"LOVE THY NEIGHBOR..." 'Bettejo Dux' (Classic Wednesday)

Bettejo Dux has live on kauai over 40 years and is a columnist for the local newspaper along as being the author of the famous Novella, "The Scam." www.bettejodux.com

Did anyone ever wonder why 'devout non believers' like myself always get such a bad rap? Hey, I'm somebody's neighbor, too.

I 'm so lucky, in my green bowl of fresh air, to have the most wonderful neighbors in the world. Two legged. Four legged. Feathered.

There are six houses on my side of the one lane bridge that crosses a recently dried up-stream, and two houses on the other side. When you start down the hill, on a two lane, narrow, twisty old road that was once a side road off the main road to Waimea-by foot or horseback or truck or car or bicycle 0r motorcycle or running in a marathon-you are surrounded by open fields and a jungle growth of buffalo grass and hale koa which Ari loves to munch on. I warn him too much hale koa will make his tail fall off- honest- and I can't afford to buy him a fake one. No vain roan horse wants to be seen without a tail.

On the mauka side of this stretch is a vast all-encompassing vista of everywhere and everything north-eastward. Cloud capped Mt. Kahili reigns supreme and no civilized distraction-house, highway, telephone pole-insults the eye of the beholder. A jungle growth and tottering fence claims ownership of this side. Inside the fence, on a bank that once grew pineapple- the old cannery is just around the corners-I can walk and watch dark rain filled clouds slug slither down the mountain side hell-bent on drenching me, and everything in the valley, to fullness.

If Ari and I and Boots catch sight of this forthcoming disaster we race back to the barn post-haste.

When you reach the bottom of the road and make the hairpin turn you're in paradise. Open pasture-where Duke made his runaway flight- now full of horses...

...horses!

The property was purchased by a mainlander- fenced and harshly gated-with intent to build. But something changed. An old Kalaheo horse- loving family equipped with gorgeous kids leased the property and filled it full of horses. Ari and they talked horse story back and forth across the air space. I love to hear horses talk to each other. They were getting acquainted. I was eavesdropping.

I thought I sensed a jealous speak in Ari's voice. Here were new friend in lush green pasture, which he doesn't have, so quickly made contact with my wonderful new neighbor who gave me permission to let Ari roam and graze. I could hardly wait to turn him loose.

When that day came, first light, I led him over. Opened and closed the gate and told him to go run and jump and play. No other horses were in sight. I kept a vigil. Watched him. And guess what? He careened back down to the gate and called.To me.Paced. He wanted to come home. He loves his home.

Okay. But I love my new neighbors and they love me. if Ari wants to be standoffish that's his problem.

"Misplaced my glasses..." 'Chester "Unc" Lau' (Source)

Chester "Unc" Lau' is a retired cinematographer
living on the island of Oahu and giving politicians a hard time.


Misplaced my glasses.

Yesterday my daughter e-mailed me again asking why I didn't do something
useful with my time. Like sitting around the pool and drinking wine is not
a good thing.
Talking about my "doing something useful" seems to be her favorite topic
of conversation.
She was "only thinking of me" and suggested I go down to the senior center
and hang out with the guys.
I did this and when I got home last night I decided to teach her a lesson
about staying out of my business. I e-mailed her and told her that I had
joined a parachute club.
She replied, "Are you nuts? You are about 80 years old, and now you're
going to start jumping out of airplanes?"
I told her that I even got a membership card and e-mailed a copy to her.
She immediately telephoned me, "Good grief, where are your glasses!
This is a membership to a Prostitute Club, not a Parachute Club."
"Oh man, I'm in trouble again; I really don't know what to do... I signed
up for five jumps a week." The line went quiet and her friend picked up
the phone and said that she had fainted.
Life as a senior citizen is not getting any easier but sometimes it can be
fun.

Hana Hou;

"And The Winner is..." 'Judith Whitehead' (Inspiration Sunday)

Judith Whitehead has works  in the medial field of ophthalmology
for over 30 years. she currently resides in Amherst N. Y.

And The Winner is..


They say you never know when luck will fall into your lap...

I am one who will enter many contests, like my dad who did for his whole life and won many gifts along the way. Yesterday, to my delight and surprise, I was called with the news that I have won 2 tickets to see Jerry Seinfeld perform at Shea's theatre tonight with orchestra seats...this is a sold out show. I can't wait to enjoy his spiel...goes to show you, you never know what tomorrow will bring and never stop entering contests!

