Did You See?

ALOHA

Beach People!

Jump, Bobby.
Jump high like me!

You keep practicing.
I'm gonna look for Mom.

The PERFECT jump!
Sis! Did you see?
Did you see me?
Mom? Anyone?






Just the blogger,
passing by unseen.


And now YOU

have seen it too!


><>


"We are each gifted in a unique and important way.

It is our privilege and our adventure

to discover our own special light."

Mary Dunbar

What Trash Smells Like

A L O H A !

“Memory is a way of holding on to the things you love,

the things you are,

the things you never want to lose.”


Kevin Arnold

“We all have our time machines.

Some take us back, they're called memories.

Some take us forward, they're called dreams.”


Jeremy Irons

“A moment lasts all of a second,

but the memory lives on forever.”

Annonymous

Safeway Parking Lot


“It's surprising how much of memory

is built around things unnoticed at the time”



Barbara Kingsolver

“I've never tried to block out the memories of the past,

even though some are painful.

I don't understand people who hide from their past.

Everything you live through helps to make you the person you are

now.”



Sophia Loren

“If you haven't cried, your eyes can't be beautiful.”

Sophia Loren

><>

I wonder what trash smells like
it's been a long, long time.
Since I was a kid
cleaning offices
with dad's employees. . .

Back then it smelled like
cigarettes
marinated in stale coffee.


It's smelled like paper and ink
and sometimes the bosses cigars.

Corpses of grounds
wrapped in shroud brown filters
fell with a sickening "clump"
raising cloudlets of cigarette ashes
that settled on everything
to be dusted,
and 'vac-ed' next:

The reason that trash
is taken
first.
Then you dust from
up
to down.


The cigarettes, I guess, are gone.
Can you still smell the desperation?
The sweat?
The swears?

What does today's trash smell like?


It smells like a paycheck
to the least of these


as it did to me.


It smelled like my father

living only in sense-memory.


I never knew how happy I really was
at 15
wheeling my bike back home
through the wakening
city's
morning.

I miss ya Dad.



cloudia

Looking for Angels

Aloha

Happy to See YOU :)

"Space and light and order.

Those are the things that men need

just as much as they need bread

or a place to sleep."

Le Corbusier

"I search for the realness,

the real feeling of a subject,

all the texture around it...

I always want to see the third dimension of

something...

I want to come alive with the object. "

Andrew Wyeth

"Sometimes our light goes out

but is blown into flame

by another human being."

Albert Schweitzer

"Rocky"

"In matters of style, swim with the current;

in matters of principle, stand like a rock."

Thomas Jefferson

"Do not fear mistakes. You will know failure. Continue to reach out." Ben Franklin

"It always amazes me to think

that every house on every street

is full of so many stories."


"Glenn Close

><> Looking for angels? Looking way over there? Looking for evidence, a blowing curtain a feather left behind? Don't look for angels approaching from a magical distance approaching like a beam of light, arriving from far away. Looking for angels? Then Quickly, quietly out of the corner of your eye; catch the glimmer of the angel (or angels! :) already there. For they do not approach but wait by your side while we look afar for what is closer than we know ! Warmly, cloudia

Dancing the Big Island of HAWAII

Aloha Welcome

"A positive attitude may not solve all your problems,

but it will annoy enough people to make it worth the effort."



Herm Albright

Kamehameha II

“Being happy is better than being king”

African Proverb

These guys are gonna take us on a tour
of KONA on the Big Island of 'Hawaii'

Kona Kai `Opua

Lyrics by Henry Waiau

This mele tells of a love affair between Liholiho (Kamehameha II) and a woman of rank.


It sings of the places and activities of Kona and compares them to the deep emotions of love.




Known as Kona of the tranquil seas, the opua or pink cumulus cloud formations that hang low, are regarded as omens of good fortune and good weather.




Hinano is the blossom of the male pandanus tree and was used as an aphrodisiac.




Na`u is a game of Kona where the children chant "na`u" and hold their breath until the sun disappears.



On Nov. 27, 1823, the King and his Queen boarded the English ship L'Aigle.




They were the first of the Hawaiian Royals to travel abroad.




A state visit with King George of England was intended to establish a political and commercial understanding; The better to enable Liholiho to govern an island kingdom that attracted the avaricious interest of many foreigners.





Before they had an audience with the English Monarch,
the Hawaiians were struck with measles.



Queen Kamamalu died July 8, 1824



followed by the death of King Liholiho on July 14.



Like their subjects,, the Hawaiian Royals lacked immunity to western diseases.



