" Spring has come..." 'Judith Whitehead' (Inspiration Monday)

Judith Whitehead is back guest-blogging on this awesome Inspirational Monday . Everything is relative, the weather has been unseasonably warm in Buffalo, N.Y.
Although many of us reading this from warm water climates would consider 60 to be cold, Judith and her friend's feel blessed for an early spring has sprung. Judith   lives in Amherst N.Y. and has worked in the medical profession for over 30 years.

Spring time has reached New York!

It’s amazing what a little warm weather can bring to the day; today it reached the high 60’s in temperatures today in Western New York.  I know people all over the country especially on the west coast wake up in the morning and say to themselves,   “it’s another great day outside”, but in New York to be able to walk outside without a coat on is an uplifting experience.  It’s a shot in the arm, an experience that puts an extra spring in ones step and no matter how bad the work day is, the stress melts away when the sun is shining and the air smells fresh.    

Maybe Buffalo gets a bad rep during the winter months but I know WE  know how to appreciate good weather more than many other parts of the country;  when the temps reach the 60’s it’s a topic of every conversation above all others.

Here’s hoping Spring is here to stay…  ;)

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.

"No ferry boat, or modern bridge, what do you expect..?" 'James "Kimo" Rosen'

"This past week Kaua'i  suffered extreme flood damage, many residents needed the help of the Red cross, many others were stranded on the north shore of Kaua'i in a land called Hanalei..."

"Aloha,  This blog  also ran as an  opinion article in today's (03-10-12) Kaua'i Garden Island news, "No ferry or new bridge, what do you expect?"
 No ferry or new bridge, what do you expect?
 http://thegardenisland.com/news/opinion/mailbag/letters-for-saturday-march/article_4311eaea-6a92-11e1-9878-001871e3ce6c.html

An island community, a rock in the middle of the Pacific decides they do not want a ferry boat or a modern day bridge, what do you expect?

Fast forward to the current Garden island floods with visitors and locals stranded  in Hanalei with no way to escape.The Hanalei bridge is flooded, helicopters are not flying, cars are stranded and the bus has cancelled service, even walking and bicycling are out.  

How about a boat?  Now that's an unique idea for an island.... 

Just imagine if the Super-ferry had not been scared away, I am betting they would be shuttling passenger from Hanalei to Nawiliwili and points between.

I still cannot get over an island in the middle of the Pacific that declines ferry service and a modern day bridge, being stuck could easily had be avoided, after-all it's not rocket science, just common sense.
Aloha,  This blog  also ran as an opinion article in today's (03-10-12) Kaua'i Garden Island news, "No ferry or new bridge, what do you expect?"
 No ferry or new bridge, what do you expect?
 http://thegardenisland.com/news/opinion/mailbag/letters-for-saturday-march/article_4311eaea-6a92-11e1-9878-001871e3ce6c.html

The opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by the various authors and forum participants on this blog site do not necessarily reflect the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints of the Publisher of Dakinetalk the blog, but they could? ;D)

"Bumper to bumper nightmare..." 'James "Kimo" Rosen'

"Traffic is not only a problem in major cities but small island communities with lack of roads..." This blog is about Kaua'i but will most likely apply to where you live too...

There is no denial , Kaua'i can no longer continue to have just  one major road from one end of the island to the other.

This latest storm with all the flooding and closure of the Kapa'a bypass was a nightmare of bumper to bumper traffic from Anahola to Wailua and beyond.
 I was walking my dog from Kealia to Kapa'a, and was passing every car as I leisurely walked . 

 Traffic gets worse every year as more drivers become of age and with people living longer than ever makes for a lot of cars on very few roads. How much longer before there is traffic like this everyday? How long can we endure the stresses traffic moving at a snails pace?
Everyday car dealerships sell more and more cars, pick-up trucks and SUVs, where will all these  vehicles go?  It's crazy when it can take less time to walk from Kapa'a to Wailu'a than it does to drive.
I  have dreams that in the very near future we will no longer need  motor vehicles, we will just log onto our computers, connect  ourselves to  a special device that breaks down our molecules and sends us instantly anywhere we want to go.  These devices would be true smart meters.
 In the mean time, riding the bus, walking or bicycling will help render this situation ,however  there is no question we need more roads, we need more trails and those in denial are just that, in denial...
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

"Self examination for Alzheimer's..." 'Marvin Gross' (Source)-Happy Aloha Friday!-

Marvin Gross  a financial planner from Western N.Y. is back with some words of wisdom for this Aloha Friday. Michael Herr,  Dakinetalk's regular guest blogger for Friday's  took some time off and will hopefully be back soon! Mahalo Nui Loa to Marvin for filling in.... Happy Aloha Friday!

SELF EXAMINATION FOR ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE

If you are over 45 yrs old, you SHOULD take this Alzheimer's Test!> 

How fast can you guess these words and fill-in the Blanks?

 1. _ _NDOM

 2. F_

 _K

 3. P_N_S

 4. PU_S_

 5. S_X

 6. BOO_S

 Answers:

 1. RANDOM

 2. FORK

 3. PANTS

 4. PULSE

 5. SIX

 6. BOOKS

 You got all 6 wrong....didn't you?

