"Retirement and things to do..." 'Chester "Unc" Lau' (Source)

There are many ways to have fun in retirement....

Dakinetalks favorite Uncle (Chester Lau)

Unc talks  about ways to have fun in your retirement years...

"Unc" is a retired cinematographer currently living 

on the Hawai'ian Island of Oahu & giving the politicians a bad time...

Retirement and things to do

Working people frequently ask retired people what they 
do to make their days interesting. 

Well, for example, the other day, Kate, my wife and I
went into town and visited a shop. 

When we came out, there was a cop writing out a parking 
ticket on car with a "vote Mitt Romney"bumper sticker .

We went up to him and I said, 'Come on, man, how about giving a 
senior citizen a break?' 

He ignored us and continued writing the ticket. 

I called him an "asshole". 

He glared at me and started writing another ticket
for having worn-out tires.

So Kate called him a "shit head". 

He finished the second ticket and put it on the windshield with the first.

Then he started writing more tickets.

This went on for about 20 minutes. 

The more we abused him, the more tickets he wrote. 

Just then our bus arrived, and we got 
on it and went home! 

We always look for cars with "Mitt Romney
2012" stickers! 

We try to have a little fun each day 
now that we're retired............

It's important at our age!

Hana Hou, (Encore) Shared from Facebook...

"Boots..." 'Bettejo Dux' (Classic Wednesday)

Bettejo  has lived on Kaua'i over 30 years and is a people lover,

animal lover, lover of life and strikes a dashing yoga pose...

Today Bettejo blogs about  man and woman's best friend...

Enjoy...

www.bettejodux.com

BOOTS


Did you know all dogs are related to the gray wolf? Canis familiaris is a direct descendant of canis lupus. All dogs are domesticated wolves.

What’s interesting is that the transformation of wolves to dogs happened about 130,000 years ago, long before humans settled down. So, it seems, humans didn't domesticate the wolf, the wolf outsmarted us. They are very successful free loader. They found a way to get us to take them in out of the cold. Feed and love them. I tell this to Boots everyday.

Boots is the new puppy. Properly named, she loves to chew on boots, socks and shoes. Her favorite toy is one of pair of new $60.00 boots she stole from a man working on my land. He’d taken them off to put on his work boots and she made off with them. I think she buried one. The other she plays with like a hunting dog plays with a chicken. Shake.  Toss. Chase. Drop. Start all over.

I am one who could never be happy without a zoo to tend. Back to ‘we are all the end product of our past’, my father raised me to love and take care of animals. I was happy in the barn with a pitchfork, my faithful pack of friendly dogs beside me in the stall. I still am. I’m happiest  in the barn with a pitch fork. Turn me loose with a vacuum cleaner in the house and watch the wicked old witch of the west emerge triumphant.

On a local Kauai note: I’m sure glad the oath takers, they who swear to god they will never read me, never read me. I’d never hear the end of that confession.

Boots came home from the Humane Society the day after my beloved Shepherd /Rottweiler, Brooks was buried in the garden with his bowl, his favorite toy and a stick he loved to chase. This is another trick my father taught me-he was an incredibly wise and good father-when a beloved dog dies replace him/her immediately.

Brooks was a him. Boots is a her.

She was the largest puppy up for adoption. Also the oldest. She’d been classified as Pit-bull type but I think she’s probably more Boxer with maybe some Ridge-back somewhere in the hay stack. She has that wonderful energy. That joy. That bounce. The soft eyes. The great sense of humor.  She, as I constantly remind her,  is all the dogs the world has ever know rolled up in one.

One of the most dangerous things you can do with an animal is introduce it to a new environment. Boots had to learn how to live with and around a huge sacred dog-that’s what the Indians called the horse. This end bites. That end kicks and it’s not to safe to take shelter in the middle. She had to learn to play with the kids, they were all the same size. No nipping, no chasing, no stealing food. She learned from them how to climb trees.

She had to learn that the big bird with the long tail was not to be messed with either, and cats have claws.

She’s fast learner. And a joyful presence in my life.

