"First Love" 'Aloha Friday' Michael Herr

Renowned author and guest blogger Michael Herr is back with another rendition of Aloha Friday's. Don't forget to check out Michael's books at; http://www.michaelherr.com/   I just finished his first book "Primo's," It's a fun relaxing, exciting fictional account of the many characters that hang out at a bar called Primo's on the cosmic Island of Kaua'. I highly recommend this book to anyone who envoy's the type of book you just can't stop reading...

ALOHA FRIDAY

It's Aloha Friday, with today's emphasis on Aloha.

Do you remember your first love? How about your second? How about your one true love? Remember that person? Remember where you met? What you said? What you did? How you knew, truly knew, that this person was your true love, your love of a lifetime? I hope you do.

I met my true love almost fifty years ago. I was taking out a girl from College of Notre Dame as a favor to a friend. He couldn't go out with her that weekend, and he didn't want her going out with anyone else. So he thought she'd be safe enough with me. Nope, not what you're thinking. He got what he asked for. I didn't find her the least bit attractive.

But she was late getting ready and so she sent one of her friends down to sit with me and keep me company. In a glass fishbowl so as to avoid any possibility of impropriety. The friend she sent to keep me occupied was from Honolulu, exotic as that seemed to me. She had wonderful legs, a sparkling personality, and beautiful features. By the time my "date" came downstairs I had made up my mind that I wanted to see more of this beautiful girl in front of me. And I did.

I think it was our second date. A true date this time, not like the one preceding it that had been a double-date with no chance to be alone. I think we went at a dance on the U.C. Berkley campus. I know we left that dance and the crowd behind us and eventually wound up standing below the Sather Tower, known more familiarly as the Campanile. We listened to the bell in the tower toll the hour. Whatever hour it was, it was a magical hour to us. The weather that night was perfect. The sky brilliant with stars. And I, I dared to take this beautiful wahine in my arms and kiss her. She kissed me back.

I've read stories that tell of how "she folded into his arms". Well, we did. We folded into each other's arms and began an adventure, a journey that has taken us almost fifty years now.

My point? Whenever things get dark. Whenever I begin to slip into the pit of despair. I think back to that night and the wonderful years that came after it. Years of love, of affection, of trouble at times, but always finally of love.

And so I urge you, when things look blackest, when you have nowhere else to turn, go back to that special moment of yours. That moment when you found your special someone and knew, knew absolutely, that this person was the one for you. Knew right then at this person was the one you were meant to spend all of the rest of your life with. Retrieve that memory and wrap yourself in it. Let it warm you. Let it revive you and let it help you as you go on with your life.

After all, when it comes down to it all we can take with us through this life is our memories.
Much aloha.

Editors note;
I always  look  forward to 'Herr' Blog, I  mean 'His' blog...  ;D)
http://www.michaelherr.com/

"Is There a G-d? ...or a Santa Claus?" 'Davis Danizier'

Guest blogger Davis D. “3D” Danizier began life as a political and religious conservative, even entering into formal Seminary studies. Gradually, he became troubled by inconsistencies in factual assertions and values in both political and religious conservatism and, after deeply traumatic soul searching, reversed course in both areas. After retiring from a career in commercial property and casualty insurance, Dave has had the free time and flexibility to share with others some of the thoughts that led to his life-altering epiphanies. His book “Betrayal of Jesus” presents unorthodox (believers might say heretical) perspectives on the Christian mythology. Dave currently resides in Oceanside, California. Enjoy Dave's blog...

(Editors 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

When I contemplate the question, “Is there a God?” I hear echoes of an innocent, doe-eyed child looking up and asking, “Is there a Santa Claus.”
In its childlike naïveté, which is endearing for the child but simplistic for adults, the child envisions a specific, real, tangible jolly old man who magically fills all the Christmas stockings in the world in a single night (without considering that [most] Jewish, Islamic, Hindu, Buddhist and atheist children are not included).

The adult may respond truthfully that there “is” a Santa Claus, but may mean something far less literal than the child's youthful and imaginative expectations.

So, in the same spirit, echoing the words and spirit of Francis Parcellus Church to young Virginia O’Hanlon, one can say: “Yes, Virginia, there is a God.”

