I see that hot crossed buns are now banned in schools as they may offend Jehovah's Witnesses.... where are we all going? :loopy: :D :D :D

Guess school won't be closing for Christmas then either? :hihi:

It's the turn of the Jehovah's Witnesses to be allegedly offended this year is it? Oh hum. This gets trotted out every year. In 2003, according to an article in 'The Telegraph' (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2003/03/16/nbuns16.xml), it was apparently Muslims who might be offended. The article managed several paragrpahs of pontification, before getting to a quote from the The Muslim Council of Britain:
This is absolutely amazing. At the moment, British Muslims are very concerned about the upcoming war with Iraq and are hardly going to be taken aback by a hot cross bun...British Muslims have been quite happily eating and digesting hot cross buns for many years and I don't think they are suddenly going to be offended.
When is Easter this year? The 'Telegraph' article from 2003 was from March, so the stories are a bit early this year. Oh well, best to get it out of the way early I suppose...

Total rubbish (www.cre.gov.uk/downloads/ippr_scapegoats.pdf)

You have been taken in my friend!! This is an old story designed to stir up religious hatred and is not true.

my missus (whos family are jovos) just said easter is the only one they actually celebrate .....well not celebrate as such, maybe appreciate

I see that hot crossed buns are now banned in schools as they may offend Jehovah's Witnesses.... where are we all going? :loopy: :D :D :D

Where? Which school? Is there a quote from the headmaster? Is there a link?

Thanks for that TwoFour. Really interesting.:thumbsup:

I can't find a link Taxman.... it is on page7 of the Sunday Express and refers to Oaks primary school in Ipswich.... The Head teacher, Tina Jackson outlawed them on the basis so as not to upset a small minority of students who are Jehovah's Witnesses, who find the custom offensive. This is surely pc madness. :loopy:

I read in the paper today that a Headteacher somewhere has banned hot cross buns because of fears it might upset a few of her pupils who are Jehova's Witnesses :loopy:

Have a look on the Daily Express web site for details.

Been done Rich. It's here:

http://www.sheffieldforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=88218

http://www.sheffieldforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=88218

Dam, beat me too it.

Dam, beat me too it.

Mein Gott!!!! I actually beat someone at something. :wow:

Be embarrassed spyro mate, be VERY embarrassed.

Going back to the quote from the spokesperson for the Muslim Council of Britain (thanks ppn), doesn't this just prove that it's the non-muslims who are cancelling things because they're worried muslims will be offended, even though they won't :suspect:

This, in turn, incites racism because the misinformed blame the muslims (or whoever in whatever situation) because they think it's them who have called for the ban.

However, why are we so worried about offending muslims and other religions/races? Because they do make big deals of things so our government think it's easier to just ban everything just in case.

It's a bit like chicken and the egg.

Sorry - I was sort of thinking outloud during that so it was mainly an argument with myself :huh:

I've heard Sheffield council are going to ban shops like Cooplands from selling bacon sarnies.

I've heard Sheffield council are going to ban shops like Cooplands from selling bacon sarnies.

I heard Sheffield City Council was going to ban Sheffield Wednesday because they're a load of pigs

It's the turn of the Jehovah's Witnesses to be allegedly offended this year is it? Oh hum. This gets trotted out every year. In 2003, according to an article in 'The Telegraph' (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2003/03/16/nbuns16.xml), it was apparently Muslims who might be offended. The article managed several paragrpahs of pontification, before getting to a quote from the The Muslim Council of Britain:

When is Easter this year? The 'Telegraph' article from 2003 was from March, so the stories are a bit early this year. Oh well, best to get it out of the way early I suppose...

It's mid-April this year.

:)

The Head teacher, Tina Jackson should be dismissed, any person who is so screwed up to think banning a bun is a good idea should not be allowed anywhere near impressionable children let alone be in charge of a school.

I've heard that the council are going to ban grave stones, because they could offend the recently bereaved. A friend of mine said it had something to do with Muslims, or asylum seekers or something... they're to blame, anyway.

I've heard Sheffield council are going to ban shops like Cooplands from selling bacon sarnies.

How dare you question the Muslim world.... let them get on with dismantling our freedom and right of choice and we can catch up later when we are all Brothers.... sept on this occasion you lost your voice as you were out of order.... imagine " out of order in the crass" and the right to carry on?.... not good my friend. I like a bacon sarnie btw.... specially with brown sauce.

Going back to the quote from the spokesperson for the Muslim Council of Britain (thanks ppn), doesn't this just prove that it's the non-muslims who are cancelling things because they're worried muslims will be offended, even though they won't :suspect:

This, in turn, incites racism because the misinformed blame the muslims (or whoever in whatever situation) because they think it's them who have called for the ban.

