Desperate measures: Site workers try to suck mud from the market areas close to the Pyramid Stage in an attempt to dry them before the main event begins tomorrow
In for a penny... Tom Wilder, 17, from Kent, gets into the festival spirit and performs a dramatic slide in the Glastonbury Festival mud
Diving face down through Britain's biggest mudbath, teenage reveller Tom Wilder ensured the Glastonbury cheers started early.
Egged on by his mates, 17-year-old student Tom, from Kent, performed headlong dives on demand to cheer up arrivals trudging through the sodden 900-acre site.
Countless efforts left him caked in mud from head to toe, with dairy farm sludge stuck in the braces on his teeth.
But he declared with a grin: 'If I run out of clothes, I'll just do it naked.'
His dives received roars of approval from hundreds of onlookers along with the group of friends he was camping with.
Best friend Callum Burgess, also 17, said: 'I'm supposed to share a tent with him but he can sleep outside. Look at the state of him.'
Clouds cleared over the Pilton hills last night, but the rain returned this morning and is due for a reprise later today - the best weather is not expected until Sunday.
Tent city: Aerial view of the Glastonbury Festival taken today. Over the course of a few days Glastonbury becomes the home to thousands of party goers creating a temporary town twice the size of the city of Bath
More than half the ticket-holders for the sold out event will have squelched their way to the site by tonight.
This year's event sees U2, Coldplay and Beyonce headline.
Treacherous conditions: Festival goers traipse through the mud around an ice cream van at the Glastonbury Festival
But early arrivals' efforts to secure prize camping spots were confounded by yesterday's monsoon-like conditions.
Hundreds of tents were flooded withing a few hours as torrential downpours began shortly after gates opened and fans began streaming in.
Campers hauling their bags and beers along the slippery thoroughfares were even told to pitch tents on hills to escape the worst of the wet conditions.
Marc Saunders, 31, from Bath, pitched his tent in driving rain with his five-year-old daughter Sam and wife Sarah.
He said: 'We say it's "go hard or go home". We're thrilled to be here, the place is magical - even in the mud.'
Go hard or go home: Muddy revellers chill out at the stone circle during the evening celebrations at Glastonbury last night
Another early arrival, 19-year-old James Street, from Belfast, was caked in mud from head to toe after slipping in a puddle.
He said: 'I'm drenched, obviously. But it's great just to be here with my pals. Legendary place, legendary line-up.
'We're not interested in the headliners - there's so much more to see.'
The first of the main acts take to the Pyramid Stage tomorrow, when the wet weather is expected to return.
Among a host of theatrical events at the site will be Glastonbury's own version of La Tomatina.
Other new elements for this year include The Spirit of 71 stage, with acts that played at the festival 40 years ago.
Beyonce, who fell in love with the Somerset festival after watching husband Jay-Z perform three years ago, is believed to have cleared her diary to party in Pilton over three days.
Rapper Jay-Z is even money with bookmakers Ladbrokes to join his wife on stage this Sunday.
NOW WATCH THE MET OFFICE'S GLASTONBURY WEATHER FORECAST

source : dailymail

VIA Glaston-buried: Fans drown in sea of mud and the music hasn't even started yet

Tent on a tree

VIA «Children's dream have realised»

Since 2006, the birthplace of Prime Minister Narendra Modi has seen vigorous archaeological digs in pursuit of the 10 Buddhist monasteries Tsang described during his visit to Vadnagar some 1,400 years ago, recorded in his journals Hsi-yu Chi (Record of Western Countries). The efforts multiplied following the discovery of a nearly 2,000-yearold Buddhist monastery by Y S Rawat, director of the Gujarat State Archaeology Department — an excavation that was given the push by the then state government. Modi's tweet about the Gujarat connect with Buddhism in September 2014, ahead of Chinese premier Xi Jinping's visit to India, only increased curiosity about Vadnagar. Perhaps this is why, in 2013, the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) took over from Rawat and started excavations this January. But, it isn't going to be an easy ride.

The Human Angle

Vadnagar has 45 villages, but it is the fortified area that forms Vadnagar town (in a 3.5-km perimeter area) that's the subject of curiosity.

The ASI is currently conducting trial excavations at three sites. One is near the Kirti Toranas — 40-feet high intricately carved towers representing victory over enemy built during the Kumarpal Solanki rule (11-12 century AD) — while the other two are in the Baba no Tekro Locality I and Locality II. These two sites are located on the banks of Sarmishtha lake, a landmark, and is part of the Vadnagar panchayat area. The land here is owned by both, government and as private owners. And, it's these two areas that the ASI believes, have the potential for significant archaeological finds.

