"A priest, a Boy Scout, and Hillary Clinton..." 'Robert Bitos Gandia' (Source)

 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!!

A priest, a Boy Scout, and Hillary Clinton 

A priest, a Boy Scout, and Hillary Clinton were the only passengers on a small plane. The pilot died of a sudden heart attack and since none of the passengers knew how to fly a plane, they knew they were doomed. 

They found two parachutes. Hillary Clinton grabbed one, put it on, and said, "I'm the smartest woman in the world and I'm destined to be President. Sorry, you two." And she jumped out.

The priest turned to the Boy Scout and said, "My son, you take the last parachute. It's time for me to meet the Lord."

The Boy Scout smiled and whipped out a parachute. "The Lord will have to wait a while, Father. The smartest woman in the world jumped out wearing my back pack."

P.S.
1) The other day I came home and was greeted by my wife, dressed only in very sexy underwear and holding a couple of short velvet ropes.
"Tie me up," she purred, "and you can do anything you want."
So, I tied her up and went fishing.

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

Bettejo Dux has lived on the cosmic Garden Island of Kaua'i for over 40 years.

Bettejo is a regular opinion writer in the Garden Island news and is the author of the

famed novella, "The Scam."  Her latest fiction

 "Children of extinction" is now  released and available on Amazon!
Mazol Tov & Congratulations to Bettejo!

www.bettejodux.com

Addiction

Is writing an addiction? You bet'cha.

If you're a writer and you don't write everyday, you're a bum.

What's so compelling about putting words on paper or screen? For me, I'm Irish, if I didn't get words out of my head and onto  something substantial, my head would burst. I'm full of words. My mother said I was born with my tongue-tied in the middle and wagging at both ends.

I kid and tell everybody I'm the strong silent type. Some of my dearest friends have adopted the time out two finger gesture. It  makes me laugh and sometimes  shuts me  up. Not always. Also like to joke around, "It's a good thing there's paper, ink, screens, and letters, otherwise the  world would go deaf."

What's my favorite genre of writing?  Letters to the editors, columns, and fiction. Letters to the editors, columns,  essays, and term papers are  similar. Fiction is different. Don't write so many essays anymore.  Loved writing term papers. I could always raise my grade average if an end-of-the-term  paper was part of the deal. One of my favorite stories: Dr. Pencharz.  She wore a red wig and she didn't like me. I was supposed to be the 'goat' and she participated in the harassment. Freshman year in college. Sixteen. Scrawny. Psych 101 was filled to the brim with big kids. Serious business. This was the gateway to their life's work. I think of the horror they must have caused poor patient if they reached their professional goal.

The first nasty tease  I remember vividly. I was sent on an errand. When I came back to the classroom there were two  parallel  lines drawn on the board. One above the other. Equal length. One had arrows pointed out. One had arrows pointed in. The entire class was asked which line was longer. Everyone  said the line with the arrows pointed out was longer. Ridiculous. I was the only one who said they were equal. Wow!  I was yelled at, screamed at, shouted at.  Called stupid-you name it-while Pencharz sat there with a smirk. I never caved and I think that made her mad. I didn't get good grades.

At the end of the year we were allowed to write a term paper which would become 1/3 of our grade average. We numbered our papers because Pencharz knew she could not grade you fairly if she didn't like you. My paper didn't come back. I went to the desk.

"Did you do one?" She had a voice like gravel, tacks, and broken glass shaken in a rusty pot.

I nodded.

She asked for my number. I told her.

She  drew forth  from a spanken clean manila folder a paper. It was, I'll bet, the only A+ paper she ever gave anyone. She crumpled and threw it at me, "Who did it for you," she graveled.

So much for Psych 101.

Next week?  Fiction. CHILDREN of the EXTINCTION. . My new work. Don't forget  my book signing bash at Birdie's Cafe, August 16, 3-6PM.

 Bettejo is having her 84th birthday party and book signing! Everyone reading this is invited!
 Please come to Bettejo's Birthday Book Signing Bash at Birdies-in Kalaheo-Sunday, August 16, 3-6PM. It'll be fun. Birdies is a great place. CHILDREN OF THE EXTINCTION is a good read. Hope to see you there. Bettejo 

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"Real life cleaning therapy..." 'James "Kimo" Rosen' (Kimo's world, #23)

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 .
That's me back in 1977 in the foothills of Santa Barbara with my Old English Sheepdog, Kamala.
Back then life was amazing...

