One World, One Voice

Came across this on You Tube and greatly enjoyed seeing it again (I still play the cassette tape of the music pretty regularly!):

...aired on TV in the beginning of the 90s. It was a joint project of many well-known musicians against, poverty, environmental pollution, and for world-peace. Its title is "One World One Voice". It bears and visualizes the spirit of a better world in a most beautiful and felicitous way....

Playing For Change: Song Around the World "Stand By Me"

Thanks to Jean for sending me the link to this:

The Guitar

I'm a big fan of guitar music of all types, the blues in particular. I play a little myself, something that has made me appreciate what guitarists like John Williams, Dave Gilmour, Eric Clapton, Ry Cooder, Julian Bream, Pete Townsend, Buddy Guy and others achieve. The Story of The Guitar BBC series has some great content but the clip I've included here is of Ry Cooder from the Old Grey Whistle Test in 1973. I've chosen it because its a very significant childhood memory (I was 11 yrs old when I first saw this)- I was a regular viewer of the Whistle Test for many yrs during the seventies, watching it late at night with my dad. This image of Ry Cooder is iconic too.

A Short History of Progress

I'm currently reading A Short History of Progress by Ronald Wright. I bought it after hearing Terry Jones review it on Radio 4's A Good Read back in October last year. Short (132 pages) is right but the message is crucial and writing compelling...

'Our civilization, which subsumes most of its predecessors, is a great ship steaming at speed into the future. It travels faster, further, and more laden than any before. We may not be able to foresee every reef and hazard, but by reading her compass bearing and headway, by understanding her design, her safety record, and the abilities of her crew, we can, I think, plot a wise course between the narrows and the bergs looming ahead.

And I believe we must do this without delay, because there are too many shipwrecks behind us. The vessel we are now aboard is not merely the biggest of all time; it is also the only one left. The future of everything we have accomplished since our intelligence evolved will depend on the wisdom of our actions over the next few years. Like all creatures, humans have made their way in the world so far by trial and error; unlike other creatures, we have a presence so colossal that error is a luxury we can no longer afford. The world has grown too small to forgive us any big mistakes.' (Short History of Progress, Page 3)

Local hero

Recently rewatched the film Local Hero, one of my all-time favourites. I love Burt Lancaster, especially in comedy roles. Bill Foryth's direction and writing is brilliant and I'm a big fan of all the work of producer David Puttnam.

I love the fact that generally the locals, surrounded by natural beauty, want the to make their fortune from the oil development but the oil tycoon and his dealmaker want the natural beauty. Its funny. The landscape is fantastic. The music atmospheric (and as a fan of the guitar I really appreciate Mark Knopfler's talents). Its a gentle film featuring many aspects of life and human nature!!

Last year saw the 25th anniversary of the film...

Art

A great artist in the making here.

Loads of interest here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/arts/art/

What makes us human???

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00ft5nv/Natural_World_Cheeky_Monkey/