 You do NOT have Alzheimer's

 You're a Pervert

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.

"I enjoy my space..." 'James "Kimo" Rosen

"There are many ways to enjoy one's space, sometimes solitude is a wonderful thing, a meditation so to speak..."

Living in a small town  on a tiny little island in  the middle of the Pacific Ocean makes it hard going anywhere without bumping into people you just don't want to see. Riding a bike makes it worse since you are a sitting duck for all to see from their cars.

Most days, I like to go get a cup of tea or diet coke  at one of my favorite fast food  restaurants. I write, read my mail and stare at walls. I do this because it relaxes me, it is in sorts my way of meditation. There are many ways to enjoy one's space, sometimes solitude is a wonderful thing! 


I am sitting minding my own business, some acquaintance I barely know says hello, cool hello back, he then proceeds to stand by my table and talk for 30 minutes while I drank my  diet coke. I finally had to leave because one lonely person thought because I was sitting alone, I too was lonely, not.


President Obama when asked what he dislikes most about being President, it is living a bubble, he can't go anywhere without secret service all over him, he basically has no personal space.  I am not famous, however in a small town on a tiny island in the middle of nowhere many times I feel like the President although my only secret service is my dog named Obama.

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

Rogue Wave on Kaua'i" '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. She publishes her own blog column too, 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  http://www.amazon.com/  .com

ROGUE WAVE ON KAUA'I

I've known many married couples who sailed together, many of them, like their marriages, ending up  disasters.This was not the case with Bill and I, except when we raced, but that’s another story.

For the most part – no, always- you could  put Bill and I on a little boat and send us out to sea and we’d come back happier and more in love-than we started out.  Bill was the sailor. A damn good one. A pro. After he died I sailed on high-priced boats with guys who didn't know a jibe from a tack or a spinnaker halyard from a jib sheet.

We always raced when the TransPac was in. They had inter island races and we were almost always the littlest yacht in the fleet. We were also, often, at the head of the fleet, particularly when the winds were light. We could maneuver through the entire fleet dodging beer bottles and cuss words like a wary trout dodged fishing lines. We never beat them- boat to boat- but often got a cup-and more than a cup when we hit the bars.  Morning after hangovers in Lahaina, with all those damn myna's squawking, was a trip all by itself and- like the whalers, I’m sure- breakfast was the hair of the dog.

Bar room brawls were not  uncommon and neither were the pixelated ladies piddling in the bushes or the little kiosk that stood in the middle of the main intersection where cops directed traffic during the day. The height of the walls was perfect. All you could see was a puff of hair and a dainty little stream of perfumed lady water singing out the bottom. My best friend Ginny Rothwell found this handy convenience first. The rest of us followed.

Our favorite trips, though, were long weekends when we’d leave Kukuiula harbor-and head out, without a phone or any other means of communication with the ‘real’world for where-ever the wind would send us, or wherever we wanted to go.  It was one  Christmas morning-early-sunny, bright and blue-while all the world slept, that Bill and I made weigh. We always sailed, in and out, no noisy motor for us. I was on jib. Bill was at helm.

Checking under the sail that morning, there it was: the biggest baddest grandfather rogue I’d ever seen coming straight at us. I turned to tell Bill but he’d already seen it. “Hang on,” he growled and that I did. We drove right through the middle of that thing, water over the spreader,  but we made it out safe to the other side.

I turned  back speechless. Bill had the usual silly grin on his face-rough sailing always tickled his bones. What tickled me, however, was this: Bill smoked a pipe in those days and, while the silly grin lit up his face and the end of the pipe was stuck in his teeth, the bowl of the pipe was on the sole, he’d bitten right through the stem.

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

www.bettejodux.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/






"Republican or Democrat, or maybe neither..." James "Kimo" Rosen

'Politics are like religion, they all think their way is the best and only way..."

Many of my  Republican friends paste anti-Obama propaganda on facebook and other social networking web-sites. A good majority still believing President Obama is not a U.S. citizen and a closet Muslim.

My Democratic friends play the same game with Propaganda against Mitt Romney, Newt Gingrich, Rush Limbaugh and the list goes on...So what if Romney has changed his mind over the years on many issues, we all grow older, wiser and change. So what if Newt's been married three times, how  does that affect his intellect or stance on foreign policy?

Politics are like religion, they all think their way is the best and only way. Come November it's time we elect an Independent, Republicans and Democrats have had  more than a chance at this game. With the state of the economy it's time to gamble on real change, a real change is to go totally against the grain.

Imagine if we took all the fundraising monies from all political campaigns and donated that money to help bail out America, imagine if all these self serving narcissists actually cared more about others than seeing their names in big bold print.

The two major political  parties have failed miserably in the past, it's time to re-elect no Democrat or  Republican. Let's have some fun and elect all those independents without corporate wealth behind them. Let's have more fun by re-electing no incumbents, unless of course they donate all their campaign re-election money as a start to fixing a corrupt system.

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.