Clients are concerned now more than ever with their carbon footprints. Sustainable design is a popular interest for those looking to leave the world better for future generations. Be sure you have sufficient inside into green home construction to be able to truly service these clients. Course highlights include: decisions in building materials, landscaping, safety discussions, choosing a lot, work on site and waste management.


Born in Manhattan on March 14, 1948, Billy Crystal is an actor, producer, director, writer, and comedian. He first came to broad public recognition playing a gay ventriloquist in the sitcom Soap, which ran from 1978 to 1981. He went on to appear in The Princess Bride, When Harry Met Sally, and City Slickers and has hosted the Academy Awards repeatedly and won a Tony Award for a play he wrote himself and was a co-host of Comic Relief. He went to college in Huntington, West Virginia. on a baseball scholarship and in 2008, he signed a major league baseball contract for one day in order to play with the Yankees.
Offers musings Billy Crystal has had, including how his uncle got him to enter show business and various random thoughts.
Shares information about Billy Crystal's charity work, causes, and events, including Alzheimer's Association and Comic Relief.
Search for Crystal, Billy on Google, Bing, or Yahoo!


text:
" Building God's Kingdom One Soul At A Time "
" Each One Reach One "
December 11, 2022 . 11:00 am - 1:00 pm
Come Join Us for a Spirit Filled Sunday Morning Worship Experience! We are Not ashamed of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and we share the uncompromised, infallible and inpregnable word of the Living God!
© 2000 - 2023 Razor Planet, Inc. All Rights Reserved
Content Copyright 2023: Soul Purpose Evangelical Church

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Interpretation of constitution
By Ishant / 25 February 2021 25 February 2021
Fundamental rights are mentioned from article 12 to article 35 of Indian Constitution. It is not mentioned in the Constitution how to interpret them but the Supreme Court has given some decisions according to which interpretation can be done.
Centre state legislative relations
Territorial jurisdiction (article 245)–
Subject matter jurisdiction (article 246 r/w schedule 7)-
Doctrine of territorial nexus-
Doctrine of pith and substance-
Doctrine of colourable legislation –
Doctrine of repugnancy-
In the constitution of India some parts are interpreted literally and some are interpreted strictly. For example- Water from the state list will be interpreted liberally which include groundwater. States can make laws related to water and any matter incidental to until it comes in conflict with another list.
According to Article 26 of the constitution , which talks about the Freedom to manage its religious affairs, subject to public order, morality and health, every religious denomination shall have the right to handle its religious affairs which includes maintenance of institutions for religious and charitable purpose and managing its own affairs on the basis of the religion.
In Sabarimala case women from 10 to 50 years which are in their menstruating age are not allowed to enter into the temple it will be protected under article 26. But,however it is conflicted and inconsistent to Article 14 as it is the violation of article 15(1) which says that state shall not discriminate any Citizen on the grounds of religion, race,caste, sex, place of work or any of them.[1]
The opening line of article 26- " subjected to public order, morality and health", which means that article 26 is not absolute it is subject to restrictions. It was held that the Temple practice of excluding women is unconstitutional. The main Grounds on which Sabarimala cases challenge morality as per article 26 morality is basically the distinction between what is wrong and what is right there is no definite definition of morality. So the Supreme Court interrupted at that time to change the meaning of morality according to the society that what is moral in one country can't be moral in another country.
According to Analytical School of law, law is the command of the sovereign.Whenever there is a conflict between fundamental rights there is the need to bring the harmony between the fundamental right and the right against which the conflict has been developed but every fundamental right is same and equal but balance should be made while interpreting them.
In K M Nanavati vs State of Maharashtra, it was held that K M Nanavati has done fair by killing the lover of his wife, as the society is not accepting that his wife can have extra marital affair at that time.The case was tried by jury whose favour went to Nanavati as they are representing the society.
Also in Indra Sawhney vs Union of India, it is stated that Article 16(4) grants characterization of backward classes into backward and more backward classes but they cannot be solely distinguished with reference to financial criteria.It is held in Indra Sawhney case the reservation should not exceed 50%. But in 2019, 103rd amendment was made, in that 10% more reservation will be given which makes it 60% reservation which is violating indra sawhney case guidelines and purely on economic basis no reservation should be given.
Giving the reservation of 50% is basic structure but exceeding 50% to 60% is violation of article 16(4) and Indra Sawhney case.
This case states that no amendment can be made to violate the fundamental rights of the constitution.[2]
Centre and state can have two types of jurisdiction-
Territorial jurisdiction is those who can make laws applicable over a certain and specific territory. Parliament that is Centre can make laws for the entire territory of India or for some part of it and the state legislature has the power to make laws for the entire Territory of the state or the part of the State.
Extraterritorial Power is with the government that is they can make laws for people or land which is outside India.
Armed force special protection act (AaFSPA) is applicable in Jammu and Kashmir and north eastern states.
During covid-19 different parts of the state will be treated or governed differently.
Subject matter jurisdiction is the laws which are applicable over a certain subject matter. For example- agriculture, electricity, water projects etc. (subject matter of laws made by Parliament and by the Legislature of the state)
There are three lists-
1.Union list (list I)– It includes those things which are of national importance. Example-self defense, atomic energy etc.
Parliament has the Exclusive power to make laws related to those items.
2.State List (list II)– It includes things which are of local importance or regional importance. For example- agriculture, police.
State has the executive power to make the laws.
3.Concurrent list (list III)– It has items in which the Union and the state can both make the laws. For example- education, marriage,etc.
https://legalreadings.com/doctrine-of-severability/
Laws made by the Parliament for extraterritorial operations are for the purpose of operating outside the geographical limits of India. The state legislation does not have the power to make laws for extraterritorial operation. However, this limitation of state legislators is subjected to one exception and i.e Territorial Nexus.
If it is established that there is sufficient connection between the object and the law enacted by the state legislature then it will have an effect outside the territorial limits of the state.
Following circumstances required for this Doctrine are-
i) extraterritorial operation in a state
ii) The object shall be situated outside the territorial limits of the state but it must have territorial connection with the state.
In State of Bombay vs RMD chamarbaugwala, the respondent was not a resident of Bombay conducted a prize competition of Crossword Puzzle through the newspaper which was printed and published in Bangalore. For completion they are giving forms and collecting fees which attracted a lot of buyers.
The state government levy taxes on the respondent for carrying business in the state. The question that comes before the supreme court is that the respondent was from outside the state of body, could the text be levied on him.
The supreme court held that there was a sufficient Territorial Nexus and the respondent has to pay the tax on the revenue he has earned by the competition.
And in the case of the Iron and Steel company versus Bihar state, The state of Bihar passed sales tax act for sale tax. The issue was whether it is under the territorial limits or not. It was also stated in the act that goods should be manufactured in the state only. [3]
It was held that there is a Nexus between the object and the tax so act is valid as Nexus between the object to be detected and the law which are two Essential elements for doctrine of Territorial Nexus.
It arises when there is a conflict between two list i.e union list and state list or should say when there is the conflict between the subject matter of Union list with the subject matter of the state list, then in this situation doctrine of Pith and substance would be applied.
Pith means true nature or essence of something and substance means the most important or essential part of something. The basic purpose of this doctrine is to determine under which head of the power that is under which list (which a given in the 7th schedule) should a given piece of legislation will fall.
Both Union and the state list are Supreme. If they both tried to trespass to the field reserved for them, then the court will apply Pith and Substance Doctrine to resolve the conflict and declare the legislation concerned was completed to make the law should be based on the true nature of law.
The main purpose and adoption of this doctrine is to make the Rigid scheme of distribution of powers flexible between the center and the state.
Prafulla Kumar Mukherjee vs Bank of Khulna case talks about the validity of Bengal money lenders Act,1946 was challenged which Limited the amount and the rate of interest recoverable by a money lender on any loan.
It was argued that promissory note was the Centre subject not a state. But it was held that money lending and money lenders is recovered under state list. So, if any state legislation deals accidentally with any matter related to Union list i.e promissory note, it will be valid.[4]
Also in another case of State of Mumbai vs. F.N Balsara, Bombay prohibition Act was challenged which prohibits sales and possession of liquor in the state it was challenged on the ground that it is encroached upon import and export of liquor across frontiers or border which is the Centre issue. The court held that based on the doctrine of pith and substance, "the true nature of law" falls under the state list even if it is encroaching the union list. The Act was held valid even though its impact is on the import of liquor.
In the case of State of Rajasthan vs G Chawla, State of Rajasthan made laws on restricting the use of sound amplifiers. The law was violated by the respondent.The state said that the power to legislate in relation to public health includes power to regulate use of amplifiers as it produces loud noise and it is covered under state list.
But Opposition said that amplifiers come under the Union list,that is Post and Telegraph, telephone, wireless broadcasting and other forms of communication.
But the Court said that it doesn't follow the Union list as an amplifier is an Apparatus for broadcasting and communication and according to pith and substance it was under state matter and the act is valid.[5]
It says that when there is anything prohibited directly, it is also indirectly. If the Constitution does not permit certain provisions of a legislature or any one provision of a legislature, then the provision having the same effect but in the round or indirect manager will be referred as unconstitutional.
