Van Dyke Parks - "Song Cycle" (1968)

Jim Miller wrote this review for Rolling Stone (issue #6), Feb. 24, 1968. Van Dyke had recently gone off on his own, after working on the then-aborted Smile album with Brian Wilson. Song Cycle got great reviews but was a poor seller for Warner Bros. - I believe one of their worst selling albums of all time, if I’m not mistaken…

 

Rock music is finally becoming composed music, growing from Phil Spector and Burt Bacharach. Bacharach contributed a purely popular legacy while Spector with Jack Nitzsche remained in the rock mainstream; out of them grew the Beach Boys, with Pet Sounds remaining the greatest romantic statement in rock writing. The Beatles have never essentially participated in this field, theirs being ad hoc construction of sound, a field the Mothers have invaded, as well as remaining to rock what Kurt Weill was to the musical theater. Meanwhile Motown has always canned arrangements in metrically divided temporal space even more sophisticated than Spector; yet until now only the Mothers have broken away from song structure, the now being Van Dyke Parks, co-author of the last Beach Boy record of merit (”Heroes and Villains”), and now in charge of Song Cycle.

Van Dyke Parks may come to be considered the Gertrude Stein of the new pop music, for unlike the Beatles and the Rolling Stones, his is not mass circulation music, in fact it approaches being an inaccessible lattice work of structured sound, which in itself is a major contribution to formalism in rock. In “The All-Golden” the possibility of sound as music within in the framework of form (and not à la Milton Babbit) comes through very clearly in several seconds of a train whistle that only slowly manifests itself as the train whistle it is; the record is full of such musical about-faces (such as the variations on “Donovan’s Colours”), from tack piano to balalaika to bomb (the possibility explored with the suggestive silence between “The All Golden” and “Van Dyke Parks”). Parks is a romantic in many ways, but his structure is strangely open, progressing across space much as George Shearing’s conceptions for guitar, vibes and piano.

Parks can’t really sing (not like Brian), so his voice is transfigured into taped mutations, becoming an integral part of his lush/noise compositional structure. Compared to an earlier, quite pretentious try at composed rock (Chad and Jeremy’s “Progress Suite”), Song Cycle presents us with the work of a creative genius. The album is hardly perfect, but familiarity breeds awe a what, for a first album, has been accomplished. If the Beatles pull themselves together, this may be their next stop in the breakaway from song form variations on a theme—significantly though, Van Dyke Parks is there first. Listening to Song Cycle may not bring love but it most certainly will bring music liberation.

Jim Miller

GOVERNMENT CORRUPTION GOD MEDICAL CORRUPTION MASSIVE SUFFERI

God is angry Very very angry and he is going to shut down this world Throughout my medical journey to find a doctor God has been with me giving me support When you look at my passport you can match the dates to natural disasters around the world When I left India for the second time July 2007 seven days later there was three months of rain in one hour that fell on London Tremendous disaster The city is under water England declares a state of emergency In this materialistic world people have set God aside One Reverend said it is not God that has abandoned us but we that have abandoned him How right this is Through the bible we know that God has power over climate He split the waters Reverend Wright preached about Mr Obama He preached about human injustice and 911 catastrophe God is angry over massive suffering You ask yourself how can people with the gift of being a median help the police officers find people that are severe distress But they did and this is documented How can people have spirits in their home They brought in scientific equipment and this was proven spirits were in the home My passport will show you that the climate disasters and the dates of my travels are the same God is here helping me to help us It is like footprints in the sand Sometimes I am using my own power to go forward other times God is giving me his strenght to go forward The pain I am in is inhumane God is here to help us through this very bad period that we are in He will not stand for massive suffering This is definite There is a tv documentary that examined why the dinosaurs disappeared from the face of the earth A huge analysis The scientists decided that this was a comet that hit the earth A cloud of dust enveloped the earth The ice age was upon the dinosaurs This was their end Thirteen thousand years ago These scientists said that in evolutions time of this planet this is the same as saying it happened yesterday Jesus Christ was positive that the end was going to be in his time He was reacting to the Will of God The Romans were crucifying 500 christians a day They ran out of wood for the crufixes The roman theaters would slaughter christians using lions and gladiators for the entertainment of the romans Bloodshed The good samaritans complained Again massive suffering Pontas Pilate crucified Jesus Christ The end of the Roman Empire is upon them This is what Jesus Christ was feeling They have stolen my diary It makes recounting events more difficult Three cities were critical for the Romans with huge impressive temples They have a court house bath house running water complete infrastructure All perished This was caused by earthquakes and extremely hot ash that killed the residents on the spot This is so hot and quick that the wood is preserved but flesh perishes Sicily four hundred years after Jesus Christ Heavily populated roman towns Impressive are the tall towers Power and strength in roman government It is thought that there was a war with elephants and all perished Then a documentary by scientists explaining an extreme search They found active volcanoes in the sicily waters off these coasts These volcanoes created a huge tsunamie 20 stories high and which wiped out these roman towns These tall towers fell like a deck of cards This is what happened to the romans These towns are populated again In the Philippines about 3000 to 1500 years before Christ to about 500 years After Christ a small type of human made it from Asia to the islands of Balau This person is size of a five year old child Bones of these humans of all ages are found in the caves on both sides of the island The scientists report says that a tsunamie came over the island All perished This is Gods plan Ronald Reagan hired six scientist to examine global warming It was decided that the earth is too vast and nothing can affect it How wrong these scientists were Then they decided that it would take 50 years to melt the artic Again they were wrong The government is guessing and keeping you without knowledge They are not telling you everything It is to their benefit Control God is angry Massive suffering But God is also good to us He wishes us to survive this No more wars We have to make it through this We have to gain control over the medical system God can only do so much We have free will We make the decisions even though God can see everything we make the final decisions God is going to shut down this world unless we protect ouselves We have to stand up for ourselves In the next upload to youtube I will describe all the climate disasters that correspond to my passport Suzanne DuboisAuthor THES4545Keywords GOVERNMENTCORRUPTIONGODMEDICALMASSIFESUFFERINGAdded November 18 2008

