Source: Peace FM – Popular reggae artiste and radio presenter, Blakk Rasta has waded into the massive debate on social media regarding a decision by Achimota School not to admit two Rastafarian students until they have a low-cut hair.
Speaking in an interview on Peace FM’s The Platform programme, Blakk Rasta described as shameful the fact that a qualified student will be denied an education because of his dreadlocks.
“…this is very shameful and discriminatory and takes us backward” he lamented.
Irish and international members of the European Parliament have been deluged by thousands of emails organised by anti-vaccination and anti-lockdown activists in a bid to stop the introduction of vaccine certificates intended to ease the resumption of travel in the European Union.
<p class="no_name">The proposed pan-EU digital certificates would show if people have been vaccinated, tested negative or recovered from Covid-19.</p>
<p class="no_name">Many of the emails are copies of a template text shared online by a network of activists that casts doubt on the safety and efficacy of Covid-19 vaccines and describes the certificate as “the same as imposing travel papers on Jews by the Nazi’s”.</p>
<p class="no_name">MEPs and their staff described the emails as highly unusual because of their volume, their focus on a procedural vote that would usually not attract much interest and their grounding in misinformation about vaccines and the Covid-19 pandemic.</p>
<p class="no_name">“It is extremely unusual to have 2-3,000 emails coming in overnight and over the course of a day and a half. I think you really have to ask questions about the algorithms and so on behind it and the ability to generate this,” said Fine Gael’s <a class="search" href="/topics/topics-7.1213540?article=true&tag_person=Frances+Fitzgerald">Frances Fitzgerald</a>, who sits on a disinformation committee in the parliament.</p>
<p class="no_name">The template letter to MEPs and a list of their email addresses began to go viral on <a class="search" href="/topics/topics-7.1213540?article=true&tag_company=Facebook">Facebook</a> in <a href="/news">Ireland</a> after they were posted by barrister Tracey O’Mahony and shared by Prof <a class="search" href="/topics/topics-7.1213540?article=true&tag_person=Dolores+Cahill">Dolores Cahill</a>, formerly of the <a class="search" href="/topics/topics-7.1213540?article=true&tag_organisation=Irish+Freedom+Party">Irish Freedom Party</a>, both of whom made speeches at an anti-lockdown event in Dublin on St Patrick’s Day.</p>
<aside class="related-articles--instream has-3">
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<p class="no_name">This followed a similar call to email all EU MEPs and the sharing of a different template letter by Children’s Health Defense, an anti-vaccination group in the <a class="search" href="/topics/topics-7.1213540?article=true&tag_location=United+States">United States</a> founded in 2015 by <a class="search" href="/topics/topics-7.1213540?article=true&tag_person=Robert+F+Kennedy">Robert F Kennedy</a> jnr, a nephew of the late US president John F Kennedy and a notorious anti-vaccination campaigner.</p>
<p class="no_name">The group expanded into Europe last summer when Mr Kennedy was among the speakers at a mass rally of anti-lockdown protesters and conspiracy theorists in <a class="search" href="/topics/topics-7.1213540?article=true&tag_location=Berlin">Berlin</a>, and it now campaigns on EU issues in English, German, French and Italian. MEPs from across the EU described their inboxes being flooded with similar emails to an extent that disrupted their ability to work. </p>
<h4 class="crosshead">‘Breach of rights’</h4><p class="no_name">“Some of the emails are genuine, others are obviously coming from a centralised distribution system. There’s quite a strong lobby coming from outside the European Union itself,” said Fianna Fáil’s <a class="search" href="/topics/topics-7.1213540?article=true&tag_person=Billy+Kelleher">Billy Kelleher</a>. </p>
<p class="no_name">“There’s a strong anti-vax element to it . . . Some people have views that it’s a breach of fundamental rights in terms of transport and travel, others have views that vaccination hasn’t proved to be successful and it’s all part of a conspiratorial agenda,” he added. “Some of them are quite threatening. They go to strange, appalling comparisons between Jewish people and <a class="search" href="/topics/topics-7.1213540?article=true&tag_location=Germany">Germany</a> in the ’30s having to wear the star, it really is bordering on the ugly.”</p>
<p class="no_name">MEPs vote on Thursday on whether to speed up procedure to allow for debates to be held earlier on a proposal for pan-EU digital certificates that would show if people have been vaccinated, tested negative or recovered from Covid-19. </p>