The literal meaning of the word colourable legislation is that under a colour or guise of power conferred for one particular purpose, the legislation cannot seek to achieve some other purpose which is otherwise not competent to legislation.
In the case of State of Bihar versus Kameshwar Singh case (which is the only case which stands invalid on the ground of colourable legislation). In this case, the Bihar government had enacted the Bihar Land Reform Act, 1950 which deals with abolition of the landlord system provided for payment of compensation on the basis of income occuring to the land by the Rent.But in reality it did not lay down any such principles. So, on the basis of Bihar Land Reform 1950, the act was held invalid. The doctrine of colourable legislation was applied by this case only.
Now coming to other case i.e K.T Moopil versus state of Kerala, the travancore- Cochin land tax act, 1955 was declared to be unconstitutional in view of article 14 and article 19(1)( f) it was found that person making an income of Rupees 3100 per year was liable to pay rupees 5400 under its operative provision.
So the Supreme Court held that the provisions of the act were confiscatory in nature and reached the conclusion that the Act was a device adopted by legislature to confiscate the property of citizens tax.[6]
It says that, if even Parliament makes laws on the same subject matter and the states makes it too. Then Article 254 of Indian constitution says that for that particular subject material the law made by Parliament would be valid and the law made by the State will be void.
Article 254 deals when both Union and State lists make laws on the same subject matter then there is the great chance that there will be a conflict. It says that the union will prevail over the state irrespective of which came earlier.
Exception to this doctrine or this rule, was stated in article 254(2) which says that if there is the Law enacted by Parliament and if the state wants to enact the law and knows very well that it will conflict with parliament. It can send it to the president directly if the president gives his consent then the bill can be passed, even if it is inconsistent with the union law.
There are different types of Doctrines which help in the interpretation of different articles of Constitution. In the constitution of India some parts are interpreted literally and some are interpreted strictly. For example- Water from the state list will be interpreted liberally which include groundwater. States can make laws related to water and any matter incidental to until it comes in conflict with another list, that is the reason why different doctrines are used to interpret different articles of the Constitution.
[1] Sabarimala Temple Entry, available at : https://www.scobserver.in/court-case/sabrimala-temple-entry-case/plain-english-summary-of-judgment-ee5ae148-9597-479f-84d7-35d398ed5e68.
[2] Indra Sawhney v. Union Of India & Others, AIR 1993 SC 477, 1992 Supp 2 SCR 454.
[3]1956 7 STC 158 Pat.
[4]Prafulla Kumar Mukherjee vs Bank of Khulna case, available at:
http://latestsupremecourtjudgments.blogspot.com/2016/08/doctrine-of-pith-and-substance.html.
[5]1959 AIR 544, 1959 SCR Supl. (1) 904.
[6]Supreme court decision on K.T Moopil versus state of Kerala case, available at:
https://www.lawyerservices.in/Kunnathat-Thathunni-Moopil-Nair-Versus-State-of-Kerala-and-Another-with-connected-petitions-1960-12-09.
BY AKSHITA BANSAL | UPES DEHRADUN


In this weekly series, we chronicle the long road undertaken by the Marvel Cinematic Universe movies to arrive at Avengers: Infinity War. We introspect and discuss the movies from a critical and commercial standpoint while also considering the development efforts that went behind them. These articles may be occasionally sprinkled with spoilers so please make sure to skip the relevant sections when reading.
This post is about the 2011 movie Thor, the fourth chapter in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
If there's one thing Marvel Studios is revered for, its sticking to the roots of its comic book characters. Whether deftly remarkable or downright silly, Marvel generally isn't the one to eschew its history in favor of presenting a more realistic picture to its audience. Time and again, the Marvel method has relied on taking what works best from different origin stories about its characters and weaving them into a movie that works and blends within its cinematic universe.
Having said that, Marvel has also not shied away from introducing new elements to its universe every now and then or upgrading a few elements from the source stories for the sake of a grounded narrative. So while The Incredible Hulk and Iron Man 2 can be regarded as safe-plays for the studio, it was time for Marvel to introduce the more cosmic elements of its universe. That, and the Greek God's role in the Marvel team up meant the next movie on Marvel's line up would deal with The Mighty Thor.
Created by the hands of Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, Thor introduced readers and viewers to Asgard, the God's home world. Within the world of Marvel however, Thor and his fellow comrades are also advanced beings, their science leaps and bounds ahead compared to the science of earth to the extent that it feels like magic. The Gods have a bridge at their disposal, Bifrost, guarded by the all-seeing Heimdall which allows them to travel to other realms. Among the most powerful of Asgardians is Odin, King of Asgard, who is largely responsible for maintaining peace amongst a majority of the nine realms, including brokering a truce between the two warring realms of Asgard and Jotunheim.
Odin with his wife Frigga are the parents to two sons, Thor and Loki. At the start of the movie, the former is a bratty, often arrogant boyish lad, always eager to jump into a battlefield (tangentially reminiscent of Emil Blonsky). He's over-confident at times, with a strong ego and a lack of respect, a brashness oozing out of his personality. The other son of Odin is comparably quiet and meek figured with a sly hint of mischievousness in him which he often uses to entice his brother and others into doing things that get him the outcome he wants. This results in some excellent moments between the two brothers which set the plot in motion.
With Thor set to be coronated the new King of Asgard, Frost Giants from Jotunheim break through Asgard's defenses, attempting to steal the Casket of Winters, an ancient relic that gives their leader his much needed power which was rightly suspended by Odin. While Odin refuses to invade the home of the Frost Giants in retaliation for fear of breaking their fragile piece, Loki incites Thor to do just that. Thor unwittingly falls for it and enlists the help of his colleagues Lady Sif and the Warriors Three to invade Jotunheim, an invasion that is stopped from turning into a full-fledged war by the timely appearance of Odin. Frustrated by his son's lack of maturity, he takes away his hammer and exiles him to Earth.
The rest of the plot takes place largely on Earth with Thor being discovered by scientists Erik Selvig, Jane Foster and her intern Darcy. They take him in to understand his origins and connection to the other worlds. Thor too starts getting along with humans and learning the ways of the earth folk, including modesty, humility and, as the circumstances proceed, sacrifice. Meanwhile, snippets of Asgard reveal the truth behind Loki's parentage and his forcefully taking the King's Throne for himself.
Much like Iron Man, Thor underwent a period of development hell. The project was initially supposed to be taken up by Sam Raimi after his 1990 movie Darkman but things fell apart and it lingered on ever since. Only when the rights were snapped back by Marvel Studios did they decide to produce it themselves which finally set things in motion. Hiring Kenneth Branagh for directorial duties came as a result of his background in Shakespeare, which he much refreshingly brought to the table. It only helped that actors Anthony Hopkins and Colm Feore who played Odin and Laufey respectively had a similar background; the trio would discuss their scenes in the context of Shakespeare to better understand what their characters were going through.
Choosing Thor was an equally tough and critical task for Marvel. After having initially rejected the then 25-year old Chris Hemsworth after Marvel Producer Kevin Feige didn't like his first reading, he was called back again and gradually grew on the studio as the top contender for the role. In a rather strange twist of fate, he would end up contending with his own brother Liam Hemsworth for the role. Tom Hiddleston was also a contender but seeing his slender physique and demeanor, director Kenneth Branagh felt he would be better suited as the God of trickery Loki. What a fine decision that would turn out to be.
At its heart, Thor is a very simple tale of good v/s evil or more appropriately, good-intent was mal-intent. Thor himself represents the former and undergoes an archetypal journey from bad boyish brat to brave noble soul, proving himself worthy with an act of sacrifice. At the other end is Loki who represents malicious behavior on the surface even though he has very strong motivations behind his actions and feelings. The truth about his adopted parentage makes him question Odin's loyalties and drives him in a mad frenzy where his focus shifts towards attaining power, something that plays off well in his next appearance in the MCU as well. The simplicity with which the movie plays out often reminds one of a fairy tale. Kudos to director Kenneth Branagh and the writing team for introducing heavy-handed concepts in a simple and easy to absorb way; not once do you feel overwhelmed by anything thrown at you.
It's also interesting how, in stark contrast to the movies that would follow, Thor keeps the conflict restricted to a very small scale. In that sense, it is spiritually similar to Marvel's other origin movie Iron Man. Rarely is the world at danger here and most of the earth set pieces are restricted to a small town New Mexico; this allowed the film crew to focus on this one giant set in excruciating detail and they ended up revamping a deserted town and made it come alive for the shoot, replete with signboards, street signs, shops and all other small details. The Asgardian stuff also has some epic pieces and some of the sets there (yes there are sets) are truly magnificent. Of particular note are the coronation ceremony and Heimdall's lair which transports people through the Bifrost. Whether its the Bifrost itself or the Hammer or the costumes, the designs truly stand out.