youtube.com

CHURCH OF GOD IN CHRIST 99TH ANNUAL HOLY CONVOCATION 2006

Vol 1, Issue 15: The Rules of Rock

Your albums are your livelihood, your art, your creation. Inspired by your feelings and decorated with your thoughts. They are you in a musical form: a reflection of what you stand for, what makes you tick, what breaks your heart and what will repair it. A simple compact disc can embody one’s full range of emotions: the good, the bad and most certainly the ugly. Because of its power, due time and consideration must be taken when getting ready to record your masterpiece. Whether it’s selecting the right producer, or deciding which songs should make the cut, taking your time will be time well-spent. If you want to release an “all killer, and no filler” album, then I recommend taking the following rules into consideration.

Rule #1: Don’t be in a rush to record.

There’s nothing worse than an album that grabs your attention immediately with its screeching distortion, but come track five has lost you somewhere in the translation. To avoid finding yourself in this scenario, I would advise you not to be too anxious to get into the studio. The best art, like a fine wine, grows in taste and refinement as it ages. So, take your time and make sure that every single one of your tunes is sickeningly addictive, gets stuck in your head on repeat, and makes you want to partake in a full-body gyration before you book your studio time. There’s nothing wrong with having a token soft acoustic track in the mix to demonstrate another side to your act, but for the most part, I’d recommend sticking to what you do best. Additionally, there’s no faster way to piss-off a producer than to go into a studio unprepared, but hey it’s your money, so if you want to waste it, that’s your prerogative.

Rule #2: The first 30 seconds will make or break you.

Because of the overabundance of artists vying for the attention of few labels, your act is left with very little time to make an impression. When labels receive artist submissions, they hold listening sessions in which they listen to hundreds of bands back-to-back in order to make their roster decisions. Due to the design of this process, it’s extremely easy for bands to get lost amongst one another. After listening to music consistently for hours, one’s ears start to get tired (especially if the music is poor in quality), and thus, one’s attention span is shortened. I cannot state enough how important it is to be able to grab your listener’s attention the moment the disc begins to spin. Every song needs to have a strong catchy intro, and it is recommended by musicologists that the vocal melody of a track kicks in no later than the 30-second mark.

Rule #3: Always put your best song as track two.

Rarely do labels listen past the second track on your disc unless you’ve truly peaked their interest, and even still, time constraints may prevent them from doing so. Therefore, the first track on your album is designed to act as an introduction to your band. Ideally, it should be a strong song that demonstrates a synopsis of what is to come. It shouldn’t be too heavy, or too soft, but rather right in between. This opens the door for your act to be able to expand in either direction, without having the listener form too many preconceived ideas of how the rest of your album will sound. Your strongest and/or title track should follow closely in line as the second track in rotation. This allows listeners to get a sense of your act’s full potential from the very start. As record execs don’t have the time or patience to go through a half hour of your music in order to find your band’s high points, I recommend using this formula if your intention is to solicit your material to labels.

Rule #4: Come prepared.

