"How do I know if I have dry eyes...?" 'Judith Whitehead' (Inspiration Monday)

Judith Whitehead is back guest-blogging on this awesome Inspirational Monday about dry eyes, a common ailment and what to do to fix the condition, so save a visit to the Opthamologist and read Judy's free advise to dakinetalk readers!  Judy lives in Amherst N.Y. and has worked in the medical profession for over 30 years.

HOW DO I KNOW IF I HAVE DRY EYES

DRY eyes are one of the most common eye ailments among the general population. They can cause many symptoms that are annoying to people and will go untreated because the symptoms can give a mixed message to many.

Believe it or not, many peoples’ eyes water constantly which is a common symptom of dry eye. Eyes will water as a response to dryness and irritation. Their tears are not made of good quality and are called reflux tearing. They lack the oily mixture needed to replenish the cornea. There are many ways to treat dry eye starting with tears in a bottle which will re wet the cornea. There are also tear ointments and tear gels that can be used, although they will tend to blur the vision. In extreme cases there is a product on the market called Restasis which when used regularly will restore the balance of the tear film and help the body produce better quality tears. They are a prescription drop and are not used in the same way that a natural tear formula is; they are not meant to replace an over the counter drop that just serves to moisten the eyes. Also each eye has 2 tear ducts called the punctum, that can be plugged both temporarily or permanently in a few minutes in a simple office procedure; that will help keep the tears in the eye and prevent them from going down the drain. In severe cases when someone has a dry mouth and dry skin etc. they may have a condition called Sjogrens Syndrome that is an extreme case of dryness. This is also treated with moisture tears and possibly prescription drops.

A dry eye and dry cornea can cause blurry vision and set up the eye to become more susceptible to eye infections. An eye that is constantly dry can cause permanent damage to the cornea as well.

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.

"Honolulu thinking of banning plastic bags, too..! James "Kimo" Rosen

"If they're good enough for my President, they're good enough for me!"
photo courtesy of http://www.savetheplasticbag.com

"The biggest problem is Wal-Mart; the largest retailer on Kaua‘i and the social gathering place of many, sell blue imitation cloth looking bags made out of used plastic bottles..." (Seriously, check the label.) http://www.savetheplasticbag.com/

 Don't do it, don't be hypocrites, I know, I see it first hand on Kauai, the plastic ban ban was a total hypocrisy,Kauai has reverted back to destroying rain forests with reintroducing paper bags...

 The County of Kaua‘i has a plastic bag ban at grocery, retail stores, and take-out for restaurants. The irony is the stores have reverted back to using paper, the ban was suppose to be to get people to use reusable cloth bags. The ban has failed dramatically because it was never intended for paper to replace plastic thus taking us 100 giants steps backward.

Grocery stores continually run out of paper and when they do have paper bags they take up many times the space of the old plastic bags. People re-used plastic, the paper breaks and is garbage as soon as you take your groceries home and now many people are buying commercial plastic garbage liners during these recessed times when they can least afford it.

The biggest problem is Wal-Mart; the largest retailer on Kaua‘i and the social gathering place of many, sell blue imitation cloth looking bags made out of used plastic bottles. (Seriously, check the label.) The icing on the cake is these bags are made in China and everyone on the island and many visitors now have hundreds of these blue cloth looking bags made of plastic bottles in China. The ban was to get rid of plastic, but these beautifully designed blue bags that look like cloth are made of plastic.

Many of the grocery stores on Kauai have to rent additional container trucks just to store paper bags since paper takes up to 100 times the space of plastic. (Just imagine  100 paper bags stacked high verses 100 plastic bags stacked high.)
Therefore if a plastic ban is enacted in Honolulu please also ban paper.

 Paper is actually more polluting than paper, read the study at www.savetheplasticbag.com.

The Honolulu Star-advertiser published an edited version of this opinion article on 03-05-12, here it is; http://staradvertiser.newspaperdirect.com/epaper/viewer.aspx

Kauai has a plastic-bag ban at grocery, retail stores and takeout for restaurants. The irony is the stores have reverted back to using paper bags, while the ban was supposed to get people to use reusable cloth bags. The ban has failed dramatically, taking us 100 giant steps backward.