Chris Hemsworth gives a competent performance as The Mighty Thor, portraying excellently the anger, and aggressiveness of the character which later on transforms into a feeling of repent. Even so, he's largely overshadowed by the excellently talented supporting cast which the movie has assembled. Tom Hiddleston plays the devious Loki sympathetically, allowing us to understand his side of the story rather than making a mindless power-hungry God. He would've almost stolen the show were it not for Anthony Hopkins's excellent but sadly limited portrayal as Odin. As Odin, Hopkins brings a poignant gravitas and groundedness to the otherwise difficult role, portraying the anguish of losing a son to recklessness with finesse. He also adds the much needed Shakespearean touch to the role which makes him sound and look royal in every frame he's in. Watch his reaction to Thor admonishing him and calling him out for not charging on the Frost Giants, he breaks down in a heart-wrenching display of emotions while being careful to avoid going overboard. In fact, he improvised his reaction to Thor's display of anger, something which left most of the cast there unable to hold back their tears. Colm Feore as Odin's rival Laufey is every bit as maleficent as he is supposed to be, although he adds in a shade or two of poignancy and regret that make him stand out.
The movie's visuals are a mixed bag. While they supplement the rest of the movie nicely by conveying a sense of grandeur and scale, they often feel a tad too cartoonish. This is especially prominent in the Asgard pan sequences which depict the vastness and sheer scope of the world. Since the wide shots are all done in CG, it looks a bit fake on several occasions. Even so, the movie has some breathtaking shots and fantastic sequences such as the fight on Jotunheim or the climax on Asgard that convey and otherworldly sense of scale. The music soars to life at several moments in the movie. I particularly love Thor's theme in the movie and despite the generic direction Marvel music would undertake in the future movies, the soundtrack of Thor is pretty competent and recognizable in itself.
Despite it's low financial gross when compared to Iron Man, or even a lot of other movies that would follow, Thor was widely considered a financial success, grossing nearly $450 million. It was a pretty good reception for a studio that out of nowhere had started making waves and slowly building up towards its most pivotal vehicle. Now there was one movie left before uniting all the heroes. And the post-credits scenes were a time to set this up which is precisely what Marvel did with Thor when it had Nick Fury cameo towards the end explaining the powers of a certain blue cube to Erik Selvig. It was now time to find out where this mysterious blue cube came from. It was now time to introduce the final piece of the puzzle.
It was time for us to meet The First Avenger.


DNAdigest is happy to welcome all of you, our blog readers, into the 2015 new year! We are fresh, with recharged batteries and ready to publish new interesting posts for you.
In the first week of this, hopefully, very prolific year, we would like to introduce you to Sharon Terry (@sharonfterry). She kindly agreed on an interview for our series and will be telling us everything about Free the Data project (@FreeBRCA).
This is only the first part of Sharon's interview… Yes! There is more! Read the second part of the interview with FreeTheData here.
1. Free The Data is a creation of Genetic Alliance, and still it has its own mission and goals. Could you please tell us more about this project of yours?
Free the Data has two goals: first, to increase awareness about the benefits of open access to genetic data, both within the genetics community and at large, and second, to build the commons for the BRCA1/2 genes by empowering individual men and women to share their data. Although these goals distinguish Free the Data from many other projects at Genetic Alliance, at its core, this project adheres to the same value that drives all of our work: to engage individuals, families and communities in transforming health. Building an environment where it's not only the norm to share health data with researchers and open access databases, but also safe and easy to do so, is an essential step in moving towards better health for all.
2. When and how did you realise that creating an open searchable database of genetic variants, especially for the BRCA genes, is necessary?
My children were diagnosed with a genetic condition, pseudoxanthoma elasticum (PXE), in 1994. Though my husband and I had no scientific training (he was trained in mechanical engineering, and I was a college chaplain), we searched for and found the gene, ABCC6, in 1999. Once we knew the gene we realized that information about different variants might be important to understanding the progression of PXE, and someday, to developing allelic specific therapies. We established clinical testing and as part of our agreement with GeneDx, the company performing the testing, we collected and published all of the mutations in ABCC6 to create the first comprehensive database of variation (published and unpublished) in a gene. This experience was a defining one for me – and I have believed since then that it is critical that all variation be freely available in the public domain.
Sharon Terry's two children were diagnosed with a genetic condition, pseudoxanthoma elasticum (PXE), in 1994.
The lack of public access to information about variants in the BRCA1/2 genes became an obvious public health issue for me when I was leading the consortium to have the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2008 passed. It was so clear that those BRCA mutations, and their effect on the women and men who carry them, are critical in understanding the ramifications of risk and potentially the choice of therapeutic options. The stories of the women who bravely worked to understand health and disease progression moved me tremendously. And of course, I was also very much influenced by the researchers and foundations working in this area – particularly Larry Brody and his work on the Breast Cancer Information Core (BIC) at the National Institutes of Health, and Sue Friedman who founded Facing Our Risk of Cancer Empowered (FORCE). Add in the wonderful Supreme Court ruling striking down gene patents, and it made sense that Genetic Alliance's first foray into a global 'Free the Data' project should be BRCA1/2.
Sharon Terry (third from right) at the 2007 Genetic Information Non-Discrimination Act (GINA) hearings. The lack of public access to data about the BRCA1/2 genes first drew Sharon's interest when she was leading the Coalition for Genetic Fairness to pass GINA.
3. What is your role in the Free the Data campaign and how does your professional background fit it?
I lead the Free the Data coalition. This is a major organizer of the Free the Data movement, comprised of many organizations with a steering committee at its head. The members of the steering committee include representatives from genetic testing labs, clinics, advocacy groups, and more… And we are also delighted to have Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL) as honorary chair.
As CEO of Genetic Alliance, I work with a dynamic staff to empower individuals, families and communities to improve health by providing programs, products, tools and resources. We have a large and diverse network of disease advocacy organizations, clinicians, researchers, policy makers, and Free the Data is a critical part of that.
Another major driver for me is the passion I have for freeing all data. Since 1995, when we began the quest to find a therapy for PXE, I have became acutely aware of the need for 'donations' of associated genotypic and phenotypic information from empowered individuals. In that year PXE International, the foundation for pseudoxanthoma elasticum (PXE), created the first patient-led registry and biobank. As I worked on it I began to feel that it should not stand alone, and that lessons learned should be shared. In the following years we helped initiate more than 100 lay-managed registries and biobanks. Then, in 2003 we decided that it would be better to offer common infrastructure to serve many organizations' needs for these registries and biobanks. This infrastructure was offered as a service from a nonprofit in a cooperative – all for one and one for all – and led to a partnership with the world's most innovative participant-centric privacy solution, invented by Private Access. Together we launched an extraordinary registry platform called the Platform for Engaging Everyone Responsibly (PEER). In this cross-condition system, each individual determines his or her own data sharing, privacy and access preferences. This is very important because everyone has different sensibilities about sharing health information and they must be respected in data sharing systems. One size does not fit all in this area.
PEER is an ideal platform for Free the Data because it allows granular and dynamic sharing. It is also able to accommodate any condition or disease – the backend has more than 8,000 diseases, all on the same platform, allowing individuals to contribute information about their comorbidities. This is something that most other registries do not enable since they are, for the most part, disease-based. Thus, in addition to contributing data about breast and ovarian cancer, Free the Data participants can also contribute data about other conditions, and choose to ALLOW, DENY, or declare ASK ME for sharing de-identified data, for the use and download of data, and for being contacted.
Sharon Terry's two children today. PXE International, the foundation for pseudoxanthoma elasticum, was founded by Sharon and her husband Pat after their two children's diagnosis with PXE. PXE International helped drive the discovery of the gene associated with PXE, ABCC6, in 1995, and went on to create the first patient-led registry and biobank. This biobank is part of the origin of the technology behind Free the Data, the Platform for Engaging Everyone Responsibly (PEER).
My passion is to empower people to reclaim health in a way that revolutionizes access to care, and builds solutions to alleviate suffering. This project is the right blend of policy, activism and science to make change.
This was part 1 of a 2-part interview.
Read the second part of the interview with FreeTheData here.
Are you part of a project that facilitates data sharing for genomics research? Would you like to be featured on our blog? We would love to hear from you. Drop us an email or use our contact page to get in touch.


Over the past decades a vast amount of often full-text searchable newspaper and other source material from modern East Asia have been made available for research, much of which is in Western languages. The sheer wealth of detail has brought new challenges to research on the region in terms of methodology and theory. Studies on Modern East Asian History is the prime publication vehicle for monographs and edited volumes on the period of large-scale Western interaction with the region from the Opium Wars in the mid-nineteenth century right up to the Korean War in the early 1950s.
Studies on Sufism provides a forum for original scholarship on Sufism as situated within all of its temporal, geographical, linguistic, cultural and intellectual contexts. The series is open to all disciplinary perspectives and relevant topics of inquiry and publishes monographic studies, edited volumes, and critical editions and translations of texts. Contributions are welcome in English, French or German.
From the earliest days of the republic, American international legal scholars have produced a rich and comparably varied corpus of scholarship. Much of it has provoked significant innovations in international politics and all of it provides insights into American conceptions of international law and, for better or worse, the distinctive role many of the scholars believed the United States plays – or should play – in the international legal system. The American Classics in International Law series is intended to explore that literature.
The series will present a number of thematic volumes of classic American articles on international law which are reproduced and discussed by eminent scholars in their respective fields.
Brill's Companions to Modern Theology offers cutting-edge, advanced level research in Modern Theology by world-leading scholars. Volumes address the themes, movements, backgrounds, central figures and challenges of Theology in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, seeking to describe Christian life and the thought which underlies it. Each edited volume seeks not only to provide a rigorous synthesis of the current research in the field, but also advanced level original contributions to the current scholarship. Volumes are published in English and generally comprise 350-500 pages with eight to fifteen chapters. Editors and contributors are the foremost specialists in their respective fields.
