Gotham City Soul

Today is the Feast of the Epiphany in the Roman Catholic Church (and other religions and cultures), the commemoration of the Christ revealing himself as man as well as the visit of the Magi (Wise Men) or more familiarly, the Three Kings (they weren't kings but astrologers, seers, holy men). There is much written about the Magi, better and more intelligently than I could without extensive research. What I did want to talk about is one of t he wise men who is described and represented in literature and art as an African. Although there is no evidence that one of the magi was African (often considered either Abyssinian, Ethiopian), black Baltasar , bearing either frankincense or myrrh (both of which are found on that continent) has made an appearance at Jesus's crib from around the 12 th century A.D. . Since the Magi themselves were said to have been Persian, it's a bit of mystery as to how Baltasar (whose name has roots in ancient Phoenecia and means "save the life o...

Last year’s Santa-Dote entry was so popular I thought I’d do another one to give people refuge from the stress that sometimes comes with the holidays. I’m a Christmas fool, being part German I am prone to what I call Weihnachtsdelerium, so I am not here to diss it but to add to your cheer by making you laugh. A couple of these things have nothing to do with Christmas such as the following throwbacks to my childhood (and some of yours too if you were born in the 1960s) I came across a Dragnet Christmas episode that was sweet and funny at the same time. Joe Friday and the gang have hearts just like the rest of us . The incongruity between their deadpan delivery and the holiday theme makes the show. For those last minute gifts and cards that look like they come from the Island of Lost Good Taste Regretsy Awesomely Bad Christmas Cards Awesomely Bad Christmas Gifts And for something different to ring in the new year, watch this performance by Babatunde Olatunji, the Nigerian drummer who ...

The truly perfect film Black Orpehus is 50 years old this year and it is still fascinating me. I've been to Brazil since the first time I saw the movie at least 20 years ago, and darned if the energy and music and beauty in Salvador da Bahia in 2005 wasn't like that in Rio in 1959. A synopsis from Gene Seymour in an article for the Fall 2005 issue of American Legacy "The ill-starred ancient Greek romance of Eurydice (played by the luminous Marpessa Dawn) and Orpheus (Breno Mello) takes place in Rio de Janeiro during Carnaval, with an all-black, mostly Brazilian cast, and evocative samba soundtrack by Luiz Bonfá and Antônio Carlos Jobim. With the success of this film, its director Marcel Camus and screenwriter Vinicius de Moraes broadened the global perspective on black cultures and helped ignite the bossa nova movement that would seduce music lovers in both hemi spheres" The film won the Palm D'or at Cannes in 1959, and the Oscar and Golden Globe for best foreign ...

So the other day someone engaged me in a conversation full of information I’d rather not have had. It was not useful, positive, enlightening, or nurturing in any way. What the individual had to say was born of an ignorance of the big picture—this person had no idea what they were talking about (I incorrectly use the plural rather than singular here to mask gender) when it came to the subject at hand, which included me and someone close to me. It might not have been so unpleasant had it not been practically the first words out of the person’s mouth. This took place in a setting where I had expected to relax and enjoy a peaceful afternoon, not get blindsided by spiritually draining gossip. The way the individual began speaking before they even said hello, it was almost as if they couldn't wait to tell me this bit of upsetting news. I choose to believe that it was thoughtless, not deliberate. It happens to us all. I had a conversation with one of the subjects of the gossip, who told m...

Okay everybody, Halloween is upon us and I thought I'd do a sampling of favorite scary movies. For those who are easily frightened, this post might be enough for you. For the rest—enjoy! Numero Uno The Host (2006) I can't say enough about this film, which I made a point of seeing in the theater. Watch it on a big TV screen if you can. I've never laughed so hard and been on the edge of my seat with fright at the same time. This movie is way beyond your average monster movie. There were points where I actually cried, too. Basically it's about the love of family, specifically a parent for his child. Somewhat of a fairytale, only instead of a dragon, the hero—according to Manohla Dargis of The New York Times "(the wonderful Song Kang-ho), an overgrown baby with a shock of badly bleached blond hair and a moon face that waxes and wanes depending on his proximity to his beloved daughter, Hyun-seo"— has to slay a giant mutant fish monster spawned by an im...

With a few scraps that he scrounged from junk piles, a Malawian teen named William Kamkwamba built a windmill (one of the things he used was a pair of flip flops!) brought electricity and water to his village. This kid had to drop out of school because his family could not afford the $80-a-year tuition. He learned how to make the windmill from books in the local library (the books were in English and his English was not even very good at the time!) The people in his village called him "misala" crazy, but when he attached a bulb and it lit up, his fellow villagers cheered. He has certainly lit up my world and I hope he does yours too. BBC News tells the story better than I can here . I first saw this remarkable person on Good Morning America, an interview with Diane Sawyer. Kamkwamba cowrote a book with journalist and African correspondent Brian Mealer called The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind . It just came out the end of September. It's for sale of course, but try your loca...

I was listening to some short stories on my Ipod yesterday evening, a collection of horror stories, supposedly although they weren't very horrific or frightening to me, and one by Peter Straub has struck me. It's called "Little Red's Tango". I'm not finished with it but one chapter was called THE BEATITUDES OF LITTLE RED and it moved me. So here they are: Whatsoever can be repaid, should be repaid with kindness. Whatsoever can be borrowed, should be borrowed modestly. Tip extravagantly, for they need the money more than you do. You can never go wrong by thinking of God as Louis Armstrong. Those who swing, should swing some more. Something always comes along. It really does. Cleanliness is fine, as far as it goes. Remember--even when you are alone, you're in the middle of a party. The blues ain't nothin' but a feeling, but what a feeling. What goes up sometimes just keeps right on going. Try to eat solid food at least once a day. There is absolut...