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Tuesday, May 29, 2012

"School days..." 'Bettejo Dux' (Classic Wednesdays)

Guest-blogger Bettejo Dux is one of Kauai's most colorful people, she has lived on the cosmic island of Kaua'i for over 40 years... She is an animal lover, people lover and enjoys life to the fullest.Today she guest blogs about  "School days..." and how truth and justice shall prevail plus as an encore(Hana Hou)  of  her daughter Blu singing her award winning song on YouTube- "Kalaheo shuffle."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TT0YuQLhBVo
 Bettejo  also  publishes her own blog column.
You can check it out at ;  http://www.bettejo.wordpress.com   Besides her blog she recently published and authored the humorous fiction book, "The Scam," check it out at(www.bettejodux.com) or  on Amazon.

"School Days..."

This can be filed in the ‘how in the hell did I get here’ folder, but interesting, I think, because, surely, we are the living product of our past.

I graduated from Tamalpais Union High School in June 1947, at sixteen, and started to college in the fall as a pre med major. Hated it. I wanted to act,  I wanted to write, but my father wanted me to be a doctor and those were the days when father knew best. The first time someone handed me a frog to chop  there was  mayhem in the class.

But I did love Math, so I took a Freshman class in accelerated Math, four years of High School Math rolled up in one. Don’t think I missed a problem all year and was Dr. Llewellyn’s pet.  I could do no wrong, I was the littlest, the youngest, the only girl, all the rest of the class were young men returning to school on the GI.
Whenever one of those guys would go to the board to solve a problem and couldn't, Dr. Llewellyn would say, “Well let’s see if little Bettejo can solve it,” and ‘little Bettejo’ would. By the end of the year all those darling young guys hated me. So, in my sophomore year I said, “This is stupid, ” and changed my major. Drinkin’, smokin’ and boys became the order of the day.

At the same time I took Psych 101. Dr. Pencharz. She had the most terrible voice, wore a red wig and  didn't like me any better than I liked her. The kids in this class were serious students. Big guys, girls and boys, and for some reason or other Pencharz decided to make me the goat. The class, at her direction, would play tricks on me. The entire class would agree on something obviously stupid, and noisily, jointly, nastily attempt  to prove me wrong in my correct observation. I never caved. I stood my ground and faced that bunch.

I did not get good grades in this class – I’d almost always been an A student- so at the end of the year when Pencharz assigned  a term paper that would be valued at a third of our grade average, I reveled.  Pencharz knew herself well enough to know that if she didn't like you she couldn't grade you fairly so we numbered, instead of signed, our papers.

When the papers were returned, mine didn't. I went to the desk and said, “Dr. Pencharz, I didn't get my paper back.” “Did you do one?” she croaked.  I nodded.  ”What was your number?” I told her.
With that she reached into a lower drawer and pulled from a crisp manila folder what was probably the only A+ paper she’d ever given anyone in her entire life. “Who did it for you?” She said and snatched the paper from the folder and handed me a crumpled mess.Do you think this might explain my actions on-line?

All Americans, not just women, are facing a force they had better learn is real and fierce and dedicated. Powerful and rich. They’ll stop at nothing. They’ll stoop lower than a sunken hulk in the deepest sea; but, trust me, we’ll defeat them. The truth will out, it always does.

Encore blog, (Hana Hou) Blu Dux, "Kalaheo Shuffle..."  

I had the pleasure this past Memorial day to meet Bettejo's daughter Blu. Enclosed is her award winning song on YouTube; "Kalaheo Shuffle." Please take a minute relax and listen, it's a great song...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TT0YuQLhBVo


Bettejo has a blog of her own you can check out at ; http://www.bettejo.wordpress.com  


Editor's note, Dakinetalk guest bloggers do not necessarily represent the opinions of dakinetalk. Guest bloggers are given space to express their beliefs and or opinions. We feel there are many roads and like to give people space to express their thoughts,after-all that's what dakine is...Aloha, James "Kimo" Rosen, Publisher.

http://www.bettejodux.com/


9 comments:

Anonymous said...

Bettejo Dux said via facebook on 06-02-12, "I am hereby making a formal complain to the Garden Island, the monitors of this line or others involved, in the deliberate attempt to confuse my name with someone else. iIdentity theft is disgusting, wrongful, and a ause for concern."

Anonymous said...