Kimo's world #23- 

Real life cleaning  therapy

The thing I most remember  was that adults would confide in me their adult life problems when I was as young as seven years old.  My father would confide in me things about mother, my mother about my father, my aunts  and sister would tell me their life problems.  Because of this I dreamed of becoming a psychiatrist when I grew up.

Life had a few twists and instead I became a professional photographer and later in life a publisher of a prominent Alaskan publication.I really should had been a shrink.

There was a time not to long ago that if you told someone you were seeing a shrink or in therapy they thought you were out of your mind and avoided you like the plague. 

Some may argue, however I believe the stigma of mental illness and depression  are no longer  looked upon as taboo and something you cannot talk about. With the onset of Prozac in the 1980's and many more anti-Psychotic and anti depressants becoming a main stay in the doctors prescription pad, mental illness and depression are as common as the herpes cold sore.

It seems everyone either knows someone with a mental illness or has one themselves. 

Many housewife's suffer depression and  many of our veterans  are frequently and commonly diagnosed with PTSD. 

Social anxiety disorders are very common in the cyber universe where people no longer have the desire or interest in human contact. The one good thing that has transpired form social anxiety disorders in the younger generation is that with the lack of  the human element, teenage pregnancy is way down .

Hairdressers, barbers and bartenders have always been an inexpensive way  to obtain therapy and talk about your problems.

I have actually been in therapy where the therapist fell asleep.  I then spoke very loud and said, am I really that exciting? They apologized, but no refund.

There was once  the therapist  who  wound up telling me many of their problems even though I am paying for their time. I guess that's somewhat of a left handed compliment? A therapist to the therapist?

One day I was overwhelmed, my home was a mess. I did not have the stamina or energy to clean it on my own. I decided to hire a cleaning lady.

The cleaning lady I hired for two hours was only a fraction the cost of a therapist, yet I got my house cleaned and someone to talk with. I believe my cleaning lady is a better therapist than most therapists.

I call this new type of therapy 'cleaning therapy.' This type of therapy is so much better than conventional Psycho-therapy which can cost upwards of $100.00 per hour with a licensed professional. My cleaning lady is $12.00 per hour. Do the math! 

My recommendation to anyone needing therapy is to hire a cleaning lady, or cleaning man. Most are good listeners, smile and work as you spill your inner demons.  Not only do you get your house cleaned, you  get some darn good therapy.

The therapy can  work both ways. I like to role play and act like a psychiatrist with my cleaning lady, therefore by the time my cleaning lady leaves, not only is my house looking good but both of us are feeling refreshed like we just took a good anti-depressant. No pharmaceuticals were involved,  just an all natural 'farmacy.'

Believe it or not, every cleaning lady I have ever hired always thanks me upon leaving. I should be thanking them. I do in fact thank them. My favorite  responds, "do you need an appointment card or should we just  say, "see you next week, same time, same station! 

P.S.
I told my Psychiatrist that everyone hates me. He said, "that's not true, everyone hasn't met you yet!"
  ;D)

P.S.S.

Check out my newly posted YouTube video of Hawai'i Governor Neil Abercrombie endorsing our awesome Mayor, Bernard Carvalho at the mayor's picnic at Vidinha Stadium on 07-13-14.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l6cmZRRvjHE

See what Wikipedia says about our Great Mayor Bernard Carvalho Jr.! " Carvalho was drafted
 by the Miami Dolphins in 1984 shortly after graduating from college.
 He played in the NFL for the Dolphins for two seasons.
 He returned to Kauai after leaving the Dolphins in order to get married.[" Read more, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bernard_Carvalho

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"Life is a gift..." 'Judith Whitehead' (Inspiration Sunday)

Judith Whitehead lives in Amherst New York and has worked in

the ophthalmology field of medicine for over 30 years.

Life is a gift.

Once again I am reminded that our lives are a gift and should be cherished and enjoyed every day.

This weekend my dear cousins husband will be laid to rest; he was a very dedicated and hard worker that put in many long hours every day including the weekends, looking forward to a retirement in the next coming years. 

 How tragic and crushed we all are to hear of his sudden death. We will remember him as a kind and generous man who had no enemies; most of all we mourn for my cousin who  will be forever saddened by his unthinkable death  at this young age. 

Life is a  gift not to be taken lightly; spend your days enjoying each one.

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"Stop the madness..." 'James "Kimo" Rosen' (Part-2, The evils of social media...)

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...
Two young Rabbi friends, Rabbi Berel Namdar of Sweden and Rabbi Chaim-Levi Cohen of Montreal, Canada visited me  recently. Mahalo Rabbis,...I needed that! Photo in front of my Etrog tree...
 Is it just me or  does it look like I've aged 10 years in the last week?

If you haven't already read, "The evils of social media, the Coco Palms please read;
http://dakinetalk.blogspot.com/2014/07/the-evils-of-social-media-coco-palms.html

Stop the madness...(Part-2, The evils of social media

It's time to stop the madness. It's time we stop posting every meal and every thought we have on social media. 

It's time we quit talking by texting. Why? because when things are in writing no matter how sarcastic or fun are evidence in a court of law should you ever be the victim of witch hunt.

Judge Judy on her popular TV show states that social media has made her job so much easier. Judges and lawyers love it when we leave an electronic paper trail of our lives.  People take heed. You  need to weed yourselves of this satanic means of communications or possibly suffer being burnt to the steak.

I admit, I am addicted to Facebook. I prefer emails over phone conversations, however if you do not  want big brother knowing your every move then its time to take drastic measures.

I am not one to quit social media and emails cold turkey, but I promise I will no longer be a victim to this total big brother madness.

Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, it's been a pleasure, We can still be friends. For now, I can say you all have a great personality but a relationship is out of the question.

It's time to go back to the good old days, and pick up that phone and say "hello, whose there?" At least it won't be the boogie man.

However, I still must blog, repeat after me, my name is James "Kimo" Rosen and I'm a 'blogaholic!'

I hope I did not say anything to get me in trouble? Stay tuned for tomorrow's news.

P.S.
Read part 1,
http://dakinetalk.blogspot.com/2014/07/the-evils-of-social-media-coco-palms.html

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"In the zone..." 'Bettejo Dux' (Inspiration Wednesday)

Bettejo Dux has lived on the cosmic Garden Island of Kaua'i for over 40 years.

Bettejo is a regular opinion writer in the Garden Island news and is the author of the

famed novella, "The Scam."  Her latest fiction

 "Children of extinction" is now  released and available on Amazon!
Mazol Tov & Congratulations to Bettejo!

www.bettejodux.com

 Bettejo is having her 84th birthday party and book signing! Everyone reading this is invited!
 Please come to Bettejo's Birthday Book Signing Bash at Birdies-in Kalaheo-Sunday, August 16, 3-6PM. It'll be fun. Birdies is a great place. CHILDREN OF THE EXTINCTION is a good read. Hope to see you there. Bettejo 

In the zone

In the zone. Athletes understand the term. Runners run in the zone. They know when in the  zone they are running at their best. It's not  running. it's being running.

Writers understand the term, too.  Shirley McClain calls it channeling. As a writer, I think all my books have been written in the Zone. Certainly THE SCAM, CHILDREN OF THE EXTINCTION and the sequel, CLAIR CHILD OF THE EXTINCTION A Love Story were.

One of my favorite story tellers, Dean Koontz,  said THE WATCHERS-a story, I couldn't put it down-was written in the Zone. Tolkien, in the Hobbit,  speaks of a tall Big Person who Bilbo  sees entering the gates. Tolkien had never seen him before, but he  turns out to be an important person in the trilogy.

That's how it works. The creative mind, in the Zone, takes over. In The SCAM. Karen, the narrator, watches someone run from her barn, shoes in hand, and says, "That's the last we saw of Gypsy Jake." He turned out to be a most important person in the story. I, as the writer of this  little book, had no idea who he was.

In CHILDREN OF THE EXTINCTION, I got the children, and the women looking out for them, in such a terrible mess I went to bed  thinking, 'How am I going to get them out of this?" The next day,  one of the little kids trapped  in this horror  told me how. I didn't know. He did.

Every writer, I think, has his own style of writing. Hemingway wrote standing up. Read everything he'd written before before he began to write again. Once he said to his wife, about his work, FOR WHOM THE BELL TOLLS,   "Today they're going to blow up the bridge."

For me, I know  my characters, my location, I know the story-how it will start and how it will end, and send them on a journey. They travel-hypothetically-from San Francisco to New York. On the way they'll run out of gas, take a detour, meet good guys and bad guys, get lost,  get a flat tire and, somehow, reach their destination.

When I'm in the Zone, I sit at the computer and take dictation. I love to write first person narrative, let a character in the book tell the story. The story is written in her voice. She does not always speak grammatically. People don't talk with complete sentences,  capital letters, periods. I never knew one  who talked with semi-colons. Kurt Vonnegut said, "Never use a semi-colon."

People speak over each other. Finish sentences.  Speak in fragments. My computer has a fit. Some Editors do, too.

Writers read. Voraciously. Learn. Create their own style. Tell their own story their own way.

I think you'll love CHILDREN OF THE EXTINCTION. Find it on Amazon Books  CHILDREN OF THE EXTINCTION Bettejo Dux. And soon at Talk Story book store in Hanapepe. Come to my Big Bettejo Birthday Book Signing Bash at Birdies August 16, 3-6PM. See'ya there.

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"The evils of social media, the Coco Palms..." 'James "Kimo" Rosen' (Kimo's world #22)

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. check out the story of the Coco Palms resort. I cannot believe my name is associated with  this. I am besides myself.
http://thegardenisland.com/news/local/fire-investigation-underway/article_136d6c06-04d2-11e4-b9b8-001a4bcf887a.html

The evils of social media

"Think once before you act, twice before you speak and three times before you post on Facebook."

People can no longer joke or be sarcastic, every word is taken to the extreme of serious. Political correctness is at an all time high, just say one wrong word and your career or social life could be over, pau.

Let me tell you a little story that was a shock and even had the Garden Island question me as a freelance columnist.

I was as shocked and disturbed as everyone in the community that the Coco Palms was recently torched. I first found out through a local councilman's Facebook posting.

I left to make my daily rounds last Friday, July 4th, on bicycle with my dog and had just come home, ready to celebrate the Jewish Sabbath. I just happened to look at my computer and saw an email from a friend asking, "what's all this about?"

I had commented on a local bloggers Facebook page after he posted an article about the Coco Palms. I told the blogger his article was spot on, in my opinion, and what needs to be done is for them to start from scratch in lieu of renovating, since renovating would cost so much more than just torching the place with a 1,000 gallons of gas.

I was only echoing and paraphrasing what so many others had in the past. However this particular blogger decided to share this post on the Coco Palms Facebook page, with many misunderstanding my out-of-context comment.

It was coincidence and eerie timing that the Coco Palms would go up in flames after making the comment.

I have learned from my mistake and will not be commenting anymore on any Facebook pages besides those I know personally. I am thinking of not commenting and just sticking to the "Like" button.

I am truly sorry, especially to Mr. Bob Jasper. I would never consider such an evil act as arson. The irony is I hate fireworks and anything that has to do with fire. I consider myself an honest man and could never live with myself if I was ever part of anything so destructive.

Two weeks ago I found a purse with money, credit cards, and a cell phone and turned it over to the police. I was later rewarded for turning in the purse. I had refused the reward, however the lady insisted I pay it forward, as I did.
http://dakinetalk.blogspot.com/2014/06/my-mitzvah-good-deed-purse-returned.html

I love Kauai. It's been over 20 years since Hurricane Iniki destroyed the iconic and historic resort, and nothing would be finer than seeing a resurrected Coco Palms.

I am proud of The Garden Island newspaper. They helped me achieve one of the items on my bucket list by allowing me to be a regular columnist. I hope they continue to publish my columns.

The evils of social media are out there. I hope you are never misunderstood or make a comment that comes back to haunt you. As I've seen on a Facebook meme, "Go ahead. Judge me. Just remember to be perfect the rest of your life."

I have learned and hope to pass this on to everyone, that words are powerful and should be measured carefully.

Thank you Garden Island Newspaper and my apologies to the Mr. Bob Jasper(caretaker of Coco Palms) and the Coco Palms community.


I pray. As Elvis would say, "Thank you, Thank you very much" for your understanding. 


P.S.
Read part 2, Stop the madness;
http://dakinetalk.blogspot.com/2014/07/stop-madness-james-kimo-rosen-part-2.html



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