If you are recording with a professional producer, it will undoubtedly be expected of you to arrive with new strings for your guitars, new skins for your drums, and your vocalist well-rested. Your gear and your band members need to be in tip-top shape to be fully productive and to work to their full potential. Make sure you get plenty of rest, eat well, and don’t overexert your energy. As for your gear, revive what you can. It is not expected of you to purchase brand new studio equipment, but considering that gear undergoes wear and tear from practicing and touring, a band needs to ensure that their equipment is as fully restored to new as possible. If that means spending a couple extra bucks bringing it back up to par, I assure you its worth it. Don’t just trust me, trust your ears: you’ll be able to hear the difference.

Rule #5: Bring your producer a CD by a familiar artist that illustrates how you want your album to sound.

This is especially important if this will be your first recorded album, and if you are working with a producer who is new to your material. By bringing along an example of a disc that demonstrates the production quality you wish to obtain, you are creating a framework for your producer, and also likely setting your budget. When it comes to selecting an appropriate example CD, it’s clearly important to consider the production/technical side of things, but as well, finding an artist that is similar to your act in sound will assist in this process greatly.

Rule #6: Just because it’s free doesn’t necessarily mean it’s a bargain.

In my opinion, there are certain jobs that should be left to the professionals, and recording/producing a band’s album is definitely one of them. No matter how many recording programs you’ve managed to illegally download onto your computer, you need to face the facts, basement and at-home recordings simply cannot render the same quality as a professional in-studio recording. Aside from the disc’s sound quality, a trained sound engineer will be able to pick up on things that you may not even notice. They are educated to be sticklers for perfection, so if you want your band’s album to be able to compete with the big leagues, hire a professional. However, not just any professional producer will do. Do your research, know which bands your producer has worked with in the past and be sure you are selecting the man/woman you feel is best suited to the job.

Rule #7: Your producer should NOT be the same person as your mixing engineer. The more the merrier is definitely an expression that is fully embraced when it comes to recording. Because it is such a tedious endeavour that requires listening to the same sections of songs over and over again, it is strongly suggested that several engineers are hired to work on your full-length as opposed to just one. Producers are only human after all, and the more that they hear something on repeat, the less likely they will be able to pick up on imperfections. Therefore, hiring at least three different people to cover the jobs of producer, editor, and mixer/masterer will ensure that your album is as close to perfection as possible. As a bonus, producers often have their own staff with which they work or at the least will offer you a referral to a sister-company that handles the aspects of the production that they cannot.

Rule #8: Be in the studio at all times.

Even if you’ve already recorded your instrument, it really makes no sense to abandon the studio. Not only it is disrespectful to your fellow bandmates that waited patiently for you to lay down your tracks, but as well, this is your art. If you take off in the middle of recording, you might as well sacrifice your say in terms of how you want the album to sound because if you were not there, then you’ve got no business complaining about the results. Some of the best ideas for albums have spawned purely from being “in the moment” or on account of a minor suggestion from a producer. So, if you want to see the magic as it unfolds, I recommend sticking around. I wouldn’t want to leave my art into the hands of others, so why would you?

And finally…

Rule #9: Have fun.

Recording can be a stressful experience if you let it, but truly, it’s meant to be satisfying. Let your creative juices get flowing, and experiment with different settings and effects. Ask your producer questions, get involved, take pictures and make it something to remember. If you’re getting worked up over a note you just can’t hit, relax, take a break, and let someone else take over for a bit. Don’t rush yourself, you can take all the time you need. It’s your album, you set the deadlines. Never record for more than twelve hours straight, and if you aren’t happy with something, speak up. Remember, your producer is there to work for you, not against you and your vision.

About the Author:

Rose Cora Perry is the frontwoman for Canadian hard rock band ANTI-HERO known as “The 21st Century Answer to Nirvana”, as well as the sole owner and operator of HER Records, a management company in which she offers marketing, promotion, publicity, tour booking, and artist development services.

Her band ANTI-HERO has toured extensively across North America playing notable festivals such as Warped Tour, Canadian Music Week, NorthbyNorthEast, Wakefest, and MEANYFest.

Voted “Best Rock Act of the Year” by numerous industry publications, their critically acclaimed debut album, “Unpretty” is available worldwide for purchase.

Rose Cora Perry is a dedicated promoter of D.I.Y. ethics, and an avid supporter of independent musicians.For more information on Rose Cora Perry and her band’s accomplishments, please visit http://www.anti-hero.ca/ or http://www.rosecoraperry.com/

 

View of Nilov Hermitage. Picture was taken in 1910 by Prokudin-Gorsky. To make a color photo by that time he used three slides taken separately with red green and blue color filters on conventional B&W photo plates. And then the picture itself was project

Tears For Fears - Everybody Wants To Rule The World [Open Air Mix]

Testimony: Writing in the MCPS Red Zone? GT English? Think Again.

