WEDNESDAY 25th NOVEMBER 2015 05:25 GMT

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1. ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY
25th November 1984
Band Aid records the song DO THEY KNOW IT'S CHRISTMAS?
Singer Bob Geldof was so moved by the plight of starving children, in Ethiopia, that he decided to try to raise money to relieve their plight using his contacts in pop music. Geldof enlisted the help of Midge Ure, from the group Ultravox, to help produce a charity record. Ure took Geldof's lyrics, and created the melody and backing track for the record. Geldof called many of the most popular British and Irish performers of the time, persuading them to give their time free. His one criterion for selection was how famous they were, in order to maximise sales of the record. He then kept an appointment to appear on a show on BBC Radio 1, with Richard Skinner, but instead of promoting the new Boomtown Rats material as planned, he announced the plan for Band Aid.

The recording studio gave Band Aid no more than 24 free hours to record and mix the record, on 25 November 1984. The recording took place at SARM Studios in Notting Hill between 11am and 7pm, and was filmed by director Nigel Dick to be released as the pop video though some basic tracks had been recorded the day before at Midge Ure's home studio. The first tracks to be recorded were the group / choir choruses which were filmed by the international press. The footage was rushed to newsrooms where it aired while the remainder of the recording process continued. 

Later, drums by Phil Collins were recorded. The introduction of the song features a slowed down sample from a Tears for Fears' track called "The Hurting", released in 1983. Tony Hadley, of Spandau Ballet, was the first to record his vocal, while a section sung by Status Quo was deemed unusable, and replaced with section comprising Paul Weller, Sting, and Glenn Gregory, from Heaven 17. Simon Le Bon from Duran Duran sang between contributions from George Michael and Sting. Paul Young has since admitted, in a documentary, that he knew his opening lines were written for David Bowie, who was not able to make the recording but made a contribution to the B-side (Bowie performed his lines at the Live Aid concert the following year). Boy George arrived last at 6pm, after Geldof woke him up by phone to have him flown over from New York on Concorde to record his solo part. (At the time, Culture Club was in the middle of a US tour.)

The following morning, Geldof appeared on the Radio 1 breakfast show with Mike Read, to promote the record further and promise that every penny would go to the cause. This led to a stand-off with the British Government, who refused to waive the VAT on the sales of the single. Geldof made the headlines by publicly standing up to Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and, sensing the strength of public feeling, the government backed down and donated the tax back to the charity.

The record was released on 3 December 1984, and went straight to No. 1 in the UK singles chart, outselling all the other records in the chart put together. It became the fastest- selling single of all time in the UK, selling a million copies in the first week alone. It stayed at No. 1 for five weeks, selling over three million copies and becoming easily the biggest-selling single of all time in the UK, thus beating the seven-year record held by Mull of Kintyre. 

2. TODAY IN MY LIFE
Blogging
Shopping
Meditation
Me Time 
Missus Time

Twitter Followers = 2,033 (no change)
Non-followed eliminated = 1
untraced
Unfollowers eliminated = 0
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New Followers followed back = 0
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Spammers not followed back = 1
@DawnMGrant 

3. TODAY'S SELF-OBSERVATION

Last night with Missus out, Son, the two cats and I sat in front of the TV watching Francis Rossi live in concert on the TIVO box and enjoying the fruit of the drinks cabinet, and I gratefully realized THIS IS THE LIFE! I had "made it" to where I wanted to be. I had absolutely everything I wanted. All things must pass of course, but the memory I can keep. I was reminded that I had tasted genuine joy and pleasure, something not afforded to everyone.

When joy comes your way, it's best not to spoil it by trying to hold on to it. Like an orgasm, just relax and let it thunder through you - you will spoil it by thinking that it won't last and you will miss the absolute peaks of ecstasy it has to offer.

As I was thinking this, in a flash of inspiration I realized there was a memory to attach to achieve an ongoing goal - the silent mind. The afterglow of an absolutely fabulous orgasm, that calm sense of gratitude and achievement with the dopamine sloshing around in your brain and your mind silent, THAT'S the default mindstate I wish to experience. Remembering that afterglow instantly evokes that state. My aim is to feel that way all day!

4. TODAY'S QUESTION FOR YOU
What does happiness feel like?

5. TODAY'S WEATHER IN BRADFORD
Dry, cold with cloud building after a clear start, with a moderate north-westerly wind
Max Temp = 7 degC at 2pm
Min Temp = 4 degC at 6am
Sunrise at 07:51
Sunset at 15:56
Moon: 

Weathertrack: The Azores anticyclone is extending over Britain, keeping the country cool and dry

Air Pressure: 1008 millibars and rising

6. TODAY'S ONELINER

I'm looking for a new personal trainer, the last one didn't work out. ;D

7. NOW THAT'S FUNNY!

Bill Bailey on mistrust

8. TRIVIA

The protein in eggs is the highest quality of protein found in any food

9. ZEN WISDOM

Anyone can hit a wall. The anguish felt then is proof of one’s desire to move forward. But all is for naught if you falter at that moment. Action—that is the key to breaking through an impasse.