pjf.org.uk» : http://www.pjf.org.uk/blog Books, Photos and Paintings, Poems and Songs, Short Stories Environment, Arts showcase, Music, Videos, Vinyl records Fri, 03 Sep 2010 13:26:22 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en Valentine – Roy Harper Valentine - Roy Harper Valentine - CD Sample Tracks Track 1: Forbidden Fruit Track 2: Male Chauvinist Pig Blues Track 3: I'll See You Again Track 4: Twelve Hours Of Sunset Track 5: Acapulco Gold Track 6: Commune Track 7: Magic Woman Track 8: Che Track 9: North Country Track 10: Forever

Roy Harper - Forbidden Fruit video

Roy Harper - Male Chauvinist Pig Blues video

Valentine - Roy Harper lp cover There are mp3 demos on Roy's website: http://www.royharper.co.uk/shop/product_info.php?products_id=9 Stormcock is Roy's masterpiece but "Valentine" is almost as good - and quite a bit more accessible. A collection of love songs, yes, but there is nothing predictable or sloppy here: these songs have truth, tenderness, anger, frustration, humour - and loads of bittersweet twists and turns to keep you interested. Some of the tracks rock out very nicely with assistance from Roy's "heavy" friends, but mostly the feel of this album is gentle, acoustic (very fine guitar as always from Roy)...quite seductive in its way. The LP has now been re-issued as a CD

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Folkjokeopus – Roy Harper Folkjokeopus - Roy Harper Roy Harper..., Flat Baroque and Berserk – Roy HarperFlat Baroque and Berserk – Roy Harper..., Stormcock – Roy Harper Stormcock – Roy Harper LP for..., .]]> http://www.pjf.org.uk/blog/vinyl-records/valentine-roy-harper/ RBS cuts jobs and ships jobs abroad september 2010 RBS (Royal Bank of Scotland) are in the news today, and most of it is bad:

RBS to cut 3,500 UK support centre jobs

Around 3,500 Royal Bank of Scotland employees are set to lose their jobs, after the lender announced a second wave of staff cuts among its nationwide business support centres. In total 20,600 UK-based jobs have been cut, with the bank keeping many operations under review for further staff reductions.

RBS ships more jobs abroad

Unite, Britain's largest union, said it expected 500 jobs to be shifted to RBS operations in Singapore, India and the US. A spokesman for the taxpayer-owned bank (up 0.35p to 46.13p) confirmed that many positions would be moved abroad, but said the bank had not yet decided how many.

Retrenchment is good for RBS

but not for the newly-unemployed. Martin Flanagan of The Scotsman says "Painful it may be for the victims but retrenchment is good for RBS." 'Unlike many of our competitors we remain committed to our long-standing principle of situating customer contact work within the country or region where the customer is located,' said the bank. Reaction on the London Stock Exchange has been rather surprising: RBS share price - 3rd September 2010

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Barclays bank expanding September 2009UK (and foreign) banking news: Arguably the..., RBS scandalRBS, the royal bank of Scotland, has..., British banking prospectsThe fate of British banks is interesting..., .]]> http://www.pjf.org.uk/blog/current-affairs/rbs-cuts-jobs-and-ships-jobs-abroad-september-2010/ “Eveline”-Nickel Creek "Eveline"-Nickel Creek A few photographs of "Nickel Creek" I found on the Internet and then arranged as I thought best with one of their most creative songs "Eveline" A fine trio featuring violin, mandolin and acoustic guitar

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Guy Buttery – Standing in the RainRecommended by Ro, who saw him live..., Vivaldi 4 seasons quattro stagioni – autumnVivaldi – Le quattro stagioni – L’Autunno..., not guitars! – violinSorry yoof, but I need classical.It’s an..., .]]> http://www.pjf.org.uk/blog/artists-showcase/evelineof-silent-words-karen-wow/ The Da Vinci Code Dan Brown best-selling author of Digital Fortress, Deception Point, Angels and Demons, The Da Vinci Code and The Lost Symbol. He is a graduate of Amherst College and Phillips Exeter Academy, where he has taught English and creative writing. He lives in New England. The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown With The Da Vinci Code, Dan Brown masterfully concocts an intelligent and lucid thriller that marries the gusto of an international murder mystery with a collection of fascinating esoterica culled from 2,000 years of Western history. A murder in the silent after-hour halls of the Louvre museum reveals a sinister plot to uncover a secret that has been protected by a clandestine society since the days of Christ. The victim is a high-ranking agent of this ancient society who, in the moments before his death, manages to leave gruesome clues at the scene that only his granddaughter, noted cryptographer Sophie Neveu, and Robert Langdon, a famed symbologist, can untangle. The action kicks off in modern-day Paris with the murder of the Louvre's chief curator, whose body is found laid out in symbolic repose at the foot of the Mona Lisa. Seizing control of the case are Sophie Neveu, a lovely French police cryptologist, and Harvard symbol expert Robert Langdon, reprising his role from Brown's last book. The two find several puzzling codes at the murder scene, all of which form a treasure map to the fabled Holy Grail. As their search moves from France to England, Neveu and Langdon are confounded by two mysterious groups-the legendary Priory of Sion, a nearly 1,000-year-old secret society whose members have included Botticelli and Isaac Newton, and the conservative Catholic organization Opus Dei. Both have their own reasons for wanting to ensure that the Grail isn't found.