This fall MCPS held two Community Forums, seeking input from parents, staff, students and community members on the following question: “During difficult economic times, what priorities in the Montgomery County Public Schools strategic plan should we focus on for the 2009-2010 school year to improve achievement for all students?”

I didn’t attend, however Googling “GT English MCPS” I came across the testimony of Sue Katz Miller. It’s spot on and I’m taking the liberty of reprinting it here in its entirety.

Comments for Strategic Planning Forum

Montgomery County Public Schools

Board of Education

October 16, 2008

Good evening. My name is Sue Katz Miller. I am a former PTA President, and I write a schools column for the Takoma Voice, but I speak tonight as a parent of a 9th and 6th grader in red zone schools.

I want to call your attention to the crisis in writing instruction in our schools. Why is there a crisis? First, the MSA tests reading and math, but not writing. So there is little external pressure for writing instruction. Second, our School Improvement Plans in the red zone focus on proficiency, or if we’re lucky, on shifting from Proficient to Advanced, but ignore the growing cohort of diverse students who begin each year reading in the “Advanced” category, and are thus ready for writing instruction. Third, we have been shifting elementary and middle school English classes to heterogeneous grouping. In the red zone, even when these classes are labeled “GT,” they contain wild extremes of academic levels, and thus students virtually never write essays in these classrooms, even in middle school. My son learned to write a paragraph in kindergarten, thanks to MCPS. But then in first grade, and in second, and third, and fourth, and fifth grades, he was assigned single paragraphs, over and over. In 6th grade, in a “GT” English class, he just received his first writing assignment of the year—to write a single paragraph on a world leader.

I have been given a number of other reasons by MCPS staff for why we are not teaching and assigning more writing. One is that there is so much “stuff” in the thick curriculum guides that they can’t possibly teach it all, so that even if there is an expectation somewhere in that thick binder that they assign an essay, it becomes optional. I have been told by four different middle school teachers that they have too many students and can’t read and correct all those essays. In elementary school, I was told that they don’t assign writing as homework because some parents will help their children and this would be unfair to students who don’t have parents who can help. So instead, there were years without writing homework. I have also been told that we have no data points for writing, so it’s hard to track what’s happening and enforce any kind of accountability.

We cannot afford to accept any of these explanations for the dearth of writing in our schools. The SAT contains an essay, and MCPS now finally plans to “backmap” writing skills into middle and elementary schools. This will take years, and perhaps involve the development of yet more curriculum and testing and data points. In the meantime, please consider some quick, no-cost, notesting solutions. First, require elementary and middle schools in the red zone to provide vocabulary-building programs such as Wordly Wise for all students who test as Advanced readers, just as they do in the Highly Gifted Centers and at the Eastern Magnet, and in the green zone. Second, require teachers to teach the art of essay writing and assign a particular number of essays in English and Social Studies to students at that Advanced reading level. Third, preserve “homogeneous” Honors English classrooms in the red zone, where teachers struggle with differentiating across a vast range of reading levels. Otherwise, students who are ready to learn to write are left to teach themselves.

It is not equitable to offer appropriate writing instruction only to students in test-in programs for the gifted, when we have a diverse and growing cohort of students who are ready to learn this essential skill. If MCPS wants more students taking AP and IB courses, we must prepare and support them with more and better writing instruction in every local elementary and middle school. This year, I have had the painful experience of watching my 9th grader and her peers getting slammed in AP and pre-IB courses, because they spent the past six years making posters and dioramas and putting on skits, when they needed and wanted to be writing an occasional essay.

Please take action on this crisis before another class of ill-prepared students must face AP, and IB, and the SAT. Thank you.

So there you have it. I’m not just dreaming, or overreacting. This IS the situation in MCPS. And don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.

An A Grade Exam Paper

Why gifted students need to be taught formal writing

Finding truth in a changing world by Jim Paredes

We grow up believing that certain truths are etched in stone and are therefore eternal and unchanging. A lot of what is supposed to be eternal has to do with beliefs and morals that are supposed to affect and guide the way we think and conduct ourselves. There are also cultural customs and practices that have been introduced to us in a more subliminal manner but affect us equally and we express them as attitudes — biases, if you will — that we harbor about people, social mores, and even life itself. They pretty much constitute our core moral compass.