However, it is not the Middle Eastern monotheistic [simultaneously triune?] sky god of scriptural mythology nor is it the anthropomorphic deity in whose image the legend says we were created.

Is there intelligence and energy in the universe greater than that of humans? I hope so!
Is there energy and power greater than that of humans? No doubt.

Is there something that was here before everything else? Well, something had to be first. In the interchangeability of matter and energy, was matter/energy first expressed as matter or energy? When and how did consciousness emerge out of non-consciousness matter/energy?

Is it OK, if one does not know the answer to any of these questions, to say, “I don’t know” instead of feeling compelled to concoct an answer?
So: Yes, Virginia, there is a God.

--------
Sometimes those questioning the existence of god cite the example of children who outgrow a childish, naïve belief in Santa Claus, a mythical character for whom there is no evidence.

But is there really a Santa Claus? As with God, it is impossible to absolutely disprove that somewhere in the Universe a Santa Claus does not exist, but the inability to disprove it doesn’t make it so, yet we could all agree that it is not a “50/50” equal probability for or against the existence of a Santa Claus.

Yet we should also agree that it is NOT naïve or misguided for the child to believe in Santa Claus — in fact, the child does have good reason to believe in Santa Claus. There is, indeed, much evidence! He (or she) wakes up Christmas morning and there is a pile of presents. He innately understands that they did not just get there by themselves (something akin to understanding the argument of Prime Cause). Moreover, trusted authorities (parents) who have generally been proved to be reliable, assure him that they didn’t put the presents there and further assure him that the identity of the gift-giver is known, and it is Santa Claus. It is not at all unreasonable for a small child to therefore accept this as credible evidence.

Further, even when the details of the ruse become known, the child’s basic assumption was valid. The giver of the gifts was not Santa Claus, but still they did not get there by themselves. There was, as to the gifts, a “Prime Cause.” It just turns out that, instead of being the “Supreme Being” (magical Santa) it is merely a “superior” being — Mom and Dad — who, at least at the time of the gifts being given, had greater physical strength, knowledge and autonomy than the dependent child. (And as a further note, one could argue whether or not “Santa Claus” is real even “just a myth,” depending on how you define the magical feeling that inspires strangers to give anonymously to those in need at a certain time of the year, but that is further off topic than I want to drift....)

The historic debate as to the existence of some kind of deity, whether it be a supreme being who is all-knowing, all-loving, and all-powerful or merely a superior being who is just further along the evolutionary spectrum, has incorporated a number of attempts by religious philosophers to “prove” the existence of god.

For those interested, I have examined some of the key theories, tried to reduce them to understandable terms, and addressed them in the website that can be found at:
http://danizier.wordpress.com/2011/04/21/is-there-a-god/

"The jokes on you..." Harmonic Wednesday's..."

James "Kimo" Rosen and Jeff Wells, Homer Alaska 1983...

Dakinetalk welcomes back guest blogger Harmony! Harmony will be back next Wednesday with another Harmonic Wednesday guest blog exclusively for dakinetalk! Mahalos Harmony you are dakine...

This is a folktale from Iceland, although, I have embellished it and added a few creative anachronisms. It is called, "The Wager of the Wives or the Naked and the Dead." Two wives were arguing in the market place. The first one said, "You wouldn't believe how stupid my husband is."

"You're right," replied the second wife, "I don't believe it because frankly my husband is even more stupid."

"No," countered the first wife, "I can play any joke on my husband, and he will fall for it."

"Well," retorted the second wife, "I could play an even more ridiculous joke on my husband, and he would fall for that."

Back and forth they went arguing over which husband was the more foolish and which one of them could play a more ludicrous trick. Finally, they realized the only way to settle this argument was to place a bet. "Okay, here is what we'll do," the first wife decided, "We'll each go home and play a trick on our husbands. Then, we will meet in church in two weeks to see which of one of them is the more foolish." They agreed, shook hands, and each went home.

The first wife arrived home, took out her spinning wheel, and began spinning madly; but she was only spinning air.

Her husband walked in and asked, "What are you doing? You're spinning air."

