Clic Sargent

Shauna is a good friend of mine, who I've known for almost 30 years.  Last year she and some friends raised money for Clic Sargent by cycling from London to Paris, a wonderful achievement.  The video below is an interview with Shauna as she explains why she did it and what got her involved with Clic Sargent.

This is particularly moving for me as Rebekah, who Shauna mentions as being the original inspiration for getting involved in this cancer charity and whose photo features in the film, was my niece, and she would have been 21 last Wednesday.

Cats with thumbs

OK, I know it's an advert, but every so often the advertising agencies come up with a good one, and I happen to like this!

Glasgow Chamber Choir in Holland

With our 2011-2012 season about to start in a couple of weeks, I'm randomly reminded this evening of earlier this year when Glasgow Chamber Choir took part in an exciting venture with St Joris Kamerkoor of Amersfoort in the Netherlands, with a weekend trip by GCC to Amersfoort and Utrecht in March being followed by a weekend trip by SJKK to Glasgow in May, with joint concerts over each weekend.

This was hugely enjoyable for both choirs, both musically and socially, and the links between us look as though they'll last for a long time to come, which is great.

All of the concerts were recorded for sound, and the one in Utrecht's St Catharinakerk, the Roman Catholic Cathedral, was also video recorded.  A while back I received a link to a Youtube HD video of one of the pieces from that concert, Warum ist das Licht gegeben, by Johannes Brahms, and I've posted it below.

If you look really closely, in the wide shots taken from the fixed camera at the back of the church, I can be seen at the right hand side of the back row, with what looks like a cross growing out my left ear!

I hope you enjoy it, we certainly enjoyed performing it together, and it's great to see and hear it all again.

FPTP v AV explained

Ah, it's quite simple really!

And for those not from the UK who may not already be aware of this issue, it relates to the forthcoming referendum on whether to change the UK voting system, and all explained in a cat-friendly manner, and then a post-it based fashion!

The post-it one at the bottom actually explains it quite well, I think.

Last Cans

The video below features a good friend of mine, Sal McDougall (on the right hand side).  It's an awesome demonstration of the use of ordinary household items to make music!

Hallelujah!

Quality!

Cheap Flights

This.  Is.  Brilliant!

Smells like Rockin Robin

Ever wondered what would happen if Nirvana met the Jackson Five?  Wonder no more.  This is brilliant, in my humble opinion.

Dita von Teese

Very classy, very sexy.

Bach and Handel

Glasgow Chamber Choir's next concert is on Saturday 5th and Sunday 6th June in Glasgow and Greenock respectively.

The music includes Bach's Singet Dem Herrn, Handel's Dixit Dominus and Handel's Ode on St Cecilia's day.

The Dixit Dominus is fairly long and reasonably well known, so I haven't bothered with that one, but the other two are below.  The Bach is a recording by the very excellent Hilliard Ensemble, and the Handel, which is split into five parts, seems to be a recording of a rehearsal, with French subtitles!

I'm obliged yet again to Andrew Mogendorff for the following easy to follow explanation of how the brain works:

Embrace Life

I'm indebted to Fr Kenny for the following very powerful short film. 

Watch. 

Enjoy. 

Think.

Happy Waitangi Day

On 6th February 1840, the Treaty of Waitangi was signed in a marquee in the grounds of James Busby's house (now known as the Treaty house) at Waitangi in the Bay of Islands. The Treaty made New Zealand a part of the British Empire, guaranteed Māori rights to their land and gave Māori the rights of British citizens.

Today I shall be celebrating Waitangi day with RE and some friends. It will involve good food and strong drink.

Happy Waitangi Day!

The Muppets: Bohemian Rhapsody

It's Queen and the Muppets, what's not to like!



Thanks to Andy for bringing this to my attention a while back.

