Buying clothes ethically - a great app “Good On You”

 I like fashion but up until recently I was in rather a rut, and would only buy from certain brands, knowing that their sizing fitted me. I didn’t consider where the clothes came from or how they were made, or whether the people making them were paid a proper wage. 

This all changed recently when I downloaded the brilliant app called “Good On You”. It is a worldwide app which assesses all the main brands for their ethical credentials, such as - are the people paid a proper wage, is there animal cruelty involved in making the items, etc.

All you do is type in the brand and you will discover whether it has 1, 2,3,4 or 5 stars. If it only has 1 or 2 stars, then that brand isn’t doing enough to address the ethical issues. If it has 3 stars it means that the brand is addressing these issues and if it has 4 or 5 stars, the brand is doing well ethically.

I was shocked to see that Marks and Spencer only has 2 stars, as does Hobbs and Barbour. I won’t be buying these brands now, however, if I see these brands in a charity shop or eBay then I will consider buying them as they then become part of the circular economy.

The refreshing thing about using the app, is that I now buy from brands I have never heard of before - this makes shopping much more interesting.

I went on a shopping trip to Bicester recently and there were a lot of shops there with only a 1 or 2 rating, so I avoided those shops. Interestingly Gucci and Burberry have 3 stars but the very expensive shoe brands such as Manolo Blahnik only have 1 star, and considering how much those shoes cost, there is no excuse for not paying their shoe makers a proper wage!

Fast fashion is a definite no no - it’s mostly made of nylons, which is plastic really, and not good to wear against the skin. These workers are not paid properly at all.

One brand was not on the app - the bag maker “Strathberry”. I emailed them to ask about their ethics regarding paying their workers a proper wage and I had no reply. Looking at their website, they proudly boast that each bag takes 20 hours to make. 

When you use the app, there are filters, so you can search brands in the UK only, and you can look for particular categories of clothing, such as smart clothes and casual clothes etc

It’s a really good app and I now wear brands which I never used to wear.

Climate Change Movie

I urge you to watch this recently made film, showing how “Climate Change” is NOT based on science but politics instead.

 https://download.wetransfer.com/eugv/e27ce364855371af4a62218c8f6339d520240323044130/992bc849d2fe0c1fdadd9438bd8082c56005c725/Climate%20The%20Movie%20-%201080p%20%281%29.mp4?cf=y&token=eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCIsImtpZCI6ImRlZmF1bHQifQ.eyJleHAiOjE3MTExOTc5ODQsImlhdCI6MTcxMTE4MzU4NCwiZG93bmxvYWRfaWQiOiI0MDI2ZDBmMC04OTM0LTQ0ZWMtYmM5OS1hOTFmMDVkNTI2MTIiLCJzdG9yYWdlX3NlcnZpY2UiOiJzdG9ybSJ9.-JeZhKPlxcBX7Mu0K1akJv_vTnhOk51bQePoVpgEHPg

Exercise, which is intellectually stimulating aswell! And free!

 This is a very effective exercise routine, which I do when it’s very cold outside . It costs nothing.

Make sure you wear non slip shoes.

Make sure there are no hazards on the floor.

Put on some wrist weights and/or ankle weights - I use 1lb weights for my wrists.

Put your phone timer on for 30 minutes

Select something interesting or useful to watch on your phone. Or put classical music on.

Hold your phone horizontally, chest height, and firmly with both hands.

Turn the programme on and the timer, and start walking around your house, while moving the phone backwards and forwards.

If you have chosen something interesting to watch or listen to - the time will fly by.

You will be giving your hear and arms a good workout, and also your legs.

Modern wines are too alcoholic!

 When I was a teenager, popular alcoholic drinks were Sherry, Dubonet, Cinzano ,Gin and tonic etc. Wine was reserved for mealtimes, and the selection was fairly limited.

Wine has steadily become more popular and with its popularity - the alcoholic content has got stronger - which is not good.

A 12% alcoholic wine used to be the norm - which is 1.5 units per 125ml small glass.

I have seen wines with 13 - 15% alcoholic content. Not good!

I am challenging myself to find good 12% red wines. Let me know if you find any.

I recommend the drinkaware app, which is free, and it allows you to chart your weekly units of alcohol. 14 units is the most anyone should drink - per week.

