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October 1st’ ‘Inside Story’ on Al Jazeera TV was all about the collapse of bluefin tuna stock in the Mediterannean. The 25 minute programme provided a facinating insight into the politics and greed of the serious overfishing which has left bluefin on the verge of extinction.

Besides featuring an excellent interview with Greenpeace campaigner Willie MacKenzie, it also explains how a CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species) listing could help protect the threatened species by adding it to the priority list of endangered animals.

Plus there are interviews with representatives of the Italian and Spanish tuna fishermen most responsible for overfishing Mediterranean tuna to the edge of extinction. They are utterly unrepentant – instead of facing up to the consequences of their collective actions they insist on blaming everyone but themselves.

Take action

Get bluefin off the menu: sign up to the Greenpeace tuna pledge now

In 2005, a Cambridge educated British-Chinese science prodigy started to jam with an African superstar rapper from a Malawian hip hop crew. They’re joined by a Norwegian born multi instrumentalist from the famous Brazilian club Guanabara on guitar and synths. You know, the usual way a band forms.

With the addition of a Nu-School Jazz Breaks double bass player with Spanish heritage and a finished off with a Pink-born peroxide prodigy with a backround in multi-pinkalism and gas-mask screaming’!! d’n’b drummer who had worked together on a remix of “Monkey Magic”, Subsource was a band.

A series of successful and highly improvised live shows took place cementing the band as the live electro/breaks/d’n’b band. Tracks were commissioned for heaps of video games and live favourite “This Town” was picked up by Spin Out Records. Along with a Hook & Sling remix of the tune it was released to critical acclaim and sold thousands internationally following regular plays by the likes of The Chemical Brothers and Plump DJ’s. The source of the sub was beginning to growl…

The growl made some waves culminating in Subsource lead singer Stu Henshall working with The Prodigy’s Liam Howlett on pre “Invaders Must Die” writing sessions while the band began to develop a harder edge to their noise as they wowed festival crowds in 2007 at Glastonbury and Secret Garden Party and remixed tunes for Datarock, Parka and GoodBooks.

The following twelve months saw Subsource play shows in the UK, Berlin and Paris with the likes of Dizzee Rascal, Hexstatic, The Egg and Ebony Bones. More festivals in 2008 at V and Isle Of Wight brought further media attention to the band and garnered support from influential XFM DJ’s Eddy Temple Morris and John Kennedy, the music magazine The Fly and K-Mag, the Metro newspaper and Radio 1’s Nihal.

Ridley Scott’s US TV show Numb3rs requested the use of an early track called “Parasite” while Sky Sports used the body shaking, dance infused anthem “Disarm” as the title music to their coverage of the World Freerun Championships.

As the album started to come together a new edge was found with tracks such as the sure-fire hit “Street Soul Music” and the epic, tense tracks “The Ides” and “Charge Me”. And then the icing on the cake, a re-written version of “Parasite” entitled “The Reason” began to make the summer 2009 festival crowds go crazy: insatiable fans ate glow sticks at Glastonbury, ADD kids started mosh pits in the Rock Sound stage at Guilfest and indie-folk fans chose Subsource over fellow headliner Laura Marling at Blissfields. The source of the sub had growled for long enough and was now throbbing with menace and intent.

The Subsource debut album “Tales From The Doombox” was finished and just needed the skills and ears of mastering engineer John Davis (The Prodigy, Pendulum) to conclude what could be the album of 2010.

And the unplugged version

I studied it for ‘O’ Level at school about 26 years ago it was all about the politics.

But when I read it this time I was much more taken with the love story in the book between Julia and Winston.

Funny how the mind alters.

Sitting here listening [ Jason Mraz – The Dynamo of Volition : Thinking of Ty & Krazy J : You guys listen to it and see why it reminds me of being ‘ On A Boat ‘] to some easy vibes , watching the sun kissed sky coming to an end.

Thinking of my extra special chums , I am blessed with chums , but as most readers know my Iwi are extra extra special to me , and I miss all that gang every time I’m away from them.

I long for the day when I’m free from the tie of job in a crazy mixed up country and I can sit and reflect in ‘ The Tree House ‘ for however long I wish.

