See "The Butler"

A  L  O  H  A !

A film may be entertaining,

involving,

exhausting;

But it is only the next day,

and the next,

that you know:

"This is a great film."

The Butler

is such a film.

I saw it yesterday.

In a manner of speaking

I am an extra in the film.

Every American

who lived

 through those times,

is.

If you want to remember,

gain perspective,

or understand

who we are

and how we got here:

Go See

 "The Butler."

The "Negro domestics"

that my husband and I both

knew in our homes

educated us,

raised us,

made us 

who we are.

Mine were ladies

who rode that long bus

out to the suburbs

to clean our house

one day a week.

They taught me

that life was not fair

 to all,

that there is great 

dignity

in work

and in how you 

carry yourself.

I knew that their

 children

did not enjoy

what I had,

what I could do;

their future

was circumscribed

as mine was not.

Kids know:

Unfair!

My husband

had practically

a second mother

who loved him,

scolded him,

and helped to give him

the heart that I love.

We speak of her often.

When I was little,

I couldn't fathom

the courage

of the Freedom Riders.

Heroes;

Children;

Defenseless.

When I was a little older,

Dr. King was shot

and my city burned.

Dad, uncle, others,

who worked in the neighborhoods

stayed home

for days

worrying.

Some of them

lost businesses.

So much of this film

was a trip through my own times

and life.

It was a powerful experience.

Watching the film trailer below

got me emotional again.

At a time

when voting rights

are under attack

in this country

AGAIN

we need to remember

the aged warriors

who already laid their lives

on the line.

We're not there yet.

But someday,

We're gonna get there.

Together.

Take a young person to see

The Butler

and discuss it with them.

Share your life,

your wisdom.

Fondly, cloudia

Saturday Boats & Gloats

A  L  O  H  A !

" During  periods of 

relaxation 

after concentrated 

intellectual activity,

- the intuitive mind

 seems to take over -

- and can produce

 the sudden clarifying insights

 which give so much

 joy and delight. " 

Fritjof Capra

=^..^=

' Take Peace & Smiles - Leave Your Comment '

Thanks for visiting!

                           Warmly, cloudia

Narrow Band of Fools

A  L  O  H  A !                                            

“ If the doors of perception

 were cleansed

 everything would appear

 . . . as it is, 

Infinite. -

- For man has closed himself up,

 till he sees all things

 thro' narrow chinks

 of his cavern.”

 William Blake

It appears to me

that most people

dwell in a very

 narrow band

of perception & behavior.

Rebels conform

to the other rebels.

And everyone's eyes

& attention

are focused on

technology,

not surroundings

or others.

In public places:

restaurant, waiting area,

shops,

it amazes me

how many of us

dwell in single-seater

consciousness bubbles;

Lost in thought,

noticing little,

smiling at no one,

oblivious to the passage

of others.

What's up with the two shoppers

in an otherwise empty isle

who park their carts(trolleys)

side by side

impeding approaching humans?

Are they passive aggressive?

Hungry for significance?

really oblivious?

And the adults I see,

holding a child,

 or children's hand(s)

who step right into the road

without even looking;

What are they teaching

those children?

What keeps today's chat

 from being

a True Rant

(I hope :)

is a little tonic

that I use myself

against the petty

annoyances

of others:

I simply remember

how many times

it is I who have been:

impatient, rude,

 oblivious.

Puts it all into perspective.

We do not treat others well

only when they measure up,

that nobility is entirely

up to each of us.

We all put up

 with each other

sometimes.

Everybody plays the fool.

                              Fondly, Foolishly, cloudia

Leave a foolhardy comment!

August 15, 1969

Aloha!

Welcome to. . .

click on photos to enlarge

Can't believe I saved them
 all these years.

(Disclaimer: I was underage
 though somewhat emancipated)

I remember selling macrame` belts

 to boutiques for my ticket money.


I remember the BUZZ 

that THIS was gonna be a

 "gathering of the tribes" 

and a do NOT miss event!

Arriving at the site late on

 Thursday night 

it was too dark to see much.

We slept on the ground.





But Friday morning

 was a bursting, bustling SEA of cars

 and humanity.









I'd never seen so many people in one place

but certainly never so many freaks!




(Only Time magazine,

 and news people,
 and the 'out of it'
 called us hippies)






Bob Seger struck a chord 

that still resonates

 down the corridor of years:

"Always seem outnumbered,
 don't dare make a stand,
Same old cliches:
 'Is that a woman or a man?"


It took real courage 

to let your freak flag fly.







But this was freak utopia.

The few cops looked surrendered and happy

 and just kept the cars safely flowing 

even as random people (like me)

 hitched rides on hoods and trunks

 along the slow moving line of cars.

 Joints were smoked freely 
under the open sky,

 even sincerely offered to cops 

who declined smiling. 

Some people were topless, 

others muddy, and/or nude. 

Everyone looked HAPPY!


The cops acted like real peace officers.

 Locals told the press:
 "They're good kids." 

The cops treated us like citizens 
(instead of prey) for once. 

What else could they do, but still.

It was a peaceful metropolis

 under the sky,

 no fights, no attitude,

 just unbelieving bliss.

Everybody got along.





The radios in the cars

 reported that the

 New York State Thruway

 was closed!




"We closed the highway, man!"




"Maybe
 they got us all together 
in one place
 to bomb us."







It looked like the end of the world
 as we knew it 
and it felt fine indeed!






The disorientation and sensory overload 

of being amidst so many folks in quasi-

disaster conditions

 made me feel high,

plus we hadn't brought food 

in expectation of buying it.

But fences were flat,

 services overwhelmed

 and not set up.

We sucked on those English

 flavored cigarette papers 

popular back then.

Rizzla.





Campers shared food. We got by somehow.

I still have my tickets

 because no one needed one.

 Free show, Man!

Free was a big concept then: bartering,

Whole Earth Catalogue self-sufficiency, 

communes....


A shop in West Philly at the time 

was called 

"The Free People's Store" 

which had a " free shelf" to challenge 

the whole idea of consumerism. 

Those folks were interesting

 and later morphed into

 Urban Outfitters,

 right Richard?





I can still see that ocean of people,

 and "feel" that ride

 on the snaking line of cars

 as the cops directed traffic

 good-naturedly.





I remember meeting people
 from all over the country.





I remember seeing my first
 Hawaii License plate. 
(Hawaii!)





I remember the music 
way way WAY
 over the sea of people,
and the helicoptered bands landing.





I remember me and my friends
 being overwhelmed by the throng
 and leaving on Saturday...
but I never tell that part.....

Thanks for reminiscing with me! cloudia

On a Clear Day

A L O H A !
 

" My favorite things in life

 don't cost any money.

 It's really clear 

that the most 

precious resource 

we all have is

 time. "

Steve Jobs 

Virga

" In meteorology, 

virga is an observable streak

 or shaft of precipitation

 that falls from a cloud 

but evaporates

 or sublimes 

before reaching the ground."

Wikipedia

" The water in a vessel 

is sparkling;

 the water in the sea 

is dark. 

The small truth

 has words which are 

clear; 

the great truth

 has great silence. "

Rabindranath Tagore 

" Never regret 

anything you have done 

with a sincere affection;

 nothing is lost

 that is born of 

the heart. "

Basil Rathbone 

=^..^=

' Take Peace & Smiles - Leave Your Comment '

Thanks for visiting!

                        Warmly, cloudia