Grocery stores continually run out of paper bags. When they do have them, they take up many times the space of the old plastic bags. People re-used plastic. The paper ones break and become garbage as soon as you take your groceries home. Now many people are buying commercial plastic garbage liners during these recessionary times when they can least afford it.

Walmart, the largest retailer on Kauai and the social gathering place of many, sells blue cloth looking bags made out of used plastic bottles. The ban was to get rid of plastic, but these beautifully designed blue bags are made of plastic.

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.

MASH?, comes to the Garden Island...! 'James "Kimo" Rosen

A Mash like unit consisting of Navy and air force reservists comes to the cosmic island of Kauai, no Radar, Hawk-eye or Hot-lips, just great caring men and woman practicing dental, eye care and general medical for free. No requirement, you can drive a Mercedes or an island beater, nobody denied!   Mahalo Nui Loa Uncle, Sam that is...

Tropic care Kaua'i, the name given to our local MASH like unit...
http://thegardenisland.com/news/local/free-care-starts-tuesday/article_0e9de666-6118-11e1-ad4a-0019bb2963f4.html

Mash,  not only a popular TV series of the 1970's has come to practice dental, eye care and  general medical on our cosmic hamlet of an  island. Not quite Mash but close enough, consisting of Navy and Air Force reservists..."MASH" only consists or Army.

MASH actually stands for Mobile Army Surgical Hospital and the military's  Average MASH unit will have: Nine doctors, 29 nurses and some 159 other soldiers which in all make up a typical MASH unit. The Unit on Kauai is not actually a MASH unit, but similar in many ways.

I stopped at All Saints church in Kapa'a town and was greeted with Aloha by many in the Mash  like unit practicing  there. No pre-qualifying for medical care, whether your a millionaire or on welfare, whether you drive a Mercedes or peddle a bicycle, nobody is refused care!

I was impressed with the bed-side etiquette shown, all involved from the helpers, nurses and doctors all seemed to care and answer all questions with smiles and a caring attitude. Healing begins with a positive attitude.

 I am thankful for the eyeglasses and eye exam performed by the visiting MASH-like unit called Tropic Care Hawaii... Radar Hawk-eye and Hot-lips may have not been there, however I saw the dedication and team-worked performed by this group and was beyond impressed. No Cash, go see the men and woman who make up "Tropic Care" MASH like unit.
 Mahalo Nui Loa Uncle, Sam that is...

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.

"Split personality..?" 'Michael Herr' (Aloha Friday)

 Renowned author Michael Herr is back guest blogging on this awesome Aloha Friday about the battle of split personalities...
Michael is happily retired and pursuing his dreams of writing and publishing books, he currently lives in Walnut Creek California.  (Michael is pictured above with his latest book,"The old Queen and the Maui Maiden." To purchase this book or any of Michael's 6 other novella's go to; http://www.michaelherr.com

ALOHA FRIDAY

March 2, 2012

It's Aloha Friday.

Split personality? Let me check with my other persona.

Aloha folks.

At times I'm sure I have a split personality. You know, part of me likes something, but another part of me doesn't. Part of me wants something, but another part of me says "No". Actually the part of me that says "No" most often is my rational, smart-thinking, wise self. The part of me that wants something, well that's my fun-loving impractical side.

Example: I really would like to eat a quart of Rocky Road ice cream, says my impractical fun-loving side (which is located at times like that in my abdominal region). No way, says my rational self. You just spent a half-hour on the treadmill. If you eat that ice cream you'll have just wasted that half hour. But, says my ice cream-loving side, that half-hour on the treadmill helped me burn enough calories so that I can indulge in that ice cream without worrying about the consequences. Seems my impractical fun-loving side knows how to argue too.

But it's not my fault that I have this split personality. Just check out the world around us.

Yesterday afternoon I saw a commercial on television touting the benefits of the California lottery. Buy a scratcher ticket and win big! Got in my car and turned on the radio only to hear an ad telling me where to go to get help if I have a gambling problem.