And these beliefs that anchor us, that keep us grounded, are, not surprisingly, almost always under assault by time and by the times. Consider the medieval dogma which proclaimed that the world is flat. It took a quantum leap for the Church to come around and bring its thinking up to speed on the reality that the world is, um, round.

More currently, consider the events in the past few months when Wall Street, the bastion of material wealth and, to many, the only real wealth on earth that is worth anything, collapsed with no visible or probable rescue in sight. This is a direct assault on the economic doctrine of capitalism as we know it. The bottom has given way and no one knows when the free fall will end. Meanwhile, the only thing that is certain is uncertainty itself. Everyone is anxiously waiting for the “thud” to happen when we hit rock bottom for some semblance of certainty.

Or consider the mind-blowing reality that the new president of the US is an African-American. Who would have thought this could happen, even just two years ago?

In these times when things are changing so fast, it’s hard to distinguish what will remain eternally true and which “truths” will be unmasked and exposed as having reached their expiration date. Centuries ago, the pace of change was so slow that people looked to the past to determine their course of action in the present and future.

It was easy to feel certain about one’s beliefs and traditions. One became a farmer because one’s father, grandfather and great grandfather were farmers. Very little, if at all, changed from generation to generation. That was just how things were.

These days, people choose careers and lifestyles independently of how their parents lived theirs. They may even change careers a number of times in their lifetime. That’s just how the world is today. Things have changed and will continue to do so at an even faster rate.

I have caught myself many times blindly following truths and assumptions, taking for granted that they will always be true, only to end up walking into a solid wall. How is it that, all of a sudden, what used to be is not so anymore? I swear there wasn’t a wall there before I bumped into it. I guess I should expect this to happen many more times.

When I was young, the world seemed so much more innocent, so unlike what we have now. There were no pedophile priests (at least we never heard about them), sins were divided into mortal and venial, and to die without confessing a grievous sin assured one of eternal damnation. Life was simple and defined. There was an absoluteness, and therefore a certainty, about how one should conduct one’s self.

There are many who decry the perceived loss of morals today and blame it for the mess and instability in the world. They condemn the “situational ethics” which has replaced simplistic black-and-white thinking. In their conservative view, where there are no North stars to follow, people will go astray! And they are right. We need to be grounded and guided by so-called unchanging values. The problem is in determining which values these are in a rapidly changing world which we often have to navigate without a rear-view mirror.

On the other hand, the intellectual Alfred North Whitehead said, “There are no whole truths: all truths are half-truths. It is trying to treat them as whole truths that plays the devil.” He seems to be hitting the penchant for dogmatism and rigidity that leaves no room for adjustment, rethinking, reframing or even dropping beliefs in the face of newly emerged facts.

I remember the pathetic woman who, in one of John McCain’s campaign sorties, expressed her belief that Obama is an Arab. This, despite the fact that Obama has repeatedly declared that he has been going to a Christian church for 30 years. It was sad and tragic to see such ignorance displayed by someone who, even in the face of the truth, was unable or unwilling to accept a reality beyond what she insists she “knows.”

I also cannot fathom how otherwise rational people can become totally closed and intractable when certain topics arise. I refer to the issue of reproductive health and family planning. I have heard the arguments of those who stand against a woman’s right to reproductive health and I respect them even if I do not agree with them.

I cannot, however, go along with those who promote unlikely scare scenarios to back their side. For example, I was shocked years ago when leaders of the Church actually suggested that then Health Secretary Juan Flavier, a decent public servant and promoter of family planning, was an “abortionist.” Lately, I have heard people condemn the reproductive health bill now pending in Congress as part of a plot by the Western world to slow down the population growth of non-whites in the world because whites find people of colora threat to their primacy.

Beliefs can be positive or negative, and one way to know is to check whether they move forward our perception and understanding of an ever-expanding world. This is easier said than done. Habits of thought persist and even if logic may expose doctrines that have stopped being credible and helpful, our sentimental links to them may be difficult to relinquish.

I resonate with the tenet of non-attachment in all things, and that includes beliefs. We must learn to let go of them when it is time to do so. It is not easy, but if we want to create space for the new, we must learn to set aside those things that have stopped working.

I would like to share a Zen story about the temptation people encounter when seeking the truth.

“One day Mara, the Evil One, was traveling through the villages of India with his attendants. They saw a man doing walking meditation whose face was lit up in wonder. The man had just discovered something on the ground in front of him. Mara’s attendant asked what that was and Mara replied, ‘A piece of truth.’

“‘Doesn’t this bother you when someone finds a piece of truth, O Evil One?’ his attendant asked. ‘No,’ Mara replied. ‘Right after this, they usually make a belief out of it.’”

