Interesting words to say the least. They are even more so when spoken by Giovanni di Stefano during an interview with Vice. Stefano is the man who is due to be defending Charles Manson’s bid for freedom, and this was his response when asked whether or not he deemed Manson to be a danger to the public if released.

As well as interesting, the statement is also completely and utterly irrelevant. There is a very THICK line between having the capability to kill and actually having had a role in one of the darkest conspiracies to murder (amongst other things) imaginable. Manson crossed that line back in 1969, leaving the rest of us ‘potential’ killers on the other side. Anything can be potentially fatal and monkeys have the ability to use the toilet but it doesn’t mean that they would naturally do so. In addition, does the fact that we are all capable of murder make Manson’s crime any less heinous, any less punishable? I think not. If that were the case, why not bang us all up now and be done with it?

Oh, wait, I almost forgot! Murder apparently stems from The Bible and we all have the capability, so that must mean it’s acceptable. So strike that last comment, reverse it. Let’s just let all the dangerous criminals out now and we can all kick back and be insanely evil together. UTTER. MADNESS.

During the interview, Stefano also speculated on the likelihood of Manson being made a target by vigilantes if released. His thoughts on the matter were;

“But what kind of sick society do we live in where we keep a person in prison for their own safety?”

I think, Mr Stefano, that you are missing the point. Either that or you are paid far too much. And I have a sneaky suspicion that it’s the latter.

(On the discovery on Manson’s mobile phone he kept hidden in his cell, a spokesman for the California Department of Corrections had this to say: “It is troubling that he had a mobile phone since he is a person who got other people to murder on his behalf.” – No s**t, Sherlock.)

For me, the television series certainly ticks all the right boxes. Convincing acting? Check. Heroic main character? Check. Anguished best friend? Check. Complicated relationship plot? Check. Sex? Check. Gripping survival scenario? Check. Violence? Check. Gore? Loads. Zombies? In abundance.
What more could you ask for?

These days many people frown upon resorting to a jar of Dolmio Bolognese sauce. This is no doubt the doing of annoying celebrity chefs who preach to us from their equally annoying kitchens about the importance of fresh, wholesome and homemade meals, all the while gloating at us from our television screens. They seem to have instilled into us the belief that we should be using homegrown tomatoes as a base for a sauce to which we should add far too many cloves of garlic in addition to several thousand other ingredients, and then simmer continuously for hours on end until the hob is caked with baked on sauce. We are then meant to marvel at the end result, which disappointingly watery and quite tasteless (despite the garlic). But it’s ok, because apparently if something is homemade with fresh, and preferably organic ingredients, it WILL taste ten times better than anything you could possibly imagine.

I have to raise a sceptical eyebrow at this notion. A prime example of how this just isn’t true is when my sister, for some unknown reason, had promised to cook her boyfriend cookies. I think she had even taken herself aback at this promise seeing as the first and only time she had ever attempted to cook a batch of cookies, the mixture had ballooned out into odd, rock solid, square shapes that threatened to snap off your teeth. In desperation she invested in a box of Betty Crocker’s Cookie mix which inevitably made the whole affair much simpler and resulted in a batch of very respectable cookies. Before my sister had a chance to confess to her so called “cheating” to her boyfriend, his Dad had seized a cookie and after trying it declared loudly, ” You just don’t get that taste with shop bought stuff, do you?”

I’m not sure how she managed to keep a straight face.

My point is, however, it doesn’t really make any difference whatsoever if your food is truly “homemade” or not. Next time you feel guilty for popping open a jar of Uncle Ben’s, just tell them you went to the nearest farm shop, only one hundred miles away, to ensure the finest ingredients and then spent the following week, boiling, seasoning and simmering until you had the perfect sauce. No one will be any the wiser.

Not only is she a successful model, but her gorgeous size 10-12 figure is a welcome addition to the fashion world. As is her refreshing attitude to being an actual real life size that is attainable to mere mortals, and not just the generic stick insects who stalk the catwalks.

‘I’m extremely proud of the fact that I’m two sizes bigger than most models. Being a stick is so unsexy…..Fashion is about how you dress your body. Fashion is also about how you express yourself through clothes. So I just don’t see why models have to be so tiny.’

In the June edition of Vogue, Daisy was the supplement cover girl and featured in “Today I’m Wearing…” which documented her fashion choices for the month of May. Here are my favourite two:

KFC are a chain that have (openly) begun to cater for Halal. They have been running halal trials at 96 of their stores across the UK where they “anticipate a high demand for halal.” Trials are on going in stores such as Paddington, Baker Street and Earls Court. Despite reporting positive feedback from customers, KFC will be discontinuing the trials in Accrington, Burton on Trent, Colne, Old Kent Road and Hyde Road. However, with regards to the stores still running the trials, KFC have said that they are “delighted that the HFA have certified KFC’s products in these stores.” KFC have offered assurance that all animals are stunned in order to keep in line with their welfare standards, which have been questioned in the past. This could be considered as somewhat of a contradiction as stunning does not fall into line with the HFA’s preference that animals intended for halal should not be stunned prior to slaughter.