She gave him a look of disdain and replied, "I am not spinning air. Can't you see I am spinning the finest linen? I am going to make you a suit which should be ready for you to wear to church in two weeks."

He looked at the spinning wheel but couldn't see any linen. He knew he was having a problem with his eyes, but was too embarrassed to admit this to his wife. So, he played along and replied, "Why, that is very nice of you to make me a suit. I'm sure it will be a lovely suit."

Soon the wife finished spinning and was ready to start weaving the cloth. She brought out her loom and went to work. "Oh, look at this cloth I am weaving for your suit," she gloated, "It is so soft and silky and will feel luxurious against your skin."

The husband looked at the loom but couldn't see any cloth. He knew he was having a bad problem with his eyes; yet it was very strange he could see everything else. He just couldn't see the cloth on the loom. He knew he should make an appointment with his ophthalmologist, but you know how men hate to go to the doctor and will put it off for as long as they can. So, he played along and said to his wife, "Yes, that is very fine cloth indeed. I'm sure I will do you proud when I wear the suit to church."

Meanwhile back at the second house, the second wife arrived home, took one look at her husband, and gasped, "Oh, my God, go to bed right now! You will have to go straight to bed!!!"

He gave her a look of confusion, "What are you talking about? It is still early."

"Can't you see how sick you are?" she cried with great urgency, "You are practically dying." He hadn't realized he was sick, but you know what the power of suggestion can do. He climbed into bed and then knew he must be very ill indeed because all of a sudden he saw his wife measuring out doses of medicine, cooking him chicken soup, steeping herbal tea for him to sip, and even wiping his forward with a cool cloth. Normally, she would just let him fend for himself when he felt ill. So, he knew he must be very sick indeed if she was going to all this trouble.

At first, he enjoyed the attention because he was used to her just ignoring him, but after a few days, he began to grow bored and asked, "Don't you think I ought to be getting back to work?"

"Don't even think about it!" she cried, "If you get up out of bed, you will keel over. There is no way you are ready to go back to work." Now, he knew he must be direly ill because the last time he had complained that he felt too sick to work, she had called him a lazy, rotten bum.

Meanwhile, back at the first house, the first wife finished weaving the cloth. She got out her pattern and scissors and began cutting the material. Then, she began stitching the pieces together. Finally, she finished and called out to her husband, "Look, I have finished your suit! Why don't you come try it on?"

He came over, removed his pants and shirt, and began to step into the suit when she informed him, "Oh, you can take off your underware as well. See, I have sewed underware right into the suit! I attached it with velcro. Wasn't that clever of me?"

He removed his underware and began to try on the suit. "This material is very light," he mused to his wife.

"Yes, I made it light so you can wear it in the summer," she reassured him.

He put the suit on, looked in the mirror, and didn't like what he saw one bit! He knew he was having a terrible problem with his eyes. Now, he seemed to have developed a strange sort of x-ray vision because not only could he see through the suit, he could even see through the velcroed underware! He knew he should just rush on over to the ER, but times being what they were, the economy being so bad, and the fact that his wife was always complaining about doctor bills, (and they didn't even have health insurance!); led him to believe he should not burden her with these problems at this time. So, he played along and answered, "This suit is fantastic! I will be the talk of the town when I wear it to church!"

"That you will," she replied.

Meanwhile back at the second house, the second wife walked into the bedroom where her husband was still lying in bed. By this time, it was already the night before the two wives were scheduled to meet in church the next day. She inquired of her husband,"Who would you like me to ask to carry your coffin?"

"AAAAHHH!!! what are you talking about?" he screamed.

"Don't you know you died last night?" she said in a grave voice.

"AAAAHHH!!!"

Now, he had always wondered what the after life was like. So, here he is thinking to himself, "I'm dead. I can still hear my wife talking. This must be hell!!!"

His wife announced, "I'm going to need your help getting you into the coffin." He was still figuring out the after life. So, he cooperated and climbed right in. Luckily, he only had to spend one night there before his funeral the next day at church. The wife had called the church and told them he had died; and they were planning to hold his funeral during the service.

