Another Farewell...

David Halberstam

1934 - 2007

A writer/historian/journalist with integrity.

You, my friend, will be sorely missed.

Thank you for sticking to the facts,

and keeping the news 'news',

rather than turning it into

the three-ring-circus

it has become

today.

In 1993, my Aunt Anne gave me a first edition copy of David Halberstam's book The Fifties. I read it front to back and have literally turned to it for reference at least a hundred times since then. Just last month, while researching information about Edward R. Murrow and Senator Joseph McCarthy, I flipped through its pages knowing I would get an indepth, and an unbiased-as-possible journalistic view of the so-called 'McCarthy Era' or 'McCarthyism'. My mom saw me reading the book and said--"What's that big book you're reading?" I quiped, "This is the best book ever written about 1950's history. It's one of my favorite books--I'm reading a bit about J. Edgar Hoover and the FBI. I've always been interested in the FBI."

"I know. And Watergate and Nixon. Was that the book you were reading when you were into Edward R. Murrow last month?" asked my mom.

"Yes. This is the book," I replied.

"Wow. You've had that book a LONG time. I think I'd like to look at it sometime. It sounds interesting!"

This was the first time my mother had heard about David Halberstam. I told her a little bit about him. She was hooked and said she couldn't wait to finish reading her current novel so she could sink her teeth into The Fifties--that was, after all, the decade she spent as a teenager. I've always envied her for that: rock-n-roll was invented; James Dean was gracing the silver screen with teen angst and an unparalleled display of on-screen emotion; politics were heated; the Beat Poets were assembling and being heard all the way from New York to San Francisco; drive-ins were all the rage; McDonalds was born. (Okay--perhaps that wasn't such a great thing after all--but back then it sure was 'swell'.)

Halberstam's book, The Fifties, truly makes me feel as though I'm somehow back in the Fifties. It's as if I'm taking a literal tour of the Fifties and Halberstam is my tour guide. His writing elicits great visuals. His writing is so fluid that he can take a string of facts and glue them together so poetically you feel as though you're reading a fictional Book of the Month selection, rather than a history book filled with thousands of facts, names, and dates.

As I stated above, I was reading The Fifties just last week, on Sunday, April 22. I am saddened to report that David Halberstam passed away on Monday, April 23, in a car crash.

This news struck me as unbelievable considering he died just a day after I was reading one of his books. Similarly, Kurt Vonnegut died just a day after I finished reading A Man With No Country. Go figure. Two of my favorite authors dying within weeks of each other--both dying a day after I finished reading a selection of their work, respectively.

I know one thing's for sure: I'm not reading any Paul Auster books for a VERY LONG TIME!

May my beloved Kurt Vonnegut and David Halberstam rest in peace.

Love,

Bhakti

tags:Jaibhakti, Bhakti Brophy, David Halberstam, The Fifties, James Dean, Paul Auster, authors, journalism,

Currently Reading: Currently Watching

I am currently reading Roger Ebert's great book of cinema aptly titled GREAT MOVIES. I've always been a cinefile, yet I haven't seen most of the films in this catalog of 'must see movies'. Ebert has done the film viewing community an incredible service by writing essays on films he views as classics, yet films that may be falling by the wayside, considering today's film students are (according to the introduction) no longer very interested in black and white film (not that all of the films written about in this book are black and white). I happen to think that most color films do not hold a candle to black and white when it comes to power and impact: think THE THIRD MAN or TOUCH OF EVIL. I'd be hard pressed for anyone to find a film more suspenseful than Harold Lloyd's SAFETY LAST--that's black and white and silent, to boot (see image above. NOTE: Despite losing half of his left hand in a fireworks accident, Harold Lloyd still did all of his own stunts.). Was there ever a more charming love story than Chaplin's CITY LIGHTS? I think not. Just because a movie was made over 50 years ago doesn't mean that it's a bad film: quite the contrary. Many people make the mistake of thinking black and white films are somehow boring. I think not, once again. I bet the only black and white films most people have seen is CITIZEN KANE. I thought that film was so boring; I was calling my friends and begging them to tell me who/what Rosebud was. I'm not joking. I'm not ashamed to admit that I didn't enjoy the CITIZEN KANE storyline; however, I did love the filming. I believe this was the first film where everything in the view of the camera was in focus (in other words, the backgrounds were not out of focus, as they normally would be to draw your eye to the subject in the foreground).