"A Song About Kamehameha II"



Proud is Kona of Hawaii
The waters and thick clouds
Hualalai, the majestic mountain is high above
Kona is the best



This warm land
With the refreshing wind
The bright moonlight that
Beckons the visitors





Chorus:
Proud
The cloud banks over Kona's peaceful sea
Like the hinano flower
In the peaceful sea
The cloudbanks of Kona
Are incomparable, second to none
The cloudbanks of Kona
The streaked sea
The peaceful sea of Kona




The cloud bank over Kona's peaceful sea
Like the hinano flower in the calm
Where dusk descends with evening dew
The na'u is chanted by the playful children





Hold back the rays of the sun
The sun rays reflecting on the surface of the sea
Very warm is the land
Very loving the Ho`olulu progeny




Nothing compares to the love
O my beloved companion of all time
For my lovely chief, my last refrain
Liholiho, I praise your name





:)

Uncle Lou (& Earl)

Aloha!

Come in for (what I hope is) an interesting post today:

" A truly heartfelt homage to Dean. . .

Effective use of Louis Clyde Stoumen’s “photo motion” technique to incorporate archival photographs into a documentary film. . .


Must See?
Yes, for its cinematic interest. "

Says FilmFanatic.org

<>



Yeah, Uncle Lou (actually my husband's uncle)
was an Oscar winning director!
He collaborated with Marlene Dietrich on a documentary once.
As well as many others.



<>

Louis Clyde Stoumen,
Times Square


But he is also remembered as an important 20th Century photographer
right up there with all the famous names you know.

More HERE



Today,
mostly serious students of photography,
and of film,
remember him:
WWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW

Schedule and synopses from 2009

UCLA Film & Television Archives press release:

Thursday, March 26
7:30 p.m.
Preservation funded by The Film Foundation
THE NAKED EYE
(1957, Louis Clyde Stoumen)
Director Louis Clyde Stoumen’s evocative documentary on the art and history of photography begins with a quote from Ecclesiastes—“Truly the light is sweet…”—before a quick recounting of the medium’s 100-year technical development. From there, Stoumen sharpens focus with extended narrative sequences on key artists. Alfred Eisenstaedt and Weegee are each featured while the second half is largely devoted to Edward Weston. In addition to traditional live-action footage, Stoumen, who taught film production classes at UCLA, brought scores of stills to life using a technique he called "photographic animation," predating Ken Burns’ signature style by decades.

Camera Eye Pictures, Inc. PROD/SCR/CINE/ED: L. C. Stoumen. CAST: Raymond Massey, Weegee, Edward Weston, Brett Weston, Cole Weston.
35mm, 71 min.

Feature preceded by:

Preservation funded by The Stanford Theatre Foundation
THE BRIDGE: A TRUE STORY OF A TROUBLED CHILD
(1958, Louis Clyde Stoumen, Abram D. Murray)
Stoumen's short dramatic film about an emotionally troubled boy.
Camera Eye Pictures, Inc. PROD: Bernice Block. SCR: Alan Marcus. CINE: Edward R.
Martin. ED: Harry Robin. Narrator: Robert Ryan. CAST: Hugh Corcoran, Biff Elliot,
Beverly Dvorett.
35mm, approx. 27 min.

Preservation funded by The Stanford Theatre Foundation
WEDLOCK
(1950, Louis Clyde Stoumen, Ed Spiegel)
An experimental short co-directed by Stoumen while he was a graduate student at USC.
35mm, 4 min.

*IN PERSON: Nancy Mysel, Film Preservationist, UCLA Film & Television Archive.

VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV


<>


My own uncle, Dad's black sheep elder brother, Earl
was a small time Hollywood producer and bar owner.

He is interred at Forrest Lawn next to Al Jolson
and is chiefly remembered for throwing Earl Flynn
out of his bar.

Internet Movie Data Base has nothing on Earl
unless this character in a gangster movie is based on him
(Could be. Who knows?)


I only met Uncle Earl once when I was a young kid.


I remember that he was proud of being a Mason
and got visibly angry when asked about Mr. Flynn
all those years later.

"Asshole!" He'd growl.

Only later did I learn that the actor was reviled by many
as an anti-Semite and all around jerk.

He was no Johnny Depp!


Next week:
A picture of my ancestors fresh off the boat from Europe.
Even the WOMEN had beards!

One On Me

Aloha Friend!

Come In :)

3 O'Clock Crack,
see it?
(click to enlarge)

The Hilton hotel next door erected this sculpture a while back.

Way too soon, a crack had developed.

One day I was walking along, and two very competent looking
fellows were examining and apparently discussing the flaw.

Never one to allow ignorance of the facts
to deter me from voicing an opinion
(what else is a blogger, or writer, or whatever it is that I am?)
I chimed in:

"This area of Waikiki has lots of MANA,
and this piece was not made by a local Hawaiian artist
but by someone from the continent; Hence the visible
"criticism."


"This guy IS the artist," said one of them, indicating the other,
"and he's from Moloka`i.

You probably shouldn't speak
when you don't know -
But you're right:
there is a lot of MANA
here."


A quick flush of embarrassment changed unexpectedly

to epiphany.

I agreed simply, and thanked them both.

In fact, I appreciated his kindly finding something to agree with me about.

He was truly correcting me, not just WINNING at my expense.




It felt deliciously liberating to laugh at my know-it-all self!









"If you have no critics,

you’ll likely have no success."