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Decoding The Lost Symbol – Simon Cox, a book about the bookDecoding “The Lost Symbol”by Simon Cox a..., Gordon Brown has been reshufflingPressure on PM as minister quits The..., Heavy Cream – The CreamHeavy Cream - The Cream Classic double..., .]]> http://www.pjf.org.uk/blog/books/the-da-vinci-code-dan-brown/ Penguin Cafe prom at 10.15 pm (I think!) will feature the Penguin Cafe, formerly the Penguin Cafe Orchestra. The founder, Simon Jeffes, sadly died in 1997, aged only 48, but his son is now organising the 'Cafe'.
BBC PROMS 2010 Penguin Cafe Orchestra Live from the Royal Albert Hall, London Presented by Catherine Bott 'I think our recordings have been put in the classical, folk, pop, rock, avantgarde, chillout, world and dance sections of record shop,' says Arthur Jeffes, leader of Penguin Café, the 21st-century reincarnation of the Penguin Café Orchestra made famous by his father Simon Jeffes. For its debut in this Late Night Prom the Penguin Café's wide-ranging lineup of ukulele, dulcitone, penny whistles and guitars alongside violin, cello and piano, is supplemented by the Northumbrian smallpipes - played by their star champion Kathryn Tickell. Kathryn Tickell (Northumbrian smallpipes) Penguin Café.
link to the programme notes
Simon Jeffes was born in Sussex. After spending some of his early childhood in Canada, he returned to England. He started to play the guitar at the age of thirteen and subsequently studied classical guitar, piano and music theory and attended the music department of Chiswick Polytechnic with the intention of going on to music college. However finding that academic studying did not suit him, he embarked on a series of experiments. He did not find any of these areas particularly satisfying and eventually formed the Penguin Cafe Orchestra in order to develop his work as a composer. He describes its genesis thus: "In 1972 I was in the south of France. I had eaten some bad fish and was in consequence rather ill. As I lay in bed I had a strange recurring vision, there, before me, was a concrete building like a hotel or council block. I could see into the rooms, each of which was continually scanned by an electronic eye. In the rooms were people, everyone of them preoccupied. In one room a person was looking into a mirror and in another a couple were making love but lovelessly, in a third a composer was listening to music through earphones. Around him there were banks of electronic equipment. But all was silence. Like everyone in his place he had been neutralized, made gray and anonymous. The scene was for me one of ordered desolation. It was as if I were looking into a place which had no heart. Next day when I felt better, I went to the beach. As I sat there a poem came to me. It began ‘I am the proprietor of the Penguin Cafe. I will tell you things at random.’
Penguin Cafe female vocals appear to be lacking, but I'll search on YouTube ...

Penguin Cafe Orchestra - Perpetuum Mobile

As featured on 3Breakfast this morning (3/9/2010) :)

Penguin Cafe Orchestra- Music For A Found Harmonium

The Penguin Cafe Orchestra-Telephone and Rubber Band

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The Penguin Book of the Bicycle The Penguin Book of the Bicycle..., Kazuo Ishiguro: Nocturnes – Five Stories of Music and NightfallFrom the author of ‘Remains of the..., classical music compilationyour kind of music A classical orchestral..., .]]> http://www.pjf.org.uk/blog/music/penguin-cafe/ Maskerade – Terry Pratchett Maskerade - Terry Pratchett Hardback funny fiction from Terry the prolific. In very near perfect condition, with the outer sleeve also in fine fettle. Maskerade - Terry Pratchett Great fun with taking the pee out of opera, and some larger than life caricatures. I get the impression that Terry Pratchett is unaware of the good side of opera, but it's still a good story.