There are so many great films that have been forgotten about because, well, there aren't many places left in the world that show old films--unless, of course, you live in New York City or San Francisco (United States). Now, with Netflix, for example, most of the classic movies that Ebert writes about are available for your viewing.

I am going to be watching many of these old classics--some for the first time, and others for the second, third, or even fourth time--and then I am going to write my own review/essay regarding the film. I will also place a link to Roger Ebert's online review (when available). I am hoping to keep some of the films that inspired me to be a photographer alive for a very long time. (Yes, I used to watch old films to get ideas for modern day photo shoots when I photographed rock-n-roll bands, famous artists, and even lawyers, etc.)

I would like to invite anyone who has a NETFLIX account to become a 'Netflix Friend'--whereby we can view each other's queue and trade thoughts on movies we've rented and watched. Cousin Chrissy and Cousin G are already Netflix friends--it's pretty cool to see who likes what movies and why.

To sign up to be a Netflix Friend of Jai Bhakti, simply go to your Netflix account, click on the 'FRIENDS' tab at the top of the page, and send me an email invite. Here's my email address: jaibhakti@aol.com

Movies are a great pastime because they take us out of our own worlds and let us see the world through someone else's eyes and imagination. Don't be afraid of 'black and white': I can guarantee you that many of the classic black and white films are far superior to some of the crap that Hollywood puts out these days.

Happy Viewing!
Bhakti


tags: Jaibhakti, Bhakti Brophy, humor,movies, Roger Ebert, Harold Lloyd, Safety Last, Citizen Kane, movie reviews, Charlie Chaplin, City Lights, Touch of Evil, Third Man, black and white films,

Mr. Vonnegut: thank you for sharing your humor and intelligence in the form of letters. I honor you. You will be missed.

No matter how corrupt, greedy, and heartless our government, our corporations, media, and our religious and charitable institutions may become, the music will still be wonderful....

If I should ever die, God forbid, let this be my epitaph:

'The Only Proof He Needed For The Existence Of GodWas Music'

Kurt Vonnegut

1922-2007

Bibliography:

Player Piano

The Sirens of Titan

Mother Night

Cat's Cradle

God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater

Slaughterhouse Five

Breakfast of Champions

Welcome to the Monkey House

Slapstick

Jailbird

Deadeye Dick

Galapagos

Bluebeard

Hocus Pocus

Three Complete Novels

A Man Without A Country

(bold titles are highly recommended!)

tags: Jaibhakti,Bhakti Brophy, Kurt Vonnegut, Breakfast of Champions,

I'M IN THE ENCYCLOPEDIA!

Yeah! or should I say "JAYA!"--

JAIBHAKTI has been listed as the #5 most important 'Bhakti' website on the entire Internet! Click HERE to go to Sirchin: Free Online Encyclopedia and scroll down a tiny bit: the info is on the main post part of the blog.

BHAKTI LOVE POEMS also got a big shout out as an important blog (see sidebar for kudos to Bhakti Love Poems blog).

Om Namah Shivaya...

Sadgurunath Maharaj ki Jay!

tags: Jaibhakti, Bhakti Brophy, Bhakti Love Poems, Donna Lynn Brophy, bhakti, spirituality,

Rosie O'Donnell and 911 Attacks

I don't usually get heated over television debates, but I have to go on the record and say that Rosie O'Donnell has no idea what she is talking about with regard to how World Trade Center Building 7 fell. I lived in New York City from 1987-2001 (with a 1 year hiatus in NJ in 1992). I was in New York City on September 11--it was my first day of teaching elementary school in Harlem, up on 109 Street.

