Voices Festival.


The Voices Festival, A celebration of a cappella singing, kicked off last night with a breath taking show at The Black-E.
Barbieshop opened with a medley of pop songs taken from many decades, including my favourite cover of theirs, Radiohead's Creep.

The show really came alive when Sense of Sound began singing from their new catalogue: Songs of Joni Mitchell. This was followed by a special guest appearance from Blues legend, Connie Lush.

Check out the rest of the festivals events, only running this weekend, including free singing workshops and SHLOMO Live in concert. SHLOMO has beat boxed with the likes of Damon Albarn, Jarvis cocker and appeared on one of Bjork's albums.












Photos Matt Ford. 

What made Deepika Padukone change her mind?

Deepika Padukone
Deepika Padukone posing on the cover of a design magazine and flaunting her Mumbai apartment which was done up by Vineeta Chaitanya.

When the actress was approached a few months ago to talk about her dream house, she seemed reluctant. Later her publicist told us that Deepika does not want her home to be written about or photographed.

We respected her decision. So what made Deepika change her mind? Guess the lure of a national magazine cover is hard to resist.

And we don’t really blame her. Now that her career is on shaky ground, she needs all the publicity she can garner. And if that includes exposing her ‘private home’ to prying eyes, why not? Talk about double standards!

Deepika at the launch of Mid-Day Mumbai Anthem

The leading daily Mid Day launches an anthem dedicated to the city Mumbai. The gorgeous Deepika Padukone along with other Bollywood celebs attended the event.

O'very cake bake.

BBC presenter Cherry Healy, Master Chef winner Claire Lara Judge Northwest Cancer Research Funds O'very Cake Bake. 

Check out the latest press on The Wirral Globe website. 




Pics Matt Ford.

The key to a perfect night's sleep!


The key to a perfect night's sleep is going to bed at exactly 10pm, wearing pyjamas and enjoying a cup of tea beforehand, according to a poll.

A study of 2,000 adults who claim to enjoy an undisturbed sleep every single night of the week has highlighted how to achieve a decent slumber.

It shows the events of the evening have an impact on the night ahead - with most people ensuring they have at least two hours and seven minutes 'down time' before hitting the sack.

The average person will watch at least an hour and three quarters of television, opting for soap operas or comedy quiz shows.

And when going to bed, Brits have another 20 minutes rest time before finally falling asleep at 10:26pm.

Tania Johnston, spokewoman for bedlinen brand Bedeck, said: ''The survey draws attention to a common pattern of events leading up to bedtime, and the things most people who get a good night's sleep do whilst in bed.

''And the actual time people are going to bed is important, with most people ensuring they get a healthy eight or nine hours a night.''

The poll shows that while most people spend 41 minutes after getting home from work checking emails, they then down tools for the rest of the evening.

And although much of the evening is spent watching television, the average person will also surf the net for 51 minutes, and spend 41 minutes chatting with a partner or on the phone to their mum or friends.

Those who have mastered the art of getting a good sleep will finish their evening meal an hour and 31 minutes before going to bed, and have their final drink - a cup of tea - at 9:10pm.

When getting under the covers, more than a third of those polled opt for pyjamas or a nightdress - while 27 per cent are more comfortable in just their underwear.

And as 10:26pm approaches the average happy sleeper will turn onto their right side, get their partner to cuddle into them, and ensure they are sleeping on the right side of the bed when facing the ceiling.

The following morning, after a perfect night's sleep, people wake at a respectable 6:47am to the sound of their alarm clock.

And a third of those polled will literally bounce out of bed every morning of the week.

Tania Johnston added: ''It would be great to know that if you followed a certain string of events, and approached bedtime in the same way every night, you would be guaranteed a wonderful night's sleep.

''Obviously other factors will be relevant to getting the wonderful night's sleep - such as having a stressful day, being worried about something or having a partner that snores loudly every night.

''But for those people with relatively stress-free lives, sometimes all that is needed for a good rest is a chilled out evening and a bit of routine.''

HOW TO ACHIEVE A PERFECT NIGHT'S SLEEP:

* Watch 1 hour and 46 minutes of television, preferably a soap opera or comedy quiz show

* Spend 41 minutes talking to someone (partner, on the phone to mother etc)

* Browse the internet for 51 minutes

* Have at least 2 hours and 7 minutes rest after cooking, washing up and doing the chores

* Last food before bedtime - usually an evening meal - should be eaten at 8:29pm

* Last drink before bedtime - usually a cup of tea - should be consumed at 9:10pm

* Go to bed at exactly 10pm

* Spend 20 minutes in bed reading

* Finally fall asleep at 10:26pm

* Sleep in pyjamas or a nightdress

* Lie on the right side of the body

* Sleep on the right side of the bed

* Sleep with partner cuddled into their back

* Wake at 6:47am to the sound of the alarm clock

Blue whales can hear sounds in wider range!

Blue whales can be affected even by sounds that are outside their vocalisation range, according to a new study.

Mariana Melcon and colleagues from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography observed the response of blue whales in the Southern California Bight to mid-frequency sounds created by military sonar, which occur between 1000Hz to 8000Hz, much higher than blue whale calls, which are 100Hz and lower.

They collected thousands of hours of recordings over two summers, and found that, when mid-frequency active (MFA) sonar (which is used to find submarines) was active in the region, blue whales' low-frequency vocalizations, known as "D-calls", dropped by almost half: a sign, the authors posit, that despite being well outside the whales' vocalization range, such relatively high-frequency sounds are within their hearing range.

One possible explanation for being able to hear sounds of such high frequency, Melcon and colleagues suggest, "is that it may be advantageous, for instance, to hear their predators, ie. killer whales, which vocalize in the same frequency range as MFA sonar," Discovery News reported.

Conversely, when confronted with the noise of shipping, which does largely fall within their vocalization range, the whales increased their D-calls - which "may be the vocal response of the animals to overcome the noise".