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Diggers Terry Pratchett and Lyn Pratchett Diggers by Terry Pratchett and Lyn..., Nation – Terry PratchettA hardback version of Terry Pratchett's recent..., Funny Fiction / Stories – Terry PratchettWitches Abroad – Terry Pratchett Hardback book..., .]]> http://www.pjf.org.uk/blog/books/maskerade-terry-pratchett/ Taliesin Stephen Lawhead Taliesin - Stephen Lawhead Book 1 (of 3) of the Pendragon cycle. Set in roman Britain and mixing the legends of Arthur and Atlantis, the Pendragon cycle runs to approximately 1500 pages of quality fiction. Well executed and very well researched fiction. A paperback edition in fair condition, published in 1988 in the UK (1987 USA). Taliesin - Stephen Lawhead

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Merlin – Stephen LawheadMerlin – Stephen Lawhead The second book..., Tolkien – Tree and LeafTolkien – Tree and Leaf A paperback..., One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich Alexander SolzhenitsynOne Day in the Life of Ivan..., .]]> http://www.pjf.org.uk/blog/books/taliesin-stephen-lawhead/ Kate and dog records  Kate and dog  home

The Real Witches’ Book of Spells and Rituals – Kate WestFull title The Real Witches' Book of..., Kate Rusby – Who Will Sing Me LullabiesKate Rusby – Who Will Sing Me..., Yoga and Yoghurt Mines – storyYoga and Yoghurt Mines 'I wonder why,'..., .]]> http://www.pjf.org.uk/blog/short-stories/kate-and-dog-2/ the olf
The Olf and its Hat
Following the psychogram (1st class) delivered faster than the speed of light by Olf Mail , from Hermes Trismegistus (the patron saint of all sufferers of triple vision), we are pleased to reply to members of Wits End e-Community: The olf is the epitome of all things that can’t be pinned down. Probably. It can’t even decide whether to be part of the physical world (like the alleged electron or plausible proton) or the psychic ( like an archetype. E.g. it’s Great Uncle Mercurius). So, it is the elementary particle of the archetype of all opposites and indecision. Or, it is the archetype of the elementary particle of all opposites and indecision. Maybe. One advantage of its elusive character is that, rather than merely arguing about whether to do something, it is more likely to decide that it’s already done it! But unreliably so. This makes it the ultimate mail delivery and publishing system: Forget Blogger, fret ye not about email, stxff the US mail, waste not thy time on Virgin Atlantic, discard thy magic picture box. Parley by Olf! Always on time! Frequently early!! Often lost!!! I came to type in this story / nonsense, for example, and found most of it already typed; complete with typos! The olf done it. At its best, the dear olf did once enter the physical world all awash with benevolence and good intention. It borrowed a letter ‘a’, rearranged itself somewhat and invented the loaf. Unsliced, wholemeal, with added toasted seeds and probably a few currants. At its worst, it once sidled into the physical world, stole a letter ‘u’ not caring if anyone was looking, and invented foul – the sliced white, factory made, constipating glue best used for chewing, spitting out and moulding into chess pieces. Over the millennia many adventurous types have tried to capture an olf, either in this world (details below) when anything both new and bizarre appears. Crop circles, American Unilateral Disarmament; Microsoft goes Open Source; institutions admit the existence of individuals; witless warmongers are pensioned off as peace envoys – sure signs that an olf is about. Or in the other world, following years of silent meditation, shamanic dance or tobacco supplements. But of course the olf (Olf) is always elsewhere. Its Achilles heel is due, as ever, to a weakness of the flesh: its many adventures in the physical world have led it to discover biscuits, especially double-layered gizmos with jam, cream or colourful additives in the middle. The olf can, in fact, be captured by leaving a biscuit barrel open, then silently whopping an old cap over the top while the olf (Olf) is pigging itself. If you do capture an olf, don’t start an argument. It’ll melt your brains… P.S. There are believed to be many olfs, but they are all named Olf, which makes capitalisation a bit confusing. short stories

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The WeddingThe Wedding another poem for valentine’s day..., Brass monkey weather story/whimsyBrass Monkey Weather We don’t think it’s..., the olf oil paintingThe Olf, the epitome of all opposites...., .]]> http://www.pjf.org.uk/blog/short-stories/the-olf/ Iron In The Soul – Jean-Paul Sartre records  Iron In The Soul – Jean-Paul Sartre  home

