Cleopatra’s Nose, Sri Chinmoy’s “Cult”, State of Play, Where God and Science Meet, Sin City Comedy, and more… 

Cleopatra’s Nose.

Blaise Pascal once observed, ''Had Cleopatra's nose been shorter, the face of the world would have changed.''

What Pascal meant was that, had Cleopatra’s nose been smaller, she would have lacked the dominance and strength of character which, in past centuries, a large nose symbolized. It is a reminder that the aesthetics of beauty change over time and place. 

Cleopatra and Mark Antony were immortalized as two of history’s greatest lovers, but their final resting place has always been a mystery. Now archaeologists in Egypt are about to start excavating a site that they believe could conceal their tombs.

Zahi Hawass, director of Egypt’s Superior Council for Antiquities, said that there was evidence to suggest that Cleopatra and Mark Antony were buried together in the complex tunnel system underlying the Tabusiris Magna temple, 17 miles from the city of Alexandria.

Teams from Egypt and the Dominican Republic will begin excavating three sites along the tunnels in the hope that one of the deep shafts will lead to a burial chamber. The sites were identified by a radar scan.

Kathleen Martínez, an Egyptologist from the Dominican Republic who is working on the dig, said that the writing of Roman chroniclers indicated that the two were buried together. The discovery that ten mummies of nobles were buried at the site had strengthened evidence that Antony and Cleopatra could be close, she said.

Dr Hawass, who first suggested the temple as the possible burial site of the couple nearly three years ago, has called the possible discovery of Antony and Cleopatra’s tomb “bigger than that of King Tutankhamun’s tomb”, which was discovered in 1922.

Sri Chinmoy’s “Cult”.

The New York Post’s Page Six ran this headline and story on April 12, 2009: CHINMOY CULT WAS A REAL ZOO. “SRI Chinmoy -- the Queens guru who declared himself a living god, had thousands of followers and hobnobbed with countless celebrities -- was really a Svengali-like control freak who told his disciples sex was bad, forbade them to have friendships, and kept a zoo of exotic animals in his filthy basement.

In her new book, "Cartwheels in a Sari," out from Harmony, former follower Jayanti Tamm calls his following a "cult." She writes that after she experienced her first kiss as a teenager, Chinmoy, who lived with his disciples in an ashram in Jamaica, fumed to her, "Such disappointment. Such news …Boys are poison, poison to your inner life, your spiritual life… This behavior will not be allowed. The Supreme is your eternity's boyfriend."

He later lectured a group of young people, "Mixing together is dangerous, dangerous, dangerous… You must always be on your guard." He also refused to let followers wear jewelry and makeup.

Chinmoy also bizarrely "banned any friendships with people outside the center... [and] enforced a no-pet rule for his disciples," Tamm writes. This even though he'd created his own private zoo in the basement that was stocked with wild cats, monkeys and exotic birds illegally smuggled into the country -- along with mice and roaches.

But the Herculean guru loved celebrities, and one of his favorite stunts was lifting over his head such notables as Richard Gere, Sting, Eddie Murphy, Susan Sarandon, Roberta Flack, Yoko Ono, Nelson Mandela, Desmond Tutu, Muhammad Ali and Jesse Jackson. Chinmoy, who died in 2007 at age 76, was accused by a number of former followers of sexual misconduct, although he denied the charges.” (Photo of Sri Chinmoy at his 75^th birthday) 

I was a casual follower of Sri Chinmoy, often going to his meditations New York City. I also visited his house in Jamaica on several occasions. However, I never joined since his headquarters were in Queens! I did cause a fury when I approached Sri Chinmoy and was granted a private audience. Apparently, this was strictly forbidden and his “gatekeepers” were furious with me. I really liked Sri Chinmoy and was never pressured to join his group. (Photo given to me at Sri Chinmoy’s ashram.) 

What I’m Reading.

Where God and Science Meet [Three Volumes]: How Brain and Evolutionary Studies Alter Our Understanding of Religion” by Patrick McNamara (Editor). With the very serious list price of $275.00, thank goodness for interlibrary loans! 

VOLUME I: Evolution, Genes, and the Religious Brain; VOLUME 2: The Neurology of Religious Experience; and VOLUME 3: The Psychology of Religious Experience with articles on The Neuropharmacology of Religious Experience: Hallucinogens and the Experience of the Divine by David E. Nichols and Benjamin R. Chemel; Schizophrenia, Neurology, and Religion: What can Psychosis Teach Us about the Evolutionary Role of Religion? by Steven A. Rogers and Raymond F. Paloutzian; and Chemical Input, Religious Output--Entheogens: A Pharmatheology Sampler by Thomas B. Roberts. http://www.amazon.com/Where-Science-Meet-Three-Volumes/dp/0275987884  

Volume 3 has much to say about entheogens. I’d like to quote only two interesting items:  

“According to science journalist Alan Rees (2004), Francis Crick was on LSD when he thought of the double helix model for DNA. Crick did not deny Ree’s suggestion but threatened to sue Rees if he published it, so Rees came public only after Crick’s death.” (Pgs. 244-5) 

