music without being a fan.
One of his inner circle has claimed that one one occasion he was given a lift by Coogan and the car radio was on, playing songs by ABBA loudly. Coogan blushed, swiftly switched it of and exclaimed: “JUST RESEARCH!!” Yeah, right. In recent years he admitted: “Just because Alan likes it, it doesn’t mean it must be naff. That’s very two-dimensional thinking. A lot of the music I choose for Alan is stuff I like.”During recent series The Trip with friend Rob Brydon the duo perform The Winner Takes it all in a bar.
1. Rik Mayall – Who else!! In the early 90s during his Rik Mayall Presents series, Rik starred in a fabulous movie called “Dancing Queen” about a man falling in love with the stripper (Helena Bonham Carter) who dances at his wedding. A lovely romantic comedy romp.
Over the years Rik often referenced ABBA (with “Money, Money, Money” even being used in The New Statesman). And now here’s for a twist: ABBA were fans of him too!! Well, at least Bjorn and Benny, which led to him being cast in ABBA’s Our Last Video Ever. The role of the producer was written especially for him and shows all the signs of his trademark humour.
With this trump card there was no doubt Rik should be number one!!