Intimacy – Jean Paul SartreIntimacy – Jean Paul Sartre 220 pages,..., Psychedelic Drugs – Brian WellsPsychedelic Drugs – Brian Wells A study..., The End of The Affair – Graham GreeneThe End of The Affair – Graham..., .]]> http://www.pjf.org.uk/blog/books/iron-in-the-soul-jean-paul-sartre/ Confessions of an au pair – Mable Syrup records  Confessions of an au pair – Mable Syrup  home

Oil painting – Mad AristocratCount Backwards Von Hundred Comic character The..., Count Backwards von Hundred Count Backwards von Hundred Introducing our..., funny short story – ninety sex, oopsninety nine, ninety hate, ninety sex, oops..., .]]> http://www.pjf.org.uk/blog/short-stories/confessions-of-an-au-pair-mable-syrup/ The Angel that presided o’er my birth – William Blake The Angel that presided o'er my birth Poem by William Blake
The Angel that presided o'er my birth Said, "Little creature, formed of joy and mirth, Go love without the help of any thing on earth." And, with luck, without their hindrance too?

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Ah, Sunflower – William Blake Ah, Sunflower – William Blake Ah,..., Auguries of Innocence – William BlakeI need this poem here to remind..., William Dalrymple – From the Holy MountainWilliam Dalrymple – From the Holy Mountain..., .]]> http://www.pjf.org.uk/blog/poems-and-songs/the-angel-that-presided-oer-my-birth-william-blake/ Oora – Edgar Broughton Band Oora - Edgar Broughton Band In good condition, fairly well preserved cover.

Tracks:

"Hurricane Man/Rock 'n' Roller" "Roccococooler" "Eviction" "Oh You Crazy Boy!" "Things On My Mind" "Exhibits From A New Museum/Green Lights" "Face From A Window/Pretty/Hi-Jack Boogie/Slow Down" "Capers"

Band Members;

Edgar Broughton - Lead vocals, guitar, bass guitar on "Hi-Jack Boogie" Arthur Grant - Bass guitar, guitar on "Hurricane Man" and "Hi-Jack Boogie" Steve Broughton - Vocals, drums, percussion, guitars, tubular bells, tambourine Victor Unitt - Backing vocals, guitars, Spanish guitar on "Exhibits From A New Museum", piano, lead vocals on "Oh You Crazy Boy!"

and guests:

Madeline Bell - backing vocals, "Rock 'n' Roller", "Things On My Mind"' & "Face From A Window" Doris Troy - backing vocals, '"Rock 'n' Roller", "Things On My Mind" & "Face From A Window" Lisa Strike - backing vocals, "Rock 'n' Roller", "Things On My Mind" & "Face From A Window" Maggie Thomas - backing vocals on "Oh You Crazy Boy!" David Bedford - piano on "Green Lights" Oora - Edgar Broughton Band; front cover Oora - Edgar Broughton Band; rear cover Oora - Edgar Broughton Band; inside photo I can post a demo track as a video if it proves popular :)

Evening Over Rooftops - The Edgar Broughton Band video

Edgar Broughton Band - Dropout Boogie video

EDGAR BROUGHTON BAND - 'Out Demons Out' video

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Edgar Broughton Band Wasa WasaThe Edgar Broughton Band, formed in Warwick,..., Edgar Broughtona cover of Captain Beefheart. It takes..., Nazareth the rock bandNazareth the rock band’s album of the..., .]]> http://www.pjf.org.uk/blog/vinyl-records/oora-edgar-broughton-band/ The Penguin Book of the Bicycle
The Penguin Book of the Bicycle
by Watson and Gray. Paperback edition. A very comprehensive guide to all things related to cycling. Penguin Book of the Bicycle

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Decoding The Lost Symbol – Simon Cox, a book about the bookDecoding “The Lost Symbol”by Simon Cox a..., The Real Witches’ Book of Spells and Rituals – Kate WestFull title The Real Witches' Book of..., Gifts of Unknown Things – Lyall Watson Gifts of Unknown Things – Lyall..., .]]> http://www.pjf.org.uk/blog/books/the-penguin-book-of-the-bicycle/ Clear stream on Bodmin Moor Clear stream at Roughtor The stream below the tor at Roughtor, North Cornwall. This flows from Crowdy reservoir - pic to follow ... Rough Tor is a favourite area for country walks: This walk could be described as the ascent of Cornwall's "Twin Peaks", and although that may sound a little daunting, provided you pick the right day, take your time and take plenty of provisions then you will have a glorious day standing on top of the highest points in Cornwall.