The next morning she asked one of his friends to help carry the coffin. They proceeded to church and laid him out. It was an open casket. The parishioners began filing past commenting upon what a wonderful person he had been and how sorely he would be missed. As they passed by, some of them were crying, and their tears dripped right on to the man in the coffin. He felt so anguished to see everyone grieving over him and wished there was some way he could reach out and comfort them; but of course, there was nothing he could do because he was dead.

At that moment, the other couple waltzed in, & the man shouted out, "Look at this magnificent suit my wife made for me! Doesn't it just show off my best features?"

Of course, it revealed far more of his features then he realized, and everyone burst out laughing! They were literally rolling in the aisles; and when I say everybody, I'm including the guy in the casket! He sat up, pointed, and said, "Look at you! You don't have any clothes on! I wish I could laugh at you like everyone else, but I can't because I'm dead!"

At first, the church members were startled and shocked, but they soon realized it was a joke and resumed rolling in the aisles! The funeral was canceled, the wives explained about their wager, and it was decided the church members would vote on which husband was the more foolish.

So, who do you think won? Do you think the husband who came to church naked was the more foolish, or do you think the husband who believed he was dead was more foolish?. I, personally, believe the husband who thought he was dead was just a little more foolish than the one who went to church naked. However, when the church members voted, it was a tie.

The moral of this story is that you should believe only half of what you see and even less of what you hear because otherwise, you, too, could end up either naked or dead. Of course, it also depends a lot upon how much you are able to trust the person you happen to be married to.

"Far from coy..." 'Susana Summers'

Welcome back guest blogger Susan'a Summers who lives on the stupendous island of Maui. She resides A 'Shackteau'(sic)within a mango forest, bathes in waterfalls and although no 'Oprah is constantly entertained by the drama of the forests inhabitants, seen and unseen...

Photo  by guest blogger Susana Summers

There is a common saying a picture is worth a thousand words. Can it be conversely said that a hundred words can convey a picture?

Summertime. Jungle. Maui. The camera scans to life in the jungle. Above the stream, beside a mango forest. The camera focuses in. A jewish hawaiian jungle princess with soft locks cascading down her back is on the land doing her artwork. Gardening, weeding, planting, sculpting, creating, NAKED.

Now I must assure you if you are expecting the camera to focus only on tits and ass read no further!

Come on..... first dont be so shallow. Secondly, lets be realistic. The princess is beyond the generation of only tits and ass. Not to say that she hasnt a beautiful figure, but with the passing of the years for a woman in her forties, a more complex kind of beauty appears beyond the simplicity of youth.

As the camera follows her it is evident that the princesses beauty radiates not only from the physical attributes she was born with but also from the sense of peace she has found within herself in this new decade of her life and from the gratitude she has for what she has been given and what she has created.

The camera follows her as she moves gracefully from project to project, feeling the warmth of the summer sun on her skin and the cooling breeze in her hair. The sound of the flowing stream is in the background and in the forefront the sound of the gentle wind in the trees, the doves cooing, the songs of a variety of local birds, the buzzing of the bees and an occasional gecko chirping.

But what is most beautiful about the princess today cannot be observed by the ordinary viewer, but only by one who knows the story or the thoughts in her head. For these past two weeks the love and devotion she gives to her land, her creation of many years has an added depth.

For many years she has prepared and worked this masterpiece and shared it with her friends. But now it takes a special meaning for there is a man she longs to share all its beauty with. And from this day on until his arrival, each movement, each action, is also added to by her intention to prepare and uncover all the wonder of her homesite for his pleasure as well as her own.

And in that deliberation, with a gleam in her eyes and a soft smile on her face and a warmth in her heart, a certain beauty, that is coupled with her innate beauty is evident, that to the birds and the butterflys and the lizards and the male squash flowers that watch her, they can only say.....WOW!

"Dreams Really Can Come True..." 'Judith Whitehead' (Inspirational Monday's)

Guest blogger Judith Whitehead is back with another inspirational  positive blog. Many blogs especially mine are rants and raves. Judy is always positive and since Mondays are the hardest day of the week for many  Judith has agreed to  write something to help keep our glass half full every Monday. Check back every Monday for another promising  blog to see how your glass can remain half full instead of half empty. Monday's will be "Inspirational Mondays" on dakinetalk!  Judith is Happily married with two adult sons and lives in the suburbs near Buffalo, N.Y.

My son is living proof that dreams really can come true. My son would be unanimously described by all that know him including us, his parents, as a non-conformist. Ever since he was little, he marched to his own drum; always knowing what he wanted, demonstrating a strong will. These children are not the easiest type to raise, but none the less, we tried to stimulate his creativity and “go with the flow” as he began to mature. As little as ten years old, we began to see he had musical talent. He began to “pick” at my husbands’ old guitar at 10 years old, and when we heard him play “Stairway to Heaven” from “ear”, we knew he had talents. It became his outlet and his avenue to shine. From that point on, he began to develop that sense of music. He not only began to “collect” guitars, but also build and refurbish them. We encouraged his natural talent, although it was not the most economical hobby to nurture, and it became his life long goal to be a “rocker”.

When Led Zepplin with Jimmy Page scheduled a concert in Buffalo, one of the last in the old Buffalo Aud, we had to attend. There we were, at 4 o’clock in the morning, standing in line at Record Theatre on Main Street, waiting for a number to get the best seats. The very place where his own CD is now for sale. It was a sell out, of course, and I know we were the only family of four, that went to that concert. My son was age 10 then, and he will remember that day for the rest of his life, as we all will.

Over the years, he has performed several places and composed several songs. But his finest hour came this year. After several months of recording and composing, he came out with his first professional CD release. He not only recorded the CD in a professional studio, but he also played all the instruments on every song, from guitar to drums. It has been a very long road for him, but he never lost sight of his goal to be a
musician. We are in the process of getting his music out there. Several music/book stores are carrying his CD now and hopefully some radio stations will give it a chance. It is a dog- eat- dog world out there for musicians, and through perseverance my sons’ dream is unfolding right before his eyes and ours. We couldn’t be happier for him. His working as a Chef does supplement his goal, but now the real work starts.

He is young enough to give his dream a good shot and hopefully he will be able to share his talents with many. It has been a group effort to get him thus far. As we get older, we often loose sight of our dreams and sell out for more conventional careers that come our way. We exchange financial security for happiness all too often. It becomes hard to follow your desires when financially things become more difficult and responsibilities grow. With a little help from his friends and family, my son was able to achieve this goal
thus far. We need to try and keep our dreams alive, for it’s what “living” is all about.

None of us know where this path will take him, but at least he can say he gave it his all and won’t have any regrets. Our lives pass us by so very quickly and if we don’t make an effort to fulfill the years with goals that make us happy, we spend our senior years regretting our decisions with “I should haves”. Take a chance on a dream if possible and enjoy each day as a gift.

If you would like to know more about Joel Whitehead and listen to his music go to;  http://www.myspace.com/joelwhitehead221

"Speed control in Israel!" 'Chester Lau'

This information was sent to dakinetalk from Chester Lau ,  (photo above) Chester was one of the camera men on the original Hawaii Five 0 with Jack Lord!

See these photos ...... especially the last one! How's this for high-speed control??

When drivers pass by, they almost stop completely due to the holes and to avoid car damages.This is a strategy currently used in Israel as a high-speed control.

It is more economical than using cameras, radar, police officers, etc.Very clever..Especially when they move them around every day!

Dakinetalk is looking for guest bloggers, send your jokes, short stories, rants, raves, love stories, political thoughts or whatever is on your mind. We want to publish you! send all inquiries to jrsensei@hotmail.com  attention; Publisher.

"Bring on da scabs..." James "Kimo" Rosen

The NBA and NFL are currently on lockout since owners have locked out the players after failing to reach a new collective bargaining agreement.

These professional athletes are making more money than anyone, a good player can have muti-million dollar signing bonus's before they ever play one game.

Everyone is hurting in this economy if players loose a few million, there still millionaires, are we suppose to feel sorry for these jocks? Sure we'll miss the games, but my guess is there are plenty of athletes out there willing to play ball for a fraction of what we pay professional athletes, bring on da scabs!