<p class="no_name">There is pressure to set up the digital system in time for summer, particularly from a group of tourism-dependent states led by <a class="search" href="/topics/topics-7.1213540?article=true&tag_location=Greece">Greece</a>, which hopes it could help ease international travel by allowing some people to skip quarantine or testing requirements.</p>
<p class="no_name">In <a class="search" href="/topics/topics-7.1213540?article=true&tag_location=Israel">Israel</a>, a vaccine certificate system has been introduced to allow people who have received jabs exclusive access to gyms, hotels, theatres and concerts. But the idea is controversial in Europe and opposed as discriminatory by several member states, so the proposed EU version of the scheme would also allow people to demonstrate that they have tested negative or have antibodies as they have recovered from Covid-19, as an alternative to vaccination. </p>
<p class="no_name">It would be up to individual member states to decide whether to allow such people to skip requirements such as quarantine or testing obligations for travellers, and the idea of using the certificates domestically is controversial.</p>
<p class="no_name">MEPs have said it is not possible to respond to all the emails they have received, but Mr Kelleher said he was writing back to anyone who contacted him from his constituency of Ireland South, telling them that the certificate should only be used for “international travel purposes”.</p>
<p class="no_name">“I fully respect your freedom to choose not to be vaccinated and ultimately your freedom to choose to quarantine upon arrival in a country if local rules require,” his response reads.</p>
Batley Grammar School in West Yorkshire had to delay its opening on Thursday, as enraged Muslim parents protested outside the school building because a teacher had allegedly shown caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad during a religious education class.
The crowd of parents, with about 20 to 30 pupils in tow, remained near the school until at least the afternoon, according to the Huddersfield Examiner.
The protest forced police to block off the road leading to the school which was founded in 1612 by a Christian, the Reverend William Lee in Batley, a market and mill town in the Kirkless region. Muslims now make up 41 percent of Batley’s population.
A message spread on social media last night urging people to turn up and demand the resignation of the teacher implicated in the sensitive case.
In an email sent to parents head teacher Gary Kibble apologised for the “inappropriate” resource used in the classroom.
“The school would like to thank the parents who contacted us on 22 March highlighting concerns with a resource used in an RS lesson that day,” the letter read, continuing:
“Upon investigation, it was clear that the resource used in the lesson was completely inappropriate and had the capacity to cause great offence to members of our school community for which we would like to offer a sincere and full apology.”
Muslims & Islamist networks have been calling for people to protest the Batley Grammar School in West Yorkshire, England to demand the firing of a teacher who allegedly showed Charlie Hebdo cartoons in a lesson. The school has immediately apologized. pic.twitter.com/Urmth6mxfZ
A spokesperson for Batley Grammar School also apologised, saying that althoughit is crucial for children to learn about faiths and beliefs, this “must be done in a sensitive way”.
The school representative confirmed, after an announcement by local Muslim scholar, the Mufti Mohammed Amin Pandor, that the teacher responsible had been suspended in the wake of the controversy.
Accusations that a teacher has shown a derogatory caricature of the Prophet Muhammad brings protests to a West Yorkshire school this morning
The incident sees police drafted in this morning to Batley Grammar School, as roads are blocked and vehicles sent pic.twitter.com/VxbuMM9Wlt
— London & UK Crime (@CrimeLdn) March 25, 2021
“Now we’ve asked for an investigation, an investigation to be independent, and we have asked also that some of us get onto the investigation panel”, Pandor, for his part, called.
Local Syllabus or Acting ‘In Accordance With School’s Designated Religion’
The updated religious education syllabus for Calderdale, Leeds and Kirkess, where the school is located, envisages that pupils should be taught to “give reasons why visual representations of God and the prophets is forbidden – haram – in Islam” by the end of key stage two. Yet, the document stops short of specifying whether teachers should show any of these images, a Daily Mail report has said.
National guidelines from the Department for Education, whose latest Ofsted rating deemed Batley Grammar as “good”, don’t especially touch upon visual materials on the Prophet Muhammad either. They say that RE must be taught according to “either the locally agreed syllabus or in accordance with the school’s designated religion or religious denomination, or in certain cases the trust deed relating to the school”.