Although a team of researchers have found remnants from the Solanki era dating back to 960 AD, they haven't yet discovered any Buddhist monasteries. Trial excavations, typically, entail finding out when the city originated and its expanse in ancient times viz a viz the present town.

In the last two-and-a-half months, says superintending archaeologist Dr Madhulika Samanta, the ASI has found about 150 coins from the 1-3rd century AD. The present fortification was built by Kumarapal Solanki (1143-1174 CE). "The main town of Vadnagar is situated on a high mound, created over a number of buildings that were built and destroyed during earlier periods, and the settlement has not outgrown the medieval fortification," says superintending archaeologist Dr Madhulika Samanta. This has led them to believe that much of Vadnagar's treasures could lie beneath the human habitation — as per the 2011 Census it had 27,700 residents.

This, locals believe, may pose challenges. A local, who is familiar with the excavations, said, "The land under which the Buddhist monastery was found was a vacant government plot surrounded by residential houses. We believe a lot of adjoining area needs to be dug up for further findings, but they are covered by homes. Vacating these houses can be a huge problem and cause unrest among people."

Expanding Horizons

Samanta says that a search for the remaining nine monasteries might have to extend beyond the current periphery of the historic town. "I believe Vadnagar was much bigger and more densely populated during the medieval period than it is now. The existence of 10 monasteries, within the fortified area is not possible as monasteries are mostly built on the periphery. We need to carry out excavations over large areas to be able to locate them."

But, she claims the district magistrate has failed to give permission for further excavations. "We have followed up with the collector since January. I met him on February 13 and have written to him four to five times but there is an inordinate delay. The ASI does not take land. We only excavate, document and return the land. If the land is owned by a private party, we compensate the owner. If it is government property, we do not need to."

Excavations may soon extend to adjoining villages. "We are setting up a tent at another village in a week. Excavation will be extended to the eastern and northern banks of the Sarmishtha lake," she adds.

While excavations are on, security for the discoveries is minimal. At the site where the Buddhist monastery was uncovered — along with a stupa, a courtyard, and several cells where the Buddhist monks are believed to have lived — there is no security, leaving the area vulnerable to vandalism.

For now, the ASI has hired family members of private land owners as labourers or security at the site of the trial excavations — mostly agricultural land. "We pay them for their services and use their land. The more the number of working family members, the more these families earn," she adds.

Sixty-two-year-old Mangaji Thakor, a farmer who has lent part of his land, sees profits in the deal. He said, "I earn about Rs 50,000 per year from agricultural produce. I am being paid Rs 222 per day for guarding excavated land in my field."

While the Thakors are counting the cash, not all Vadnagar residents share the joy. Kamlesh Patel, 37, says he used to run his scrap-dealing business on part of the land where the Buddhist monastery was discovered. Patel, who has now filed a case in the court, says, "I used to earn Rs 2.5 lakh each year from the business and have lost that much money each year since the land was taken. The state's possession of my land has ruined my 20-year-old business."

The Many Names of Vadnagar

The original town was a settlement of Nagars, a well-known Brahmin community of Banias. In the 7th century, Hueng Tsang visited Vadnagar, then known as Anandapura, and described it as a rich and densely populated city, affluent enough to support culture, arts, literature and religious centres of learning for Buddhist monks and Hindu priests. The town is also believed to have once been called Chamatkarpura, after its king was cured of leprosy after bathing in lake Shakti Tirth. Later, it came to be known as Anartapur and its warriors found mention in the Mahabharata. Vadnagar also has a Greek connect, as it is believed that the Nagars are descendants of Alexander's army who stayed back. In 1152 AD, the Solankis thwarted the Malvas attack and Kumarpal Solanki built the fort where the present population lives. After the Solanki period, the town faced attacks from the Delhi Sultanate, Marathas and Gaekwads.

Archaeological Intrigue

The ASI team that is conducting trial excavations at Baba no Tekro Locality I and Locality II in Vadnagar has found coins made of the alloy potin, lead and copper belonging to the Solanki period. They have also found seals that were used on coins of other kingdoms like the Deccan, which the Solankis had annexed. However, what intrigues them is an ash layer under the solid ground in the agricultural fields. "The ashy deposits are a metre deep. A huge area has been discovered entirely covered with ashy deposits one and a half meter below a mud floor and it is obviously built by humans. As lot of antiquities, bones of different animals and iron objects and leads have been discovered from this layer, but none of them are burnt or charred. It is an enigma," Dr Samanta says.

