"Time to get inspired..." 'Judith Whitehead' (Inspiration Sunday)

Judith Whitehead  lives in Amherst, N.Y. and has
worked in the ophthalmology field of medicine for
over 30 years. Today she talks about time to get inspired.

Enjoy!

Time to get inspired

Two or three times a year I try and attend a seminar in my profession; today not only did I attend but also was one of the lecturers.  

It’s always great to get inspired by others, meet with my fellow workers in the field and learn new things.  Seminars are a way to relax, recharge and renew and always enjoy a nice lunch provided, this year at the Marriott Hotel.  

Week after week we go to work sometimes like drones; everyone needs a break in the monotony no matter how much you enjoy your job.  Now I’m ready for Monday with new ideas for work.   

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


  

"The Irony of The TV Business..." 'Obama Da Dog'

Obama Da Dog blogs about the irony of the TV Industry...

The Irony of The TV Business

One of the greatest drama series on cable,"Breaking Bad"  recently aired their series grand finale. The TV show had become more and more popular every year for the last five years of  it's reign. The last episode  had over 10 million viewers, for cable those are Superbowl  type ratings.

I find it ironic that many  television shows end at their peek  of popularity. It seems if they're doing so well, employing many people and making money, why end the series?

Imagine in business after reaching your pinnacle of  sales you just decide to go out of business? Imagine Hershey chocolate deciding to quit business when sales are at a record high? Imagine any company that's peaking financially deciding to quit?

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

Ten Things That Will Disappear In Our Lifetime..." 'Chester "Unc" Lau' (Source)

Dakinetalks favorite Uncle (Chester Lau)

 talks  about  many things we now know will soon be no more.

"Unc" is a retired cinematographer currently living 

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

Ten Things That Will Disappear In Our Lifetime

More scary than humorous!

Ten Things That Will Disappear In Our Lifetime This is USA oriented, but Canada & the rest will not be far behind..
Whether these changes are good or bad depends in part on how we adapt to them. But, ready or not, here they come.

1. The Post Office
Get ready to imagine a world without the post office. They are so deeply in financial trouble that there is probably
no way to sustain it long term. Email, Fed Ex, and UPS have just about wiped out the minimum revenue needed to keep the post office alive. Most of your mail every day is junk mail and bills.

2. The Cheque
Britain is already laying the groundwork to do away with cheque by 2018. It costs the financial system billions
of dollars a year to process cheques. Plastic cards and online transactions will lead to the eventual demise of the
cheque. This plays right into the death of the post office. If you never paid your bills by mail and never received
them by mail, the post office would absolutely go out of business.

3. The Newspaper
The younger generation simply doesn't read the newspaper. They certainly don't subscribe to a daily
delivered print edition. That may go the way of the milkman and the laundry man. As for reading
the paper online, get ready to pay for it. The rise in mobile Internet devices and e-readers has
caused all the newspaper and magazine publishers to form an alliance. They have met with Apple,
Amazon, and the major cell phone companies to develop a model for paid subscription services.

4. The Book
You say you will never give up the physical book that you hold in your hand and turn the literal pages.
I said the same thing about downloading music from iTunes. I wanted my hard copy CD.
But I quickly changed my mind when I discovered that I could get albums for half the price
without ever leaving home to get the latest music. The same thing will happen with books.
You can browse a bookstore online and even read a preview chapter before you buy.
And the price is less than half that of a real book. And think of the convenience!
Once you start flicking your fingers on the screen instead of the book, you find that you are lost in the story,
can't wait to see what happens next, and you forget that you're holding a gadget instead of a book.

5. The Land Line Telephone
Unless you have a large family and make a lot of local calls, you don't need it anymore.
Most people keep it simply because they've always had it. But you are paying double charges
for that extra service. All the cell phone companies will let you call customers using
the same cell provider for no charge against your minutes

6. Music
This is one of the saddest parts of the change story. The music industry is dying a slow death.
Not just because of illegal downloading. It's the lack of innovative new music being given a chance
to get to the people who would like to hear it. Greed and corruption is the problem.
The record labels and the radio conglomerates are simply self-destructing.
Over 40% of the music purchased today is "catalogue items," meaning traditional music that
the public is familiar with. Older established artists. This is also true on the live concert circuit.
To explore this fascinating and disturbing topic further, check out the book,
"Appetite for Self-Destruction" by Steve Knopper, and the video documentary, "Before the Music Dies."

7. Television
Revenues to the networks are down dramatically. Not just because of the economy. People are watching TV
and movies streamed from their computers. And they're playing games and doing lots of other things that take
up the time that used to be spent watching TV. Prime time shows have degenerated down to lower than the
lowest common denominator. Cable rates are skyrocketing and commercials run about every 4 minutes and 30 seconds.
I say good riddance to most of it. It's time for the cable companies to be put out of our misery.
Let the people choose what they want to watch online and through Netflix.