Hana Hou, (Encore) Shared from Facebook...

GMO's are not the anti-Christ..." 'James "Kimo" Rosen'

I believe GMO foods should be labeled as Kosher and Organic foods
are now appropriately marked for the consumer. GMO's may not be
as bad as so many believe, time will tell...
For those interested there is a Pro-GMO Facebook Page, Check it out!
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Pro-GMO/159455097419168?hc_location=stream

With all the negativity against GMO technology I decided to do some research.  My findings were GMO's are not the anti-Christ so many seem to believe. GMO should stand for Great Meal Offering!

Chances are many have enjoyed a dinner full of GMO's, from your fresh farmed Salmon to grilled corn on the cob along with the delicious tasting rainbow papaya.

Did you know, many cosmetics, the soaps we bathe with and the detergents we wash our clothes with are likely GMO derived.

 Your neighbor may be a GMO product themselves,maybe they were  the product of In vitro fertilization (IVF) or even a  test tube baby.Five million IVF babies have been born since the era of assisted GMO, DNA reproduction dawned in 1978. Many protested that IVF babies would be monsters born without souls. GMO's have made it possible for many people to conceive babies that weren't able to on their own. 

http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2012/07/02/health-ivf-five-million-babies-1978_n_1642231.html

Even your local stoner that shows up at Anti'GMO protests has probably smoked GMO enhanced marijuana. What protesters have missed is that today’s potent varieties of marijuana were created  by genetic modification.  The University of Central Florida  has a pending US Patent for a cannabis sativa genetic modification.

http://www.hawaiifreepress.com/ArticlesMain/tabid/56/ID/9027/US-Patent-Pending-for-Genetically-Modified-Marijuana.aspx 

The founder of the anti GMO movement  Mark Lynas used to be the kind of fire-breathing activist who sneaked onto test farms and wreaked havoc on genetically modified (GM) crops.  He has totally changed sides and is one of the biggest advocates for GMO's, with the world's population  expected to grow from today's 6 billion to about 8 billion by 2030. Feeding all of these people and eliminating hunger will require advances in food production and distribution.

http://www2.macleans.ca/2013/03/18/a-founder-of-the-anti-gm-food-movement-explains-how-he-got-it-wrong-all-wrong/

GMO technology has gone one step further with Japanese scientists now making beef from Human feces that will be on the market soon. This is no shit, actually it is shit.

http://filmdrunk.uproxx.com/2011/06/friday-free-for-all-japanese-scientists-invent-poop-steaks

http://dakinetalk.blogspot.com/2011/06/no-shit-edible-beef-from-human-feces.html

The University of Hawaii developed a genetic modified papaya  back In the late 1980's because the Papaya industry almost died because of  the Papaya Ring-spot virus. GMO technology basically rescued and saved the Papaya industry in Hawaii with the birth of the rainbow papaya.

 http://www.gmocompass.org/eng/grocery_shopping/fruit_vegetables/14.genetically_modified_papayas_virus_resistance.html

Imagine, a world where you can raise a disease-free child with three or four genetic parents, engineered to be hyper-intelligent with superhuman strength. Imagine an abundance of  fresh disease free produce to feed the worlds population into the next century and beyond.

Technology has changed, we now have smart phones, laptop computers with WiFi,  tablets and  microwave ovens creating radio waves all around us that many once protested and thought to be harmful.

I believe GMO foods should be labeled just as Kosher and Organic foods are now appropriately marked for the consumer, however I believe GMO technology has already created and saved human as well as plant and animal life.  

GMO's can't live with them, can't live without them.

The Honolulu Staradvertiser asked me to come up with a 150 word edit, down from 502 words. Enclosed below  is the shortened edited version;

The below Opinion article appeared in the 06-10-13 edition of the Kaua'i Garden Island News page A-4,titled, GMO's=Great Meal Offering;
http://thegardenisland.com/news/opinion/mailbag/letters-for-monday-june/article_66ae5600-d184-11e2-8614-001a4bcf887a.html

Chances are many have enjoyed a dinner  of GMO's, from your fresh farmed Salmon to grilled corn on the cob along with the delicious rainbow papaya .GMO should stand for Great Meal Offering!