New Perspectives in Edward Albee Studies is an annual peer-reviewed book series meant to provide an outlet for scholarship and criticism on, or related to, Edward Albee and his works. Volumes feature original, academic essays and review-essays centered around a special topic. Each volume is edited by a Guest Editor. The series welcomes and encourages different critical and theoretical scholarly approaches to Albee studies. In keeping with Albee's own view that drama is literature, New Perspectives in Edward Albee Studies is also very interested in essays that examine Albee's plays as dramatic literature.
This book series focuses on the historical foundations and current transformations of African higher education. It is aimed at scholars, students, academic leaders, policy makers and key stakeholders both in Africa and around the world, who have a strong interest in the progress, challenges and opportunities facing African higher education.
A diversity of higher education themes and issues related to African higher education at institutional, national, regional and international levels are addressed. These include, but are not limited to, new developments and perspectives related to knowledge production and dissemination; the teaching/learning process; all forms of academic mobility – student, scholar, staff, program, provider and policy; funding mechanisms; pan-Africa regionalization; alternate models of higher education provision; university leadership, governance and management; gender issues; use of new technologies; equitable access; student success; Africanization of the curriculum- to name only a few critical issues.
A diversity of approaches to scholarship is welcomed including theoretical, conceptual, applied, policy orientations. The notions of internationalization and harmonization of African higher education complements the cosmopolitan outlook of the series project through its comparative approach as critical imperatives. Finally, the book series is intended to attract both authors and readers, internal and external to Africa, all of whom are focused on African higher education including those doing comparative work on Africa with other regions of the world and the global South in particular.
Ancient Judaism & Early Christianity Online is the electronic version of Ancient Judaism & Early Christianity. Ancient Judaism & Early Christianity began in 1976, as Arbeiten zur Geschichte des antiken Judentums und des Urchristentums, with the publication of M. Hengel's Die Zeloten. The series, which includes monographs and collections of essays, covers a range of topics, typically focusing on areas of mutual influence or points of controversy between Judaism and Christianity in the first centuries CE. Recent titles published in the series have included important studies of Josephus, of the Jewish background of Paul's writings, and of the historical Jesus within his Jewish context.
Brill's Companions to the Slavic World (BCSW) is a series of peer-reviewed handbooks and reference works featuring current research on the history, visual, literary and folk culture as well as intellectual thought of the Slavic world from the middle ages to the present. Of special interest to this Series is research on the modern period in Slavic arts and letters. Dealing with persons, literary and artistic movements, schools of thought and creative genres, and written by the leading contemporary scholars in the pertinent fields, the series seeks to publish cutting edge research rooted in the contemporaneous critical discourse, which contributes to the existing scholarship on a given subject. Volumes in the Series are designed to act as essential tools needed to provide a complete introduction to a given topic of Slavic Studies. The production of the series is overseen by an editorial board comprised of specialists in the volumes' focus areas.
Volume 1 ( A Companion to Marina Cvetaeva) has been published in November 2016.
Brill's Specials in Modern History contains high quality studies in modern and contemporary history. This peer reviewed series covers social, economic, political and cultural history with no geographical limitations, as well as historiography and theory of history.


explanation: Spanning over Fukushima, Gunma and Niigata prefectures, the region which includes plain of Oze, Oze pond and its environs such as Mt. Shibutsu and Mt. Hiuchi is called Oze. Because of a variety of topographies and rare plants and animals, all the region is declared as a special natural reserve.
The displayed words on this page are 303 - 303 among 411.


text:
Interview: Sanjay Subrahmanyan
'With Tamil lyrics, I do a Sivaji'
Sanjay Subrahmanyan talks about a documentary on his music, and reveals how he learnt a song rendered decades ago by Dandapani Desikar through… the Internet.
NOV 26, 2006 – SANJAY SUBRAHMANYAN LIKES TO LAUGH.Every so often, our conversation is punctuated by that huge, hearty sound – a wholly unique, wholly infectious cross between the sharp hiss of a pressure cooker letting off steam and the heavy wheeze of an asthmatic. The singer remembers training under his grand-aunt Rukmini Rajagopalan, who was not a performer, and referring to her amateur status, he says, "They still maintained the difference between the Gentlemen and the Players.â€? That's the cue for a laugh, as is his revelation that he likes doing different things at different points in time, and, "Right now, my obsession is European strategy board games.â€? I get the impression Sanjay is one hell of a jolly chap, one hell of an audience pleaser, but by the end of the interview, I'm left with the nagging doubt that the laughter was perhaps more to keep himself entertained. Because the winding-up question I ask, almost as an afterthought, is why he's so reluctant to talk to the media, and he responds, "If the press is going to keep asking me questions like whom I learnt my music from, how long my training lasted, what my favourite ragas areâ€? – for the record, Begada, Sahana, Khamboji – "where I have sung, what the difference is between singing in India and the US, why I sing so many Tamil songs, I can just prepare an answer sheet and distribute it, even before these questions come up.â€?
That sound you did not hear is me going, "Ulp!â€? These are some of the exact questions I've brought up, hoping not for literal answers, but sometimes the way you dance around a familiar topic can result in illuminating insights. And here he is, pretty much indicating that the entire session was a cliché parade, and if he's agreed to this interview, it's primarily to promote the documentary that Prasanna Ramaswamy – the theatre director who's been working in films for over 15 years, with two independent shorts to her credit – has made on him. "Here there is a specific thing. It's new, it's unusual, and so I want to talk about it,â€? he says, jabbing the air in her direction, and when I ask why someone who seems to dislike publicity – or at least, the apparent inanities that it entails – to the extent that he does would want to be the focus of an entire film, he explains, "It's not that I'm an actor. I was asked to do the things that I normally do. As far as publicity is concerned, she wanted to film me because of her own interest and excitement about my music, and her own interaction with me over 20 years. That is something I value a lot. This whole interview is because of the film.â€?
THE FILM is titled Aarar Asaippadar (Desired Melody), and it begins and ends with the exquisite Nadanamakriya composition it is named after – sung, of course, by Sanjay. Aarar Asaippadar is structured like a concert, proceeding from varnam to virutham, and while Sanjay's forceful detailing of Shanmukhapriya alone would justify the film's existence, the quieter moments are equally affecting – like the part that has the singer at his home, looking down from his verandah at the passers-by on the street, as if he were, you know, just another guy, like you, like me, whereas the voice in the background reminds you that that is absolutely not the case. "Many people tell me this must be the first film made on a musician still in his prime,â€? says Prasanna, who still remembers the first concert of Sanjay's she attended some 20 years ago. "Narada Gana Sabha. 12 o'clock. It was an unbelievable combination of abandon, intellectual rigour, and great leaps of imagination. It took me a few hours to settle down from that excitement.â€? Or maybe she never really did, considering her estimate of having parked herself at an average of 25 concerts of Sanjay's every year, for the past 20 years, and this prompts Sanjay to ask me rhetorically, "Do you think you can find a filmmaker who is making a film after listening to so much of an artist? That is the kind of understanding that this filmmaker has about this artist.â€?
Prasanna defines Aarar Asaippadar as being about her excitement of this music, his music – but she says it's neither an academic document of a musician nor a fan's tribute. "I'm not a fan. I would like to call myself a sahridaya.â€? Sanjay elaborates the concept. "If both of us were to discuss a concert, I'd look at it from a musical point of view, she'd look at it from an experiential point of view, and yet we'd come to the same conclusions.â€? The challenge for Prasanna, naturally, was in translating her excitement – one person's excitement – to a series of images that would excite a general audience as well. "It was a huge struggle,â€? she says. "I didn't want to shoot with multiple cameras – not for financial reasons, but I didn't want that 'coverage' quality. What you are looking at here is an experience. It's not a cut from here, a cut from there.â€? Even the visuals that aren't about the singer, she didn't want them to be illustrative or descriptive. "Merely evocative.â€? And that the film is – especially the segment that shows Sanjay picking up the nuances of a mallari from the nagaswaram vidwan Semponnarkovil Vaidyanathan and then fading out of the picture as phrases from a similar mallari are played by nagaswaram artists outside the Mylapore Kapaleeswarar temple; this then segues to phrases from another similar mallari forming the basis for Malavika Sarukkai's dance practice in her Chennai studio. What is this if not an evocation of the continuum that Sanjay's music is a part of!
SANJAY describes his interest in this music as one of those "typical, middle-class, Tam-Brahm things. While growing up, it was studies, sports, music – but studies came first. There was no way you could stop your education till you were self-sufficient, even if you had other interests. But my musical education remained constant, though there was no intention that I would be a musician,â€? he says, adding that his isn't a family of musicians. "They were all rasikas, basically. And I was as much a rasika of music as I was of cricket. If anything, I had ambitions of playing cricket, at least for Tamil Nadu. I really fancied my chances, even though I was a batsman who never scored runs.â€? That laugh again. "Then in my teens, I became more interested in music. I started learning to play the violin, and continued till 1982.â€? Apparently, when he was one-and-a-half, he exclaimed at a Lalgudi Jayaraman concert that he wanted to play the violin like the maestro. "My mother took me seriously and, some years later, she dropped me off at the nearest violin class.â€? But after a while, his guru left for the US, and Sanjay suffered a couple of accidents – one from "playing football in a basketball court with a tennis ballâ€? and the other from falling down in the steeple chase pit at Rajarathnam Stadium. With those injuries, Sanjay could no longer play the violin, and he shifted to training in vocal music, under his grand-aunt.