After the towers were attacked, I had to walk from 109 Street to my apartment on 10 Street--in the East Village. I grabbed my camera an ran downtown. Yes, it was a harrowing thing to do--but seeing as the subways and trains had all stopped by that time, I was stuck in the city, I was in shock, and I needed to do something to keep my brain from thinking about what was actually going on. I never went anywhere without my camera; my camera thus being like a security blanket.

I ran downtown and made it all of the way to Houston Street around Lafayette Avenue. I bought myself a Coffee gelato from the Italian bakery on that block--yes, I really did think that I was going to die that day and I wanted to die while enjoying my favorite Italian treat. I was standing on Houston Street, eating my gelato, when the man in front of me screamed. EVERYONE DUCKED! We thought another plane was coming towards the city. However, what was happening was that Building 7 was falling. I dropped the gelato, put my camera to my eye and started shooting away. I have a ton of pictures of the dust and smoke rising as the building fell; people running up the street; and then, out of nowhere, a caravan of black dumptrucks with Army men and women aboard drove from East Houston Street to West Houston. It was the strangest thing in the world--this caravan of dumptrucks simply appeared out of nowhere.

I spent the entire night holed up in my tiny East Village apartment with my cat. My cousin Chrissy (yes--THAT Cousin Chrissy) talked to me on the phone all night: I was literally scared to death as all I could hear were fighter planes overhead and ambulance sirens soaring down 1st Avenue, right within earshot of my bedroom windows.

I went home to N.J. for a couple of days, and then went back into the city and volunteered at ground zero. I also figured out how to take a subway to City Hall (it was the only subway running down there). One time, an Arab looking man and myself were the only two people on the train. I was scared: yes, it was racial profiling, but give me a break. He was as scared of me as I was of him. It was actually quite tragic to realize that it had come to this kind of unease amongst the innocent. I would take the subway to the City Hall stop with my huge camera bags. None of the Army/Reserve soldiers ever stopped me or asked me what I was doing down there. Many of them were kind enough to pose for photographs.

I became friendly with one Army Reservist in particular. I was taking pictures of Ground Zero and realized that I was having an asthma attack. The reservist I am speaking of gave me an inhaler (most of the Army men and women were using inhalers as the air was still thick and black in most places. One of the reasons I moved out of NYC was because even a month after the towers fell, black smoke that smelled like burnt plastic--from the computers burning--was still wallowing into my bedroom windows causing me to have major breathing issues.)

I would stand next to this kind Army Reservist and he would show me all of the buildings that were being re-aligned (I can't remember the technical term) so that they wouldn't fall. Holy Christ; you can't even begin to imagine the damage that some of these buildings withstood.


The photo studio where I shot most of my commercial magazine work was four blocks north of the North Tower. The fence around the perimeter of Ground Zero was right in front of the doorway to the studio--that's how close it was. I took pictures of the buildings that had all caved in. My friend who owns the loft that I used as a photo studio said that when the airplanes hit the towers her building shook so hard that-- after the second plane hit --she was ordered to evacuate the building because it was slated to fall. It was shaking that much.

When I hook up my printer/photo scanner, I will post the pictures I took of Ground Zero. ALL of the buildings surrounding the Twin Towers were a wreck; a lot of them caved in on themselves. I know for sure that the Unemployment Building lost most of its windows and the north side of it was shredded to pieces. That was a shame because an new acquintance of mine worked in there (I never found out if he survived or not).

Hey Rosie: I was there when Building 7 fell. I listened to it fall. I tasted the air/smoke/dust as it fell. I saw the buildings around it shredded and fallen in on themselves. I took pictures. I was there. I'm not a rocket scientist, but I don't think it actually takes a rocket scientist to understand that when two fully fueled airplanes crash into the tallest buildings in New York City and cause them to fall, that the surrounding buildings just might not be able to withstand the jolting, pounding, shaking, and thundering fall of the steel buildings as they hit the ground.