Did you know, many cosmetics, the soaps we bathe with and the detergents we wash our clothes with are likely GMO derived.

Your neighbor may be a GMO product themselves,maybe they were  the product of In vitro fertilization (IVF) or even a  test tube baby.

 What anti GMO protesters have missed is that today’s potent varieties of marijuana were created  by genetic modification.

The world's population is  expected to grow from today's 6 billion to about 8 billion by 2030. Feeding all of these people will require advances.

GMO technology rescued the Papaya industry in Hawaii with the birth of the Rainbow papaya.

I believe GMO foods should be labeled just as Kosher and Organic foods.

GMO's, can't live with them, can't live without them.

Hana Hou, (Encore) Shared from Facebook...

Unless that poop was genetically modified
 into beef from human feces...

"A Memorial for Memorial day...in loving memory..." 'Deborah Morel'

Dakinetalk would like to welcome back our newest guest-blogger
Deborah Morel. Deborah talks about and memorializes 
the late U.S. Army Sergeant Major Bill Barchers on this Memorial day.
Deborah is a Human and Judicial rights advocate. One of her favorite quotes close
to heart is, "The dead cannot cry out for justice; it is a duty of the living to do this for them."
Lois McMaster Bujold

A Tribute, A Memorial For Memorial day

Kapa'a High School--and the 

community of Kaua'i--had the 

incredibly good fortune to have 

retired U.S. Army Sergeant Major 

Bill Barchers to teach, and lead 

the school's Jr. ROTC for several 

years. KHS could not ask for 

more. I came to know Sgt. Mjr. 

Barchers as my child was in his 

Jr. ROTC class for two years. Sgt. 

Mjr. Barchers touched the lives 

of so many cadets. The students 

thrived, learned responsibility, 

how to be respectful, and of 

strong character.

The students admired and trusted 

Sgt. Mjr. Barchers; these 

students had every reason to feel 

this way. Sgt. Mjr. Barchers 

spent time with these young 

students, I often seeing 

this "brigade" about town. It was 

comforting to see such dedication 

to our youth, and from a 

community member. Students 

looked to Sgt. Mjr. Bill Barchers 

for direction. 

At times, I did the same as well--

being from a U.S. military family, 

my father a retired Lt. Col., 

USMC, Commanding Officer, and 

mother a U.S. Naval nurse. Sgt. 

Mjr. Barchers' years of service in 

the U.S. Army Special Forces 

speak clearly to his sacrifices 

made, and on behalf of our 

country. I could not hold more 

respect.

Sgt. Mjr. Bill Barchers has left a 

lasting impression--that every 

U.S. citizen might exercise freely 

what we cherish as freedom; Sgt. 

Mjr.. Barchers has left a lasting 

impression on the Kaua'i 

community. How fortunate we 

are to have known such a fine 

person.

Check out a photo of Bill giving a speech during a wreath laying ceremony to honor the 65th anniversary of the end of World War II at the Naples Memorial Gardens in Naples, on August 14, 2010.

http://www.naplesnews.com/photos/galleries/2010/aug/14/wwii-ceremony/126779/#section_header


You can sign the enclosed guestbook for Bill and express your condolences if you wish at,Visit Guest Book for William Barchers.

http://www.legacy.com/guestbooks/naplesnews/guestbook.aspx?n=william-barchers&pid=164903134&page=2 

Below is one of the many entries,

Analytic, chiseled, decisive, hard, humorous, ingenuitive, loyal, obstinate, orator, quick, smart, and crusty ol' son-of-a-gun; great example of a Patriot!