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granite boulders – roughtor bodmin moorNear the summit! Approaching the top of..., stream towards Camelfordthe stream towards Camelford This photo is..., Stream at Stratton, Cornwall – PhotosStream at Stratton, Cornwall – Photos The..., .]]> http://www.pjf.org.uk/blog/paintings-and-photos/clear-stream-on-bodmin-moor/ Favourite quotes Favourite quotes Zapped - Quotes from Frank Zappa
Frank Zappa Irreverent comments by the late, great, Frank Zappa. It would be easier to pay off our national debt overnight than to neutralize the long range effects of our national stupidity. Remember, there's a big difference between kneeling down and bending over. Anything played wrong twice in a row is the beginning of an arrangement. Bad facts make bad laws. Politics is the entertainment branch of industry. Without music to decorate it, time is just a bunch of boring production deadlines or dates by which bills must be paid. The only thing that seems to band all nations together is that their governments are universally bad.

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Frank Zappa – I am the slimeZappa Plays Zappa- I Am The Slime..., favourite poemsBaby Song From the private ease of..., Global recovery at 4.2% April 2010The I.M.F. reports today that global economic..., .]]> http://www.pjf.org.uk/blog/short-stories/favourite-quotes/ Arizona’s climate prospects Studies by the UA’s Tree Ring Research Laboratory headed by Tom Swetnam have also found that warm, dry springs lead to a big increase in wildfires. Another study by UA researchers Sarah Kimball, D. Lawrence Venable and others published in Global Change Biology produced a seemingly contradictory result: cold-tolerating Sonoran Desert plants have actually gotten a boost from the warming trend. The most cold-tolerant wildflowers increased their germination rates, at the expense of the rest. Earlier work had shown that cold-tolerant annuals also do better on less water, which could account for the shift the researchers recorded. Arizona climate widespread decline in the number of pinyon pine — the scrubby, drought-tolerant pine tree that often grows at Payson’s elevation. Pinyon pines have died off on some 2.5 million acres in the past few decades. The researchers blamed a decade of drought, record-high temperatures, a dwindling snowpack and other changes. There's a wonderfully idiosyncratic take on Arizona's future here. Which also qualifies as the longest url I've ever seen :) nice work Emil Pulsifer. example: My solutions? 1) Stop all exurban development; 2) Stop all development outside the real urban footprints of cities and towns — that means no more Pinal or Buckeye sprawl; 3) Shrink the state's population through taxes, "anti-business" regulations and whatever other creative solution someone can reach (the heat may do this anyway); 4) Price water extremely high outside the SRP footprint and a few other quasi-sustainable areas; 5) Start to return much of metro Phoenix's fringes to natural desert — yes, tear down the crap; 6) Get a real handle on the state's water resources, based on science, not the venal appetite of the Growth Machine; 7) Fill in the old SRP footprint with high-quality dense development that includes plenty of shade tree and grass oases but also building based on Spanish and Moorish models rather than American tract houses with large expanses out front; also, with much less pavement 8) Tax the fringe areas to encourage migration either out of state or into the dense SRP footprint or other such areas. 9) Shut down any golf course built after 1970; 10) Have statewide, airtight water regulations. Not the least impediment to realizing these solutions would be building an economy based on more than sprawl. So...no chance. Arizona climate

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un and climate change actionOfficials from UN member states are gathering..., Climate change protests due before Copenhagen summitHave the witless of UEA given the..., Climate protests target R.B.S. bankThe imminent annual general meeting of R.B.S...., .]]> http://www.pjf.org.uk/blog/environment/arizonas-climate-prospects/ Flowers fruit and veg records  Flowers fruit and veg  home

Love in a Mist flowersThere’s a monsoon on the way, so..., mixed border flowersA mixed border, some of the flowers..., photograph, flowers – red another flower suitable for a desktop..., .]]> http://www.pjf.org.uk/blog/paintings-and-photos/flowers-fruit-and-veg/ The Master of Go – Yasunari Kawabata
The Master of Go - Yasunari Kawabata
Penguin paperback, 140 pages. A classic novel based on real events form 1938. A young gregarious challenger faces the aged solitary master. The Master of Go - Yasunari Kawabata Typical review: In 1938, a go match was played over six months in 14 sessions at several different locations in Japan. The opponents were the grand master, Shusai, and Otake, a younger professional challenger. Kawabata, then 39 years old, was the newspaper reporter who covered the match for Tokyo and Osaka newspapers. After the war, he turned his reportage into a novel which still retains much of the feeling of reports. If you don't know the game of `go', played with white and black stones on a board, or if you are not at all familiar with Japanese culture, then this book is probably not a good place to begin. However, if that is not the case, then Kawabata's subtle depiction of many themes in Japanese culture and in human life, may give you pleasure. The sick old man versus the young one. Life versus death, even.