Around the time, while trying to convert his father's collection of spool tapes to cassettes, Sanjay chanced upon a master's take on a song he'd just learnt – Maragadavalleem by GNB, accompanied by Lalgudi Jayaraman and Pazhani Subramanya Pillai. "I just couldn't stop listening to those tapes and trying to sing like those artists,â€? he says, and then reflects on an angsty, what-am-I-doing phase while at college that made him realise that music was it. "I said, 'I've played cricket. I've played chess. I've done trekking. I've done acting.' And the only constant over 10 years has been Carnatic music.â€? Even during exams, he'd go for music lessons, and attending concerts was a year-round passion. "And the YACM (Youth Association for Classical Music) happened at around the same time, and they literally pushed me into the system.â€? There's, of course, a difference between learning (or listening to) music and wanting to perform that music in front of an audience, but Sanjay says he was always a performer. "In the sixth standard, I went for an oratorical competition. I had to recite Mark Anthony's friends-Romans-countrymen speech. My legs were jelly, yet I got first place.â€? From then on, he was on stage all the time. "If there was a fancy dress competition, I'd wear a lungi and go as a drunkard. It's magic – if you have ten people sitting in front of you and watching you do whatever you want, you want to do it again and again.â€?
HE'S been doing it again and again for over 20 years now, and Sanjay says he still sings for himself first – and only then for his audience. "It's a composite process where, initially, the artist creates the music, then the music goes to the rasikas, then the feedback comes from the rasikas. So I cannot think of the rasika before I start singing. But once I start singing, I have to feel the pulse, the vibration with the audience. That is when they come into the picture. There are days this doesn't happen, when I know I am not doing a good job. There are days it happens in abundance.â€? How he senses this vibration, he says, he cannot put in words. "It's an experience. Suddenly the atmosphere gets charged, and you can see the change. Then whatever you do, you're in the zone. You have to search, you have to strive to get to that magical moment.â€? I ask if he tailors concerts according to audiences, especially when he's invited by, say, World Music Institute to represent Carnatic music – he did so, in the "Masters of Indian Musicâ€? slot – and Sanjay shakes his head. "When you are representing your music, you are expected to present the best elements of your music. And whatever I sing here is already representative of this music, so how can it change? That's what I said. What I pick does not depend on the audience. The process of picking a song in Paris or Lille or New York is the same as picking one in Bombay or Delhi or Mylapore Fine Arts.â€?
But he does think about his audiences – for when I make a reference to the new things he keeps trying out, he says, "In an entire concert of three hours, if I am able to sing even one sangati that I have never sung in my life, I'm happy. It could also be a new song or a new pallavi or a raga I've never handled earlier. That keeps the audience interested.â€? That also keeps him interested. "If I get bored, I'd stop singing.â€? Another thing Sanjay tries is to revive a raga or a song that has not been sung in the recent past. "Six-seven years back at the Music Academy, I sang Kaana kannayiram. I don't think anyone has sung this (Neelambari) composition since Musiri (Subramanya Iyer), some forty years ago. Somebody in the US called this data mining,â€? he laughs.â€? Now I've been singing Oh oh kaalame, in Sahana, which was popularised by Dandapani Desikar. I happened to hear AKC Natarajanâ€? – the clarinet maestro – "hum the lines of the song once. I liked it. One day, I found this song on the Net. I downloaded it, learnt it, and started singing.â€? Another fine little story he relates in this regard involves Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer. "My guru Calcutta Krishnamurthy once said that Surutti was dying and Narayanagaulai was already dead, and he added that Semmangudi sings Narayanagaulai very well. So I went to him and learnt Sriramam (Narayanagaulai) – and I got to learn another uncommon song as a bonus, Srisukra bhagavantam in Paras.â€?
SANJAY may be doing the musical equivalent of archaeology, but this doesn't get highlighted in the reviews he gets. If anything, all we keep reading about is his voice. "I guess that's the first thing people notice in a singer, the voice,â€? he says. "When they talk about Yesudas or SPB, they exclaim, 'What a voice!' SPB's innovations and his brilliance come to the fore only later. Only if there's nothing to react to in the voice do they start looking at the music or the costume or the hairstyle…â€? And Sanjay knows where I'm going next. What's with the baby-walrus moustaches and the rock-god hairstyles? "I guess it's just mid-life crisis,â€? he shrugs. These are the last few things you can try out before you turn forty.â€? Musically, though, there are no plans for experimentation. "I've learnt Hindustani music for two-three years, from Pandit Krishnanand. They have a lot of rigour in their system, but I was so into Carnatic music at the time that I didn't feel the same way towards Hindustani,â€? he says, and confesses that even the music he listens to is fairly limited in range. "Outside of my music, if I have to listen to anything, I listen to Ilayaraja. The kind of music that he created was really magical. Otherwise, I listen to Hindi songs. I like Rafi's voice. And a bit of Kishore. That's it. I've tried a bit of western classical and opera, even ghazals, but that didn't do much for me.â€?
Sanjay feels that this may be a reason he's considered a "seriousâ€? artist. "I haven't gone into fusion. I haven't gone into films.â€? And, yes, he has been asked – by Vidyasagar, by AR Rahman, and most recently by Yuvan Shankar Raja for Pudhupettai. All Sanjay says is, "Not now.â€? For one, he doesn't have the time. That's why he had to give up sangeetham.com, the online music forum he maintained along with Carnatic Summer author (and friend) V Sriram. "I was crazy about the nuggets of information on the Internet, and at one time, the only forum for musical discussion was rmic (rec.music.indian.classical).â€? But the discussions there were mainly about Hindustani music. "I felt we needed something for Carnatic music. I was also experimenting then with web designing, and so sangeetham.com came about.â€? Ultimately, finances became a problem, as did time, and it died. But Sanjay has another kind of Carnatic music forum going – with his students. "I've been teaching for about 10 years now, and some of my students have even started performing.â€? But he says there is a disadvantage in learning from practicing professionals, and it's not just the teacher's busy schedules and travel and overall lack of time. "The students can get led into the style of the performer, and may not be able to get out of the teacher's shadow.â€? But couldn't this be seen as carrying on a legacy? "If it's the same thing, you don't need it,â€? says Sanjay. "I'm still young enough to carry on my legacy. I don't think the music field can take two or three Sanjays,â€? he laughs.
BESIDES, Sanjay points out that he isn't a teacher in the traditional sense, as he's working on his own music and his own progress. "Some people want to come and interact with me and get whatever they can from me. That is all. I am more like a PhD guide.â€? He says he enjoys these sessions, as they give him the chance to practice – other than the practice he normally does, "Maybe for an hour, two, three… Not much before a concert, though. I just warm up a bit in the afternoon.â€? By then, he has a mental map of what he's going to sing, and he starts getting into that zone at some point in the evening – before the concert. "Of course, something may upset that plan. I can go into a concert thinking I'm going to sing a Thodi, but my voice may not be up to it, or I may not be able to handle it. So I may choose something different.â€? And sometimes, changing the song at the beginning of the mental map could upset subsequent items – a few of which are certain to be in Tamil. "There's no conscious decision to balance Tamil and Telugu compositions,â€? says Sanjay, "but I like Tamil songs. Tamil is a language I have grown to love much more in the last few years. You spend 35 years reading the English newspaper every day, getting access to all kinds of English literature, and ignoring Tamil almost completely.â€? Only when his children started going to school did Sanjay realise what he was missing out on.
That – and a concert he gave for the Devan Trust. "I was given a complete set of Devan's books – Thuppariyum Sambu, and much more – and that's when my whole concept of literature changed.â€? It also helped that Sanjay's guru was big on Bharathiyar. "I used to learn a lot of Tamil songs from him. Then in the early eighties, during Maargazhi maasam, I used to go every morning to the Sethalapathi Balu and Papanasam Sivan Bhajan Group. I became really sensitive to the language, and I picked up the expression and articulation of Tamil words mostly from Sethalapathi Balu – from how he sang the viruthams and all.â€? Besides, Sanjay's family used to insist that he sing a virutham or a sloka at the end of every concert. "All that kept my interest in Tamil going.â€? As an aside, I ask him why the Tamil composers haven't gotten the haloes that the Trinity have been conferred with, and he says, "Thyagaraja was a revolutionary composer. He changed the landscape of music. But today, he's not treated as a musician, he's a saint. In India, we have the tradition of imposing divinity on the things we revere. We also have this obsession with three – like the Hindu trinity of Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva. Today, Cleveland even celebrates 'St.' Thyagaraja Day,â€? he laughs.