These were just some of his characteristics that made him the colorful, gregarious and charismatic guy who laughed at his own mistakes (sometimes after we did first) and would chew the fat with anyone who would listen and give the time.
Thanks for being a part of our lives and being part of the legends and stories we'll tell that make people do double takes in what sometimes is a mixture of jealousy, wonder and amazement.
RIP, Bill, we're all better for knowing you and we're certainly gonna miss you!
~
Wayne Oien
Wisconsin

A similar version of this blog was published as an opinion article in the 05-22-13 edition of the Kaua'i Garden Island News;
http://thegardenisland.com/news/opinion/mailbag/letters-for-wednesday-may/article_766cbc6c-c2ac-11e2-b44f-001a4bcf887a.html

Hana Hou, (Encore) Shared from Facebook...

"How can we stay close to our children..." ' Judith Whitehead' (Inspiration Sunday)

Guest-blogger Judith whitehead lives in Amherst N.Y. is happily married
 with two loving adult sons and has
worked in the ophthalmology field of medicine for over 30 years. Today she talks
about family, or as we say in Hawai'i, Ohana... Enjoy!

How can we stay close to our children

One of the  happiest  days of my life was the day   my boys were born;  it is hard to express the happiness that we felt when our sons became part of our family.  One of our goals during our sons lives growing up was  to stay close and involved in their lives.  During their younger years we spent countless weekends going to their baseball games, choir productions, sporting events and vacations that they were  interested in.  My husband was always their assistant coach or head  coach over the years during baseball season and they were some of the best years of our lives.

It becomes more difficult as our children grow up and pursue their own interests,  to be involved in their lives.  It’s hard to let go and watch them become productive young men; it has been a journey to be part of their success and we are so proud  of the young men they have become today. 

We have found that there is one way to stay involved and part of their lives as they have grown up; learn about what their interests are,  and stay connected with them.  My youngest has become a Luthier, which is a tradesman that refurbishes and refinishes guitars as well as being a musician.  My husband has traveled many a guitar show with him over the years in different cities to shop for instruments to refurbish and play. It has kept them connected and interested in the same things.  

My oldest son pursued law enforcement and became a Mason this year. My husband has now become a 3rd degree Mason along with my son and can enjoy the same functions and fund raisers that the Masons partake in. They have this common bond they can enjoy together.   It’s important to continue to keep our bonds strong with our children for they are our children for life no matter how old they become or how far they travel; they will always be a part of our lives. 

 My own parents have been part of our lives all these years and even though my dad is in his 90’s he is still a part of our everyday lives in some small way; albeit  he is unable to partake in family gatherings as we did so long ago but we still gather for events and celebrate our milestones together.  

I think many families aren't staying as strong as they did many years ago and as parents  lead very busy lives these days they soon begin to lose their  connection  to their children’s lives .  Children  are ours for the long haul and no matter what the age they still look for guidance at times for some things.  Strong family ties can get us through the tough times and a parents love is unconditional.  No matter how difficult a child can be, they will always need the love of someone who cares.

Hana Hou, (Encore) Shared from Facebook...

"Thanksgiving in June..!" 'James "Kimo" Rosen

Kaua'i Mayor Bernard Carvalho Jr. enjoying the day at the 2012 Taste. 

Mark your Calendars, Thanksgiving in June!

Mark your calendars! This years Taste of Hawai'i, Kauai's signature event will be celebrating it's  milestone  25TH silver  anniversary. The event is  always scheduled  the first Sunday in June.  (June 2,.2013) 11:30-3:30.

Taste is always special, however with this year being the 25th milestone silver anniversary there are many special events scheduled on and beyond the  ultimate Sunday brunch. The brunch which features over 50 chefs strutting their signature dishes, 15 plus beer, wine and soft drink beverage vendors, 10 plus musical bands from Rock' roll to Big band, a silent auction and a Lappert's ice cream station all on one of the most beautiful properties on the Cosmic Garden Island, Smiths tropical paradise.

Taste of Hawai'i is not about "self" and how much you can eat and drink,it's deeper. "Taste" is a community event sponsored by the  Kapa'a Rotarian's. All profits go towards scholarships for our local youth and fund international projects such as providing safe drinking water and sanitation in schools for people in poverty stricken areas around the world. 

"Taste" is not only a taste of food but a taste of community, a taste of charity , a taste of fellowship and as locals call it , "a taste of dakine!" 