I used to be benevolent to your rants and raves. I could care less; but now you've struck a nerve. You are ignorant. You owe everyone who died in the Twin Towers an apology. I was there when the buildings fell. I photographed the surrounding buildings for three days in a row: They were ALL a mess. Bits and pieces of all of the buildings were scattered all around the street. Yes, it looked like a bomb had hit, and, to be sure, two bombs did hit--in the form of two airplanes. But the Earth was also shaken like an earthquake when the Twin Towers fell. You can't even begin to believe the way the earth shook beneath me when Building 7 fell; I can only imagine how much more it shook when the towers fell.

I do think you have the right to voice your opinion--freedom of speech; but I also think that it would be wise of you to lose the air of being the authority on every subject: your ego will be your downfall. You might want to think about the power that you hold as TV personality and then ask yourself if you are really the person who should be making the aligations that 911 was a conspiracy. Are you truly the person for this job? Did you think your opinion and thoughts through before you opened your mouth and spoke? Words are sometimes the most powerful weapons we, as humans, can ever use. Choose them wisely; once you give life to them you can never take them back. Thoughts come and go: words live forever.

Bhakti Brophy

UPDATE: Zombieslayer has found proof that Building 7 fell in on itself due to the amount of debris that fell on it when Building 1 collapsed. Click here to read an article by Popular Mechanics that recounts Rosie O'Donnell's ignoramous remarks, as well as illustrates how Building 7 fell.


tags: Jaibhakti, Bhakti Brophy, Rosie O'Donnell, The View, 911,
September 11, 911 Conspiracy, World Trade Center Building 7,

Hi There...

Hey kids, just a heads up to let you know that I am in the middle of writing an essay on our country's current dictators administration. In the mean time, why not Google the name Tom Scully (click on his name to read about what a wonderful man and rolemodel he is for the citizens of America) and read all about how he manipulated Congress into passing the Medicare Prescription Drug Plan--and then left Congress to become a lobbyist for some of the biggest drug companies. (We, the American people, MUST honor the men and women in uniform and make sure that they are risking their lives for the sake of the safety and preservation of our country. More on that subject later.)

After reading about that arm twisting fiasco--take a deep breath and read my latest poem on Bhakti Love Poems (Yes, thank God there are some of us out here who do believe in the innate goodness of the human heart; and we're bold enough to share our love with others.)

Speaking of other people who choose to live enlightening, rather than cheating and lying lives, click on the links below and acquint yourself with some of my favorite teachers, friends, and other spiritual warriors.

Have fun--and, as always, take a deep breath and know that goodness will win in the end. Lightness always dispels the darkness. Always. It can be no other way.

Sally Kempton (my great friend on this spiritual journey called life)

Ken Yuen (I will be using Master Yuen as a spiritual healer in the next few months; I have heard great things about him. I know, working together, we will heal my spine and rid me of the karmic risidual pain forever. Amen.)

Harold Lloyd (One of my favorite film makers of all time. The greatest comic actor that ever lived. His movies are available on Netflix.com. Check out "Safety Last". A classic.)

Joseph Campbell (Mr. Campbell is brilliant. Watch his 'Power of Myth' interviews with Bill Moyers; he outlines the mythical pattern within all cultures and organized religions, thus proving that all paths do lead to the same doorl= your own heart!)

Gyrobocop (This robot always brings a smile to my face! A great blog, to boot!)

Pema Chodron (This monk's generosity is boundless; her heart is wide open, ready to show you how to find the strength within through simple breathing and awareness techniques.)

Byron Katie (Byron Katie's 'Work' is phenomenal. Is the story going through your head right now--the thoughts that are playing over and over like a cassette tape that's been looped to repeat the same words over and over--really true? All good energy. I love "The Work".)

tags:Jaibhakti, Bhakti Brophy,
Tom Scully, Joseph Campbell, Sally Kempton, Gyrobo, Ken Yuen, Bhakti Love Poems, Harold Lloyd, good kind people,

All Great Blessings to you all.

Love,

Bhakti