For meat to be considered halal, a muslim slaughter man must be present to recite the “Tasmiyah” as each individual animal is slaughtered, therefore manual slaughter is favoured. Mechanical slaughter is not deemed sufficient as there is no slaughter man present. It is for this reason that the majority of muslim scholars oppose the method of mechanical slaughter. However, due to the sheer volume of chickens, KFC still favours this method with the justification that various muslim scholars have approved it in order to take full advantage of advances in technology. It would seem that KFC could be in danger of excluding customers not willing to consume halal, whilst failing to provide for a large number of customers in which the halal trials are aimed at.

So, for those of us who do not wish to consume halal, what options are there for us if we happened to visit one of KFC’s restaurants participating in the halal trial? The website confirms that all non halal foods such as bacon will be removed from the store. A KFC customer service representative confirmed that the participating stores will no longer be serving non halal chicken and stated that ”if you didn’t want to eat halal then you would have to go to another store.”

Subway are also running a similar system to KFC with regards to serving Halal. Subway have said that it is up to the franchisee whether or not they choose to serve halal. Subway also confirmed that non halal meat will no longer be available from halal certified branches and stated that “in order to continue to offer great tasting, affordable Subs, the SUBWAY® chain is not able to serve standard meat products and Halal meat from the same stores as the rules of Halal require very specific catering procedures, including using different storage facilities and catering equipment.  The increased space and operational requirements involved in running mixed stores would lead to a considerable rise in costs and therefore the price of Subs – this is not a route that would best serve our customers.”

In addition to the controversial introduction of halal meat into Britain’s fast food industry, there is the equally controversial issue of using halal meat in school meals in certain areas with a heavy muslim population. This issue has been ongoing over recent years and has once again resurfaced in the media through recent developments in certain areas. The North London council of Harrow has attracted attention over the decision to offer primary schools the option to serve halal school meals only.

The President of the HFA has shown approval of  these moves and has said that “It’s commendable for any local authority to introduce halal meals for Muslim students and pupils, but we also say that it should be properly labelled…Non-Muslims should have a choice as well.”

The Muslim Council of Britain said parents who wanted their children to eat halal meat “should be given the freedom and choice to do so….Those who do not wish to consume halal should similarly be afforded the freedom and choice.” There are vegetarian and fish options available to those who do not want halal school dinners, or there is the option of a packed lunch.

Whilst Harrow Council has said that there have been ”no complaints” about serving halal-only meat, the Harrow Observer has reported on the anger the proposals have caused amongst parents. Many are opposed to the proposals on welfare grounds as well as the denial of choice. However, chief co-ordinator of the Harrow Pakistani Society, Mohammad Rizvi says, “For Muslim children the only option they have is to eat is Halal, it is part of their religion. Whereas it isn’t a problem for children of other faiths to eat Halal…This isn’t about Islamification or pandering to Muslim’s it’s just common sense.”

It is, of course, a matter of personal opinion. As an animal lover, I would be horrified at unwittingly consuming halal whereas others may not, but it seems to me that Rizvi is perhaps missing the point. It could be, depending on the individual’s preference, a problem for children of other faiths to eat halal. Freedom of choice is the key issue here, but whilst it is recognised that this is a universal right across the board, it is a right that, for many, is not being fulfilled.

Whilst some HFC certified slaughter houses do use stunning, as with KFC, the sharia law does actually forbid the stunning of the animal prior to slaughter. It is for this reason that many animals who have not been stunned are slaughtered for halal. There are laws within the UK against the slaughter of animals without stunning, however an exception has been made in order to cater for those with halal requirements. 

The methods involved in the production of halal meat are of such a sensitive nature, that it seems illogical and unfair that the meat is being served in places without the consumers knowledge. Despite this, it has been reported that there are indeed a large number of companies who supply halal without publically advertising it.

Joanna Lumley issued a statement on the subject; “Other practices which may be undertaken for religious reasons, such as polygamy or the stoning of adulterers, are not permitted in the UK..Religious freedom does not override other moral considerations and the suffering caused by this form of slaughter is so severe that it cannot be allowed to prevent action to be taken. Consumers can do their bit by boycotting places that persist in selling meat from unstunned animals.”

All of this considered, you’d think I’d have been beside myself with excitement at the launch of the collaboration between Ugg and Jimmy Choo. The unlikely pair have put together a range that combines the practicality of Ugg with the more fashion conscious nature of Jimmy Choo.

I am afraid to say that I am definitely not a fan.

What with Uggs already battling the chav label, I’m not sure that adorning them with studs and animal print was really the way to go.

Sure, they may look just about passable on the ends of this model’s sylph like limbs, but stuck on the feet of someone in a velour track suit who has fallen victim to the dreaded muffin top, I am not convinced that they will have the same effect.

The collection includes variations of a number of designs, with the selection of prints on offer including leopard and zebra. Amongst the more imaginative options are some star studded boots, complete with tassles.

The prices for this, let’s say, interesting collection range from £395 to £695. Hopefully that’ll be enough to deter the masses.

He took one look at me and asked casually, “Why is everyone dressed like Max Wall?”

Last nights marathon combined the talented, hysterical and the downright uncomfortable to form the latest bizarre, yet compellingly addictive installment of His Highness Simon Cowell’s brain child.

Now, I would like to point out that I am one of those haughty ones among us who have persistently withstood the X Factor’s charms out of protest. Alas, it was not to last. This year I made the ill advised decision of watching the auditions, purely for its comical value I hasten to add, and was consequently robbed of my dignity. I now find myself regularly tuning in, post auditions, and often engage in heated debates about this year’s contestants and their performances, or, as the case may be, lack of.

Cher Lloyd for example is probably the most talked about contestant to date. She has been continually slated over her alleged eating disorder and her Cherylesque persona. I for one, can’t quite grasp the vehement persecution of the 17 year old. Ok, it’s true that her poor excuse for a performance at Cheryl’s house was pathetically pitiful. However, she has delivered on two out of three performances up until then, and, let’s face it, when she did fail to deliver, she was suffering from a bout of tonsilitis. Give the girl a break? It is also true that her performance last night was somewhat lacking, and Cheryl’s obvious favouritism of her mini me was rather shameful, but as Danni said, we couldn’t take our eyes off of her, and that is because we, as a nation, whether we love her or hate her, are fascinated. She has gone and done what any star worth their salt should do, and that is to get people talking. There has not been a magazine or newspaper in the past week that hasn’t included at least one feature on the fragile hopeful. She may have got us talking for all the “wrong” reasons, but any press is good press, right?

All this set aside, my personal favourite has got to be Wagner. Wagner is like no one I have ever seen. The man’s got it all. Who else could perform a rendition of Ricky Martin’s  “She Bangs,” crossed with the B52′s “Love Shack”, whilst playing the bongos, and pull it off? Out of all the acts, he is the one who deserves to be crowned the winner.

If Wagner is voted off in this evening’s show, I fear I may have to revert back to my anti X Factor protest, and that would never do. I’ve just started to warm to the show and its familiar characters. There’s the cheerful Louis, who’s cuddly little face lights up at the mere sight of anyone who can utter a vaguely coherent noise. Then there’s the likeable Dannii, who’s face has recently become slightly more mobile due to her boycott of botox. Next we have the “nation’s sweetheart,” Cheryl, who’s thuggish ways have been long forgotten as the nation finds itself mesmerised by those cute little dimples. Then there’s the man himself, Simon, who is a law unto himself. Even his hair defies the very laws of physics, and falls into the most puzzling parting I have ever seen.

Now I’ve had a taste of such variety all rolled into one show, I really don’t think I can go back to my mundane X Factorless life. So please, for the sake of my weekend entertainment, vote Wagner!

Opposite me is a middle aged woman sandwiched between two men of the larger variety, yet she is determinedly putting together a photo album, and what’s more, she’s succeeding, but not for want of a struggle. Although there is no reason why it should, her current past time of choice is of mild irritation to me. I find myself secretly hoping that the box of loving family memories on her lap will slip off, maybe due to an unexpected jolt of the carriage, causing the contents to spill chaotically to the ground. If I’m lucky, maybe someone with muddy shoes will step on a few. Of course I would (probably) feel some sort of sympathy should this actually happen, but it hasn’t, so I can enjoy the hypothetical scenario whilst free of guilt, and the womans box of joy, of which she is still happily organising, is untainted by the mud from the boot of a road sweeper. Everyone’s a winner.

Another man in close proximity to my person is playing a (very loud) game on his iPhone, whilst another is trying desperately not to fall asleep. Unlike the photo album woman, he is shockingly awful at his activity of choice (if you can call it an activity, but you get my drift). Actually, maybe I’m being a tad harsh. At least when he does succumb to unconsciousness, head lolling limply onto the unlucky passenger next to him, dribble and all, he manages to wake himself up with a stupendously impressive snort.

But, out of all the coughing, sneezing, spluttering, sleeping, photo arranging passengers that I have the fortune of sharing my journey with on this grey Wednesday evening, the one that stands out to me the most, and is perhaps the most irritating, is the one reading this over my shoulder as I write.

Bon voyage.