Alcohol is extremely bad for you! It’s poison. Why I decided to stop drinking “for the sake of it”

 I am not an alcoholic, but I certainly used to consume well above the maximum recommended 14 units of alcohol per week, drinking a lot of wine - whether white, rose, red or fizz. I never could drink spirits so I never drank those. 

Gin was invented my the Dutch in the 16th century - purely for medicinal purposes, and as it tasted bad, they added juniper berries to help the medicine “go down”. Whiskey and Brandy were also invented purely for medicinal purposes and in small doses - this is fine. In the early 20th century Whiskey and Brandy were removed from the American list of medicines due to new remedies. Used for medicinal purposes, there is nothing wrong with this. Nowadays, Gin etc are used for recreation purposes and therefore this is a dangerous toxin. Look at the explosion in new flavored Gins! What dangerous temptations!

A few days ago I woke up with a headache and I knew the wine had caused it. That’s when I made a conscious decision to more or less stop drinking. It was a revealing moment. 

I also don’t like its effects on me - I become argumentative and anxious, and that’s a horrid side effect of drinking too much.

The only alcohol I drink now is a regular 125ml glass of red wine with a meal, as there are genuine health benefits, such as polyphenols. Red wine also reduces blood pressure. The other colour wines have nothing to offer health wise, in fact 0 benefits. If you think there are any health benefits of white, rosé or sparkling, please comment below.

Too much alcohol can make you put on weight, leading to obesity, which in its turn causes stress on the vital organs.

Too much Alcohol is incredibly bad for you in many different ways, physically and mentally.

Too much is a mortal sin and needs confessing to a validly ordained priest, before receiving Holy Communion.

Alcohol takes away inhibitions, so you are more likely to say things you would not normally say, and you can end up embarrassing yourself and falling out with others. Alcohol can make you do things you might regret later, especially with members of the opposite sex.

Alcohol causes you to repeat yourself and slur your words.

Alcohol is a known aggressant, which can turn nice people into monsters. I have seen this.

Alcohol is also a depressant. That’s very bad indeed

Alcohol is bad for your skin as it dries it out. Alcohol causes grey skin pallor

Alcohol can make you lose your balance and you can fall over and break a bone

Alcohol can cause liver damage and various cancers

Alcohol is mentioned in the Bible - and it says too much is very bad for you. But A little red  is ok.

Alcohol can control you if you let it. It’s not worth being controlled by this vice.

Red wine used to be less alcoholic but recently it has become more potent. That’s very bad. Always check the label to see what percentage alcohol it has.

Alcohol is a licensed drug, making millions for the government in duties and taxes. The government doesn’t care as it gets money

Alcohol is socially acceptable, making it very a dangerous drug indeed.

The problem with more or less giving it up, is you find you don’t really want to be around heavy drinkers, as they get very boring and silly, and sometimes abusive. You might even need to make new friends. Is that so bad? No.

Anyhow it’s Christmas Day 2023 and I wish all my readers a Happy Christmas!

Enjoy a glass of good red wine with your meal. Savour small sips.

If you disagree with me please do comment.

If you think you are dependent on alcohol try AA. Or I can recommend a very experienced addictions counsellor - under Arcadia Therapy. Her rates are very reasonable.

Alternatively pray to God that He will help you to stop. Pray anyway - what have you got to lose?

“Of Human Bondage - in a Digital Age”. A novel.

 My first novel is now published on Kindle and paperback from Amazon.

Catholicism is the One True Faith!

 We live in apocalyptic times and various visionaries are saying that the Tribulation has begun (October 2023).

Things are going to get worse while people commit mortal sins - abortion, fornication, adultery etc.

Turn off your TV, devices etc and pray to God 

God only made one religion and it’s the Catholic Faith - all other religions are man made. 

The Catholic Church has survived anti popes in the past (there have been a few) and it will survive anti pope Francis.We pray for Francis’ conversion to the One True Faith - unfortunately his Jesuit order lost the true faith decades ago and became wishy washy diluted Catholicism.

Become Catholic but don’t follow the Vatican - which is under enemy occupation. 

The most important thing is to save your soul as this life on earth is a pin prick compared to eternity (either Hell or Heaven). The Bible is all true (make sure you read the right translation though - pre Vatican 2 such as the Douay Rheims.

Start praying to God and read the Bible - get a pre Vatican 2 catechism which has the doctrines and teachings of the Catholic Faith.

Find a Latin mass centre with validly ordained priest (pre 1970 ordained). The modern mass is  Protestant. 

Pray pray pray! No prayers are wasted