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Brighter side of web - May 2007
Boris Grebenshikov performing with Aquarium at the Royal Albert Hall.
Photography by Pavitrata Taylor, from Sri Chinmoy Centre Galleries.
More photos from the Concert by Pavitrata
The photos by Pavitrata are really excellent. It helps that the Royal Albert Hall is a beautiful and elegant building. I think this particular shot helps to capture the musical spirit of Boris; the thing you notice is that he really enjoys his music and plays it with great poise. Brings back good memories.
"Hello, the savoy grill"
Blackadder, a master of sarcastic humour
"who was that?"
"Strangely enough, Baldrick that was Pope Gregory the Second
Quotes from Blackadder IV
George: 'I'm absolutely top-hole, sir, with an ying and yang and yippiedeedoo.'
George: 'Well tally ho! With a bing and a bong and a buzz buzz buzz!'
George: 'I'm thick. I'm as thick as the big print version of the Complete Works of Charles Dickens.'
Outside a second-hand shop: We exchange anything - bicycles, washing machines etc. Why not bring your wife along and get a wonderful bargain.
My spiritual teacher, Sri Chinmoy , has sought in many ways, to inspire old people to remain active and attempt new things - even if they seem difficult. At the age of 75, Sri Chinmoy has shown it is possible to find new ways to remain active. Sri Chinmoy has definitely help change my perception of old people and what they are capable of.
One year ago, aged 74, Sri Chinmoy lifted this double 740 pound dumbbell lift. He dedicated the lift to people of his own age. On the video, Sri Chinmoy said:
"I am 74 years old. This double dumbbell press of 740lbs, I am dedicating to men and women of my age, the old generations, to inspire them"
- Sri Chinmoy
It is Sri Chinmoy's philosophy that when we remain in the heart, old age does not matter.
The Zimmers
In the spirit of transcending the barriers of age, I was really enthused to see an interview on BBC about a new Rock band, The Zimmers. The Zimmers is a new rock sensation, composed entirely of old people. It is led by 90 year old lead singer, Alf Carretta. They have a combined age of over 3,000, and there are also 2 centurions amongst the band.
The band is the brainchild of documentary maker Tim Samuels. Tim says the motivation for forming the group is to raise the profile of old people, who have been cast off by society.
Before the video recording, many of the group participants rarely left their house or home. It is really great to see how much the ageing rock singers have enjoyed their experience. The rock group has given a new lease of life. Winifred Warburton, aged 99, said that recording the song was the best day of her life. Alf Carretta spoke about his unexpected foray into rock music at the age of 90.
"I can't believe this is happening. For me to have recorded a song in the same studio as the Beatles is just so exciting.
"I feel like the whole experience has brought me back to life. I was stuck in a rut and now I feel alive again," adds Alf.
The 40 strong band have recorded a version of My Generation, originally recorded by The Who, at Abbey Road studies where the Beatles produced their hit records.
The Zimmers Music Video
Power to the People - Old Aged pensioners aim for Chart success
I would recommend the film "You Can't Take it with You" by Frank Capra. It's enjoyable and uplifting. It has blatant message, but the film maintains a very good speed, humour and incisiveness.
"Frank Capra's 1938 populist spin on the George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart play about a family of happy eccentrics is a great deal of fun, though it significantly rewrites the original work and doesn't represent Capra (Mr. Deeds Goes to Town, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington) at his best. Jean Arthur plays a member of the blissful Vanderhof household who falls in love with a rich man's son (James Stewart) and brings him into her nutty home. Lionel Barrymore, who played such a bad guy eight years later in Capra's It's a Wonderful Life, is the wonderful Grandpa Vanderhof, who addresses God during the dinner prayer as "sir" and speaks plainly and beautifully of why it's good to be alive. Capra took this opportunity to rail against big business and champion the common man, but the overall tone of the film--typical for the director's comedies--is buoyant and snappy. --Tom Keogh."
- You can't take it with you at IMDB
- You can't take it with you at Amazon.com
Iris from Back garden May 2007
a good satire of male chauvinistic attitudes to Female Drivers
Needless to say I don't share any of these, (having my 2 wingscreen mirrors stuck to the car with ducktape I can't criticise too much...
Women and Cars do they go together? - funny pictures
Royal Albert Hall
Yesterday, was the Boris Grebenshikov Concert at the Royal Albert Hall.
I have to admit it was the first Rock concert I've been to. I enjoyed it alot. The music was very good. A mixture of rock and more spiritual /folk music.
Singers from the Sri Chinmoy Centre, sang 2 songs in honour of Boris Grebenshikov. They did a really great job, to sing in the middle of a concert. It was definitely a hard act to follow aquarium!
The Royal Albert Hall is a really great venue, it was great to see it filled for the concert.
One of my earliest sporting memories was watching Morecambe F.C play Goole , the northern Premier League, Boxing day 1984.
They were currently 2 divisions below the football league. At the time it was a huge gulf in finance, and quality of play.
There were no stands either side of the pitch, which didn't really matter because there were only about 150 spectators in attendance. (about 10% of those were me and my relatives).