P.S.
This story will bring tears to your eyes, an officers last conversation;
http://www.godvine.com/Police-Officer-s-Final-Act-of-Kindness-Caught-on-Tape-Before-Dying-1065.html?utm_source=hootsuite&utm_medium=facebook&utm_campaign=kitv

Food Trucks... James 'Kimo" Rosen (re-run by popular demand)

"Food trucks need to quit charging 5 star prices in a fast food environment..."
This blog original appeared on Dakinetalk blog on 2-24-12 Blog #584
http://dakinetalk.blogspot.com/2012/02/food-trucks-james-kimo-rosen.html

"Every Food truck I have visited on Kaua'i is priced way to high..."
This blog was published as an opinion article on 03-14-12 in the Kaua'i garden island news.
http://thegardenisland.com/news/opinion/mailbag/letters-for-wednesday-march/article_018dbf4c-6d92-11e1-ac45-001871e3ce6c.html  

Food trucks are known and famous for large portions of ono grindz (delicious food) at very reasonable prices.

Food trucks do not have the overhead of a conventional restaurant, therefore one would think the savings in overhead would be passed onto the consumer as I have witnessed on Oahu.

Every Food truck I have visited on Kaua'i is priced way to high. There's a relatively new food truck I pass by everyday, however after looking at the menu, it was the same old story,  expensive! prices.  
The only thing that looked reasonable was  the kids menu, however you must be 12 or under, isn't that discrimination?
 The icing on the cake is  the audacity to have a mayonnaise jar on their counter in sloppy handwriting that  says "TIPS!". My only tip to these food trucks is lower your prices and think volume or go out of business  trying to get five star prices in a fast food environment.

http://thegardenisland.com/news/opinion/mailbag/letters-for-wednesday-march/article_018dbf4c-6d92-11e1-ac45-001871e3ce6c.html

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.

"Oh What a Wonderful World ..." 'Chester Unc Lau' ----Unc is the source of this wonderful story...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HPcgM1MnDnI  listen to this classic!

Grandson of slaves, a boy was born in a poor neighborhood of New Orleans, known as the "Back of Town".
His father abandoned the family when the child was an infant. His mother became a prostitute and the boy and his sister had to live with their grandmother. Early in life, he proved to be gifted for music and, with three other kids, he sang in the streets of New Orleans and his first gains were the coins that were thrown to them.

A Jewish family, Karnovsky, who had immigrated from Lithuania to the USA , had pity for the 7-year-old boy and brought him into their home. Initially given 'work' in the House, to feed this hungry child. Then he remained and slept in this Jewish family where, for the first time in his life, he was treated with kindness and tenderness. When he went to bed, Mrs. Karnovsky sang him a Russian Lullaby that he would sing with her.

Later, he learned to sing and play several Russian and Jewish songs. Over time, this boy became the adopted son of this family. The Karnovskys gave him money to buy his first trumpet; as was the custom in the Jewish families, they sincerely admired his musical talent. Later, when he became a professional musician and composer, he used these Jewish melodies in compositions, such as St. James Infirmary and Go down, Moses.

The little black boy grew up and wrote a book about this Jewish family who had adopted him in 1907. In memory of this family and until the end of his life, he wore a star of David and he said that it is in this family that he had learned "how to live real life and determination. ''


This little boy was called Louis
Armstrong.

What a wonderful world !!

"THE WORLD IS ALIVE.." 'Bettejo Dux'-----Bettejo is a columnist in the Garden Island newpaper and author of the Novella, "The Scam."www.bettejodux.com

...with the sound of nature. A song that's been sung for a thousand years. This world fills my heart with the sound of nature. My hearts wants to sing every song it hears.

Oh, boy, I really got going this morning. The roosters in the Kalaheo hillside were out in force. I've heard roosters only crow when they've been awakened by a light. One sees a light, wakes up another rooster-who probably hasn't seen the light- and pretty soon the scattered flock is chiming in, sounding up, and joining the chorus.

If that's true, we woke them first. That's a switch.

They don't write letters to the Forum complaining. Guess I'll have to do it for them. I stand staunchly on the side of the rooster. Turn out the darn lights. Probably some drunk coming home late.

I think I'm lucky I live in old Hawaii. Surrounded by lots of open space. Cleanest, freshest air. Green hillsides full of cattle, horses, goats. Birds a twitter- when twitter was a sound and not a space in cyber. "The sound of cattle mooing is a comforting sound," my neighbor once said. I like that. Once a bellering mama cow, trying to give birth, kept the entire neighborhood up all night. We were all relieved- and delighted- when a healthy happy baby boy plopped out at glorious sunrise in a grassy green pasture. His mama was vey proud,.She licked him dry, and soon he was up and on his wobbly feet slurping breakfast.