Taste is about true Aloha. 
Don't look at it as expensive, look at it as being free and you are donating $100 to an awesome and wonderful charity, which alone should make one feel alive.


A "Taste" is The sensation caused in the tongue by things placed on it, Synonyms for Taste are Flavor, savor love and  fondness.
Taste is the  ultimate Kaua'i experience, I like to call it  call it Thanksgiving in June.

The gourmet grinds  will have the locals  chanting 2 popular Hawai'ian pidgin phrases, " Broke da mout" and "Wop da jaw" which translates to  awesome, outrageous and delicious food.

To purchase tickets call    635-9421 or 639-0389   or go to  http://www.tasteofhawaii.com/

 Happy silver anniversary and  a huge  Mahalo Nui Loa to the Rotary club of Kapa'a, the chefs,vendors, musicians and the numerous volunteers making this all possible. To another 25 years of da Taste!

Hana Hou,(Encore) Shared from Facebook...

"The Next US Terrorist Attack..." 'Chester "Unc" Lau' (Source)

Dakinetalks favorite Uncle (Chester Lau)

Unc talks  about  Terrorism and what will happen next...

"Unc" is a retired cinematographer currently living 

on the Hawai'ian Island of Oahu & giving the politicians a bad time...

That's Unc with a makeshift dolly during the Korean war!
Mahalo for serving our country Unc!

The Next US Terrorist Attack


        In  light of the Boston attack by "US home-grown Muslim terrorists,"this article by the Israeli expert is so appropriate at this time to be"scary" and realistic !!!!  Read all the way down.  Takes a couple minutes but  worth it.

           I  promise this will make you  think  !

        Do you know who Juval Aviv is?  He was  Golda Meir's bodyguard and the Israeli Agent upon whom the movie  ' Munich '  was based.  Golda Meir appointed him to track down  and bring  to justice the Palestinian terrorists who took the Israeli athletes  hostage and killed them during the Munich Olympic Games.

        In a lecture in New  York City a few weeks ago, Aviv shared
information that EVERY  American needs to know, but that our government has not yet shared  with us.

        A  little background:

    .   Aviv predicted the London  subway bombing on the Bill O'Reilly show on 'Fox News', stating  publicly that it would happen within a week.   At the time, O'Reilly  laughed and mocked him, saying that in a week he wanted Aviv back  on the show.   Unfortunately, within a week the terrorist attack had  occurred.

    .   Juval Aviv also gave  intelligence to the Bush Administration about 9/11 a month before  it occurred. His report specifically said that they would use  planes as bombs and target high profile buildings and monuments...
           I think we all know what happened, right?

    .   Congress has since hired Aviv  as a security
consultant.

        Aviv predicts that the next terrorist  attack on the U.S. will occurwithin the next few  months.   Forget hijacking airplanes, because he says terrorists will NEVER try hijacking a plane again as they know the people on board will never go down quietly again.   Aviv says that our airport security is a joke 'that we have been reactionary' rather than proactive in developing strategies that are truly  effective.

        Example 1: Because an idiot tried  to light his shoe on fire, noweveryone has to take off their  shoes.

        Example 2: A group of idiots tried  to bring aboard liquid
explosives, and now we can't bring liquids on board.

        He says he's waiting for some suicidal maniac to pour liquid
explosive onhis underwear; government security will then  have us all traveling naked  !

        Last but not least,  our airport security looks for metal, but the
new explosives are  made of plastic !

        Currently, our  government only focuses on security when people areheading to the  gates. Aviv says that if a terrorist attack targets airportsin the future, they will target busy times on the front end of the airport when/where people are checking in.   For example, it would be easy for someone to take two suitcases of explosives, walk up to a busy check-in line, ask a person next to them to watch their bags for a  minute while they run to the restroom, and then detonate the bags  BEFORE security even gets
involved. In Israel, security checks bags  BEFORE people can even ENTER the airport.