From Charlie Hebdo Shooting Spree to Samuel Paty Tragedy
Today’s protest at Batley came months after teacher Samuel Paty was beheaded in a Paris suburb by a Muslim immigrant, who reportedly acted upon learning that the teacher showed his students caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad during lessons on freedom of speech.
The caricatures were published by the satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo in 2015 and immediately landed in the crosshairs of the Muslim population across the world, prompting a series of terrorist attacks in France that left 17 people dead and dozens injured, including the Charlie Hebdo massacre, when gunmen killed 12.
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Aretha Franklin was the kind of shooting star that sprints through the atmosphere only once in a lifetime. Born on March 25, 1942, the talented singer-songwriter honed her craft in church, and became an icon whose music will continue to inspire legions of recording artists for generations to come.
In a career of more than 60 years, the Queen of Soul sold over 75 million records, won 18 Grammys, became the first female Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee, and amassed a collection of legendary hits soundtracking our lives with timeless anthems such as “Respect,” “Do Right Woman,” and “Rock Steady.”
Franklin’s death from pancreatic cancer in 2018 was a devastating loss to the music world, but her memory lives on through her work. The legendary soul singer, activist and mother, was outspoken about everything from who she wanted to play her in a biopic, to refusing to go on stage without her purse. Yet Franklin was deeply protective over her personal life, and never publicly confirmed that she was battling cancer. Her funeral played like a royal affair complete with an exclusive guest list of Franklin’s family, friends, political figures, and performances from Stevie Wonder, Jennifer Hudson, Chaka Khan, Fantasia, Ariana Grande, Faith Hill, Yolanda Adams, and more.
This year brings two new projects centered around Franklin. The first, NatGeo’s “Genius: Aretha,” premiered on March 21. Cynthia Erivo stars in the eight episode mini-series that portrays Franklin’s relationship with her preacher father, C.L. Franklin, from childhood through to adulthood; her marriage to second husband Ted White, and her introduction to music producer Jerry Wexler (Franklin’s family has denounced the project). “Genius: Aretha” is currently streaming on Hulu, along with the 2019 documentary “Amazing Grace.” If you’re not already signed up for Hulu, subscriptions start at $5.99 a month, or $59.99 a year. “Amazing Grace” is also available to rent or buy on Amazon Prime.
Later this year, will come the release of the “Respect” biopic starring Jennifer Hudson, but it remains to be seen if the film will receive a theatrical or streaming release (or both).
To mark what would have been Franklin’s 79th birthday, we rounded up a collection of vinyls, books and more merchandise that needs to be in your music library, and overall collection. This roster isn’t just for Franklin fans though, the items below act as a gift guide for anyone looking to purchase a unique item for that special someone.
Released in 1969, the “Aretha Franklin: Gold” album compiles hits such as “Respect,” “Ain’t No Way,” and “Think.” Franklin recorded most of these tracks at Atlantic Studios in New York City. For “Do Right Woman,” and “I Never Loved a Man (The Way That I Love You), Franklin traveled to Muscle Shoals, Alabama to record at Famed Recording Studios, the historic studio where other music legends Little Richard, Otis Redding, and Etta James recorded music. Just 24 years old at the time, Franklin brought the magic touch to her 1967 recording session of “I Never Loved a Man (The Way I Love You)”. The song became Franklin’s first hit single as it cracked the top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100, and topped the R&B songs chart.
Borrowing its title from the Nina Simone song, “Young Gifted and Black” became a pivotal album in Franklin’s catalog. The Grammy-winning LP was released in 1972 and includes Franklin’s cover of Simone’s song. The rendition became an anthem for ongoing civil rights activism, and became identified with the Black Power Movement. The album was a sonic departure from the heavy gospel influence on Franklin’s earlier projects, and unlocked a uniquely soulful period for the Queen of Soul. This mustard yellow vinyl features ”Day Dreaming,” “Chain Of Fools,” and other soul stirring tracks.
There’s no question that the late ‘60s solidified the start of Franklin’s superstar era. Her version of “Respect” (originally recorded by Ottis Redding) became a signature song in her catalog, and earned Franklin two Grammys in 1968. She went on to win a Grammy every year thereafter until 1972.