Author: Ojas Mehta | Source: Pune Mirror [May 01, 2015]

VIA Sabine Lisicki taken off on stretcher, After blowing 5-2 lead in final set.

Alice In Wonderland: Johnny Depp

Weirdo. Loner. Outsider. These are some of the terms director Tim Burton uses to describe himself. You will notice `creative genius’ isn’t one of them, however, the term is being thrust upon on the quirky filmmaker thanks to Tim Burton: The Exhibition which opened at the Australian Centre for the Moving Image (ACMI) in Melbourne on Thursday. The show is an extension of an exhibition curated by the Performance Center Alexanderhoehe, Iserlohn (Germany), which attracted more than 850, 000 visitors and made it the third largest exhibit at MoMA ever, behind Picasso and Matisse.

It is a remarkable feat for someone who is firstly, not a mainstream artist, and secondly, alive.

“Most of this stuff was never meant to really be seen,” says Burton, sitting cross-legged in an ACMI room in his signature uniform of black jeans, a black shirt and black oversized cardigan. His famous curly hair frizzes out at all ends and his hands, fluid and always moving, add to its state by running through it as he describes the `freedoms’ of being labelled a weirdo.
“As soon as society says you’re a weirdo, then you’re a weirdo, whether you like it or not,” says the 51-year-old.
“After a certain time you just accept it and it gives you a sense of freedom because if you want to wear a bag over your head society will just accept it because they thought you were weird anyway.
“Like when I was at Disney they thought I was weird, so I would work under my desk for half the day.
“Sometimes if they couldn’t find me I’d just be in a dark cupboard working, like my private confessional.
“So there’s an amount of freedom when you’re categorised a certain way. “
Growing up in Burbank, California, Tim Burton was fascinated by the visual image and spent his formative years sketching, painting, animating and filming what he saw around him.
“When you circle outside of society, when you’re kind of, you’re not in there, you’re looking at things,” he says.
“A lot of it has to do with feeling out of society so you have a lot more observation.”
These observations make up the first part of the exhibit, Surviving Burbank, and include, among dozens of sketches and early short films, a handmade book he submitted to Disney in the 1970s and the accompanying rejection letter. Several years later Burton achieved his goal and began working at Disney’s Burbank studios as an animator. Some of his early work for the company was as on family hits The Black Cauldron and The Fox and the Hound, which Burton physically shudders remembering.
“I was never good at drawing foxes, especially the cute ones,” he says.
“That’s why I can’t look at the exhibit because it freaks me out too much.
“I know they’ve done a good job, but it’s like seeing your dirty laundry hanging up. “`Oh there’s my underwear from 1973 and there’s some dirty socks.’

Personal embarrassment aside, the exhibition is an in-depth look at the creative processes and twisted imagination of Burton, featuring more than 700 works including drawings, early films, sculptures, concept art, installations, puppets, costumes and cinematic ephemera. The second part of the exhibition, Beautifying Burbank, follows Burton’s step away from the Disney studio and his first early film and animation works, including his rarely seen Japanese kung-fu version of Hansel and Gretel and better known works Frankenweenie and Vincent, the latter based around one of Burton’s great inspirations — horror movie icon Vincent Price.

The final section, Beyond Burbank, looks at his feature film career, which has spanned over two decades. From his early works, such as Beetlejuice and Edward Scissorhands, to more recent films like Charlie and The Chocolate Factory and Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber Of Fleet Street, Burton has made the leap from cult to commercially successful filmmaker. His latest film, Alice In Wonderland, has grossed more than $1 billion at the international box office and gone on to become the fifth highest grossing film of all time. But Burton is quick to write-off his recent success and says if spending half his lifetime in the movie-making business has taught him anything, it is that filmmaking is a `humbling process’.

“I remember after making Batman I thought `oh, that was a success, I can go and do anything now’,” he says.
“And so I went and pitched them Edward Scissorhands and they gave me a completely blank look.
“Nobody wanted to do that and nobody wanted to do Ed Wood, so I had to go about it in other ways.
“Then I remember pitching a musical version of The House Of Wax with Michael Jackson that he was into but they, the studio, were definitely not into.
“It’s always a struggle to make a film.”

Despite the many `challenges’ faced when trying to get a project off the ground, Burton says he has faith that everything works out for a reason. He cites the studio not letting him have Sammy Davis Jr play Beetlejuice as an example, because `it opened the door for Michael Keaton’ who also went on to play Batman in Burton’s two adaptations of the comic book superhero. Another near-miss occurred when, after three hours of auditioning, Burton talked a young Tom Cruise out of wanting the role of Edward Scissorhands, which was later filled by Johnny Depp, who has become a frequent collaborator and one of Burton’s closest friends. Failed projects and major successes go hand in hand for Burton, who says he has learned `not to regret anything’.