THERE'S more laughter when Sanjay invokes Tamil cinema's most celebrated thespian during the course of an anecdote. I ask if he tries to highlight this aspect of divinity – in the composers, in their compositions – while he sings, and he says, "The aesthetics of the music consume me most. When I sing, I'm thinking of the Thodi, of the Bhairavi, of the beautiful ragas. Yes, I do try to articulate the religious sentiments if I am familiar with the words. I am not exactly comfortable with Telugu or Sanskrit, but with Tamil lyrics, I try to do a Sivaji.â€? But this frivolity is all surface, for if there's something Sanjay is thought to stand for, it's his respect for – and adherence to – parampara, or tradition. He feels this is because the compositions he sings have been handed down over generations, and because he tries to associate some of his music with some of the old masters. "But there's no specific thing that can be pigeonholed as parampara, and it's not static. Whatever's been handed down is something that underwent changes over time, and we are also going to try and change it.â€? He cites the Hamsadhvani composition Vatapi ganapathim as a classic case. "Dikshitar never composed 15 sangatis for the song – only one or two. The rest were added by musicians over time to make it more attractive.â€? Sanjay admits there's good and bad to this process – you can lose things, you can gain new things. "Ultimately, time will pass a judgement. But because art is so subjective, you just have to keep living with these changes and growing with it.â€?
After his mention about the old masters, I ask if there's anyone specific. "I am regarded by some as a GNB guy,â€? he says, adding that there are people from other schools who don't look highly upon GNB, and therefore have a bias against his – Sanjay's – music, "even though I have come a long way from that single-minded GNB obsession to a much wider introspection of the art form.â€? Some of these people are the critics, and Sanjay says they've been saying the same things about him for 20 years. "My repertoire has changed. The way I sing my ragas has changed. Nobody has highlighted these changes at any point. I don't know if critics are sensitive to these things. If you find something new to criticise me about, I'd read it with a bit more interest. Why has somebody been around for so long? Have they been able to highlight that?â€? Sanjay says he still has his first review, for a concert in Bombay, and it screamed, "Ineffective articulation.â€? I tell him I'm surprised he still hangs on to these things, and he replies that he has to, if only to attach them to his passport to get visas, and he narrates a story that makes him collapse into his biggest laugh of the morning. "I once had to have a change of status in my visa. So they called me. An officer asked if I was a musician. I said yes. He asked me to sing something. I sang a bit of Thodi. He said, 'Sing something with words.' So – right there, in the middle of the American Consulate – I burst into Kaddanu vaariki.â€?
Copyright ©2006 The New Sunday Express
Posted in: Music: Classical
← Music Review: Guru
Obit: Robert Altman →
14 Responses "Interview: Sanjay Subrahmanyan" →
brangan
Time to gear up for December?
Nice! Just a middle class guy like you and me who just happens to sing Carnatic. ;-0
Carnatic is most definitely not my cup of tea but I like the way he highlights that his critics have not been able to pick up some of his nuances over the years.
Seriously, when something as accessible as films are reviewed so moronically(not by you!), what chance does the public have of getting realiable insightful reviews of classical music?
G: Quick reader, eh? I think I just put this up 🙂 About "when something as accessible as films are reviewed so moronically…" There's a bit of a paradox (or whatever) there. There are so many film reviewers precisely because films are so "accessible", as you say rightly. And the lesser numbers of reviewers for ICM — at least as far as I have seen/read — means that only those interested enough come forward to do reviews. And they are usually good with their gyaan, even if the writing quality may vary. I know I haven't brought this out well, bu I think you can get the gist…
G: I'm have a head-breaking moment here wondering if you are the "G" with the "Vijay vs. Abhay" nomenclature conspiracy theory from the previous post, or the "G for Gopi" who digs Sufi music? Pray tell. 🙂
brangan: That server-side ghost has surely stirred things up, no?
Though a middle class guy myself and grew up in a village in TN, I was drawn to ICM by my friends – till I came across some greats like the M.S's (M.S and Maharajapuram Santhanam!) among others – and I started to enjoy it thoroughly on my own!!
I am not in Madras for the December festival (was there for Ilayaraja's kacheri – yes, it was great!) in a long time – hope you have a good time!!
brangan: "Quick reader?" Either G's a genius or a liar. This stuff is so dense it took me all of one hour to read it. And all I understood after that marathon reading was that Sanjay Subrahmanyan likes to laugh! 🙂
When it comes to ICM, I'm seriously neuronally challenged. Suffice it to say that Carnatic Music is my cup of coffee (inventing a new expression — taking thriller's cue from yesterday's post to stay away from the circuitous — to document my dislike, given coffee has always been a banned beverage in my household).
If I were a fly on the wall of the room this interview took place in, I would have dived into the coffee cup and drowned! If I were ever stranded on a deserted island and allowed to pick just one from the following two reading materials, I would make a beeline for (1).
(1) PWD project reviews by brangan
(2) ICM reviews/interviews by brangan
Phew! That vent sure felt good. But to your credit, I did enjoy your Bombay Jayashri interview from '04 (read it two months ago). Much less, um, dense. Maybe I'm biased coz of a Vaseegara mention? Possibly. And also maybe coz she laughed a lot less and didn't interfere with your flow…
Sagarika: I think the mistake you are making is trying to read the article to make sense of the MUSIC. I read it(and I think that was brangan's primary intention too) as an article about a way of life.
G of the conspiracy theory fame. 🙂
APALA: An Ilayaraja "kacheri"? Wow! When was this? And what was played?
Sagarika: "And also maybe coz she laughed a lot less and didn't interfere with your flow" Ouch! This comment is the very definition of what they say in Tamil about the needle and the banana… 🙂
Haven't you done an interview earlier with him?
I don't know why, never been a fan of his music. Bombay Jayshree and Maharajapuram Santhanam are the ones for me(diff. reasons). The title at my house for me starts with Gnyana and ends with sunyam, I should probably not comment on ICM at all.
But I always end up enjoying his interviews!
PS: Do you have any prizes for the people who comment here? May I suggest to make it based on quantiy rather quality. Also, can you make the 3rd prize as your future book.
G: That was eye-opening. Maybe I was (at least subconsciously, at the first read) hoping to come away from this feeling like an ICM expert (yeah, without even knowing the abc's!). I see that brangan did not intend for this to serve as an ICM crash course for novices, along the lines of a JEE-tutorial ad that perhaps goes – "We help you get into IIT even if the only Calculus you know is TinTin's best friend". My approach was wrong, I agree. As you rightly point out, this isn't about ICM so much as what it's like to be an expert in a field, swim with the sharks, hold your own, yet face not-being-fully-understood, or, worse still, being misunderstood…Pretty much challenges any one of us could come by in our everyday lives. And no doubts at all that brangan does highlight this. Just that I'd originally skipped right past it, getting completely entangled in the jargon. Hence the "sour grapes" response. Thanks for the perspective. 🙂
brangan: "Ouch! This comment is the very definition of what they say in Tamil about the needle and the banana… " You mean this as a compliment, right? 🙂 If so, it has got to be the best one I've gotten in a long time, as the banana/needle thing is usually not my forte.
Btw, the oh-so-necessary jargon-that-jars-the-mind notwithstanding, this is as good a write-up of yours as any. It just did not appear to "flow" earlier (to me) only because, as I say to G above, my *kaleidoscope* was having an off-day. It's back on duty now. I'm actually able to relate very well to what you say about the guy in para 7: "He's been doing it again and again for over 20 years now, and Sanjay says he still sings for himself first – and only then for his audience."
It reminded me of someone's review of Thoreau's nature writings thus: "He writes for himself, out of the fullness of the spirit of nature that he feels within himself. He writes not to be accepted, but because he is in the center of the acceptance of nature and his interbeing in it. That is the spirit of nature writing." Or any writing, for that matter. Or singing.
Damn, Sagarika. Now I seriously wonder how baradwaj keeps his head screwed on straight. 🙂
they are usually good with their gyaan, even if the writing quality may vary
I won't disagree but what do the Carnatic rasikas really think of Kadri Gopalnath? I used to think introducing the sax to Carnatic was cool, my wife(with 6 years of mridagam bashing behind her) thinks he is cool, but a review of a concert of his informed me that the critic thought he doesn't get even the basics right. Not unlike Kishore Kumar singing rabindro sangeet. 🙂
Even if true, it felt like the critic was being slightly churlish. 🙂
G-the-conspirator-who's-now-having-me-relish-Carnatic: >>"I seriously wonder how baradwaj keeps his head screwed on straight."
My read on Baradwaj is that he quite enjoys the journey, "albeit" (BR: wink, wink) a perilous one, to keeping his head screwed on straight. 🙂
munimma
BR: nice to (re?)read. Talking about "doing a sivaji", OSArun is a great entertainer too.
Just wondering how you have gathered your gyaan? Did you learn it or imbibe it from the household?
G:: Kadri is a great musician. Having had him as a guest at chez moi, he is a greater human. One sour critic can be ignored.
