"The Kauai Electric Company-Cooperative or Corporation..." 'James "Kimo" Rosen'

James “Kimo” Rosen is a retired professional photographer living in Kapa'a
 with his best friend Obama Da Dog, Rosen also blogs as a hobby...

KIUC-Cooperative or  Corporation


The  real question for the local electric company is; why are they one of the highest priced electric utility company's in the country at approximately .42 cents per kilowatt hour?


 The lowest rates of electric in the country are in Idaho at  approximately .06 cents per kilowatt hour.  New York city is the highest priced electric on the mainland at  approximately .16 cents per kilowatt hour. Kauai is almost triple in rates of New York city, 'Holy Toledo Batman!'

This whole smart meter  extravaganza is only a diversion to high electric rates. The real disappointment is being taken to the cleaners. A person in Idaho who pays $40.00 a month for electric, would pay 7 times that if they lived on Kaua'i. They would pay $280.00 for what  would cost 40.00 in Idaho. 

The electric company would rather focus on  the few people who opted out of smart meters than  focus on being a cooperative, instead they are just the opposite, very uncooperative. KIUC should be called , Kauai  Island Utility Corporation.

The Garden island news  reported in 2008,"the owner of Kojima’s grocery store in Kapa‘a, Glen Kojima, said the high cost of electricity keeps him from being able to hire new employees.
He said people are dumbfounded when he tells them what he has paid monthly — more than $20,000, or 12 percent of his sales, at its peak in 2008 — to keep his small market cooled and lighted."
http://thegardenisland.com/business/high-electricity-costs-drain-energy-from-local-economy/article_47b1f0d4-71a6-11e1-a6a3-001871e3ce6c.html

Who cares if you have a smart meter or an analogue meter. Who cares if you use a smart phone, laptop, desktop or Ipod computer. Who cares if you ride a bike or drive a car? Who cares if your vegetarian or a carnivore?Who cares if you want a dairy farm or not on Kauai? The real question should be, why did we need to vote either way on smart meters verses analogue? The special ballot cost members yet another $100,000.

If smart meters were so smart the calculations would had figured a way to make everyone happy and save  customers  money. Many complain of their privacy being invaded with smart meters, however as a recent commenter in the Garden island news pointed out, having a meter reader come onto your property once a month is more invasive than a smart meter.

True smart technology would be to convert everyone one on a tropical sunny island to solar and save millions a year in fossil fuel. True smart technology would be no high salaried CEO's.

True smart meters would tell us were not gonna take it from the utility company,airlines and oil companies that continually keep us addicted on oil related resources while there are healthier alternatives available.

Electric cars powered by solar panels,  like my friend Doug in California utilizes would rid people of oil addiction. Solar panels on every home and business on our tropical paradise could make us Independent of the electric utility company. An alternative  public transportation system to get us off island like a ferry service would reduce airfares and  the monopoly of the airlines that service the Hawaiian islands.

Imagine if smart meters were actually smart and could solve  the recession, put an end to barking dogs, feral cats, leaf blowers and all noise pollution. Now imagine they could end overpriced airfares, traffic congestion, racial tensions, corrupt politicians and drug abuse!

The only possible way to get through this electric price gouging monopoly is with a little electric  comic relief; 
Q: What is an electrician's favorite ice cream flavor?
A: Shock-o-lot!
Q: What would you call a power failure?
A: A current event. 
What Thomas Edison's Mother might have said to her son:
"Of course I'm proud that you invented the electric light bulb. Now turn it off and get to bed!"

Sign on on the side of the electrician’s van – “Let Us Get Rid of Your Shorts”.

Smart meters just need to be re-programmed to replace human politicians  and we would  all live happily ever after, now that would be smart!

With all the smart technology, I guess were not really not that smart after-all.

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"The vacuum salesman..." ' Robert Bitos Gandia' (Source)

 Please  welcome Dakinetalk's newest guest-blogger,Robert Bitos Gandia.
Robert is an avid cook (ono gandule rice) and always laughing!!
He works at Syngenta as a Research Associate.
Robert lives in Kekaha on Kauai's west-side and loves football!!

The vacuum salesman

A little old lady answered a knock on the door one day, only to be confronted by a well-dressed young man carrying a vacuum cleaner. 

Good morning," said the young man. "If I could take a couple of minutes of your time, I would like to demonstrate the very latest in high-powered vacuum cleaners."

"Go away!" said the old lady. "I haven't got any money!" and she proceeded to close the door. Quick as a flash, the young man wedged his foot in the door and pushed it wide open.

"Don't be too hasty!" he said. "Not until you have at least seen my demonstration." And with that, he emptied a bucket of horse shit onto her hallway carpet. "If this vacuum cleaner does not remove all traces of this horse shit from your carpet, Madam, I will personally eat the remainder." 

The old lady stepped back and said, "Well I hope you've got a damned good appetite, because they cut off my electricity this morning."

P.S.
This is something you need to see about using the word natural in advertising, it is naturally very funny, so watch it!;
http://www.upworthy.com/a-funny-video-that-makes-you-never-want-to-fall-for-this-natural-lie-again

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"Success..." 'Bettejo Dux' (Classic Wednesday)

Bettejo Dux has lived on the cosmic Garden Island of Kaua'i for over 40 years.
Bettejo is a regular columnist in the Garden Island news and is the author of the
famed novella, "The Scam."
www.bettejodux.com

Success

“Who are all those people?”

I shrugged. “Don’t know.”

“You don’t know?”

“That’s what I said.”

“Your house is filled with people you don’t know?”

I looked around, “I recognize some of them. Maybe they brought  friends.”

“Better they brought  libation, you’re gonna run out.”

” Got plenty of cheese and crackers,” I smiled at a cute couple of guys with six packs in hand. “Loaves and fishes…”

“…and wine to water.”

“That’s water to wine, dunce. Don’t get her started. Heard that story a dozen time.”

“Wanna hear it again?”

“No.Nope. Negative.  I suspect  they’re here to celebrate her success,” that was my Editor. The one with the dog who was dancing with my grown up puppy, Boots.

“Success. I truly despise that word. “

“Why?”

“It’s so sibilant. It hisses. It’s reptilian.”

“Tell that to Madonna.”

“That’s what I mean.  Look around at so many of the people who are successful today and hold your nose.”

“Whatever. Isn’t this supposed to be a happy, healthy occasion?”

“Well, one must, on occasion, consider the ‘dark’ side in order  to take pleasure, be happy and healthy, on  the light side.”

I smiled at this young woman- a fellow writer- who was traveling the long hard road to publication and whispered. “I couldn’t have said it better. There’s some good cold Chardonnay  in that round black table- looking thing that’s really an ice chest. Cork’s popped. Grab an opaque plastic glass and pour under cover.”

Everyone within hearing distance giggled and made a dash. I tripped one guy and he dropped a slice of pizza. Boots and Obama, my Editor’s dog, sniffed and ran to snatch it. They shared.

“I’m thinking of Paris Hilton. Her parent spent a fortune hiring some guy to make a celebrity out of her. He said it was not easy. Celebrity equals success? Come on.”

“Success. Celebrity. Success. Celebrity. And all that Hilton money.”

“Well she got successfully hatched into a wealthy family. I’ll take that kind’a success.Next time”

I know now why I never liked this guy.  The one who splattered cheese and pepperoni pizza. “Advantage over. Edge. Upper whip-hand. Ascendancy. Mastery. Expugnation…”

“I really like that word,” said the would- be writer. “‘To erase or strike out’.”

“Go on…”

“…Conquest. Victory. Subdual. Subjugation. Nothing pretty here.”

“Come off well.  Colors flying. Make progress. Surmount. Triumph.”

“Everything Paris Hilton didn’t do.”

“But Madonna did. Wasn’t she great in Evita?”

“I’m gonna stop inviting writers to my parties. You guys are word addicts,” I turned my back and sauntered off to chat with the darling guys with the beer. I hoped they were surfers. They looked like surfers. Long hair. Great bodies. Tan. Maybe they’d share a beer. I propped my shilelagh against the wall, grabbed a platter of organic potato chips and home-grown tomato-Vitamixed-spicey dip. “This is hot,” I smiled.

“You’re hot.”

Whoowhoowhoopie.

“You finished the book? Can we proof read? We’re gonna be writers when we grow up.”

“What’s your take on success?” I sighed.

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"Divorce, after 45 years of marriage..." 'Obama Da Dog' (Source)

Obama Da Dog found  something on Facebook that made sense.
She wants to share this story with the world...

Divorce, after 45 years of marriage

An elderly man in Oklahoma calls his son in New York and says, "I hate to ruin your day son, but I have to tell you that your mother and I are getting a divorce; 45 years of marriage... and that much misery is enough!" "

Dad, what are you talking about?" the son yells. "We can't stand the sight of each other any longer," the old dad explained. "We're sick of each other, and I'm sick of talking about this, so you call your sister in Hong Kong and tell her!". 

Frantic, the son calls his sister, who explodes on the phone. "Like heck they're getting divorced," she shouts, "I'll take care of this." She calls her elderly father immediately, and screams at him, "You are not getting divorced. Don't do a single thing until I get there. 

I'm calling my brother back, and we'll both be there tomorrow. Until then, don't do a thing, you hear me?" she yelled as she hung up the phone. 

The old man hangs up his phone and turns to his wife. "Okay", he says, "it's all set. They're both coming for Christmas and paying their own air-fare."

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"One liners for seniors..." '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...

 One liners for seniors

I just took a leaflet out of my mailbox, informing me that I can 
have sex at 68. I'm so happy, because I live at number 72.
So it's not too far to walk home afterwards. 
And it's the same side of the street.I don't even have 
to cross the road!
~~~~~ 
Answering machine message,
"I am not available right now, but thank you for caring enough to call.
I am making some changes in my life. Please leave a message
after the beep. If I do not return your call, you are one of the
changes."
~~~~~
Aspire to inspire before you expire.
~~~~~
My wife and I had words, but I didn't get to use mine.
~~~~~
Frustration is trying to find your glasses without your glasses.
~~~~~
Blessed are those who can give without remembering and take without
forgetting.
~~~~~
The irony of life is that, by the time you're old enough to know your way around,
you're not going anywhere.
~~~~~
God made man before woman so as to give him time to think of an answer
for her first question.
~~~~~
I was always taught to respect my elders, but it keeps getting harder to find one.
~~~~~
Every morning is the dawn of a new error.
~~~~~
The quote of the month is by Jay Leno: "With hurricanes, tornado's, fires out
of control, mud slides, flooding, severe thunderstorms
tearing up the country from one end to another,
and with the threat of bird flu and terrorist attacks,
are we sure this is a good time to take
God out of the Pledge of Allegiance?"
~~~~~
For those that prefer to think that God is not watching over us....
go ahead and delete this. For the rest of us...pass this on!

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"Refractive Surgery…is it for me..?" 'Judith Whitehead' (Inspiration Sunday)

Judith Whitehead  lives in Amherst, N.Y. and has
worked in the ophthalmology field of medicine for
over 30 years.

Refractive Surgery…is it for me?

I have been working in the medical field of Ophthalmology for the last 30 years and I have seen numerous advances in the field; one being refractive surgery.  Refractive surgery is a process in which
the surgeon can reduce a persons’ nearsightedness or farsightedness or astigmatism    with treatments to the cornea,  in a free standing surgical suite in a matter of minutes.  

There are several ways to correct this including Lasik, laser assisted in Situ Keratomileusis,  which is one of the most popular in our area.The eye is numbed with a local anesthetic and the cornea  is carefully sculpted into a shape that requires little or no prescription to see clearly.  The laser actually changes the shape of the cornea therefore changing your refractive error or prescription needed to see clearly.  This treatment is being constantly improved on and becoming more streamlined every year. Also the price for the procedurecan vary among professionals as well as their skill set.

People have this procedure done to reduce or eliminate the need for glasses but there are many things to consider before jumping into this procedure.  Age is a big deciding factor and should be carefully
considered.  If you are above the age of 40 there will be a strong possibility that you will need reading glasses afterwards.  If your natural near sight is being corrected permanently,  you will no longer be able to read closely without your glasses; your natural near sight will be gone.  Distance will be improved upon but not reading for the presbyopes.  If you have very dry eyes this may not be the procedure for you.  

This surgical correction may make the dryness worse and more difficult to treat  and cause other complications with an unpredictable  outcome. If you are developing cataracts and foresee the need for surgery in the near future to remove them, then wait until that time to alter your refractive outcome.  Just by removing the cataract, or lens of the eye, you will then have the chance to get rid of your near or far farsightedness at that time.  

Lastly and most importantly, choose your surgeon carefully.  You want to pick an ophthalmologist that has done many many procedures and does then regularly.  If you choose a surgeon that just “dabbles” in the procedure, you are risking a successful outcome.  Price is not always the deciding factor when you
are dealing with your precious eyes, competency and perfection comes first.

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Enjoy the Super Bowl!

"Where is technology when you need it..?‏" 'James "Kimo" Rosen'

James “Kimo” Rosen is a retired professional photographer living in Kapa'a with
 his best friend Obama Da Dog, Rosen also blogs as a hobby..

Where is technology when you need it

There are not many bank robberies on the island of Kauai. That's one of the great reasons people like to call  Kaua'i home, because the Garden island does not have the crime of big cities. 

 The Kapa'a branch of Bank of Hawai'i was robbed on January 29, 2014 by a man described as "unshaven." I would imagine the first  item of business the robber would do after escaping, is shave. Anybody looking  for an unshaven person will probably not find the robber.

In this day in age of hi tech cell phones capable of taking high quality photos with as much as 42 megapixels from a camera phone, I found it  ironic that security camera's at  banks and  businesses still show  this fuzzy , low quality , out of focus photos of the images caught on camera.

The technology is there, what are  we waiting for?

Low quality security photo of Bank of Hawaii robbery on Kaua'i
January 29, 2014.

http://thegardenisland.com/news/local/kapaa-bank-robbed/article_0b11c666-897a-11e3-9094-0019bb2963f4.html

P.S.
Breaking News! Police arrest man for robbery, read all about it

Joshua Carlsen, age 36 of Kapa'a, was arrested Tuesday night for First
Degree Robbery and is currently being held in Police Cellblock in lieu of $100,000 bail.

http://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/Global/story.asp?S=24595025

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