This 2019 documentary, directed by Sydney Pollack and Alan Elliott, presents the live recording of Franklin’s luminary gospel album “Amazing Grace.” The footage was filmed during Franklin’s stirring performance at The New Temple Missionary Baptist Church in Watts, California, in 1972.
A fascinating portrait of Franklin’s life captured through photos, and spanning across six decades, the introspective photo book, by Meredith Ochs, offers a wide shot of Franklin’s story. Included among the 85 photos are insightful text exploring the icon’s numerous honors, awards, and causes, alongside her advocacy for civil rights and the arts, beginning with her formative years in Detroit and recording career from the ‘50s until her death in 2018.
For “New York Times” best-selling author Mark Bego, his biography on Franklin was 40 years in the making. Bego first wrote about Franklin back when he was a journalism student assigned to review her “Young Gifted & Black” album. Unbeknownst to Bego, he would spend decades covering her career. He first interviewed Franklin at her home in Detroit in 1985. “Aretha Franklin: The Queen of Soul” was then published in 1989, notable for being the first full biography on Franklin. The book has been updated a few times over the years since, to include more of the soul singer’s accolades, career highlights, and her passing.
As the third of over two dozen compilation albums that Franklin released over her illustrious music career, “Aretha’s Greatest Hits” was a roundup of earlier recordings such as “Baby I Love You,” and “Dr. Feel Good,” along with three song covers recorded specifically for the album: “Spanish Harlem,” “You’re All I Need to Get By,” and “Bridge Over Troubled Water.” Atlantic Records released “Aretha’s Greatest Hits” in 1971.
Anyone looking to get swept up in the awe-inspiring sounds of Franklin’s pivotal gospel LP should listen to “Amazing Grace: The Complete Recordings.” This musical behemoth, with four vinyl records included, features all 27 unedited tracks from the original recording. The set features legendary performances of “How I Got Over,” “You’ve Got a Friend,” and her charting rendition of “Wholy Holy.” Franklin’s 1972 release became one of the most successful gospel albums in history, selling over two million copies.
“I’m the lady next door when I’m not on stage,” Franklin once said. This sprawling book, by photojournalist Linda Soloman, includes a forward penned by Burt Bacharach. Solomon, a fellow Detroit native, first met Franklin as a columnist for the “Detroit News” in 1983. The two forged a friendship, and Soloman became a personal photographer for Franklin. “The Queen Next Door,” showcases the down-to-earth side of the larger-than-life figure and her deep love of family.
Sales of organic food products in the European Union have more than doubled over the last decade – from €16.3 billion in 2008 to €37.4 billion in 2018 – and demand continues to grow.
However, many Europeans are still unsure of what “organic” really means. Is it natural? Free of pesticides? Locally grown?
Well not exactly. Here are some of the conditions food products must meet in order to be considered organic in the EU:
Natural fertilisers, such as compost and seaweed derivatives, are essential to maintaining fertile and healthy soil. So organic food must be grown with these products, rather than synthetic fertilisers that are used in conventional farming, and which tend to be made of harsher chemical ingredients including nitrogen compounds, phosphorus, and potassium.
“Organic farming improves soil structures and quality and enhances biodiversity. Studies have shown that organic farming present 30% more of biodiversity in the fields”, explains Elena Panichi, Head of Unit at DG Agriculture and Rural Development (DG AGRI).
No synthetic pesticides
Farmers need to fight weeds and pests. Organic farmers are only allowed to use naturally-derived pesticides, made from plants, animals, microorganisms, or minerals.
“These chemicals are of a natural origin. For instance, essential oils, plant extracts, that are listed in the relevant regulation, and are authorised, following a process that implies a scientific committee to assess the effect on the environment”, says Panichi.
Organic farms also have techniques such as crop rotation, or planting different crops on the same plot of land, to help to prevent soil-borne diseases.
Natural predators, such as ladybugs, can also be an effective method of pest control.
However, it is important to remember that just because something is “natural”, it doesn’t automatically make it harmless to either people or the environment.
No GMOs
To be certified as “organic”, food cannot contain products made from genetically modified crops.
This rule is the same for organic meat and other livestock products. Besides, the animals are to be raised on 100% organic feed.
Antibiotics as a last resort
The animals we eat, or whose products we consume, need to be kept disease-free. Many conventional farmers routinely use antibiotics for disease prevention. These can end up making their way into the food chain.