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American Landscape and PaintingNature and Culture – Barbara Novak Nature..., Japan’s recession, banks intervention and beer v osteoporosis Japan exits recession The Japanese economy..., Intimacy – Jean Paul SartreIntimacy – Jean Paul Sartre 220 pages,..., .]]> http://www.pjf.org.uk/blog/books/the-master-of-go-yasunari-kawabata/ Choral Music Videos records  Choral Music Videos  home

Mozart – Coronation Mass – Agnus DeiMozart - Coronation Mass - Agnus Dei..., Bach – Magnificat – Et exultavitBach – Magnificat – Et exultavit YouTube..., choral messiah – purify Handel – Messiah – And he..., .]]> http://www.pjf.org.uk/blog/artists-showcase/choral-music-videos/ Haydn – Nelson Messe – Kyrie Haydn - Nelson Messe - Kyrie Precisely how the Nelson Mass became so called, when and by whom shall probably never be known. What is at least clear is that within a month of the Battle of the Nile (1 August 1798) Haydn had completed a Mass in D Minor, and within months of the Battle of Trafalgar (21 October 1805) that same mass had become known as the Nelson Mass. The "Kyrie" section translates as 'Lord have mercy'. Similar Maria Callas sings Puccini.

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Choral Music Videos Choral Music Videos (Including the solos/quartets..., Maria Callas sings ‘Senza Mamma’ (Puccini)Maria Callas: Senza Mamma (Puccini) An excellent..., Mozart: Mass in C minor, Kyrie and Gloria in excelsis Deo videosWolfgang Amadeus Mozart, 1756 – 1791. Mass..., .]]> http://www.pjf.org.uk/blog/artists-showcase/haydn-nelson-messe-kyrie/ All The World is Green – Tom Waits records  All The World is Green – Tom Waits  home

Tom Waits – Day After TomorrowHeard last week on Late Junction Tom..., Tom Waits Little Drop of PoisonNigel the stroppy yoof, get your skates..., Satire – House of Party DonorsSatire – The House of Party Donors..., .]]> http://www.pjf.org.uk/blog/poems-and-songs/all-the-world-is-green-tom-waits/ Photo Poughill Church Photo Poughill Church Photo Poughill Church There are many churches in this area that appear to be of the same era - Norman, apparently. The church at Poughill has particularly fine religious art inside. Poughill, North Cornwall - photos

a satellite view of Poughill Church


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Photos: Religious art and buildingsPhotography: Religious art and buildings A new..., St Gennys ChurchSt Gennys Church The approach to the..., Trevalga, the ChurchTrevalga Church, North Cornwall This church has..., .]]> http://www.pjf.org.uk/blog/paintings-and-photos/photo-poughill-church/ PJ Harvey – The Piano PJ Harvey - The Piano Live acoustic and brilliant PJ Harvey The lyrics: Hit her with a hammer Teeth smashed in Red tongue twitching Look inside her skeleton My fingers sting Where I feel your fingers have been Ghostly fingers Moving my limbs Oh God I miss you Oh God I miss you Oh God I miss you Oh God I miss you Oh God I miss you Daddy's in the corner Rattling his keys Mommy's in the doorway Trying to leave Nobody's listening Nobody's listening Nobody's listening Nobody's listening Nobody's listening Nobody's listening Nobody's listening Nobody's listening Oh God I miss you Oh God I miss you Oh God I miss you Oh God I miss you Oh God I miss you Oh God I miss you

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PJ Harvey – Who The Fuque (Live Jools Holland 2004) A Christmas treat for Nigel Gasbladder...., PJ Harvey Rid of MePJ Harvey Rid of Me Big Day..., Suite for Toy Piano – John CageSuite for Toy Piano – John Cage..., .]]> http://www.pjf.org.uk/blog/artists-showcase/pj-harvey-the-piano/ Maria Callas sings ‘Senza Mamma’ (Puccini) Maria Callas: Senza Mamma (Puccini) An excellent video, with the English translation following the display of the original words.
Maria Callas sings:
Glenmed's notes: Sister Angelica was put away to a convent after giving birth to an illegitimate child. After 7 years without news of her son, she is visited by a cruel aunt and told that he died in infancy. She wishes she could be together with him in heaven. Suor Angelica - Puccini Recorded in 1954 at Watford Town Hall with the Philharmonia Orchestra under Tulio Serafin. This was during the same recording sessions when her "La mamma morta" and "Ebben, Ne andro lontana" were produced. Maria Callas operatic soprano Maria Callas (December 2, 1923 – September 16, 1977) was born in New York City and raised by an overbearing mother, she received her musical education in Greece and established her career in Italy. Forced to deal with the exigencies of wartime poverty and with myopia that left her nearly blind on stage, she endured struggles and scandal over the course of her career. She turned herself from a heavy woman into a svelte and glamorous one after a mid-career weight loss, which might have contributed to her vocal decline and the premature end of her career. The press exulted in publicizing Callas's allegedly temperamental behavior, her supposed rivalry with Renata Tebaldi, and her love affair with Aristotle Onassis. Her dramatic life and personal tragedy have often overshadowed Callas the artist in the popular press. However, her artistic achievements were such that Leonard Bernstein called her "The Bible of opera", and her influence so enduring that, in 2006, Opera News wrote of her: "Nearly thirty years after her death, she's still the definition of the diva as artist—and still one of classical music's best-selling vocalists."