We named him Sunny.

He lived a short fat life of luxury. Free. Fed. Watered. Loved. He gamboled. Then we grocked him to fullness. His parting was swift. Painless. I won his liver. Oh, my, does anyone remember the taste of grass fed calf liver? You have't lived.

Soon at a little ladiys' afternoon party-back when I was doing 'little lady'- the right red or white stemmed wine glasses, little fingers coiled, hair coifed, beef liver pate on a porcelain plate-a darling feral piglet, in broad daylight, invited itself in. I was proud of my guests. Not one of them fainted. We fed it crackers and cheese, it had such a soft little piggy snout, and soon trotted off to find his mama when she snorted.

And you want to talk about bird noise in the morning? Back in Transpac days with a rollicking frolicking drunken fleet of drunken sailors-boys and girl-awoke hungover to the max in Lahaina and those blankety blank mynahs- at least a zillion of them in- in the Monkey-pods hastened all us hung over morning after nuts-quckly to the bar at the Pioneer Inn to ease the pain. Pushing through the crow of groaning staggering mankind I threw rocks at the trees and swore. When I was racing with my husband I could swear in fourteen languages. Sailors swear.

I'm getting better. I only swear, under my breath, at Kauai Rooster haters.

I will defend, to the death, the rights of sleep deprived roosters, to crow. So there.

"Death, taxes and eating organic..." 'James "Kimo" Rosen' This blog also appeared as my column in the 11-05-13 , Kaua'i garden Island news

http://thegardenisland.com/news/opinion/guest/death-taxes-and-eating-organic/article_a9d4fa5e-4508-11e3-b02a-0019bb2963f4.html

Death, taxes and eating organic

If carbonated beverages, hot dogs, french fries and fried chicken also known as comfort foods were known as healthy alternative foods would you eat them more often? How many people actually given the choice between the perfect french fries or carrot sticks, would choose carrot sticks? My guess is the majority would prefer french fries? 

Recently  a big box store sold a batch of organic berries from Oregon where 87 people nationwide including  5 people in Hawai'i  contacted the  Hepatitis A virus.
http://www.komonews.com/news/health/Hepatitis-A-linked-to-frozen-berries-sickens-Washington-211038151.html

Sometimes eating organic really is not that healthy after all. There have been numerous accounts of organic produce, meats and poultry being recalled for salmonella, botulism, E.coli  and many other life threatening diseases. I have never heard of a GMO being recalled, but that's for another column.

Pesticides can be used in the growing of “organic” vegetables and fruits, and often are. They just must be derived from natural sources, not synthetically manufactured. My question, is this any better? Not to me.  Just because it’s a “natural” pesticide,  doesn't necessarily mean it’s safer or even good for you. For further reading check out the article;"Eating Organic may be harmful-  the truth behind organic produce."
 http://www.elephantjournal.com/2013/03/eating-organic-may-be-harmful-the-truth-behind-organic-produce-doug-smith/

Did you know that the french fries at Burger King  are cooked in trans fat-free vegetable oil and do not contain animal products,while the side salad ranch dressing alone has 240 calories--ironically, making the value sized  french fries with 200 calories a more healthy alternative to a side salad and dressing.

My brother in laws brother a strict vegetarian for many years and the poster child for eating healthy died a young man at age 53 from Leukemia. An obese friend of mine who ate almost anything  she desired her whole life lived into her mid 80's.

What really aids longevity? Some say happiness, some say diet, some say genetics? Nobody can answer why a smoker may live longer than a non smoker, or why a junk food junkie can live longer than a someone practicing a strict vegan or vegetarian lifestyle.

Kauai has a huge alternative vegan and vegetarian culture believing they are living a healthier lifestyle. For some it may be true, for others it may not. There are people that need the proteins from meat, poultry and fish to function optimally, while others can get by without.

The answer seems  different with everyone.
Is it possible many things we know are wrong concerning health? Could it be that the all American hot dog is the new health food? Remember one mans meat is another mans poison.

I recently saw a bumper sticker that said, "Try organic food...or as our grandparents called it, "Food!" My favorite organic food joke; the wife says to the produce manager,"these vegetables are for my husband, have they been sprayed with any poisonous chemicals?" The produce manager replies, "No, ma'am,you'll have to do that yourself." 


Whether it's fat free, sugar free, or gluten free, or whether your a carnivore, vegetarian , vegan, hot dog junkie or keep kosher. One things for sure-- death, taxes and eating organic, nobody's getting out of here alive.

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