Excessive antibiotics are not good for people or animals because they can help create superbugs. Antimicrobial resistance is a global concern. Every year, around 33, 000 people die in the EU, due to infections from antibiotic-resistant bacteria.
On organic farms, the use of antibiotics is severely restricted. Farmers control disease by limiting the number of animals they raise and using methods such as a healthy diet for their livestock. They are only allowed to use antibiotics when absolutely necessary for an animal’s health, in order to avoid suffering, and when natural remedies such as phytotherapeutic and homoeopathic medicines are not effective.
“If in conventional [farming], sometimes antibiotics are given as preventive tools, in organics, antibiotics can be given as a last resort if there are no other methods to intervene. Normally, the higher animal welfare standards applied in organics already keep animals in a healthier status that prevent the use of antibiotics”, explains Panichi.
However, studies have shown that antibiotic use on farms is on the decline. Sales of animal antibiotics in the EU have fallen by more than 34% between 2011 and 2018.
Better animal welfare
Organic farmers must provide the environmental conditions necessary for animals to express their natural behaviour, such as adequate outdoor space. This is not compulsory in conventional farming.
There are additional rules such as the prohibition on caging or mutilation unless absolutely necessary for health reasons.
What “organic” doesn’t mean
Locally grown
Europeans are the second largest consumers of organic in the world. Local supply can’t meet demand yet, so a large number of organic products are imported.
Words like “natural”, “green” or “eco” on labels and packaging do not necessarily mean a product is organic.
Healthy
There’s a wide range of organic product on supermarket shelves, from burgers to pizzas, from cheese to wine. The health implications of consuming excess fats, salt or sugar don’t disappear just because a food product is organic. Too much fat, salt and sugar is still bad for you, whether it is organic or not.
How can you be sure that the “organic” food you’re buying is actually organic?
The most reliable way to know if a product is organic is if it has this official EU logo.
The white leaf on a green background means that EU rules on production, processing, handling and distribution, have been followed and that the product contains at least 95% organic ingredients. This logo can only be used on products that have been certified by an authorised control agency or body.
Some countries have also created their own organic logos. They are optional and complementary to the EU’s leaf. This is the French one, for instance.
New rules coming in 2022
EU rules on organic production will change soon. In 2022, Europe will have legislation with stricter controls.
Panichi believes it will bring a “substantial improvement” to the organic sector.
“We have to bear in mind that the new organic legislation is not a revolution, but it’s an evolution of the organic legislation that started in the past years and has been kept evolving together with the sector”.
The new legislation will harmonise rules for non-EU and EU producers. It will also simplify procedures for small farms in order to attract new producers, thanks to a new system of group validation.
The list of organic foods is expected to grow, with the addition of products such as salt and cork. The possibility of certifying insects as organic is also expected in the rules.
What is the future of organics?
“Surfaces in Europe are increasing or as well as all over the world, and they are increasing at a fast pace,” says Panichi.
As part of its Farm To Fork strategy, the EU has committed to increasing organic production, with the goal of 25% of all agricultural land being used for organic farming by 2030. In 2019, it was only around 8%.
By 2030, Europe also aims to reduce the use of harmful chemicals and hazardous pesticides by 50%.
Buying organic food is still too expensive for many. One of Farm To Fork’s main goals is to make healthy, sustainable food more accessible and affordable to all Europeans. A French from 2019 shows that a basket of eight organic fruits and eight organic vegetables is, on average, twice as expensive as a basket of non-organic products.
Note: The requirements listed in this article are just some of the conditions necessary for a product to be considered organic. If you want to know more about what is needed to obtain the green logo, please check the EU regulation.
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Parliament will vote on three laws on implementing the EU’s Own Resources system, paving the way for its reform and the introduction of new sources of EU revenue.
The three laws include provisions on calculating and simplifying the EU’s revenue, on managing cash flow, and on monitoring and inspection rights. These are needed to ensure the EU budget’s reformed revenue side continues to function smoothly.
Through these votes, Parliament will speed up the reform of the EU’s revenue, allowing the “Next Generation EU” recovery fund, worth €750 billion, to be used. In addition, new sources of revenue will provide new financing for the EU budget, such as a levy on plastic, and help repay the debt created by the recovery fund. MEPs are expected to appeal to EU countries to ratify the “Own Resources Decision” as soon as possible.