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Haydn – Nelson Messe – KyrieHaydn - Nelson Messe - Kyrie Precisely..., Renata Tebaldi sings XerxesHandel – Xerxes – Ombra mai fu..., Puccini – Turandot – Nessun dorma; 3 versions3 singers perform this classic form the..., .]]> http://www.pjf.org.uk/blog/artists-showcase/maria-callas-sings-senza-mamma-puccini/ Molly and the Muslim Stick David Dabydeen
Molly and the Muslim Stick David Dabydeen
I can't recall ever being introduced so rapidly into a story. The first pages of this novel really set the scene very efficiently. Molly and the Muslim Stick David Dabydeen It's hard to be enthusiastic, though, because the story is mostly lifelike and dreadful. On reading this I wonder, yet again, if 'God' (by whatever name) has chosen the wrong species to attempt consciousness. I cannot think of any other, except maybe ants, that systematically farm others for their whole lifespan; and even ants decline to do so to their own species, preferring the relatively senseless greenfly, and definitely skip abuse of their own family. Part 1 is set in Accrington, Lancashire, and Molly, the central character endures poverty, a mad mother and sexual abuse from her father and his pals. Both the poverty and the mother's madness contribute to the onset of abuse. In part 2 Molly escapes from Accrington to train as a teacher at the Leeds Institute. She feels compelled to relive some of her abuse with the privileged youthful students; begins conversations with her walking stick; and finally ends up in a mental institution. In part 3 Molly moves to Coventry and finds a job as a teacher. She attracts odd company (again): an illegal immigrant with no grasp of English, a beautiful pupil from her school that she fears she'll corrupt, and a fellow teacher, Eileen, who is everything Molly isn't – stable, organised, bored. Surprisingly, Eileen flips (in the view of the police and local press) and stages a one-woman demonstration outside an arms factory; both her career and Molly's are soon threatened, and most upsetting for Molly, the immigrant (they've named him Om) goes away. Part 4 is comprised entirely of letters from Molly to Carol (the schoolgirl) as Molly goes to Demerara in search of Om. Molly is cleansed by her experience with Om's tribe, but do read it for yourself to find out how! I was disappointed by the author telling us (on the final page) that there's oodles of love and grief – I'd rather the story had made me feel it. Molly and the Muslim Stick David Dabydeen

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Everything is Sinister David Llewellyn Everything is Sinisterby David Llewellyn A..., free funny booksBored of the rings, by the Harvard..., Analytical PsychologyAnalytical Psychology An introduction to Jung records..., .]]> http://www.pjf.org.uk/blog/books/molly-and-the-muslim-stick-david-dabydeen/ Masters of the Vortex – E E Doc Smith records  Masters of the Vortex – E E Doc Smith  home

science fiction booksThe Big Sun of Mercury science fiction..., Taliesin Stephen LawheadTaliesin - Stephen Lawhead Book 1 (of..., Foundation The Foundation series – Isaac AsimovClassic sci-fi from Isaac Asimov The original..., .]]> http://www.pjf.org.uk/blog/books/masters-of-the-vortex-e-e-doc-smith/ In Search of the Edge of Time – John Gribbin In Search of the Edge of Time - John Gribbin paperback book in good condition. 258 pages. Gribbin sets out to explain how time travel is theoretically possible and looks at the various different ways which might allow it. He pays particular attention to the most likely time-machine: that provided by the concept of the "wormhole". Like a tunnel through space and time, a wormhole could connect different regions of the Universe which occupy both different spaces and different times. In Search of the Edge of Time - John Gribbin The book works through the history of theories of time: Newton, gravity, the pioneers of Black Hole theory. Then geometrical theories: from Euclid and Descartes onto ideas of non-flat space-time; Einstein's ideas on gravity and Schwarzchild's singularities. Chapter 3 is about dense stars - how concentrations of mass can warp spacetime - white dwarfs, neutron stars and similar. Chapter 4 progresses to the logical conclusion of the existence of black holes from which no signal (light or otherwise) can ever escape. Chapter 5 is about black holes with spin, exploding horizons and centrifugal confusion. Chapter 6 introduces hyperspace - timeloops, wormholes, etc. Chapter 7 explores the possibilities of time machines. Chapter 8 mentions the latest and wildest ideas. Black holes that bounce, oscillating universes etc. Good for the grant proposals, but shows a distinct lack of social relevance and artistic creativity! contemporary fiction