It is good to be reminded that reality is what remains after our beliefs reach their expiration date.

Many people will hate this, but it makes the world work. Can you identify where the notes come from?

Varanam Aayiram

Here a movie that I been waiting for years (it seems), well the songs are brillant, storyline is brillant and the cast are brillant and (sexy, I ofcourse mean Divya and Sameera Reddy!). But I am probbably not going to watch this movie @ least for another month, but good thing come to all thoese that wait!

Click here: Varanam Aayiram Trailers

Here a Music Review:

Varanam Aayiram - Electrifying and entertaining

Music composer Harris Jeyaraj and director Gautham Vasudev Menon share a good rapport between them. The two have come together to work for over 30 songs with almost all of them going on to top the chartbusters. Since ‘Minnale’ to ‘Varanam Aayiram’, the two has been able to come up with a mix of catchy melodies, hip-hop and racy romantic numbers which have found a favorable place with the masses.

Joining the list of successful ventures from Harris – Gautham stable is ‘Varanam Aayiram’.

Speaking about the audio, Gautham Menon had said, ‘Varanam Aayiram’ is a tribute to the music my parents made me listen as I grew up, from when I was ten till I reached 17 years. My head is still filled with melodies I listened to during that period and a constant rhythm runs in my system, around which I write stories. The songs compliment those melodies and created by Harris Jeyaraj, who believed in my search for good music.’

Harris provides a constant rhythm all through the album with consistent energy level. The likes of Shruthi Haasan, SPB Charan and Hariharan chipping in for a song are a major highlight of this album. Harris has come out with a retro, hip-hop music, which is sure to go places.

Thamarai has penned all song but for Yethi Yethi, which Na Muthukumar has contributed.

Adiyae Kolluthaey - Krish, Benny Dayal, Shruthi Haasan

A perfect beginning with electrifying guitar that sets up the right memento for the anticipated flick. It is more a kind of a song played at rock band with a touch of melody in the middle. Shruthi Haasan has rendered her voice for the number which has Krish and Benny Dayal at their best.

Shruthi’s open-throated vocal as interlude and the additional percussion in the song are a delight to listen to.

Nenjukkul Peidhidum - Hariharan, Devan, Prasanna

It is a soft melody. Providing one a feel of listening to Eric Clapton’s number, the song sticks to our heart at the very first time. The soft melody which is laced with romantic lyrics by Thamarai, is very youthful. Though soft, it is very vibrant. Seemingly inspired by pop songs of 1980s, the song has Hariharan stamping his class all through.

Devan and V Prasanna gives him the right company. Thanks to Harris for the composition which has very less instrumentation and more of good lyrics.

Yethi Yethi - Benny Dayal, Naresh Iyer, Solar Sai

Quite a different composition from Harris that is jubilant all the way. A youthful number which is sung by a group of friends, presumably in the movie, interestingly has English lyrics inter spread in it at most places. The song has bass guitar, drums combining well with the acoustics. Watch out for the guitar interlude, it is simply amazing. The songster simply rocks here. Benny Dayal, Naresh Iyer and Solar Sai excel.

Mundhinam - Naresh Iyer, Prashanthini

A romantic song in which, the lover describes the beauty of his beloved in the most artistic manner. The lyrics are staged in the center. The blending of the guitar and the vocals of Naresh Iyer is the highlight of the song. A feel-good pop number, it is sure to become the craze of youngsters. The husky voice of Prashanthini sounds new.

Om Shanthi Om - Clinton, SPB Charan

A faster version of ‘Nenjukkul Peidhidum’ number rendered to add up. This time SPB Charan and Clinton renders the song which has right pace sans electrifying instruments. Harris Jeyaraj has given the right western touch to the pacey number but has ensured that the essential melody in it is not lost. The beautiful vocal in the interlude is worth listening to.

Ava Enna - Karthi, V Prasanna

A Gaana number from Harris Jayaraj! A surprise yet true. But the music composer has proved that he too can come up with a Gaana which would make the listeners get up and shake their legs with awe.

Set as a youth describing his romance, the song has everything in it to appease front-benchers, but class written all over it. The voice of Karthik and Prasanna suits the song well. Thamarai’s lyrics fit the mood well.

Annul Malae - Sudha Raghunathan

A classical song with Carnatic vocalist Sudha Raghunathan, rendering at her best for the traditional touch. More inspired by ‘pathos’ numbers of Tamil and Hindi films set in early 1960s, the song is seemingly a fusion of Carnatic and Hindusthani music. With Sudha Raghunthan rendering it with an Anglican accent. No doubt, it is a slow number, but the harmony is striking here.