S: This is that older post, from that other blog. I'm doing a transfer, remember?
munimma: Kadri is good, but I wonder if sometimes he doesn't overreach in trying to make his instrument comply with certain ragas. About the gyaan, it's a bit of everything – learning, imbibing, reading, listening…
Conversations With Mani Ratnam
Dispatches From the Wall Corner
Reel Two
AdhithyaKR on During Pongal 1994, the Kamal…
shaviswa on During Pongal 1994, the Kamal…
dagalti on During Pongal 1994, the Kamal…
Mani on During Pongal 1994, the Kamal…
Ashwin Kumar on "Darbar"… AR…
Parupps on During Pongal 1994, the Kamal…
Srini on During Pongal 1994, the Kamal…
tonks on 'Helen' shows how…
Sanjay on Simplifying CAB and NRC
Rahini David on During Pongal 1994, the Kamal…
Ramayana in modern t… on Readers Write In #119: Ramayan…
TambiDude on During Pongal 1994, the Kamal…
An Jo on Simplifying CAB and NRC
Archives Select Month January 2020 (21) December 2019 (42) November 2019 (35) October 2019 (38) September 2019 (31) August 2019 (27) July 2019 (36) June 2019 (38) May 2019 (41) April 2019 (30) March 2019 (40) February 2019 (37) January 2019 (26) December 2018 (28) November 2018 (27) October 2018 (39) September 2018 (34) August 2018 (34) July 2018 (25) June 2018 (25) May 2018 (32) April 2018 (23) March 2018 (33) February 2018 (35) January 2018 (37) December 2017 (29) November 2017 (23) October 2017 (24) September 2017 (33) August 2017 (16) July 2017 (27) June 2017 (42) May 2017 (14) April 2017 (32) March 2017 (38) February 2017 (17) January 2017 (20) December 2016 (23) November 2016 (14) October 2016 (18) September 2016 (17) August 2016 (18) July 2016 (20) June 2016 (22) May 2016 (20) April 2016 (20) March 2016 (25) February 2016 (22) January 2016 (19) December 2015 (16) November 2015 (21) October 2015 (22) September 2015 (17) August 2015 (22) July 2015 (14) June 2015 (14) May 2015 (15) April 2015 (18) March 2015 (17) February 2015 (27) January 2015 (9) December 2014 (18) November 2014 (19) October 2014 (19) September 2014 (10) August 2014 (19) July 2014 (16) June 2014 (21) May 2014 (20) April 2014 (15) March 2014 (25) February 2014 (18) January 2014 (12) December 2013 (16) November 2013 (16) October 2013 (12) September 2013 (17) August 2013 (16) July 2013 (10) June 2013 (17) May 2013 (20) April 2013 (14) March 2013 (17) February 2013 (11) January 2013 (13) December 2012 (15) November 2012 (15) October 2012 (20) September 2012 (17) August 2012 (17) July 2012 (9) June 2012 (22) May 2012 (16) April 2012 (16) March 2012 (14) February 2012 (13) January 2012 (7) December 2011 (20) November 2011 (13) October 2011 (13) September 2011 (17) August 2011 (15) July 2011 (18) June 2011 (21) May 2011 (17) April 2011 (18) March 2011 (17) February 2011 (16) January 2011 (22) December 2010 (14) November 2010 (10) October 2010 (5) September 2010 (13) August 2010 (12) July 2010 (17) June 2010 (17) May 2010 (19) April 2010 (19) March 2010 (16) February 2010 (12) January 2010 (16) December 2009 (16) November 2009 (17) October 2009 (13) September 2009 (9) August 2009 (15) July 2009 (14) June 2009 (10) May 2009 (8) April 2009 (9) March 2009 (14) February 2009 (11) January 2009 (15) December 2008 (12) November 2008 (22) October 2008 (13) September 2008 (5) August 2008 (19) July 2008 (13) June 2008 (14) May 2008 (14) April 2008 (13) March 2008 (11) February 2008 (10) January 2008 (10) December 2007 (8) November 2007 (4) October 2007 (9) September 2007 (8) August 2007 (11) July 2007 (11) June 2007 (8) May 2007 (9) April 2007 (7) March 2007 (9) February 2007 (12) January 2007 (6) December 2006 (5) November 2006 (6) October 2006 (5) September 2006 (5) August 2006 (2) July 2006 (2) June 2006 (2) May 2006 (5) April 2006 (3) March 2006 (3) February 2006 (2) January 2006 (2) December 2005 (1) November 2005 (4) October 2005 (3) September 2005 (2) August 2005 (4) July 2005 (4) June 2005 (4) April 2005 (1) March 2005 (2) February 2005 (2) January 2005 (2) December 2004 (2) November 2004 (1) September 2004 (3) June 2004 (2) May 2004 (3) March 2004 (1) January 2004 (1) December 2003 (4) November 2003 (1) July 2003 (1) March 2003 (2) January 2003 (1) July 2002 (1) January 2000 (1)
Categories Select Category #AskBR (45) Arts: Indian (21) Between Reviews (131) Bitty Ruminations (90) Book Reviews (17) Books (80) Brief Reel (2) Bullet-point Report (19) Cinema (33) Cinema: Assamese (1) Cinema: Bengali (23) Cinema: Chhattisgarhi (1) Cinema: English (336) Cinema: Foreign (404) Cinema: Gujarati (4) Cinema: Hindi (962) Cinema: Indian (1) Cinema: Kannada (41) Cinema: Malayalam (122) Cinema: Marathi (16) Cinema: Nepali (2) Cinema: Punjabi (5) Cinema: Rajasthani (4) Cinema: Tamil (1,035) Cinema: Telugu (116) Cinema: Tulu (4) Culture (19) Dance (6) Documentary (14) FC Flashback (5) FC Recco (15) Fiction (9) Film Criticism (1) Film Festivals (119) Firstpost Column (111) Food (2) General (30) History (12) Humour (32) Internet (3) Interview (119) Lights Camera Conversation (177) MadRasana (1) Media (5) Music (19) Music: Classical (40) Music: Hindi Cinema (25) Music: Indian Cinema (45) Music: Light Classical (3) Music: Non-Film (5) Music: Tamil Cinema (54) Music: Western (17) Off The Topic (7) Op-ed (18) Past Track (2) Personal (146) Perspective (1) Politics (6) Readers Write In (131) Screening Room (59) Screenplay (2) She Says She Says (11) Shelf Help (2) Short Films (55) Society (104) Southern Lights (50) Sports (11) Television / Online (30) The Amateur's Art (46) Theatre (3) This, That & Everything Else (16) Travel (22) Tuning In (3) Uncategorized (1) Video Essay (5) Viewer's Voice (12) Whose Plot Is It Anyway (10) Writing (3)
Almodóvar's Oscar-nominated 'Pain and Glory' looks a lot like autobiography, but then, so does 'Bad Education'
Readers Write In #131: A fun premise and great songs hold up a predictable romance in 'Yesterday'
Readers Write In #130: Looking back on the festival of Pongal through the movies released
"Pattas"… Dhanush double-roles his way through an action drama that's the dictionary definition of "formula"
#AskBR – Darbar
Rajini Rant – Darbar And The Trap Of Being The Superstar
Tuning In: Sid Sriram on singing for Ilaiyaraaja in PSYCHO
"Chhapaak"… Deepika Padukone stars in an issue-heavy movie that Meghna Gulzar treats with impressive lightness
Readers Write In #129: My 2019 in Books – Top 10
Readers Write In #128: Ricky Gervais' monologue was the ultimate charade of authenticity
Readers Write In #127: Five favourite Tamil songs of ARR from the decade gone by
Revisiting 'Memories of Murder', which put the Golden Globe-winning 'Parasite' director, Bong Joon-ho, on the map
"Darbar"… AR Murugadoss and Rajinikanth unite for a barely okay action-drama
'V1 – Murder Case', 'Parasite', 'Knives Out'… Our message movies versus their message movies
A bit of hand-wringing about Deepika Padukone and 'Chhapaak'
Interview: AR Murugadoss (Darbar)
Readers Write In #126: Exploring love through vulnerability in 'Sillu Karupatti'
Zee Tamil Cine Awards 2020
Lulu Wang's Golden Globe-nominated 'The Farewell' will ring many bells for those of us trapped between two cultures
Interview: Mysskin (Masterclass on film appreciation)
"Good Newwz"… Akshay, Kareena, Diljit and Kiara star in a riotous comedy of cross-pollination
"Sillu Karupatti"… Halitha Shameem's charming anthology serves up heart-warming content without excessive sentimentality
Readers Write In #125: The Russian Revolution, Chapter 12 – The Indian Connection
"Mamangam"… Mammootty stars in a long, meandering anti-war epic that needed far better writing
The rousing '1987: When the Day Comes' is the perfect political mirror for this season of activism and protest
#AskBR – Hero / Thambi
Top 15 Tamil Films Of 2019
"Dabangg 3."… Salman Khan stars in yet another sequel that tarnishes the memory of the original
Readers Write In #124: In these turbulent times, has film criticism become the most politically honest element of journalism?