Bettejo Dux said via facebook o 06-02-12 concerning abusive verbal attacks;"I have no idea who is responsible for this but I want it stopped. Everyone on this line today, Saturday, june 2012 is witness to this. Mrs. William Anthony Dux, Jr."

Anonymous said...

Betty Brock said via facebook;"WOW WHERE DID THAT COME FROM"

KimoRosen said...

Bettejo is referring to the comments section in today's Kauai Garden Island News, she should had posted this on her wall but posted on this post instead. enclosed is the url to the page she is describing; http://thegardenisland.com/news/opinion/mailbag/letters-for-saturday-june/article_ea70e9d2-ac76-11e1-b05e-001a4bcf887a.html?mode=comments

Anonymous said...

Douglas Dunn said via facebook;
"I have seen the comments section in today's Garden Island newspaper. It is disgusting. This is what desperate conservatives do when they can't address any issues. Vicious personal attacks, character assassination, identity theft, etc.

Some (likely the same person with a different screen name), pass it off as being "this is the Internet, what do you expect." But if someone were to use the Internet to post their Social Security number, credit card numbers and home address, they would not be so dismissive.

The fact that one has access to a tool that amplifies the capacity for bullying is not a justification for such bullying.

I have participated in many online discussion forums and message boards, including the Garden Island in the past, and my local newspaper, which is owned by the same parent company. My newspaper, as well as others owned by the same company, do not allow these kind of vicious, obsessive personal vendettas and personal attacks."

Anonymous said...

Douglas Dunn said via facebook;"Douglas Dunn To Bettejo Dux: I would just say: look at the calibre of friends you have. James Kimo Rosen. 3D. Emerald. Wheeulz. Look at the stature you bring to the Kauai forum and why lesser minds and lesser souls feel so threatened by all you contribu...te.

One can often measure the worth of one's stature by the viciousness of their enemies. By that standard, Bettejo, you are obviously very high in stature.

P.S. to all: I have Bettejo's excellent book "Scam," which I bought by ordering it from Amazon. com.
I recommend it.
Others can also order it at:
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=Bettejo+Dux&x=10&y=30"See moreAmazon.com: Bettejo Dux: Books
www.amazon.com
Amazon.com: Bettejo Dux: "

KimoRosen said...

Doug, in total agreement with you, In fact I started reading " Scam" today and couldn't put it down. BTW I still believe commenters should be required to comment with their legal names, as Bettejo and myself do, it's easy to be critical and nasty when your not using your real name, making commenters use their real names just like LTE writers do would solve the majority of the probmems on comment boards, people would be more polite and humane...

Anonymous said...

Douglas Dunn said via facebook;"I respectfully disagree with you and Bettejo Dux about the requirement of using real names. As you know from peeking in on my local paper as I have on yours, I have been very open, like you and Bettejo, about my real name, in writing letters and in posting online comments.

But there are others who, like Bettejo, have been bullied, stalked, threatened and harassed. They prefer not to reveal their real identities as a matter of personal safety. As you have seen, even on your small island, where your circulation is less than 1/10 of ours, the conservatives who can't address issues can be extremely vicious.

Many who prefer not use their real names are not the bullies. They are the victims of the bullies.

If anyone wants to bully, it is not surprise they support Mitt "Cayman Islands / Etch-A-Sketch" Romney, who had a "posse" of his friends hold down a suspected gay and, against his will, as he cried out in pain and humiliation, shaved off his hair. It is part of who they are. And we need to protect the victims who want to participate without being threatened, not the bullies."

KimoRosen said...

And Doug I can respectfully dis-agree with you. I used to publish a magazine called Alaska People magazine and although we were one of the first Alaska periodicals online back in 1997 we never had comment boards. If I was publishing today I would require commenters to use their real names for legal reasons, The Newspaper is legally liable for what people say and the Garden island has nobody moderating the board except for filters monitoring dirty words. For liabilty purposes a newspaer or magazine requires your name, phone number and adress to varify you are the author. Comments should be treated the same since they are part of the peridical and in the case of true abuse I would bet the paper or magazine would be sued. If someone wants to post anonymously they can get permission from the editors, I see why somebody may want to post anonymous but the periodical should ok this and know thew persons name and phone number. Did you know the Honolulu Advertiase even though they know me, still call me everytime to varify I am the author of my submissions they decide to publish.