        Aviv says the next  terrorist attack here in America is imminent and will involve  suicide bombers and non-suicide bombers in places where large groups  of people congregate, such as Disneyland, Las Vegas casinos, shopping malls, subways in rush hour, train stations, etc., as well  as in rural America this time (Wyoming, Montana, etc.). The attack will be characterized by simultaneous detonations around the country involving at
least 5-8 cities, including rural areas.  Aviv  says terrorists won't need to use suicide bombers in many of the  larger cities, because at places like the MGM Grand in Las Vegas,  they can simply valet park a car loaded with explosives and walk  away.

        Aviv  says all of the above is well known in intelligence circles, but  that our U.S. Government does not want to 'alarm American citizens' with the facts. The world, however, is soon going to become 'a different place', Aviv says, where issues like 'global warming' and political correctness will have become totally irrelevant.

        On an encouraging note, Aviv says that Americans don't have to be concerned about being nuked. He says the terrorists who want to destroy America will not  use sophisticated weapons.   Instead, they like to use suicide, as  it's cheap, it's easy, and it's effective and they have an infinite  abundance of young, ignorant, fanatic militants more than willing to  'go see Allah'.

        Aviv also says the  next level of terrorists over which America
should be most concerned  will not be coming from abroad. They will instead be 'home grown'  meaning they will have attended and been educated in our own schools  and universities right here in the U.S. These young terrorists will  be most dangerous because they will know our language and will fully understand the habits of Americans; but that we Americans won't know/understand a thing about them.

        So, what can  America do to protect itself?  From an intelligence perspective, Aviv  says the U.S. needs to stop relying on satellites and technology for  its intelligence. Instead, we need to follow Israel 's, Ireland 's  and England 's hands-on examples of human intelligence, both from an  infiltration perspective as well as to trust 'aware' citizens to help. We need to engage and educate ourselves as citizens; however,  our U.S. Government continues to treat us, its citizens, 'like  babies'. Our government thinks we can't handle the truth' and are concerned that we'll panic if we understand the realities of  terrorism. Aviv says this is a deadly mistake.

        Aviv recently  created/executed a security test for Congress by
placing an empty  briefcase in five well-traveled spots in five major
cities.  The  results? Not one person called 911 or sought a policeman tocheck it  out.  In fact, in Chicago, someone tried to steal the briefcase!

        In comparison, Aviv  says that citizens of Israel are so well
'trained' that an  unattended bag or package would be reported in seconds by citizen(s)  who know to publicly shout, 'Unattended Bag!'    The area would be  quickly & calmly cleared by the citizens themselves.  But, unfortunately, America hasn't been 'hurt enough' yet by terrorism  for their government to fully understand the need to educate its citizens or for the government to understand that it's the citizens  who are, inevitably, the best first-line of defense against  terrorism.

        Aviv also was  concerned about the high number of children who were in preschool  and kindergarten after 9/11, children who were basically 'lost'  without parents being able to pick them up, and schools that had no plan in place to best care for the students until their parents could get there. (In New York City , in some cases this was days!)  He stresses the importance of having a plan that's agreed upon within your family,  to respond to in the event of a terrorist emergency. He urges parents to contact their children's schools and demand that the  schools, too, develop plans of actions, as they do in Israel . He  says we should all have a plan that is easy enough for even our  youngest children to remember and follow.

        Does your family  know what to do if you can't contact one another by phone? Where  would you gather in an emergency?

        Aviv says that the U.S.  Government has in force a plan that, in the event of another  terrorist attack, will immediately cut-off EVERYONE's ability to use  cell phones, as this is the preferred communication source used by  terrorists and is often the way that their bombs are detonated. How will you communicate with your loved ones in the event you cannot  use phones, internet? Bottom line, you need to have a plan!

        If  you believe what you have just read, then you must feel
compelled to send it to every concerned parent or guardian, grandparents, uncles,  aunts, whatever and whomever.   Nothing will happen if you choose not to do so, but in the event it does happen, I promise this particular blog will haunt you.

        Don't be in the category of saying, "I should have shared with all my Facebook friends and everyone in my email address book...
Please share! Dakinetalk blog knows best!

Hana Hou, (Encore) Shared from Facebook...