I never noticed Rab C Nesbitt was in this movie when I saw It, but the again he was not famous then.

Helo to people I know so v little about , but I spend my time chatting to you.

Chris & Heather.

Chris & S

I have no excuse but there has not been a lot going on.

I seem to be the only one in the family that is not visiting hospitals or DR’s at present [touch wood] , Ma Zebra has been in for a while now , having suffered what appears to be another possible stroke, with a few little complications.

Little Bro Zebra is considering stunt cycle riding after a whoops accident, and suffered sliced right hand that need stitches and a whopping gash on his other arm.

Finally the garden is producing some of it’s first tomatoes, the spinach both perpetual and my native kiwi spinach have done well, as has by rainbow bright beet.

I’m giving up on carrots too much hassle fighting slugs to stop them eating all the seedlings, the runner beans, both Enorma and Violette Climbing are now producing crops.

I’m on my second lot of spuds, which I’m growing differently than I normally do, and they seem to fine at present.

Spuds are such low stress.

My basil ahs not really done a lot this year and none of my herbs, thyme or rocket seem to have done anything.

It does not seem top have been as good a year as last year, my red currant and blackcurrant plants whilst growing well in their permanent positions have produces exactly zero berries.

I lost both my gooseberry plants to mildew and lost two of three expensive blueberry plants to a mystery bug and the third whilst it has survived has produced about 1 punnet of berries [ I can see why they are so expensive ] and the leaves seem to indicate I may well loose that one as well.

My mystery seeds that I thought were radish of some sort have turned out to be Kohlrabi , which attract those horrible black and orange lipped slugs , evil things.

My Edamame [Soya bean] have produced a few pods, but I won’t be bothering again.

It all sounds a tad negative really, so on a lighter front my Jerusalem artichokes are about 8 feet tall literally, they dwarf me so when they are harvested I hope I get something for my efforts.

My courgette’s from all over the globe have done well, the Sicilian long whites are huge and yet still tender, the crookneck’s have done rather well, as have my flying saucer patty pan types, both yellow and green ones.

The rhubarb is effortless and growing well, I was gifted some by Matron earlier in the year and she said I should not really harvest any this year, but the plant was just getting huge and has produced so much this year it needed thinning and yet as I thin it just keeps coming back. Even the seeds that I planted have provided happy plants for next year.

The strawberries are now producing there runners for next years crop and all their fruit has been frozen off ready for fresh home made ice cream in the winter months.

My herb gully has flowered and is attracting all sorts of insect life and the bee’s are in abundance, so good to see.

At least I got something right..

Overall I’m a tad flat over this years growing season, and have already starting planting seeds out for my over winter crop.

Garlic is definitely going in as are shallots, which I seem to be able to grow with ease, the asparagus beds will have to wait and I’ll see how they go next season.

I’m having a serious rethink about where I want to take everything.

I have planted some gourds to see how they will do and what sort of things they will produce for some colour.

The garden has kept me busy and for that I’m thankful, I just wish it would reciprocate and give me something back that will fill someone’s dinner plate.

The homemade ciders and wines are racking up nicely for the colder months and I can now turn around 25 litres of cider in under 15 days due to the heat.

So sitting in racks ta the moment I have approximately

20 litres of Pear and Apple Cider
60 litres of the everso popular limited edition 2009 vintage Elderflower Cider
6 pints of Dandelion Wine
4 bottles of Cab Sav [remaining, Bro Zebra, seems to have enjoyed rather too much of it]
4 bottles of Peach Wine
4 bottles of Elderflower Wine
1 Gallon of Elderberry Wine
1 Gallon of Black Cherry Wine

So that aspect seems to have faired well.

I’m looking forward to Autumnal foraging for other foodstuffs for all the homemade products soon.

Apart from the garden, I did a wedding photo shoot last week, something I vowed I’d never do it again.

But I did and again I stressed but it was for chums , they are now in Aruba so no shots on the blog until after I’ve edited them all and they are back and have their copies.

That’s all really I really should sleep.

0411 hrs. Night.