"Differing opinions needn't end friendships..."

Differing opinions needn't end friendship. This is in response to the numerous people who take my opinions too seriously. You can never please all of the people. Being a frequent contributor to the letters section and a blogger puts me in a vulnerable position.

Sometimes people love your point of view and sometimes they disagree. The ones who really enjoy my blogs or letters will go out of their way and contact me. The people who disagree will many times be associates who after reading my opinion will be mad or stop talking to me.

We can all have different opinions, whether we express them in letters to the editor, blogging, verbally or in casual conversation. The main thing to focus on is that these are just opinions.

I may disagree with your political point of view or how you raise your child, or that weed blowers should be abolished in residential areas, or that President Obama is the messiah.

My opinion may be different from yours. However, we can still be friends with differences in opinions.

Many times we criticize out of love and concern. I know that's what I do.

who care's about a piece of paper, anyway?

My oxford Dictionary Thesaurus defines marriage as a "legal union between a man and woman.

America went through a civil war, what's civil about a war? What's civil about a union?

Many heterosexual couples live together without ever getting married, I did it 4 times? If I would had been legally married any of those times, it would had been a real financial mess to go through divorce.

The majority of marriages end in divorce, why is the gay community wanting to adopt the straight institution of marriage and civil unions with all it's flaws, laws and rules? Even traditional marriage has prenuptial agreements set up in case of divorce.

If it ain't broke, why fix it? I say to the Gay community, be happy living together and if you truly love your spouse go see an attorney and write up a living will of what you wish in the event of sickness or death.

If your truly in love, who cares about a piece of paper anyway?

Closed for remodeling....

The title of a movie is the bait, it's what first gets your attention.

I have often thought the perfect name for a movie would be "Closed for Remodeling." I have often seen that signage on many marquis of theatres and was always dis-appointed that they were actually closed and not featuring a movie titled, "Closed for Remodeling."

It was after my disappointment that closed for remodeling was not playing that I took my favorite bus home, "Out of service." The out of service took me right where I needed to be.

I got home on the out of service bus and it was raining cats and dogs, this comes after a day of shopping where I spent an arm and a leg.

It's no wonder foreign visitors to Hawaii and the US have such a hard time with the English language even though we speak American.

Why is it?..

Why is it I can buy a printer for my computer with color and black ink cartridges for less than the cost of the ink cartridges alone at a local discount store?

Why is it i can buy two flashlights with four EverReady batteries for less than the cost of just buying EverReady batteries?

Why is it at a local garden store I can buy a planted tree in a pot for less than just the cost of the pot?

The reason is people in America love stuff...How can we control our landfills when we can buy all this stuff for less than replacing parts on stuff?

Finally why should I buy a newspaper when I can read it for free online? Some things i just don't understand yet love it none the less....

Dogs reflect their owners...

You cannot judge a person by the color of their skin or what religion they practice or don't practice, but you most definitely can judge a person by the actions of their dog.

Have you ever noticed that people who keep dogs tied up, dogs that bark constantly and bare their teeth as you walk by, are usually that type of person themselves?

People think pit bulls are mean dogs. If the owner is mean, the dog will be mean. I have seen loving pit bulls that come from loving homes.

When a person has an obedient dog, it represents the owner as being decent and obedient.

When a person has a loving dog, it means that person is full of love and passion.

When a person has a dog that hugs your leg, that is usually someone with a high libido.

Please remember it's not the dogs to blame if they are indecent or out of control - it's their indecent, out-of-control masters.

snake oil

Neutriceuticals or pharmaceuticals, snake oil or placebo's, what should one do when sick, blue or dying?

Antibiotics and pharmaceuticals are my saviours, while others swear by goji, aloe vera, noni, supplements, nutrients and herbs.

I had bronchitis and wanted it treated naturally, I went to a naturopath and was treated with acupuncture and expensive supplements, ironically one of the supplements had cow lung in it, yet they suggested I go on a vegetarian diet.

After taking the supplements for days and two acupuncture treatments my bronchitis became worse.

Finally I made an appointment to see a traditional physician and was prescribed antibiotics, within hours of commencing the first dosage of antibiotics I felt like a new man.

Many people who smoke marijuana and self medicaid themselves on magic mushrooms and anything that grows from the earth feel their illegal drugs are justified, yet constantly criticize others for their usage of prescribed legal medications that keep them going day to day.

People are living longer today than any other time in history, our first president George Washington died of a tooth abscess, which today would commonly be treated with antibiotic therapy.

Two years ago I was hospitalized for 3 months with a spinal abscess, which without proper antibiotics and pharmaceuticals most definitely would had taken my life. Pharmaceuticals, or neutriceuticals ? Remembering the old expression, "one man's meat is another man's poison."

"Can you hear me now?...

Can you hear me now? Unfortunately, yes. On a recent trip on the Kauai bus, someone had a cell phone with the ring tone of a siren. The driver pulled off to the side of the road, believing it to be an emergency vehicle.

I pass by people in the supermarkets yapping on their cells, asking the advice of their friends or spouses on what frozen pizza to buy.

I saw three tourists walking together and each one of them was on their cell phone. They had the company of each other but had to talk to someone else on a phone.
I go to lunch with a friend and they spend half their time on their cell phone. I'm the guy buying, shouldn't I get the attention?

I observe about 50 percent of all drivers speaking to someone on their cell phones. The conversation might go something like this: "How are you?" "Good, how are you?" "What's happening?" "I don't know, what's happening with you?" "Should we do something?" "I don't know, do you want to do something?" I don't know." Then call-waiting kicks in and it's another call: "Howzit?" "OK, howzit with you?" "What are you doing?" "I don't know, what are you doing?" Then the battery dies as they smash into the car in front of them.

Movie theaters, churches, synagogues, business meetings, lectures, the beach, hiking trails ... nothing is sacred any more.

My friend points her cell phone at me as we are being intimate and says, "Smile and say cheese!"
Nowadays the only place you can escape cell-phone mania is by speaking on your land line.