Readers Write In #123: The Russian Revolution, Chapter 11 – The Autumn Intensifies
Directors round table – 2019
Karthi and Jyotika twist themselves up in knots in Jeethu Joseph's underwhelming thriller, 'Thambi'
"Hero"… Sivakarthikeyan's superhero saga needed more punch, but it's still a solid outing
Readers Write In #122: The Irishman – Scorsese returns to familiar territory and expands it in a startling fashion
Remembering Anna Karina in one of her most notable non-Godard films, Jacques Rivette's 'The Nun'
One Bharath News interviews me… again, it's about movies and reviews
Readers Write In #121: Selvaraghavan's Mayakkam Enna: The Pursuit of dreams
"Mardaani 2."… An excellent Rani Mukerji anchors a solid (if unsurprising) masala-flavoured genre thriller
Simplifying CAB and NRC
'Jyeshthoputro', now streaming on ZEE5, is a classy melodrama with Prosenjit Chatterjee and Ritwick Chakraborty
FC Short Film: Blink
FC Short Film: Ullangai Nellikkani (The Gooseberry In Her Palm)
Interview: S Sowmya… into a musician's mind
"Kaalidas"… Bharath stars in a not-bad investigative thriller that's also about a relationship
Arturo Ripstein's 'Devil Between the Legs', screened at IFFI, deals subversively with sex and jealously and aging
"Pati Patni Aur Woh"… This remake needed to be funnier, but it does interesting things with its women
Interview: Bharath, on his career and the stardom that keeps eluding him


Paying personal bills online saves time and money, and it's the most convenient way to manage all your bills.
Use your checking account to pay bills from your computer or mobile device: utility payments, credit cards, loans, and more.
Take a picture of your bill and pay instantly with our Bill Capture feature from your iPhone® or Android™ smartphone!
Receive ebills instead of paper bills for participating billers.
Make one-time payments or schedule automatic payments of mortgages and other recurring bills.
See your bill history and all pending electronic bill payments at a glance.
Receive reminders that help you pay on time, every time.
Get answers to questions through our secure Message Center.
Popmoney® is the fastest and easiest way to send and receive money with friends and family. Access Popmoney® through Online Bill Pay to send money quickly and securely.
Simply provide a name and email address or mobile phone number for the payment recipient.
Transfer money directly to the recipient from your checking account.
Request money from friends or family members.
Recipients get a text or email to let them know about the payment.
Funds can be deposited in as little as one business day for standard payments and can be sent instantly to recipients with debit cards on supported networks.
Whether you have questions about Pay Bills, Pay People, or any of our other Online Banking services, contact our Customer Care Center toll free at 800.627.1632 Monday – Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., Saturday 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. You may also contact us by sending us a secure message from Online Banking. Or, if you prefer, you can send us an email.
iPhone is a registered trademark of Apple Inc. Android is a registered trademark of Google, Inc.


The Sacrament of Reconciliation is an important Catholic sacrament that all practicing Catholics should be taking part in regularly. However, if you haven't been attending as regularly as you probably should be I bet you could use a reminder. Four words you want to keep in mind when thinking of Reconciliation are repentance, contrition, penance, and absolution. These four words represent what the Sacrament of Reconciliation is all about. By regularly attending Reconciliation you can feel these four things in your life, and also begin to feel changes.
An article called, "The Sacrament of Reconciliation: Explained", lays out all of the reasons why you should be going to Reconciliation regularly, and also explains how this can lead to a better life. You will feel good being less burdened by sin!
So you're looking to add some decoration to that room in your office or house that is just plain boring? Well look no further because a nice religious statue could be just what you have been searching for. These statues can be modestly priced and look great in almost any kind of setting. There are a plethora of options to choose from as well, like a statue of any patron saint, Jesus, or Mary. To help you on your way to choosing one you here are five pretty awesome statues you may want to consider.
1.) Sacred Heart Statue – Jesus is depicted in this piece wearing a white and red robe. He is shown with the holes in his hands from his death on the cross and has a shining red heart coming from the center of his chest. This piece is a great idea for anywhere in a house or office because it holds a true meaning that everybody will be able to look at and comprehend. Let's be honest here, who couldn't use a little reminder of our savior Jesus during their day?
2.) Virgin Mary Statue/Our Lady of Grace Statue – Mary was the mother of Jesus, and this statue does her justice in depicting her as the mother of the Catholic Church. Mary is standing with her arms raised at her sides looking tranquil as always. She is dressed in a long dress that is white, covered by a blue cloth over the top. This statue will make a great piece for any room in your house and will be sure to catch visitor's eyes. However, it is nothing over the top and can be discreet if it needs to be.
3.) Saint Joseph Statue – Saint Joseph was the father of Jesus, he raised him from a newborn with Mary and taught him how to be a good man. He played a vital role in Christ's life and this is a very important thing that people should remember. Joseph is holding Jesus in this statue and in his other hand he holds flowers. A statue of both Jesus and Joseph is a very nice thing to find because it depicts two very important people from the New Testament of the Bible at once.
4.) Saint Jude Statue – Saint Jude was one of Jesus' Apostles, and his is shown in this picture with a flame on his forehead. This is to symbolize Pentecost when the spirit came down upon the Apostles and allowed them to speak in tongues and communicate with all people to spread the word of God. Saint Jude is almost always shown with an image of Christ on his person, and this statue follows that tradition with a picture of Christ being held close to Jude's chest.
5.) Saint Michael Statue – Saint Michael was the Archangel who led heaven to victory in the battle against Satan. He is a hero and this statue does him justice. He is shown in this piece with great shining angel's wings and a shield of armor across his chest. Many people are unaware of Saint Michael and the great win he helped bring for heaven so this statue could be a nice conversation piece to have in your house or office.


Sometimes a girl just has to drop everything and go. For people who are hard-wired like I am It's far too easy to fight the urge to just be spontaneous.
We get bogged down with the crushing load of responsibility. How can any accountable farm wife leave home when there's a crop to seed? The fact is, I'm the cook and the chauffeur, the parts runner and extra set of hands, not the actual farmer. How can any self-respecting adult leave home when the yard is abloom with dandelions and the first wave of flowerbed cleaning hasn't been done (or really even started)? How can any conscientious Nana worth her salt leave when Grady's been called up by the Mosquitoes to pitch? Or shot a thirty-nine to win third place in a golf tournament?
Yet, I did take off. I'd been itching for a solo road trip for some time. Ya know, one of those introvert-like behaviours. So, without inviting anyone to join me, I texted my sister in Hinton on Thursday and asked if I could visit Saturday-Sunday. The sort of quickie that avoids the phenomenon of ?guests, like fish starting to stink after three days.? Enough time to catch up without buggering up their routine or making me feel like an nuisance.
And so it was. The roads and weather were perfect. The traffic was manageable. If I'd truly wanted to get into my head, I wouldn't have played audio book tapes all the way, all the time.
There's just something wonderfully possible about filling a gas tank, packing road trip snacks, slapping on a pair of sunglasses, and hitting the open road. It's possible to stop and restart at will, whenever the hell you want to. To ride in silence or crank up the tunes. To regulate cabin temperature. To travel whatever speed you choose to. To stop at garage sales or antique stores or pretty boutiques. To try off-the-beaten-path eateries.
I did none of that. But I could have. And That's the beauty of a road trip.
It's not like commuting to work or doing a parts run to a bigger, neighbouring town. Or keeping medical appointments in the city and shoe horning personal and/or fun errands in and around them, for efficiency's sake. God knows, I've done thousands of those trips. Last week I did three one-hundred-kilometre round trips in less than fifteen hours for farm repairs, for heaven's sake. Necessary, but not at all fun or relaxing.
So, my lovelies, if you have a chance to pack up the car and head somewhere with little or no agenda or deadline, grab it and go. Forget the house and yard. Forget the family obligations and must-dos. Set some boundaries (electrified razor-wire ten-foot tall barrier fencing) between you and the job, and just go. You may have to bear down and work like hell beforehand to make it happen, but so what. Sometimes just going for it is the right choice, from where I sit.


Danfo and London Borough of Hackney Council officially opened their new toilet facilities in London Fields on 7 April 2014. The new high profile public convenience building provide modern facilities for visitors to London Fields Park and the adjacent popular Broadway Market which comes alive during weekend trading periods. The project is part of an ongoing redevelopment scheme by Hackney Council to regenerate the southern area of London Fields.
The new building design incorporates five single occupancy toilet cubicles for a unisex disabled toilet, an ambulant unisex disabled toilet, two female toilets and a unisex toilet with baby change. The building also provides a specially designed screened outdoor urinal, built to reduce queues to the toilet rooms during high season. Entry is free to all the toilets.
The building design includes contemporary solar lighting tubes to reduce the carbon footprint of the building during daylight hours. The solar tubes allow lighting to be provided naturally into each toilet cubicle area. The cladding is made from chemical-free and durable thermowood.
A "green" roof with Sedum plants was formed as part of the roof structure to reduce surface water run-off and increase carbon capture from the air, thus reducing the environmental impact of the building. The living roof provides habitats for birds and insects as part of Hackney Council's Biodiversity Action Plan.
A new planter wall is being constructed within the park as part of the ongoing landscape regeneration works, Danfo happily provided the first stage of this development by creating the new planter wall adjacent the building.
The toilets are specially developed to last for years and years with high visitor foot fall and have the ability to be restored very quickly in case of any damage.


text:
function umbracoCheckUpgrade(result) {
    if (result) {
        if (result.UpgradeType.toLowerCase() != 'none') {
            if (UmbSpeechBubble == null) {
                InitUmbracoSpeechBubble();
            }
            var icon = 'info';
            if (result.UpgradeType.toLowerCase() == 'critical') {
                icon = 'error';
            }

            UmbSpeechBubble.ShowMessage(icon, 'Upgrade Available!', '' + result.UpgradeComment + '', true);
        }
    }
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub