Bring back bronco...

Sometimes even Apple cannot deliver... iPad #fail...

P h/t Lawrence Wood

Kicking up Good Vibrations...

Terri Hooley is a radical, rebel and music-lover in 1970s Belfast, when the bloody conflict known as The Troubles shuts down his city. As all his friends take sides and take up arms, Terri opens a record shop on the most bombed half-mile in Europe and calls it Good Vibrations. Through it he discovers a compelling voice of resistance in the city’s nascent underground punk scene. Galvanising the young musicians into action, he becomes the unlikely leader of a motley band of kids and punks who join him in his mission to create a new community, an Alternative Ulster, to bring his city back to life.

Good Vibrations is released in the UK and Ireland by The Works UK Distribution on March 29, 2013.

Music holds, heals and invigorates, gives Dignity

A cracking little project for the metropolis of Leeds recorded and produced in Hope & Social's studio The Crypt... Checkout the full song from the gifted Jasmine Kennedy, available for just one of your British pounds (or more!), a sensitive cover of Deacon Blue's 'Dignity' here:

• More about the Love Music Leeds project
• Blog post entitled: Tales from the Crypt
• My earlier post about H&S: Rolling Sideways with Hope and Social

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The Boss and the miracle of music...

A film put together as part of the MusiCares 2013 Person of the Year award made to Bruce Springsteen. To check out the whole of The Boss' acceptance speech is a splendid idea!

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Is Somebody Singing...?

A fascinating collaboration between the International Space Station Commander Chris Hadfield, the band Barenaked Ladies and the Canadian junior choir the Wexford Gleeks. Band lead singer Ed Robertson is a self confessed space geek, a common theme amongst many musicians ;-)

I watched the video a couple of days ago, thanks to my blogosphere chum Mike Todd (checkout his original post here) and found I kept returning to watch again. I find there is something deeply moving despite the simplicity of the piece. To me it exhibits the characteristics of a Secret Chord moment, where many elements combine to make it thus...

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Eat, Fast and Living so for 6 months...

About 20 years ago I had a random cholesterol test when the local surgery were carrying out tests with a new piece of equipment and I hit the jackpot! After a further test with an the overnight fast the GP said I should change my dietary habits and, as a result, 6 months later was in the higher end of the ok zone.

One of the outcomes of Dr Michael Mosley's own tests, comprehensively documented on BBC's Horizon programme where he utilised the 5.2 fast system, was a substantial reduction in his cholesterol levels as well as a reduction in Insulin-like Growth Factor 1 (IGF-1) plus a healthier pancreas. The loss in his weight was almost a by-product benefit of this process, rather than the core mission. When this program was first transmitted back in August 2012 I was captivated by the notion of both the health and spiritual benefits of the fasting aspect of this scheme so decided to embark on it too.

I have now reached the six month mark (26 weeks) of consistent adherence and, whilst I have yet to have a current blood test to measure the cholesterol levels, I definitely feel better for it overall and I am now no longer in the BMI overweight category. I have to say the first few times I underwent fast days (I've now settled on Mondays and Thursdays) it was tough, particularly in the evening after eating the restricted calorie meal... I longed for some extra nibbles!

Using my weight as a guideline, it seems I have reached some sort of plateau now, although I can tell letting up on the regime would gradually restore the pounds. So, just for the record and in case you're thinking of trying it, here's the evidence:



If you missed the full programme, it is available on Dailymotion here and the book, co-authored with Mimi Spencer, which effectively covers what was in the program and also gives some suitable restricted calorie recipe ideas, is called The Fast Diet: The Secret of Intermittent Fasting - Lose Weight, Stay Healthy, Live Longer.

Of course, am now pondering timely Lent thoughts ;-)

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