“Bennett (2003) and (Ruck, 2005) contend that the oils used in the ancient Near East anointment ceremonies, including Judaism and early Christianity, contained psychoactive ingredients, particularly cannabis: 

“So, did Jesus use cannabis? I think so. The world Christ does mean “the anointed one” and Bennett contends that Christ was anointed with chrism, a cannabis-based oil, that caused his spiritual visions. The ancient recipe for this oil, recorded in Exodus, included over 9lb of flowering cannabis tops (known as kaneh-bosem in Hebrew), extracted into a hin (about 11 pints) of olive oil, with a variety of other herbs and spices. The mixture was used in anointing and fumigrations that, significantly, allowed the priests and prophets to see and speak with Yahweh. (Ruck, 2005)” (Pg. 259)

I don’t buy this theory or the other prevailing theories by religious scholars about Jesus that: (a) he never existed, or (b) St. Paul made the whole thing up.  

The Prophet Mohammed (may peace be upon him) was illiterate and the verses of the Koran were memorized by his followers. The revelation occurred piecemeal, over a period of twenty-three years, sometimes in brief verses and sometimes in longer chapters. Upon receiving revelation, the Prophet conveyed the message to his Companions through reciting the exact words he heard in their exact order. In ancient times, when writing was scarcely used, memory and oral transmission was exercised and strengthened to a degree now almost unknown.  

While the Prophet’s followers were good at remembering the words of their teacher, Jesus’s followers heard and promptly forgot everything he said. 

Movie This Week.

State of Play. Standard political thriller with tense direction. Long weave-haired Charles Laughton does a serviceable job.  

I thought a newspaper reporter is chained to a desk working phones and typing all day long. Cal McAffrey (Russell Crowe) is a shower-free veteran reporter at a D.C. newspaper under the tutelage of tough talking editor Cameron Lynne (Helen Mirren). Lynne is only interested in pleasing the newspaper’s new owners bottom line. 

 

The bell has been rung. Who reads newspapers anymore? 

 

A random double-slaying is followed by the death of Congressman Stephen Collins’ (Ben Affleck) chief research female assistant. Collins is chairing an important committee looking into the awarding of government contracts. As a veteran reporter, Cal has close friendships all over D.C., especially Congressman Collins. They were not only college roommates, but Cal had an affair with Collins’ wife, Anne (Robin Wright Penn).  

When Collins admits to an affair with his staffer, he goes to Cal. Now Cal is in the perfect position to get to the heart of the story. Soon it appears that the staffer’s death was not an accident or suicide. 

Cal’s 70’s flip hairdo is distracting as he barrels around town all covered up. The newspaper has hired a blogger, Della Frye (Rachel McAdams), and she is all over the Congressman’s seedy affair. They divvy up the story, as Cal helps Della learn the ropes. 

The mystery twists and bends as Cal and Della turn up at unlikely places in the police investigation. The payoff is predictable and not very satisfying. 

Crowe gives his expected and relied on full attention to his character. He’s in every scene. Thankfully, he doesn’t contractually require a romance with his cute, young co-star. However, the Congressman’s wife is still holding a flaming torch for him.  

I thought D.C. bloggers were more savvy and sophisticated. McAdams plays Della like a wide-eyed innocent, constantly screeching at Cal that they are not acting (a) professionally, (b) legally, and (c) spiritually. Mirren delivers with strength, resolve, and sexiness. She’d make a perfect “M”. 

Jason Bateman is terrific in a small role while Affleck has a hard time showing sincere emotion. He looks the part, but that’s about it. 

While it might not seem fair to discuss a star’s appearance, when it dominates a performance, it is worth highlighting. Crowe’s hairdo is as improbable as the script. Pushing his hair out of his face is a part of his performance. Is Crowe going through an artistic crisis? Here he is unshaven, fat, and looks 10 years older than he is. Did he hire Al Pacino’s hairdresser? Crowe has chosen to portray another character (2008 “Body of Lies”, 2007 “American Gangster”) uninterested in his appearance.  

Let’s hope Ridley Scott, directing Crowe’s next film “Robin Hood”, doesn’t once again publicly state that they decided their Robin Hood should be fat.

Sin City Comedy at Harmon Theater.

The media night launch of Emmy Award-winning writer, comedian and producer John Padon’s Sin City Comedy at the Harmon Theater was on April 15^th and featured The Legendary Wid (headlining April 14-20) and low-key but very funny Drake Witham.  

Wid used props and puns to dangerous, and sometimes hostile, effect. His quick-witted interactions with his audience have made him a crowd favorite all over America but, even though he told the audience not to be, I was scared of him. 

Coming up is Greg Vaccariello (pictured, headlining April 20-26) and Carole Montgomery (pictured, headlining April 28 to May 3).  Ticket Prices are $24.95 plus fees and taxes for general admission and $39.95 plus fees and taxes for VIP. This is a 21-plus show with the run time of 70 minutes. Performance Times are 7 p.m. nightly.