Jamie Oliver - Amazing Food For Thought

It’s just over 20 minutes but if you’re looking for a heartwarming, fill you up, get inspired and motivated to make change – then watch Jamie Oliver talk about Food at TED

There’s no denying the urgency of his message and the validity of his cause – but what strikes me about Jamie Oliver is how real and human he comes across.  Here’s a guy who worked hard to develop his talent and as a result was able to leverage his success into making a positive change in the world.  How many people actually make the choice to do that?

There’s a rant in me that wants to throw a light on the salaries and bonuses being generated by financial centers across the globe – but it’s not about the money – it’s about the people.  What the fuck are these human beings doing with all the cash?  Wouldn’t it be great if some 27 year old trader made 14 million in bonuses last year and gave half of that to a program like Jamie’s?

When I look at the end of the video and I see him pause as he catches the enormity of the gift he’s been given – I feel absolutely great to be human – just like him.  I want to stand up with everybody else in the audience and applaud. 

I want to send this video to everybody who made a 5 figure financial bonus last year and ask them “What are you doing to be part of the human race?”  “What are you doing to make things better for your children?”

Jamie’s website is doing a good job of pulling information together – you can sign Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution Petition – hell you can even donate.  I don’t do many of these types of posts but this one absolutely hooked me – please pass it around – just click on the red share button on the video player and spread the word!

The Duel - 11 Minutes 56 Seconds

Ever felt as if work is a battle? The Duel is about starting something, generating energy through creative conflict and yet ultimately finding some kind of a solution.

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Face Off - "Something needs to happen and it needs to happen right now!"
1:00 - 2:25

My life was in turmoil when I recorded this, change was imminent and necessary and the title of the session reflects more about what I was doing at the time than anything the music is doing! Having said that, this session was a considered attempt at delivering a piano track built to accomodate one if not two voices on top of it. In Eminor, the session was written with a guitar in mind

Sizing Each Other Up
2:25 - 8:30

I look forward to taking this session to a real orchestra - I think it will sound amazing. Having established the string and piano combination, the session continues to develop with what is supposed to sound like a guitar but is unlike any guitar voice I've ever heard! It is the hypnotic intensity of these parts of the session that help me lock down an idea or a concept when I am working on it. Its almost like the music sits in the background and creates this space which allows me to completely focus on the screen or the idea. Also great for brainstorming sessions with groups, the shifts in the music can shift the mood of the group encouraging new thinking - and yes - I have used this during Corporate brainstorms.

The Winner
8:30 min

Winning is an intangible concept when you're not concerned with scoring points for a team or crossing a real finish line first. Everbody's values are so different that success is totally dependent upon whether you think you won or not! The Duel examines the relationships between different voices; identifying conflict, leaving space for each voice to breathe, sometimes clicking together perfectly, sometimes missing, but always there, moving forward.

I find the solo piano transition into the final organ voice funny in that, it really shouldn't be there! The final theme is very hopeful to me, it always leaves me in a quietly optimistic and pensive state of mind. Balance is essential, especially after an intense bought of creativity. The opportunity to relax and think about what has just been achieved is very welcome as the final few minutes of the session gently and comfortably come to an end.

Ehlers-Danlos National Foundation

May is National Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome awareness month. music2work2 will be donating all net proceeds from the sale of The Duel during the month of May to The Ehlers-Danlos National Foundation . All of the music on this album was written while I working at EDNF, The Duel seems such an appropriate title as the experience of having EDS often feels like a battle. Please take a minute to visit the EDNF website and do what you can to raise awareness of this little known but often devastating disorder.

If you like the track you can share it across your Networks – just click share on the right of the player.

The Duel is part of The Lovers and Optimists Playlist.

Music does help

Still not quite back up to par from dental surgery last week, but I wanted to report that listening to music2work2 sessions following the surgery did seem to help me feel better. It didn't stop the pain......oh, how I wish it had.......but the music helped me to relax; it was soothing and calming. Prior to putting up the music2work2 web site, we did research about the benefits of music in various areas of human beings' lives. There were many articles attesting to ways music helps people; many studies were being done at that time. Today, about one year later, there are even more articles and studies concerning the relationship of music to health, stress, concentration, etc. You might want to check out some of these articles.