‘Varanam Aayiram’ is no doubt one of the best from Harris Jeyaraj and Gautham duo. It is energetic and entertaining. A must listen musical score that is serene even while repeated.

Source: Indiagltiz

Nuclear weapons

A few words about nuclear weapons technology..

Fission weapons

Nuclear weapons exploit two principle physical, or more specifically nuclear, properties of certain substances: fission and fusion.

Fission is ..

Nuclear Weapons Test-Cannon-Grable 15KT

An Open Letter to Dutch Sheets

The following is an open letter posted on evangelical evangelist Dutch Sheets's website in response to his recent message regarding Tuesday's election results. I discovered the original letter and evangelist through a friend and you can view his original "letter" here.

My Response

Dear Reverend Sheets,

I wish to say at the start of this letter, than I, for a big part, am probably not of the same ideology that many of your viewing base are. I have seen your book in stores and have seen you while flipping through the channels from time to time, but this is about the extent of my knowledge of you and your ministry. Before I get into the intent of this letter - a response to your letter concerning our recent election - I wish to say (much in the way that the Apostle Paul might have greeted a fellow minister) that I am a fellow evangelical minister and follower of Christ, and as such, I commend you on your efforts to follow the teachings of Jesus and to make those known to your viewers, listeners, and readers. Our faith we have in common, and I am eternally grateful for this. And although people of faith may disagree with the policies and ideologies of government officials at times, I believe this faith is shared (because it has been claimed as such) by our current President and by our new President-elect. That said, I pray that the content of this response will be interpreted through love and not a desire for argument. There are certainly issues we can all agree on - regardless of political ideologies, and I think it’s important for the body of Christ to come together on these shared interests for the good of the world. I cannot speak for you, but I gather that you ultimately wish for the same.

Much like you said, I do not claim to be an infallible source. I do believe that the scriptures point us to a sovereign God - a God who does give us free will, but one who has a sovereign destiny for the world, the universe, and the cosmos. The will of a sovereign God is far more powerful than any worldly system of government (and this is certainly no respecter of political parties). God is not a Republican or a Democrat, but - I believe - is continually pointing us upward, not right or left.

I did take issue with some of the content of your open letter. I think sometimes Christian leaders of a certain ideology (whether right or left) can make the mistake of assuming that all who share their faith have the same ideology. Taking a step back, I think we can all agree this is not always the case.

One of the shifts in the recent election was that of a decidedly shifting evangelical vote. While many conservative evangelicals continued to vote for their Republican base, a great many evangelicals (many of whom still hold to conservative ideals) decided to vote for Barack Obama. I have had conversations with evangelicals who voted for both candidates, but what I found were that those who voted for Sen. Obama did so, not in spite of their faith, but because of their faith. This video is one such example of this. While many of these evangelical Christians still disagree (and strongly so) with the President-elect on his pro-choice stance, it is becoming clear that the realm of moral obligations to people of faith must be weighed in as a whole. Many evangelicals have paid attention to biblical mandates that cause them to be concerned with moral issues beyond simply abortion and gay marriage. These biblical issues include poverty (as you alluded to in your letter), the AIDS pandemic, a biblical stance on preemptive war, the use of torture, and care for the environment as God’s creation. Many of these evangelicals argued that while Sen. McCain held to a pro-life policy (though McCain made some decidedly different statements regarding this in his 2000 bid for the White House), he was often vague and unclear about his plan to handle these other issues, making many evangelicals apprehensive.

Understand, like you I am conservative on the issue of abortion rights. I do not blindly dismiss it, and I don’t believe these other evangelicals do or should either. I do argue, however, that there are two fundamental problems with making this a be-all-end-all criteria for a voter. The first is that many younger (and some older) voters have been uninformed of the real meaning of some of these issues. The Supreme Court’s ruling of Roe v. Wade has nothing in and of itself to do with abortion at large. The ruling simply made a woman’s right to choose a national ruling rather than a state one. If the Supreme Court were to overturn Roe v. Wade today (and don’t get me wrong, I don’t think it would be a bad idea to do so), this would not eliminate or outlaw abortion. It would simply turn abortion rights back over to the states. The states that previously held to abortion rights laws (New York, Massachusetts, California, to name a few) would still legally allow abortions to take place. The Catch-22 of this is that many women living in states that do not allow for abortions would still be having abortions - illegally and very dangerously - or driving across state lines to do so. The issue of Roe v. Wade certainly has implications for abortion, but the ruling itself is simply a “Big Government v. Small Government” ruling. That said, there are many Pro-Life Democrats in our government system (Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and Mississippi Governor Ronnie Musgrove, for two examples).

