Books with author Richard Blakely

Fleeing the country in its headlong rush to war in Vietnam, a young American drops out of school and goes to Paris to write. After a year and a half, he realizes that if you have to work to live there, Paris is a lot like any other city, except that it’s full of Americans who came there to write. One night he and a friend go to the Paris Hilton to attend a lecture on a “great new movement that is sweeping the world.” A month later the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi invites him to India to attend a three-month teacher-training course on Transcendental Meditation. Based on journals Blakely kept at the time, the second half of this book is an eye-witness account of that gathering on the banks of the Ganges in the spring of 1968, which Blakely describes as “a lot like Woodstock but without all the people and the noise, and lasting a lot longer.” While this book is primarily a personal journey, coming to terms with a crucial period in the author’s life, it also provides a close-up portrait of the Maharishi, from someone who caught a glimpse of the wizard behind the curtain. In addition, it contains vignettes of other people who also happened to attend that course in Rishikesh---including George Harrison, John Lennon, Mia Farrow, and Mike Love---that readers will find entertaining and informative.

Fleeing the country in its headlong rush to war in Vietnam, a young American drops out of school and goes to Paris to write. After a year and a half, he realizes that if you have to work to live there, Paris is a lot like any other city, except that it’s full of Americans who came there to write. One night he and a friend go to the Paris Hilton to attend a lecture on a “great new movement that is sweeping the world.” A month later the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi invites him to India to attend a three-month teacher-training course on Transcendental Meditation.

One of the most fascinating 'discoveries' made by the Jacques Costeau expedition to the Amazon was the existence of, and the legends surrounding one of the most amazing animals on earth, the Amazon River dolphin or Boto. Of course, to natives of Amazonia the 'mermaid-like' (as described by a French explorer to the region in the 18th century) legends involving one of the friendliest dolphin species in the world were already well-known. That, and other legends and beliefs regarding the Boto became basis of very strong taboos against harming the dolphins of the Ticuna and almost all other tribes and peoples of the Amazon. Scientists agree that the Boto is an amazing animal if only for its proven abilities. The Boto has a brain that is 40% larger than a human's, is the most flexible dolphin on earth and has a sonar that can locate fish in the muddiest waters. Natives of Amazonia believe the animal is even more amazing. One particular legend of the Boto states that juvenile Botos will occasionally fall in love with humans that they see on shore. At night, the legend goes, they have the capability of appearing to humans as stunningly beautiful humans. A Dolphin's Tale tells the story of one such Boto and the young Ribereno (mixed blood Amazonian native) boy that she falls in love with. Termed a "beautiful story" by Leo P.H. Chu, Vice President for Creative Affairs for Disney Feature Animations, the book contains 22 illustrations, as well as the story and extensive end notes that are mind-opening and educational. Furthermore, in light of the increasing threats to the Amazonian rainforest, river dolphins worldwide and the liveability of our planet as a whole, I believe that A Dolphin's Tale is a story that needs to be told. As stated in the book a portion of the books proceeds go to programs to save freshwater dolphins worldwide.

Fleeing the country in its headlong rush to war in Vietnam, a young American drops out of school and goes to Paris to write. After a year and a half, he realizes that if you have to work to live there, Paris is a lot like any other city, except that it’s full of Americans who came there to write. One night he and a friend go to the Paris Hilton to attend a lecture on a “great new movement that is sweeping the world.” A month later the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi invites him to India to attend a three-month teacher-training course on Transcendental Meditation. Based on journals Blakely kept at the time, the second half of this book is an eye-witness account of that gathering on the banks of the Ganges in the spring of 1968, which Blakely describes as “a lot like Woodstock but without all the people and the noise, and lasting a lot longer.” While this book is primarily a personal journey, coming to terms with a crucial period in the author’s life, it also provides a close-up portrait of the Maharishi, from someone who caught a glimpse of the wizard behind the curtain. In addition, it contains vignettes of other people who also happened to attend that course in Rishikesh---including George Harrison, John Lennon, Mia Farrow, and Mike Love---that readers will find entertaining and informative.

The actual journal of a man diving into his own psyche to figure out if he's ready for the relationship he spent a decade of his life trying to recapture. When the girl who might be "the one" tells him that they'll figure out what their future is when she gets back to the city they were raised in Richard has no choice but to wait and try to make sure he knows himself well enough to be the man and partner than she needs. This is the actual journal of the last thirty days of one man waiting to find out his fate.

One of the most fascinating 'discoveries' made by the Jacques Costeau expedition to the Amazon was the existence of, and the legends surrounding one of the most amazing animals on earth, the Amazon River dolphin or Boto. Of course, to natives of Amazonia the 'mermaid-like' (as described by a French explorer to the region in the 18th century) legends involving one of the friendliest dolphin species in the world were already well-known. That, and other legends and beliefs regarding the Boto became basis of very strong taboos against harming the dolphins of the Ticuna and almost all other tribes and peoples of the Amazon. Scientists agree that the Boto is an amazing animal if only for its proven abilities. The Boto has a brain that is 40% larger than a human's, is the most flexible dolphin on earth and has a sonar that can locate fish in the muddiest waters. Natives of Amazonia believe the animal is even more amazing. One particular legend of the Boto states that juvenile Botos will occasionally fall in love with humans that they see on shore. At night, the legend goes, they have the capability of appearing to humans as stunningly beautiful humans. A Dolphin's Tale tells the story of one such Boto and the young Ribereno (mixed blood Amazonian native) boy that she falls in love with. Termed a "beautiful story" by Leo P.H. Chu, Vice President for Creative Affairs for Disney Feature Animations, the book contains 22 illustrations, as well as the story and extensive end notes that are mind-opening and educational. Furthermore, in light of the increasing threats to the Amazonian rainforest, river dolphins worldwide and the liveability of our planet as a whole, I believe that A Dolphin's Tale is a story that needs to be told. As stated in the book a portion of the books proceeds go to programs to save freshwater dolphins worldwide.

The actual journal of a man diving into his own psyche to figure out if he's ready for the relationship he spent a decade of his life trying to recapture. When the girl who might be "the one" tells him that they'll figure out what their future is when she gets back to the city they were raised in Richard has no choice but to wait and try to make sure he knows himself well enough to be the man and partner than she needs. This is the actual journal of the last thirty days of one man waiting to find out his fate.