However, why are we so worried about offending muslims and other religions/races? Because they do make big deals of things so our government think it's easier to just ban everything just in case.

It's a bit like chicken and the egg.

Sorry - I was sort of thinking outloud during that so it was mainly an argument with myself :huh:its all about votes,tony blair can not risk losing any votes so he panders to any one who will vote for him or his party

I think we should all become multi-racial individuals, and celebrate EVERY event going!!:hihi:

I think we should all become multi-racial individuals, and celebrate EVERY event going!!:hihi:
Absolutely agree with that. Sounds like a great idea. Even if it's just somthing as simple as wishing another person a happy whatever the celebration happens to be, and learning a little bit more about the different happenings in other cultures. Oh, and if pressies are involved, then so much the better :).

How dare you question the Muslim world.... let them get on with dismantling our freedom and right of choice and we can catch up later when we are all Brothers.... sept on this occasion you lost your voice as you were out of order.... imagine " out of order in the crass" and the right to carry on?.... not good my friend. I like a bacon sarnie btw.... specially with brown sauce.

Its easy to question others, always more difficult to ask question about ourselves.

I heard that Christians eat babies. Honest, a bloke down the pub reading the Daily Express told me.

I heard that Christians eat babies. Honest, a bloke down the pub reading the Daily Express told me.

Not sure about that, but I did read that the Chinese will eat anything and there were reports of them eating aborted foeteses !!!!! :gag:

Not sure about that, but I did read that the Chinese will eat anything and there were reports of them eating aborted foeteses !!!!! :gag:
Blumin' hell. I hope you read that in the 'Fortean Times'. Then again, an article in that publication is likely to have more veracity than one in one of the tabloids, so maybe I'll change that to I hope you read it in the 'Daily Mail'.

Who told you this Jake01, Richard Littlejohn? :hihi: :hihi:

Blumin' hell. I hope you read that in the 'Fortean Times'. Then again, an article in that publication is likely to have more veracity than one in one of the tabloids, so maybe I'll change that to I hope you read it in the 'Daily Mail'.

nope it was on CNN or something.
They were saying that because the Chinese have throughout their history experience some nasty famines they have 'adapted' to eat anything. The example given was used to illustrate the point.

nope it was on CNN or something.
They were saying that because the Chinese have throughout their history experience some nasty famines they have 'adapted' to eat anything. The example given was used to illustrate the point.
not only the chinese im afraid,some women eat the afterbirth after delivery,and thats here in britain

not only the chinese im afraid,some women eat the afterbirth after delivery,and thats here in britain

Yes I saw some frightfully middle class family on tele once having a dinner party where they served up the placenta, cooked I may add. Lots of nutrients and antibodies apparently.

Taking the thread a little off-topic, but just to respond to your post Zafar:

I hadn't heard of the 'Chinese eat aborted foetuses' story before. I did a quick Google search and, amongst the usual Snopes 'Chinese eat barbequed babies' nonsense, the only plausible reference I could find to it was a news release from 1995 from a Canadian MP, Sharon Hayes:
Sharon Hayes suggested that Chinese people might be cannibals as part of her arguments against the United Nations Conference on Women held in Beijing [Vancouver Sun, August 21, 1995].

In a news release issued by her office entitled Hayes Challenges Ministers over Alleged Cannibalism in China, Hayes called on the Canadian government to condemn China for policies she claimed endorsed "the alleged consumption of human fetuses as health food." Hayes cites a number of sources for this "information" about China, but all refer back to a Hong Kong tabloid as the original source. Hayes also relies on information from Focus on the Family, a right wing evangelical organization based in the U.S. which sent a mailing to two million American and Canadian households containing the allegation that Chinese eat aborted fetuses as health food.
I won't post the full article here, but it can be found here (http://www.web.net/~refwatch/rogues/hayes.htm), towards the bottom of the page.

It does sound like the usual xenophobic nonsense which does the rounds in various emails, although it's obviously impossible to fully refute the story, though Hayes' source for this particular aspect of it sounds more than a little dubious.

depoix: Although relatively uncommon, it's not unknown for parents (mother and father) to eat the placenta of their newborn. Wouldn't do it myself, but then again, I'm a little squeamish about such matters.

Hot cross buns must be banned, along with the days of the week,If I remember correct are named after the old Norse Gods,I take this as a personal insult to me and my Godess Venus.Hope to see this changed soon,the days can be named 1thr'7 this would not hurt anyones feeling,see you on 5.

Taking the thread a little off-topic, but just to respond to your post Zafar:

I hadn't heard of the 'Chinese eat aborted foetuses' story before. I did a quick Google search and, amongst the usual Snopes 'Chinese eat barbequed babies' nonsense, the only plausible reference I could find to it was a news release from 1995 from a Canadian MP, Sharon Hayes:

I won't post the full article here, but it can be found here (http://www.web.net/~refwatch/rogues/hayes.htm), towards the bottom of the page.