My Uncle, Michael Berry, has watched Morecambe F.C. for over 60 - 70 years (he probably doesn't read the internet, so it doesn't matter if I exaggerate a little). My cousin Andrew, frequently goes to all games home and away. I think he once got a mention in the Morecambe F.C. programme for not missing a game all season.
Anyway, yesterday was Morecambe' finest hour, getting promoted from non league football, to English football league 2. They beat Exeter City 2-1 at the new Wembley, and so make the great transition.
I hope playing in the football league will not over commercialise the club, and I hope they can stay up.
Have you got a ticket?
British Comedy - The Real McCoy
A while back the BBC had a poll to find out the "Top 100 greatest Briton".
Predictably the winner was Winston Churchill. In many ways Churchill deserves it. He was the emblem of our fight against Hitler and Nazism. As a person he had many great qualities. But, he also had many failings, not least his Imperialism.
Anyway my choice for greatest Briton would be William Blake.
Why?
- He was a great Poet.
- He was a genuine mystic who could see beyond the ordinary world.
From: Auguries of Innocence
- He was a passionate critic of slavery, ignorance and oppression. - You feel in reading Blake he really identifies with other people's suffering.
Thus Blake was able to give us a vision of immortality, but at the same time he shone a light on the ignorance of the time.
Poetry of Blake at Poet Seers
I wrote more on this at Greatest Briton's
Les Dawson - a great British comedian
"My wife was sleeping like a log, she had her legs in the fire."
Les Dawson used to also presentBlankety Blank, which had some of the cheapest prizes on quiz show TV. Top prizes included: - Get your hair styled at a top salon! Your own knitting machine, - win a map of penrith! -
- In the days when quiz shows were done for the pride and enjoyment....- Great Stuff !
Queen's lane, Oxford
Other Selected picture entries
In New York the runners have recently finished the 6 day and 10 day race. For us lesser mortals, it is basically a running race where you try to run as far as you can in 10 days. The winner of the 6 day race was a mild mannered Fin - Asprihanal Aalto. Asprihanal of Sri Chinmoy MT completed 505 miles in 6 days. That's an average of just under 90 miles per day. Including 92 miles on the last and final day.
Mind boggling as it may be, to Asprihanal, 500 miles in a 6 day race is almost like a warm up for the mammoth, 3100 mile race. Asprihanal, has the second best all time record for this distance at, 43 days and 15 hours.
Results of the 6 day race can be found here at: Sri Chinmoy Races
Unique 6 day experiences by Mark Dorian at Multidays
For those interested in Multidays Abichal produces a very good magazine Multidays at Multidayrunning.com
"Catherine, Am I bovered?"
"look at my face, is it bovered?
- Very Funny!50 Women who Changed the World
Medtation Heart.org - online guide to meditation
JohninJapan photo journey of Japan
Shane Magee.com - Shane from Ireland's new blog
Mildly Funny links
You can now Buy Milk online from Amazon.com
Squirels the Cleverest Animals?
Training for the Olimpiks - National Worm Championship anyone?
"I spent many years laughing at Harry Secombe's singing until somebody told me that it wasn't a joke."
Spike Milligan
"I thought I'd begin by reading a poem by Shakespeare, but then I thought, why should I? He never reads any of mine."
Spike Milligan
"The Flying Scotsman" about the life of Graeme Obree is coming out soon. Looks very good, see preview here -Flying Scotsman
Good films I have seen lately:
St Patrick. I didn't know anything about the patron saint of Ireland (who was actually British). I had always associated St Patrick with Guiness... But his lifestory is quite inspiring. Sold into slavery he is taken to Ireland. He escapes, but soon feels drawn to return to Ireland.
Miss Potter I saw this on plane to NY. Good account of the life of Beatrix Potter, the creator of the Peter Rabbit stories.
HitchHikers guide to the Galaxy - Featuring Marvin the depressed android
The Tenet of Wildfell Hall Based on the novel by Anne Bronte, Featuring Tara Fitzgerald, very good. I haven't read the book, but it had much to commend it.
"I think you ought to know I'm feeling very depressed."
"I ache, therefore I am." - The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Fit the Eleventh
[about a Magrathean sunset that Arthur finds magnificent] "I've seen it. It's rubbish."
Marvin: "And then of course I've got this terrible pain in all the diodes down my left side."
Arthur: "Is that so?"
Marvin: "Oh yes. I mean I've asked for them to be replaced, but no one ever listens."
Arthur: "I can imagine" - The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Fit The Second
"Do you want me to sit in a corner and rust or just fall apart where I'm standing?" - The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Fit The Second
Peony from Botanic Gardens
The point of this post is to show how grammar can change the meaning of a sentence.
- A Woman without her man is nothing
- A Woman, without her man, is nothing.
- A woman: without her, man is nothing
Man says to God. "Why did you make Women so beautiful?"
God: "So you would love her"
Man says to God. "But why did you make women so dumb?"
God: "So they would love you."
When do you care for a man's company?
When he owns it...
How does a man show he is planning for the future?
He buys 2 crates of beer.