When I got home I read an article online about the growing problem of our obsession with sex. Then I watched a slide-show of the women at the Oscars, all showing off their surgically enhanced bodies — and showing off lots of their bodies (did you catch Angelina's leg???).

The mail came, bringing with it my prescription cholesterol-lowering medication. Along with that prescription the mailman delivered lots of coupons offering me really great deals on pizza and KFC.

I want to pay my taxes so that I'm a good citizen. Then I see all those loopholes, just sitting there waiting for me to use them.

I'm pulled in opposing directions all through the day and evening. I don’t know which way to turn, which one of my selves should I listen too. But knowing me, I'll probably take the path of least resistance. I think that quart of Rocky Road is still downstairs. And I can always walk a little more on my treadmill tomorrow.

Okay folks, one of me will see you next week.

For more of Michael's writings go to http://www.michaelherr.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.

"Talking dog for sale!" 'Marvin Gross' (Source)

Marvin Gross a financial advisor from Western N.Y. shared this interesting story of the talking dog with us, Mahalo Nui Loa Marvin!

A guy is driving around Oklahoma and he sees a sign in front of a house: "Talking Dog For Sale." He rings the bell and the owner tells him the dog is in the backyard.

The guy goes into the backyard and sees a Labrador retriever sitting there.

"You talk?" he asks.

"Yep," the Lab replies.

"So, what's your story?"

The Lab looks up and says, "Well, I discovered that I could talk when I was pretty young. I wanted to help the government, so I told the CIA about my gift, and in no time at all they had me jetting from country to country, sitting in rooms with spies and world leaders, because no one figured a dog would be eavesdropping. I was one of their most valuable spies for eight years running."

"But the jetting around really tired me out, and I knew I wasn't getting any younger so I decided to settle down. I signed up for a job at the airport to do some undercover security wandering near suspicious characters and listening in."

"I uncovered some incredible dealings and was awarded a batch of medals. I got married, had a mess of puppies, and now I'm just retired."

The guy is amazed. He goes back in and asks the owner what he wants for the dog.

"Ten dollars," the guy says.

"Ten dollars? This dog is amazing. Why on earth are you selling him so cheap?"

"Because he's a damn liar. He never did any of that stuff."

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.

"The whole world comes to Kaua'i..." 'Bettejo Dux' (Classic Wednesdays)

"THE WHOLE WORLD COMES TO KAUAI"
About Bettejo Dux, pronounced "Dukes"
http://www.bettejodux.com/

http://bettejo.wordpress.com/

Bettejo Dux left her native state of California, of which she is fifth generation, when she was eighteen and began her wanderings. She has lived and visited in many strange and unusual towns in Central and South America and the Far East. When she and her husband were “romancing the stone,” she stayed in places where no other American lady had ever stayed. A resident of Kauai for over forty years, but an expatriate at heart, she thinks Kauai is about as far out as you can get and still be in. A professional actress, she performed at the Manila Theater Guild and at the Magic Ring Theater in the Hilton Hawaiian Village, at the time the only professional theater in Hawaii. She did “Steel Magnolias,” directed by Arnold Meister, and “Gin Game” on Kauai. She is a writer. She was Woman’s Page Editor of the Pali Press and wrote a featured column for the Honolulu Star Bulletin Advertiser Sunday Edition. She has had several pieces published locally. A political activist and devout non-believer, she writes a blog she calls a “column” under the head bettejo. She can be a royal pain in the ass - ask any of her detractors. She loves to tweak their tails and watch them wiggle. To many, however, she is personally known as a witty and humorous, delightful and engaging lady. She loves to dance, sing and party, and is very happy pixilated. She loves chardonnay and cheese and crackers. A former member of the Mokihana Club, the oldest women’s club on Kauai, and the Poipu Rotary Club, she is presently an honorary member of the National Tropical Botanical Gardens, her neighbors up the hill in Kalaheo. She is an off-island member of the Waikiki Yacht Club. She and her husband sailed and raced the channels around Hawaii for years. She still practices yoga and her measurements are the same now as they were forty years ago. She says, as Gypsy Rose Lee did, “I’ve got everything I came in with, only my cargo has shifted.” Her favorite woman writer is still Dorothy Parker. Her favorite male writer is James Thurber, followed by Dean Koontz. THE SCAM is her first novel, but there are three fantasies to be published soon.