It does sound like the usual xenophobic nonsense which does the rounds in various emails, although it's obviously impossible to fully refute the story, though Hayes' source for this particular aspect of it sounds more than a little dubious.

depoix: Although relatively uncommon, it's not unknown for parents (mother and father) to eat the placenta of their newborn. Wouldn't do it myself, but then again, I'm a little squeamish about such matters.

True, there are loads of people who will wrap up their xenophobic beliefs into something which isn't wholly representative of the truth.

At the end of the day I dont like the idea, but if its allowed in China, then its their laws and their customs.

True, there are loads of people who will wrap up their xenophobic beliefs into something which isn't wholly representative of the truth.

At the end of the day I dont like the idea, but if its allowed in China, then its their laws and their customs.
I would agree with that. Just because I find the idea distasteful, doesn't mean that I would wish to alter the customs of another culture. I think it would be extrememly difficult to find authenticated evidence of such a potentially controversial practice though. I also wonder if this would be more a matter of 'hidden' traditional customs, rather than for China's laws.

It's also interesting to consider the possible clash between what is a traditonal custom, and what would otherwise (and possibly in retrospect) be considered to be unsound from a medical point of view. Kuru, a disease similar to Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, was a significant cause of death in certain tribes who ate human brain as a ceremonial funeral custom. It's an interesting topic.

I would agree with that. Just because I find the idea distasteful, doesn't mean that I would wish to alter the customs of another culture. I think it would be extrememly difficult to find authenticated evidence of such a potentially controversial practice though. I also wonder if this would be more a matter of 'hidden' traditional customs, rather than for China's laws.

It's also interesting to consider the possible clash between what is a traditonal custom, and what would otherwise (and possibly in retrospect) be considered to be unsound from a medical point of view. Kuru, a disease similar to Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, was a significant cause of death in certain tribes who ate human brain as a ceremonial funeral custom. It's an interesting topic.

Not sure if you saw the series not so long ago where an explorer travels to remote tribes and lives with them. Well one of those trips was to some tribe in North Eastern India, it was amazing. I dont imagine any of their 'delicacies' would EVER take off here :)

Alot of these huge countries have laws which give autonomy to certain tribes and their customs, as was the case with this particular tribe. I imagine there could be similar scenario's in China.

Alot of these huge countries have laws which give autonomy to certain tribes and their customs, as was the case with this particular tribe. I imagine there could be similar scenario's in China.

Was reading of the growing pressure in China for a ban on the sale of dog for human consumption. Pedigree dogs have become a fashionable accessory for the newly rich Chinese and they're a little anxious their expensive pets will end up in some pleb's cooking pot :D

Yes I saw some frightfully middle class family on tele once having a dinner party where they served up the placenta, cooked I may add. Lots of nutrients and antibodies apparently.

Well the 'goodness' in it would be mostly destroyed in the cooking.

I'm living in China , at the moment , and can confirm that some of their eating habits seem a bit strange to a Westerner .
In a Supermarket recently I picked up a tin and it usually gives the name of the food in Chinese and English , nowadays . This one said , ' Dog " and it's the only food I've avoided in China so far .
Generally the food is delicious , well - presented and you usually get served with much more than you can eat .
Eating is done , " self -service " style , with lots of dishes on the table and people just take what they want .
A variation on this is that each person has a pan of boiling water in front of them and all kinds of meat [ cut extra-ordinarily thin ] and thinly sliced vegetables are put on the table . You just help yourself and after a few minutes in the boiling water you then dip the meat or veg . into a sauce and eat it :---beautiful !
They have every type of meat and fish possible but China is such a huge country that each region has its own specialities .The speciality of the capital is , of course Beijing Duck . There's a restaurant there I went in that seats 3,000 people . It has 40 different dining rooms . Surprisingly the service is very good , very personal and no tips allowed or expected !
The girls who serve you , even in the ordinary cafes and restaurants are always re-filling your glass and empying your ashtray . That's in addition to bringing you snacks that you didn't expect or ask for ; no extra charge and good quality , German-lager is about 40p. a pint !
One strange aspect vis-a-vis the West . They don't finish meals with sweet things as we tend to do in the West [ rather they have sweet dishes at any stage in the meal ! ] , coffee is not available in the moderate or cheaper restaurants , smoking is still allowed any time -------before , during or after a meal -------and toasts are drunk regularly at formal meals with a Head-Banger Concoction , called ' Chinese Wine " : beware it's NOT wine !!

I wish someone would ban the Daily Express, and the Mail come to think of it...

:wink: