"Beauty and the Beast..." 'Bettejo Dux' (Classic Wednesday)

Guest-blogger Bettejo Dux is one of Kauai's most colorful people, she has lived on the cosmic island of Kaua'i for over 40 years... She is an animal lover, people lover and enjoys life to the fullest.Today she guest blogs about  " what really is progress with a Bettejo flare..." Enjoy... She also  publishes her own blog column.

You can check it out at ;  http://www.bettejo.wordpress.com .   Besides her blog she recently published and authored the humorous fiction book, "The Scam," check it out at(www.bettejodux.com) or  on Amazon.

THE BETTEJO PAGE

The date?  April 16, 1969. The place? The Honolulu Advertiser Letters to the Editor page and  the Dissent column.  The head ? Where to Go When All’s Gone written by Mrs. William Dux. That’s me. A cartoon of a woman holding back a long line of automobiles and captioned Beauty and the Beast and a very large picture of-guess who?- noting that Bettejo is the Who Has It Editor for the Aloha Magazine. Copied word for word…
We are lucky we live in Hawaii. We live in beauty. And it may not be too late to preserve it. It’s too late to do anything with Waikiki, but everyone-except the poor tourist who pays good money to visit a concrete madhouse-knows this already.

The problem with the tourist, particularly the ‘package’ tourist, is that, while you might lose one-disgusted-with the wretchedness that is that area-for every one you lose, at least three more pop up behind him.
The only people benefiting from this sort of mass movement are the airlines and the hotels, and I see no reason why the residents of Hawaii, the taxpayer, mus sit back and watch his beautiful world destroyed in order to fill the pockets of a very few alienated industries.

And don’t tell me those ‘package’ tourists spend money. they don’t Ask any merchant in the Waikiki area.
But it isn't a question of money. neither money spend nor money earned. Money is not the problem. the problem is the total destruction of an environment. We must plow up more trees, more land, more beaches, to house the hordes of people who visit us each year. We must cement more highways to transport them back and forth. We must build bigger airports to accommodate them.

Far-thinking men tell us we even need more cheap housing to house the multitudes of people we must import to serve the visitor every year. and where will it end?

Will it end when Oahu is one great airport, hotel. highway, ticky-tacky tourist complex?
It could end there. It could end there because there will always be those greedy enough to use the poor visitor-no matter how badly-to coax him to our cemented shores, bringing money, hopefully.
But what of us who live here? Who love the Islands? who wonder at the palms and the Pali, the monkey-pod and the shower trees? who love the sand the surf and the soft sea breeze? Will we sit back dumbly and watch the destruction as it takes place? will we climb quickly aboard the bandwagon-in the name of holy progress-and accept the fast buck offered which will wall-t-wall cement our own loveliness? and if ‘we’ don’t, will our neighbor? In the name of progress?

This is not progress. It’s regression of the most insidious sort.
LET ME ASK THIS: What is wanted? Money? If our environment is destroyed all the money in the world won’t buy it back. Not in our lifetime, anyway. Ever heard of a place called Lake Erie? Ever seen a picture of that man-made mess? It will take conservatively, a hundred years to return that stinking sink-hole to its former beauty.
Is that the fate to be bestowed upon this state? Willed to our children? If it is OI imagine some plan on making enough money to live elsewhere. You can be certain the airlines and the hotels will be going elsewhere. but where elsewhere?
Unless thinking people star moving, and start moving fast, there will be no elsewhere to move to.
What this city needs is a good, non-corruptible, imaginative, far-thinking brave (!), environmental engineer.
Up until just very recently, it was only the Great Ape who fouled his own bed.

Encore,(Hana Hou) Bettejo had an opinion article in today's (05-16-12) Kaua'i Garden Island news; "Mahalo to contributors..." Check it out!
 http://thegardenisland.com/news/opinion/mailbag/letters-for-wednesday-may/article_74372cee-9f34-11e1-8557-0019bb2963f4.html?mode=story

Bettejo has a blog of her own you can check out at ; http://www.bettejo.wordpress.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.


http://www.bettejodux.com/



"How Lucky am I?" 'Shirili Green' (From her blog the Joy of Cancer)

Shrili Green lives in Anchorage Alaska and publishes a blog titled, "The Joy of cancer."Shirili is back guest-blogging, she guest blogged back in November and we are honored to have her back!
Photo above of Shirili and Mia, courtesy of Shirili Green
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In 2007, Shirili Green was diagnosed with breast cancer. She was just 33 years old. After years of treatment, including a double mastectomy, she discovered the cancer had returned in 2011. It  spread to her liver and bones. The cancer, stage IV, is terminal. Shiri writes about the experience of living with the knowledge that she's dying...  May G-d Bless Shrili and her family... Shiri also narrates the enclosed video documentary of her situation; http://community.adn.com/node/158745

How lucky am I?!!

I got to spend the weekend with my darling Mia and her girl scouts troop- troop 350. We packed our sleeping bags, toiletries, some changing clothes and some cheese cakes that Derrick made, and we headed to Girdwood Alaska for the weekend. Together with 9 members of troop 350 and its two counselors, we spent the weekend in the Ashlock cabin. The ride was cheerful as the chorus of girls chatted and sang. The weather was miserable, unlike the atmosphere in Liz's suburban, but the gray clouds did not reflect our moods, and the showers did not wipe our smiles. As we were driving, I was reflecting on how very fortunate I've been to have this opportunity to spend this time with my child. The idea of spending the weekend with a happy bunch of 8 year olds did not immediately appeal to me, but when I stopped to think about it, I reminded myself that soon, I may not be able to spend such time with my child.

I had to remind myself of the joys of experiencing different things with Mia. I decided to ask Mia if she'd like me to join (I didn't want to assume that she wants her mother around all the time). To my great relief and joy, my darling child stated enthusiastically that she wants "mommy to come," and so I decided to go. I am so very fortunate to have gone. I'm honored to have been welcomed.

I had a delighting time observing the girls having fun. I feel blessed to have been there in the middle of the night when Mia got scared, and though I would prefer it if she felt more comfortable, I'm honored to have been there to comfort her little heart. I'm flattered that my growing child still wants my company, and that my soft caresses on her back still calm her down at night. I'm glad that she feels I'm her shelter, and I pray she'll continue to feel like this after I pass.

I pray that our time together and our experiences will help her cope when I'm physically gone and that she will be able to feel my infinite spiritual presence in her heart...

Check out Shirili's guest-blog of November 23, 2011, "What I Have."
http://dakinetalk.blogspot.com/2011/11/what-i-have-shirili-green.html

http://thejoysofcancer.blogspot.com/2012/05/how-lucky-am-i-i-got-to-spend-weekend.html#comment-form

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.

"Simple Steps to Keep our Eyes Healthy.." 'Judith Whitehead' (Inspiration Monday)

"Guest-blogger Judith Whitehead lives in Amherst N.Y. and has worked in the ophthalmology field of medicine for over 30 years..." She talks about you guessed it, Eye health!


Simple Steps to Keep our Eyes Healthy

 

 

Starting at a young age, probably preschool age, all children should have a baseline eye exam.  Amblyopia, or lazy eye, is something children are born with.  Children don’t complain of not being able to see and this problem will most likely go undetected until later years when it is then too late to treat.  If this problem is detected at a young age there are treatments that can be done to “turn on” that lazy eye and train the brain to use that eye. Usually patching, dilating  eye drops or glasses, or all three treatments can force the lazy eye to be used and develop before it is too late.  This condition is usually hereditary as well,so parents can be on the lookout  for symptoms of vision loss.

 

It is helpful to know your own family history because conditions such as glaucoma, lazy eye, macular degeneration and others can be carried on in family lines.  Any eye condition that is detected in early life gives the Eye Doctor a better chance to treat and monitor it before it is too late.  Eye diseases such as glaucoma can slowly take a persons eye sight until it is too late to treat.  Glaucoma can only be treated and halted but not reversed. 

 

It is important to eat a healthy diet of fruits and vegetables to maintain good eye health; green leafy vegetables  can help with the retina, especially with the macula in promoting good vision. Believe it or not there is some truth that carrots with their beta carotene do promote good eye health.

 

If you think you have an eye problem weather it is a vision problem or eye pain, it is best to address it sooner than later as the problem can only worsen and make it harder to treat in the future.  Do Not experiment with other peoples eye drops; you don’t know what they were used for and you can make matters worse as I have seen first hand.  Simple over the counter tear formulas are the only safe thing to use without a prescription.

 

To maintain good eye health, one needs to only follow a few simple rules…Don't sleep in your contact lenses, it increases the chance of an eye infection 50%, don’t wear someone   else’s eye-glasses,  and don’t put off regular eye exams.  Every adult should have an exam every 2-3 years if your eyes are healthy. 

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

"Obama's coup de grace..." 'Obama Da Dog'

Obama Da Dog  blogs about President Obama's recent endorsement of "Gay marriage." Obama Da dog possesses the same opinion's as her master;  James "Kimo" Rosen. This blog was published on 05-20-12 as an opinion article in the Kaua'i Garden Island News titled, "What's in a marriage..?"
http://thegardenisland.com/promo/homepage/letters-for-sunday-may/article_ca378622-a261-11e1-a8a2-0019bb2963f4.html

Gay marriage is something people will support in small talk but not in the privacy of the voting booth. President Obama went too far this time in support of Gay Marriage.
There are close to 40 states  (39) that  do not allow gay marriage and the states that allow civil unions were  mostly close nail-biter elections.
I do not believe in gay marriage, or heterosexual marriage for that matter. Why are the gays so intent  on an institution that ends in divorce more times than not.

Marriage is defined as a union between a man and woman, not a man and a man, or a woman and a woman. Gay marriage needs to be called something different, in the past I have suggested "Garriage."I believe President Obama has sealed his fate as a one term President. I voted for him, named my dog after him and  will vote for him again, however his recent endorsement of "Gay marriage,"  may be the  politically correct thing , however  it's not what the majority will tolerate.

Gay marriage will be Obama's coup de grace.

The opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by the various authors and forum participants on this blog site do not necessarily reflect the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints of the Publisher of Dakinetalk the blog, but they could? ;D)

If you would like to express yourself about any subject you feel passionate about, please  feel free to submit a guest blog to dakinetalk. Please limit guest blogs between 200-500 words, along with a short bio and photo of yourself. Send all blog submissions to; jrsensei@hotmail.com  who knows your blog could go viral!

"Honolulu Rail will cost a fortune we don't have..." 'Chester "Unc" Lau'

"Chester "Unc" Lau is a retired cinematographer living his Golden years on the island of Oahu, served in the Korean war as a Master Sergeant and is a practitioner of the naturist lifestyle."Unc" speaks passionately in opposition about the proposed Honolulu rail. This is currently the biggest controversy in Honolulu. Unc is in Opposition to railroad. We welcome anyone to give an opposing viewpoint...."

Improve Hawaii Transportation Without added tax or rail...    

With unrestricted car import to land short Hawaii ,traffic gridlock is inevitable.The building of the Honolulu rail will not work,because we cannot afford it and will perpetually saddle the tax payers in perpetuity for their up keeps & maintenance's .

Question? will the proponents of the rail project now ditch their cars & ride the rail instead ?

For gridlock & inconvenience in driving on Hawaii's roads,this is not only  the problem for senior drivers but for all drivers, this is 2012 & not 1912.  Oahu imports people & autos daily with our limited space ,where will you drive & where will you park ? It seems every car on the island now  needs 3 parking spaces daily,home ,office,shopping plus the over crowded streets to get to the 3 parking spaces !!!

Rail will not solve the problems,where will you park to get on rail,what if there is a labor strike on rail ? Problems are numerous,no perfect solution but we can lessen the pains on the road,what is needed are 21st century thinking's to resolve a 21st century problems . If we can resolve these traffic problem today,I and many others would gladly give up driving private cars YESTERDAY  without sacrificing our freedom to travel !!!

Facts: Besides the initial cost of an automobile with maintenance,gas ,parking,insurance & upkeep of which would amount to several thousand dollars a year with the car  in the parking position most of the time. Will you spend this much on public transportation if the system is efficient without all the headache, aggravation, parking & gridlock on the road ? 

PROPOSED SOLUTIONS : MAKE TRANSPORTATION FRIENDLY FOR ALL RIDERS ,LET PRIVATE ENTERPRISE FLOURISH WITHOUT ADDED TAX DOLLARS. GOVERNMENT TO MAKE  AND ENFORCE LAWS TO PROTECT DRIVERS & RIDERS  BY FLOODING THE ISLANDS WITH A SEA OF PRIVATE TAXIS & MINI-TAXIS (Encourage hybrid autos  or Electric cars to save gas & help the ecosystem) MAKE LAWS THAT ONE CAN FLAG DOWN A TAXI  24 HOURS A DAY ANYWHERE THAT IS SAFE, DETAIL TO BE WORKED OUT  ON PROFIT & RIDER SAFETY LIKE LICENSING  UNIFORMED DRIVERS WITH ZERO TOLERANCE  ON CRIMINAL BACK GROUND & ANNUAL PHYSICAL EXAM LIKE AIRLINE PILOTS FOR TAXI DRIVERS ,LOOK AT THE PARKING SPACES & STREETS THAT CAN BE SAVED TO KEEP PRIVATE AUTOS OFF THE ROAD.

 VOLUNTARILY ,THIS WOULD CREATE MANY NEW JOBS FOR ENTREPRENEURS , RETAIL ESTABLISHMENT WOULD WELCOME THIS WITHOUT THE ADDED EXPENSES OF ADDING EXPENSIVE PARKING SPACES  !!!.   TRY IT !!!

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.

"Are We There Yet..?" 'Michael Herr' (Aloha Friday)

Renowned author Michael Herr is back guest-blogging on this awesome Aloha Friday talking about  what do we want from life? This is heartfelt and truthful... Enjoy... Make sure and check out Michael's website at; http://www.michaelherr.com/



　
It's Aloha Friday.
Are We There Yet?Aloha folks.
No, that's not a question from the back seat of the car. That question, or one very similar is one that I ask myself very often. And I might guess that a lot of you do too.
There are actually several questions that I find I ask myself.
"What do I want out of Life? (Where am I going?)"
"Have I achieved my goals? (Am I there yet?)"
"Is there still time to accomplish anything worthwhile? (Or,
are we already there?)
When I was younger, those were valid questions. Now that I'm older I sometimes feel they are just reminders of a life not completely successful. But how do you measure a successful life?
Money and possessions?
Family and friends?
Achieving those goals you set for yourself a long time ago?
One of my long-time goals was to have enough money that I would be able to retire early and enjoy life. Got the first part down.
Too bad I didn't realize back then that to really enjoy life, you have to be healthy. And your family needs to be healthy.
I suggest to you, that you step back and look at your life. Ask yourself, "Where am I going? And what do I want to find when I get there?" Then step to one side and look again at your life, and the answers you've given to those questions. See if you've given yourself the right answers. See if you've taken everything into consideration that you need to.
And then realize that no matter what you do, you're going to eventually wind up somewhere. And it may or may not be where you intended to go.
There's an old saying that I think on often.
"Do you want to hear God laugh? Tell Him your plans."
Okay folks, see you next week.

check out Michael's website at http://www.michaelherr.com/ 

The opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by the various authors and forum participants on this blog site do not necessarily reflect the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints of the Publisher of Dakinetalk the blog, but they could? ;D)

 

ALOHA FRIDAY

May 11, 2012

"I Had a Dream..." James "Kimo" Rosen'

Local, state and national elections will take place this year (2012). Locally on Kaua'i there is going to be a tight race for county Prosecutor, between the woman pictured above (Shaylene Iseri Carvalho) who ran unopposed last election to having a tough opponent named Justin Kollar this year. This blog is an attempt at some "Saturday Night Live"  type humor within the  local political arena... Hope you enjoy! This blog appeared as an opinion article in the May 8, 2012 edition of the Kauai Garden Island Newspaper titled,"I had a dream!" however the local paper left out the last line, so here is the un-edited version! Enjoy...
http://thegardenisland.com/news/opinion/mailbag/letters-for-tuesday-may/article_efc657c8-98e4-11e1-ae67-0019bb2963f4.html

I had a dream that Iseri Carvalho  was campaigning in Kapa'a town with a sign that read, "Just say no to rice-cookers."

Justin Kollar, Iseri Carvalho's opponent  was in the next block with a political campaign sign that read. "Justin time, vote for me by Default!"

Tim Bynum had a sign that read, "if Jay Furfaro is the chair, I want to be the couch!"

Talk story book-store owner Ed Justus had a sign that read; "And Justus for All!"

It should be an exciting election year, I am looking forward to seeing the local politicians do what they do best, waving at passing cars!

I always wave back with my favorite hand gesture!

For an encore check out the YouTube video about Kaua'i sent to us by our friend Ken Taylor!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0EAe1s3vi_A 

 The opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by the various authors and forum participants on this blog site do not necessarily reflect the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints of the Publisher of Dakinetalk the blog, but they could? ;D)

If you would like to express yourself about any subject you feel passionate about, please  feel free to submit a guest blog to dakinetalk. Please limit guest blogs between 200-500 words, along with a short bio and photo of yourself. Send all blog submissions to; jrsensei@hotmail.com  who knows your blog could go viral!