8. The "Things" That You Own
Many of the very possessions that we used to own are still in our lives, but we may not actually own
them in the future. They may simply reside in "the cloud." Today your computer has a hard drive and you
store your pictures, music, movies, and documents. Your software is on a CD or DVD, and you can always
re-install it if need be. But all of that is changing. Apple, Microsoft, and Google are all finishing up
their latest "cloud services." That means that when you turn on a computer, the Internet will be
built into the operating system. So, Windows, Google, and the Mac OS will be tied straight into the Internet.
If you click an icon, it will open something in the Internet cloud. If you save something, it will be saved to the
cloud. And you may pay a monthly subscription fee to the cloud provider. In this virtual world, you can access
your music or your books, or your whatever from any laptop or handheld device. That's the good news. But,
will you actually own any of this "stuff" or will it all be able to disappear at any moment in a big "Poof?"
Will most of the things in our lives be disposable and whimsical? It makes you want to run to the closet and
pull out that photo album, grab a book from the shelf, or open up a CD case and pull out the insert.

9. Joined Handwriting
Already gone in some schools who no longer teach "joined handwriting" because nearly everything is done now on
computers or keyboards of some type (pun not intended)

10. Privacy
If there ever was a concept that we can look back on nostalgically, it would be privacy. That's gone. It's
been gone for a long time anyway.. There are cameras on the street, in most of the buildings, and even built
into your computer and cell phone. But you can be sure that 24/7, "They" know who you are and where you are,
right down to the GPS coordinates, and the Google Street View. If you buy something, your habit is put into a
zillion profiles, and your ads will change to reflect those habits. "They" will try to get you to buy something else. Again and again.
All we will have left that can't be changed are "Memories".

Hana Hou, (Encore) Shared From Youtube...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TsM8D31Wfg0

Phallic Traffic Barriers Offend Some Scott Township, Penn., Residents But Town Unlikely To Remove The Concrete Posts

By Jonathan Vankin, Mon, September 30, 2013

Maybe the residents of Scott Township, Penn., should look on the place as a tourist attarction.

http://www.opposingviews.com/i/society/phallic-traffic-barriers-offend-some-scott-township-penn-residents-town-unlikely-remove?

"Late Term Abortion is Awful..." 'Bettejo Dux' (Classic Wednesday)

Bettejo Dux has lived  on the Cosmic island  Garden Island
of Kaua'i over 30 years. She is a weekly columnist in the local
newspaper (The Garden Island News) and is a published author
of the Novella "The Scam." Order your copies below.
www.bettejodux.com

Late  Term Abortion is Awful

I do agree that late term abortion is awful and would prefer it be performed only to save the mother's life. Nevertheless, I think to have an abortion is a woman's decision. It's her body. It's her future and the future of the child she does not wish to bear and raise. 

If you don't want to have an abortion, or your family or your religious leader forbid it, don't have one. But leave those of us, who feel free to make that choice, alone. It's none of your business. 

If one is married, of course her husband should have a say. Still, if  my life were in jeopardy and  if I carried full term and my husband insisted I sacrifice my life for the unborn, I'd divorce him. Fortunately that was a decision I didn't have to make. My husband agreed 

What offends me most, however, is the continual religious harping. Not all of us are Christians. 

Further, I find it very difficult to understand these same Christians who never complain- or even mention- our country's compliance in the cold blooded murder of innocent children-and men and women, too-in these stupid endless wars for profit. Not to mention the lives of our own sons and daughter's

These wars will end when those of us who love kids stand up and shout, "Not our kids, not their kids, you don't."

Peace and love Bettejo Dux

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

"Fond Memories of Halloween..." 'Judith Whitehead' (Inspiration Sunday)

Judith Whitehead  lives in Amherst, N.Y. and has
worked in the ophthalmology field of medicine for
over 30 years. Today she talks about her memories 
of  Halloween...Enjoy

Fond Memories of Halloween

Soon it will be an all American, fun holiday to celebrate once again this year, All Hallows night or as we all know it as Halloween.  Every year this holiday brings back many fond memories of celebrating  as ayoung child growing up in Buffalo.  

October can be a chancy season here in Buffalo; I can remember
going trick or treating in rain, snow and very cold weather.  Some years we would have to wear winter coats over our costumes in the cold;  we would not let the rain or wind keep us from going out. 

 My dad would fashion a trick or treat “box” for me to carry some seasons.  He would make a  box with a  string
that would go over my shoulder to carry all my loot home.  It was awkward to  carry but I would never
hurt his feelings and I would always go along with his ideas; he was always the one to take me out every
year.  

My mom would stay home and give out the candy,  that was her job.  We would cover as many homes as we could until I got tired; he carried the flashlight and kept a very close eye on me.  At that
point, it was then his job to carry the heavy box home and  sift through for the safe candy to eat.  

Back in those early days some  people would give out apples; I always knew when I got one placed in my box, it made a clunking  noise and made the box even heavier.  We also carried a box to collect Unicef money, back then for donations, what ever happened to those… 

I went trick or treating for many years until I
was too old to continue the tradition and then transformed into the door guard and babysitter for  otherkids for the holiday.  