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Hawkwind – In Search of SpaceHawkwind - In Search of Space The..., Hawkwind Space Bandits1070s hippy band Hawkwind released this attractive..., The Astonishing Hypothesis – Francis CrickThe Astonishing Hypothesis – Francis Crick Paperback..., .]]> http://www.pjf.org.uk/blog/books/in-search-of-the-edge-of-time-john-gribbin/ Stile Antico vocal ensemble Early Music. As well as their website (http://www.stileantico.co.uk/), here are links to recent proms performances and live video through YouTube. Stile Antico Their website contains quality mp3s to tempt you into buying their (highly recommended!) CDs. example http://www.stileantico.co.uk/clips/ByrdAve.mp3. http://www.stileantico.co.uk/order_cd.php has links to all CDs, and the mp3s and descriptions are all available from this page.

Stile Antico - British vocal ensemble - sings Clemens non Papa

also available on the Beeb, Stile Antico's performance at the London Proms. replay available until 3/9/2010. Stile Antico vocal ensemble
The young British vocal ensemble Stile Antico perform The Song of Songs - sensuous polyphonic music from the courts of Renaissance Europe. The programme celebrates some of the greatest composers of the age, with works by Ceballos, Clemens non Papa, Gombert, Guerrero, Lassus, Palestrina, Praetorius, Victoria and Vivanco, interspersed with plainchant.
Broadcast on: BBC Radio 3, 2:00pm Saturday 28th August 2010

Monteverdi programme by Stile Antico

Kate and Matthew, members of Stile Antico, take time out of rehearsals in Norfolk to discuss the group's new Monteverdi programme, celebrating 400 years since the publication of the Missa in illo tempore.
I lived near here for a while...

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Meredith Monk and Vocal EnsembleBefore I forget - an interview with..., Silk Road EnsembleSilk Road Ensemble with YoYo Ma video..., Trio Mediaeval – Norwegian vocal trioTrio Mediaeval - "The Little Child" video..., .]]> http://www.pjf.org.uk/blog/music/stile-antico-vocal-ensemble/ Poem – The Ocean Poem - The Ocean
I ask Sophia ‘Is a life like this really the best we can do?’ I don’t expect an answer, but It feels right to ask the question Below departing clouds of grief I see birds on a small sandy island Many birds feel pecked so they peck at others The fascination of irritation ‘You mustn’t understand, got to get on,’ Says practically everyone Get on with pecking the innocent And walking in blindness? Many birds have feathers missing and several scars Inflicted by others’ fear There are small twigs on the beach that can trip them If they forget to look Below that, by the tide-line Two charred pieces of driftwood Both tiny One called fear, the other ignorance The waves bump them into the shore Patiently eroding them to nothingness Then there’s the ocean The ocean is boundless and deep An ocean of wisdom and love A curved smooth horizon in every direction This IS the bottom line One sip and the bird is whole Are years of torment a necessary prelude So we never forget this sight? Completed return to the land of feeling Reawakening of inner sight? Her reply? A blink of an eye Can others see this without suffering? Yes Would I have still seen this if I’d had some protection? Yes Do we choose to suffer – the New Age dogma? No Laying the blame coats the glass with soot Escapist ‘theories’ keep it dark Authentic suffering is the cleansing fire Without will, but willingly Knowing I know nothing I dip a toe in And help the pen move Copyright Peter Fairbrother

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Love Chooses Us A poem for valentine’s dayLove Chooses Us A poem for valentine’s..., Poem – Silver DewThe poem Silver Dew, supposedly mystical and..., Christmas Eve – poemChristmas Eve (and mushrooms) The spirit visits..., .]]> http://www.pjf.org.uk/blog/poems-and-songs/poem-the-ocean/