Malcolm X

A while later, it had turned into a work-site.

We're lucky!
The artist (possibly remembering my interest and humility)
is inviting us inside to have a look. See him holding the door?

"When you have faults,

do not fear to abandon them."

Confucius

It's a big job to repair a piece of art THIS big and heavy!


><>



"The essence of knowledge is, in having it: to apply it;

in not having it: to confess your ignorance."




"Even when walking in the company of two others,

I am bound to be able to learn from them.

The good points of the one I copy;

the bad points of the other I correct in myself."



All K'ung Fu-tzu quotes today


<><


To me, a conspicuous lack of simple humility
is a HUGE red flag.
A warning of ignorance and illusion.


Competent people who know a few things and who can accomplish a few things always behave simply without fanfare.


Pity we seem to have forgotten this.
How many true artists do we overlook every day
in gazing at mere performers?


And that's my humble opinion for today.


Thanks for visiting, please leave a comment :)

Makana Means 'Gift'

Aloha!

Come on in. . .

Nice day for a drive. . .




"The car has become a secular sanctuary for the individual,

his shrine to the self, his mobile Walden Pond. "


Edward McDonagh

Look! In the next car. It's Makana!


His friend asks if I always have a camera ready.

Silly boy. Of course I do;

I'm a BLOGGER!



Here's the young genius to play for YOU:

(beep beep!)

Thank YOU for your visit today!

Sweet Victory

Aloha to
YOU!

Here in Hawaii we get out and WAVE at our neighbors
to support our candidates

"Be ashamed to die

until you have won some victory for humanity."



Horace Mann

"Life is like Stepping onto a boat

which is about to sail out to sea

and sink"

-- Suzuki Roshi, Zen master

"There is no better argument against democracy


than a five-minute conversation the common man…"


-- Winston Churchill

"I said a lot of stupid things

when I was with the Conservative Party,

and I left them,

because I did not want to go on saying stupid things."

-- Winston Churchill

"Sunlight is the best disinfectant."



- Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis

><>


The only thing more futile than voting

is not voting.




It is our responsibility

to be aware of what's going on

and to advocate for the good.




We disagree on what IS "good"
but by debate
we arrive at agreement.




Yeah, right!




Politics is about world-view
and the power to make it happen.



Here in Hawaii

where the principle of

"ALOHA"

is enshrined in our law

there is less,

or should I say:


more subtle negative campaigning.



Negative campaigning can even backfire here.


With this year, we are ending (YaY!!!)


two terms


of an extremely disappointing, destructive,


and divisive governor.




During the heat of recent politics (Bush! Terrorism! War!)


this liar


who told us that she was focused on our majority Democratic island State


spent much of her time away from us campaigning for Republicans


on the mainland.


Meanwhile, economic storm clouds swept in


and the next thing we knew:


Furlough Fridays for our schools!




Long time Hawaii congressman, Neil Abercrombie,


a University of Hawaii alum like myself,


who was a fellow student and friend


of the president's parents,


(and who knew Barack as a little boy)


has come home to Hawaii to run for governor.





He won the primary last Saturday!


With my help :)



We are looking forward


to doing some things differently


after uncle Neil and cousin Brian


defeat our lieutenant gov who is taking his turn


at the head of his party's ticket.




Neil will win


and it will be a new beginning for our state.



Yeah, I know.


Life will not be perfect,


but I feel welcome in Neil's campaign


as I have felt alienated from a frustrating administration for 8 years.


His ideas, including civil rights for ALL,


make sense to me.


On to victory in 6 weeks!

"You can't change things by force,

only by making the things you want to change seem obsolete."

-- Buckminster Fuller

Have a look at how we do things:

Every campaign event has food, lei, hugging and entertainment. Here's Willie K singing to a charged-up crowd:

Reframe, Refrain

Aloha Web Traveler

Come rest on da beach:

"Man does not live by words alone

despite the fact that he sometimes has to eat them."

Adlai Stevenson

"A certain recluse, I know not who,

once said that no bonds attached him to this life,

and the only thing he would regret leaving was the sky."

Kenko Yoshida

"The longer we dwell on our misfortunes,


the greater is their power to harm us."



- Voltaire

Situations arise
and resolve
but stress is forever:
attaching to your gut,
pulling down your heavenly head.


Regretted & fretted actions
continue to ripple out
even after we regret
and forget
them.

We post-moderns are action people
if there's a problem
we DO something about it.

"Proactive = good,
passive = bad"


But I am realizing, as perhaps you suspect,
that 99% of the world's problems
come from doing -

and that refraining

is oft the best policy.


Like the hospital patient
whose friend came to visit,
the visitor a tornado of fidget:
plump the pillow!
call the nurse!
But instead of helping, it
only made the patient feel worse.


At last the ill patient
lost his patience
as he said to his busy friend:

"Thanks for coming to visit,
but don't just DO something
STAND THERE!"

And so should we all
stand where we are.

Glad you came by today
to stand with me!


Warmly, cloudia