“I don’t really regret, it’s always important not to,” he says.
“Every movie I’ve done, whether it’s turned out or not, I’ve still enjoyed aspects of it, you know?
“I mean I think the one I got the most slack with is Planet Of The Apes because that was messing with a classic.
“But I still enjoyed seeing talking apes."

One of the highlights of the exhibition is the 2.7kg costume Depp wore in Edward Scissorhands (above), which is stationed at the entrance to the exhibit along with one of the scissor hands on display in a glass cabinet. Other featured works which will have the legions of Burtonites, the name given to passionate Tim Burton fans, gushing is the famous outfit Michelle Phfieffer wore as Catwoman in Batman Returns, original puppets from Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas borrowed from the Disney archives, costumes and sketches from Alice In Wonderland and the Burtonarium, a carnival tent buried deep within the exhibit which houses a light emitting sculptural work by Burton called Carousel (pictured at the very bottom).

ACMI Head of Exhibitions Conrad Bodman says the `diversity’ of the exhibits represents Burton as a filmmaker and goes a long way to explaining his loyal fan base.

“One of the things that Tim has always done is work across a range of film genres - action films, animated films, family films, horror films - and I think all of those types of films have different audiences and when you pull all those inspirations together in the one place, people want to come,” he says.
“What we’re showing in the exhibition is a lot of original concept artwork for his major feature films and we’re kind of looking at the process of his feature filmmaking over the years.
“People can see that often the hand drawn is the starting point for some ideas and then that turns into a visual reality for a whole process of development.
“Tim still does a lot of that kind of drawing, painting and making puppets for himself and people will be fascinated to see that process in action.”

Unlike many other filmmakers, Burton says he has been able to maintain his artistic integrity and stay connected to his creative roots by separating himself from the industry.

“I don’t live in Hollywood,” he says.
“I moved away many years ago and once you start doing things they try to treat you as a commodity, a thing.
“You know, you spend your whole life to be recognised as a human being and then they try to tag you as a thing.
“Like `oh, you’ve done this and that’s what we expect’ so I don’t go back and look at my films too much because I try not to become a `thing’.
“I try to keep human... no person or people should be described as one thing.
“I think everybody has lots of different aspects to their personality.
“Some are dark, funny, sad, there are so many words for each person.”

Considering Melbourne was originally to be called Batmania, after one of it’s founders John Batman, it seems appropriate that it is to be the home of Tim Burton: The Exhibition, which runs until October 11. Already ACMI has experienced a fevour amongst Burton’s Australian fans, with all of his public appearances selling out within 24 hours of going on sale and hundreds of fans queuing through Federation Square to be the first to enter the exhibit when it opened on Thursday and have copies of the exhibition guide signed by Burton himself. It is ironic that his work and films are so accepted by the society he once considered himself `outside’ of. It is a phenomenon best summed up by Burton’s partner and regular collaborator Helena Bonham Carter, with whom he has two children. In a book on the art of Tim Burton she says: “When I see him surrounded by flushed and hyperventilating young fans I feel it’s a triumph of the lonely misunderstood outsider child he once felt he was. Now he’s the most understood misunderstood person I’ve come across in the world.”

In the meantime Burton says he is enjoying a lull between live action projects, while busying himself with a feature-length adaptation of Frankenweenie (concept art), due for release next year. He emphasises the stop-motion animated film is the only project he is working on and committed to, despite online reports which have linked him to adaptations of The Addams Family and super-natural TV series Dark Shadows, both which he blatantly denies were ever `considered’.

“That’s why I never go on the internet because it always seems like I have some sort of evil clone out there that is doing all these projects,” he says.
“I’m still recovering from the last one.
“Whenever I read this stuff I get tired, I think `God, I must be busy’.
“The studios often have a release date before they have a script, which is such a mistake.
“I’m trying to get out of that and, you know, into this strange concept of having a script before you announce a release date.”

P.S. I did the good Samaritan thing on Sunday and took some boys I babysit to see The Karate Kid. Considering what I endured sitting through that movie, karma better have a pet unicorn heading my way! And while you're in the laughing mood, you must must must watch the video clip for The Karate Kid theme song: Never Say Never by Justin Bieber, featuring rapping from Jaden Smith. Hopefully this is not an indication that Smith will make a rap song to accompany every movie he makes, just like his dad. But seriously, when you look young standing next to Justin Bieber then it's time to stop rapping and get back in the womb.

VIA Picasso, Matisse and... Tim Burton!..