The second problem with this is that we’ve had a President in office for the last eight years who personally and publicly opposes abortion rights (and you and I agree with him in this), yet has done nothing to do away with it. Abortions have increased during the current administration. You know as well as I do that politicians on both sides are great at rallying their respective bases on social platforms - be it abortion, gay marriage, the environment, big government v. small government, etc. - but once elected, those issues take their places at the very bottom of the to-do list. In politics, it’s all about getting votes based on social issues. In government, it’s all about economics. Both sides are guilty of this.

This does not mean that churches and Christ-followers should remain silent on the issue of abortion. By all means, we should not. What this does mean is that we must stop relying on politicians of both sides to legislate morality. We cannot count on the government to reduce abortions, regardless of an Obama or would-be McCain administration. Instead, this gives the church a POWERFUL opportunity to be PRO-active; to be, as Gandhi said, “the change you wish to see in the world.”

This brings me to another issue with the conclusions stated in your letter. Again, please don’t view my disagreements as questioning your heart or faith - as I would never intend to disrespect you or your right to your concerns.

That said, I am concerned that many of your readers and viewers will take your conclusions that God’s wrath is now coming as a call to inaction. Many may see this “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God”-type message and think, “Oh well, there’s nothing we can do now but watch the world crumble around us and wait to die or for Christ’s return.” I don’t think that was your intention, but I do fear many Christians will take this as such.

For one thing, if God’s judgment means that God allows our economy to sink and wars to claim the lives of our own people, then this judgment didn’t begin now. It began years ago, if this is the case. I think we can all agree that the last eight years have not been a time of peace and prosperity, regardless of an evangelical Christian in the White House.

Inaction is, quite simply, not an option. The church must find ways beyond the political structure to be and make disciples and do good in the world. If we are truly concerned with the problem of abortion in this country, it’s time to get off our high horses and do something real about it. Let’s work together to make adoption easier, not harder for families who are desperate to have children but who are unable to conceive naturally. Let’s go into the poverty-stricken inner cities where there is much moral decay and educate young women on the real options they have, even helping to provide moral and financial support for them. Let’s start some crisis pregnancy centers all across our towns and cities, giving help, education, and hope to women rather than judging them. Many of these women find themselves in circumstances of unplanned pregnancies and are horrified at the thought of telling their parents, the thought of what their uncommitted boyfriends might do, or how they might ever raise a child on their own. The church has a POWERFUL opportunity to step in and do something that makes a real difference. This will bode far better for us than picketing politicians who disagree with us.

These are just a few ideas, and if we put our heads together and take prayerful action, I think God will give us the strength and resolve to make a lasting impact on this nation. These are issues that Obama supporters and McCain supporters can come together on. Evangelical, mainline, and Roman Catholic Christians can join forces in this too.

On the other issues of poverty, AIDS, the environment, and so on, these must be taken seriously in the same way, not waiting on government to act on them. The church has the opportunity to be a powerful force in the world yet, and I do not believe - under any means - that God is finished with our great nation yet.

I realize that, while you may like some of these ideas, you may not agree with me entirely, and I’m okay with that. I do think, however, that it’s crucial that we take real action and not just count on government to do so.

Whether we agree with all of his policies and ideas it or not (I don’t, and I disagreed with many of McCain’s ideas as well), Barack Obama is the new President-elect, and as such, he deserves our support and respect as Americans. History has certainly been made, and I think we owe it to our nation (and especially as Christ-followers) to pray for his protection and for wisdom in leading us through the difficult times ahead. We should pray that he would surround himself with wise council in facing the economic crisis that was placed before him and in dealing with the ongoing fight against terrorism. Pray that he would come to an understanding of our concerns regarding abortion rights.

For all I know, Obama may turn out to be a terrible President. He might worsen our economy rather than better it. Things may go terribly wrong. I pray this isn’t the case, but if it is, the beauty of democracy means that in four years, we can vote him out and place someone else in charge.

As you know - and I believe your viewership does, too - our faith as Christians is not in our economy, in our government, and even in our leaders. It should never be. Our faith is in God and God alone. If we believe God created all things, then we must believe that God’s creation is ongoing. Because of our faith in God, we can trust that we will always be provided for, and that we will be protected.

Again, Rev. Sheets, I pray you will take these words and ideas to heart, and I share a great passion for Christ with you. I wish you the best as you make disciples throughout your own ministry.

Godspeed,

Rev. Bryan Thompson