On a slightly related topic, I'm off to see the musical We Will Rock You in the Edinburgh Playhouse tomorrow.  I've never been to any musical before, unless you count Riverdance in the same theatre several years ago, but I love Queen and I'm going with good friends so I'm really looking forward to it.  Doubtless a report on the experience will follow!  Oh, and it's the final day of the tour at the Playhouse before they go to Dublin, so hopefully it'll be a party atmosphere.  Or alternatively the cast won't give a shit and it'll be crap!

Jaywalking

Jay Leno is an American TV legend, and a very clever and funny man.

A very similar video was sent to me by email recently (8Mb!) but the versions below are on Youtube.

Enjoy the rank stupidity on offer! Oh, and I should say I'm not for a moment suggesting all Americans are like these guys!

Think Bike!

Ursula Martinez

WARNING: PARENTAL ADVISORY

Now this is very clever! I'm not a big fan of magic but the video below is well worth looking at. If I ever see her appearing somewhere close enough I'll be sure to try to get tickets.

Oh, and it is in no way porn but Parental Advisory for sure on this one, as you might gather from the following description of this part of her act from her Website:

Hanky Panky is a five minute choreographed magic strip-tease. The act uses a simple disappearing handkerchief conjuring trick at its core.

Martinez enters stage fully clothed. She performs the trick and the hanky disappears. It reappears from her jacket pocket. The jacket is removed. The hanky disappears again and reappears from her skirt. The skirt is removed. During the course of the act, Martinez continues to make the handkerchief disappear and re-appear from her various items of clothing, which she then removes.

Finally Martinez is completely naked. Once again she performs the trick and the handkerchief disappears. With a grand finale flourish, Martinez retrieves the handkerchief from a truly magical place!

QUOTES (see PRESS for full articles)

'Ursula Martinez takes the genre of comedy magic and makes it entirely her own, incontrovertibly proving that it's not what you do, it's the way that you do it. 'The Scotsman

'A gorgeous sexy 40 year old, she struts around a charmed and delighted crowd.' The Pink Paper.

'Sexy, daring and utterly stunning' Three Weeks

'... teasing magic strip 'n' magic trick which Martinez carries of with real flair and a mischievous glint in her eye…. ' The Herald

PREVIOUS PERFORMANCES

Martinez has performed this show stopping cabaret act all over the world, including Sydney, Hong Kong, Lisbon, Madrid, Vienna and Budapest. Special party events include Tate Modern, John Mortimer's 81st birthday bash and Salmon Rushdie's all female celebrity stag night.

Great roads, great rides

A good motorcycling video (in two halves) which demonstrates some of the advanced riding techniques taught by the Institute of Advanced Motorists, complete with commentary. The commentary isn't usual for a bike, it isn't even compulsory in the advanced car test, but it's something I am quite good at in the car (when I'm in full flow) and I often do it on the bike just to keep my hand in!

Part I



Part II

Jump

Young Dudley Moore performs Jump.

This, for the uninitiated, is Anglican Chant, like what we do every Sunday at Evensong in the Cathedral when singing Psalms. Well, to different words, obviously!

I have a whole DVD of Dudley Moore and Peter Cook recording their iconic Derek & Clive stuff, and although it's been a while since I watched it I think this is a clip from it.

Please be aware - sound required, and Parental Discretion is well advised. Don't look at it at work.

Thanks to MDB for this.

Knife attack

Watch the following video, and when you get to 1min 4sec see what happens, and see if you saw it coming.

Now tell me the UK police don't deserve our respect, and our thanks for risking their lives on our behalf.





Thanks to Inspector Gadget for this.

In a previous life a number of years ago I was a police turnkey. That is to say a civilian member of staff basically performing, amongst other duties, the function of the police officer in the video by searching and looking after prisoners in a police office. But in Scotland the prisoner would have been flanked and held by two police officers, the arresting officers, while being searched. Didn't always stop them having a go, but in the time I did that job I managed to avoid every attempted head butt, punch, bite, kick and knee aimed at me, although I didn't always avoid the spitting, unfortunately. So having done that for a living it puts into perspective what "normal" working life can throw at you!

There are some nasty people out there, and we should all be very grateful that the police largely keep us safe from them.