That the whole world comes to Kauai is one of the joys of living here. The house up the Alexander Dam Road was remote but, partly because of the kids, at least half the world ended up there. Also partly because this monster lava rock abode had five bedrooms, four baths, a huge living/dining room, and a mammoth 'party' kitchen. Everyone Bill and I had known since the beginning of time suddenly remembered us and came for a visit.
That's one of the reasons why this house has one bedroom, one bathroom, and one interior door. I love people and house guests but after a while hotel keeping grows tiresome and tedious. Now when friends come calling I say, "Bring a tent. Camping gear You're welcome to stay on the back forty." I only have four acres but it's a steep traipse to the back side and when you get there you'd think you were a million miles from anywhere. No roads. No street lights. No sounds, except for the birds and the feral pigs snuffling. My neighbor to the east is the back-end of the National Tropical Botanical Gardens. When John Allerton was alive- the vast estate and the Garden was his baby-I teased, "You walk ten miles. I'll walk ten feet. And we'll fight over the back fence."
The most interesting house we lived in was the house on Kukuiula Harbor. Our boat floated in the bay, our horses hung out across the street, and millionaire's row was a bit scruffy. All the rest was green stalks of cane-grass at its tallest- and miles and miles of bridle paths called cane roads by others. Our air was the softest. Our stars the brightest. The bay the cleanest. And it was my country all the way to Shipwreck at one end and Allerton's red gates at the other. I taught Beau how to open those gates. I wasn't allowed to enter- but of course I did-and was always getting caught. I'd flash the peace sign, wave a big wave, and gallop off in all directions.
At this end of the road, too, is the Spouting Horn. One morning as we stopped to hear it roar and watch it burst and bubble, I caught sight oi a guy with his butt in the air and his head in the hole.
"Sir," I hollered. "Don't..."
When he stood up and turned, my heart skipped a beat. This was really good-looking guy. His name was Terry Mulligan, a Canadian Mountie and movie star, and he walked my horse and I home. He stayed with us. Sailed with us. Taught me Mountie horse stuff. We baby sat his daughter, met his girl friend, fed them Portuguese bean soup made in a tub and feasted on for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
This memory is for all my new-found Friday world-wide friends, Krista from Kalamazoo, Marlene from Hanapepe, Susanjane and Don from Canada, Mike from new York, Peter from Oregon, Sid from British Columbia, darling Julie-who loved Scam-and came back to say so.
Hope you have a happy stay, a safe trip home and hurry back.
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.

"Photography is a cakewalk compared to writing..." 'James "Kimo" Rosen'

"One needs thick skin to be an opinion columnist or writer, photography on the other hand is definitely more zen like..."

I had a career as a professional photographer for 30 years before retiring in 2003. I did everything from commercial, weddings ,portraits, passports, travel, photojournalism  and freelanced for numerous national publications.

In all  my years as a  professional photographer I had many compliments, people never went off  on me or quit talking to me because they didn't like a photo I took.

Fast forward to my retirement years where I fancy myself a blogger and an opinion writer with many letters to the editor along with a daily blog.

People will  comment things like, "move back to where you came from," or "go drink Manischewitz wine and complain with your own types."  (actual comments) Writing is  a passion in such a different way than photography.
Nobody ever looked at one of my photos and said, "move back to where you came from,"  "or  next time I see you on your bike, lookout..!" 

This blog for example, nobody will get upset with the photo I have accompanying this blog, but some will be upset with the content of words, the writing."One needs thick skin to be an opinion columnist or writer, photography on the other hand is definitely more zen like..."
I have discovered that writing takes thick skin, whereas photography is definitely more of a cakewalk with  people responding to writers so much different than photographers. They say each picture is worth a thousands words, however words get you in trouble not photo's. For now all I can say is,  "smile and say cheese!"  :D)