All too soon, I  had my own children to carry on the tradition with.  I knew how disappointing it was to have to cover up a costume in bad weather so we would drape clear dry cleaning
bags over our children’s costumes so others could enjoy them as well. It was “dads” job to escort the boys out while I stayed home to give out the candy.  Seeing the other children dressed up was also part of the joy of the holiday. 

Halloween  has become quite a money maker over the years; today the costumes are quite intricate. Nolonger do the plastic molded masks exist that used to suffocate and  poke us in the face.  The costumes are quite lifelike and comfortable and much more imaginative.  I start early in October decorating the porch with
festive decorations, witches and pumpkins with candles and lights. 

 The stores start carrying candy a fewmonths prior to capture the sales; candy is not so  cheap any longer to give out.  We live in a highly populated area of young families with many children and it is not unusual to give out over 100 pieces of candy in a few short hours.  

I still get a charge out of their little faces reaching into my Hallmark  witches book that talks,  to pick out their candy selection.  I start buying candy several weeks in advance to “stock” up  for the crowd.  My children are now grown up and go to their adult parties and still dress up.

I will forever hold on to the memories of celebrating Halloween with my dad; every year they come rushing back to me and still bring a smile to my face when I remember them.  They were innocent and uncomplicated years  to grow up in as compared to today. So let’s hope the weather holds out this year;my camera is ready and so is my decorated  porch and the Hallmark box is ready and full.  

May you all have a Happy   and Safe Halloween this year.

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

"Just a contract" 'Chester "Unc" Lau'

Dakinetalks favorite Uncle (Chester Lau)

 talks  about  how the government needs to
stay out of our personal business...

"Unc" is a retired cinematographer currently living 

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

Just a  contract    

In a democracy, government has no right or business in the personal marriage business. Marriage is personal. All that should be required is a legal written contract.

Government should recognize, concur and help enforce the legal contracts regarding property rights, etc. Lawyers will enforce wills or trusts, so we need only lawyers, not government or any third parties. A legal written contract between lovers would suffice.

If I decided to marry a monkey and leave all my worldly goods to him or her, that’s my business, not a church’s or the government’s.


A new law on same-sex marriage passed by the Legislature and signed by the governor shouldn't be needed. It’s none of their business.

http://www.midweek.com/letter-to-the-editor-10213/

Editors note, the above was published in Oahu Midweek on 10-02-13, the unedited version appears below. Which one do you like better?

Freedom to Love is no business of Government or religious entities

In a Democracy,government have No right or business in the personal Marriage business,marriage is personal between lovers,be it same sex , man & animal or any  entities, a legal written contract by attorneys should suffice between lovers . 

 Government  should  recognize , concur  & help enforce the legal contracts . the  responsibilities are in the contract , mostly for human & property rights before , after death or divorces. 

We don't need government to do anything,the lawyers will enforce the wills or trusts,so we need only lawyers,not any two cents by government or any third parties ,.a legal written contract between lovers would suffice...

If I decided to marry a monkey & leave all  my worldly goods to him or her,that' my business ,not the church or government's .

I am surprise why lawyers have not taken up this subject of  marriage ,they can profit instead of the church or the  state .

No public vote needed on same sex marriage ,it's none of their business. 

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

"As America Melts Down..." 'James "Kimo" Rosen'

James "Kimo" Rosen along with Obama Da Dog
and President Obama's sister, Maya,
talk story about the recent government shutdown...

As America Melts Down

How can America ever dream of world peace when  our politicians are out to destroy each other and America. Our enemies must be delighted as they watch America meltdown.

The GOP may have their differences but need to realize that appealing affordable health care for the 42nd time and not having their way is not reason enough to penalize innocent Americans.

Congress will still get their paychecks during the government shutdown,  however the average American struggling  to pay basic living expenses are the ones who will suffer.

The Tea party made a pledge to make Obama fail no matter what, even if it bankrupts your  friends, family and neighbors.

The blatant disrespect the GOP has for President Obama is not warranted with rational thought, it is only warranted through racism and hate.

Martin Luther King may had a dream, but President Obama and  many Americans are now living a nightmare.

P.S.
I had a Letter to the editor published in the 10-03-13 edition of the  Honolulu Staradvertiser; I am copying and pasting the whole letter since it was published on a site with a pay-wall.

Shutdown driven by hate for Obama
(Honolulu Star-Advertiser | 2013-10-03 | USA | Page: 12)

How can America ever dream of world peace when our politicians are out to destroy each other and America? Our enemies must be delighted as they watch America melt down.

GOP members may have their differences, but need to realize that attempting to repeal the Affordable Care Act for the 42nd time and not getting their way is not reason enough to penalize innocent Americans.

Congress will still get their paychecks during the government shutdown. However, the average American struggling to pay basic living expenses is the ones who will suffer.

The tea party made a pledge to make President Barack Obama fail no matter what, even if it bankrupts your friends,family and neighbors. The blatant disrespect the GOP has for Obama is not warranted by rational thought. It is only warranted by racism and hate.

Martin Luther King Jr. may have had a dream, but Obama and many Americans are now living a nightmare.

James "Kimo" Rosen
Kapaa, Kauai

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