A couple of nights ago, local TV newscasts showed clips from the latest Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition shoot on Kauai, and trumpeted the great publicity it would bring the Garden Isle. Gee, I thought those clips were meant to promote the magazine and "making of" TV special that will follow, which no doubt millions of men will watch because they're interested in the background scenery. Uh-huh.

As it happens, I have a family connection to the SI Swimsuit franchise. My cousin, MJ Day, is the Senior Editor of the magazine. She worked her way up from assistant, and lives in New Jersey, where I'm from. That's right -- MJ is a she as in nee Mary Jean Figel, the daughter of my father's brother. When she first began working for SI, her folks seemed proud and excited. But my dad's side of the family is fairly conservative, and let's be honest... the Swimsuit issue is basically soft porn for boys and guys who won't buy hardcore mags. I'm not saying that's a bad thing necessarily, since they do lavish money on the production values and shoot in exotic locations, including Hawaii.

However, let's not pretend the chief intent of the magazine is to highlight the swimsuits or destinations. It's about showing off beautiful women in outfits that are more "off" than "on" the models. Sometimes they dispense with actual attire altogether and use paint to create the illusion of swimsuits on nude models. It's art! Not that I'm prudish or going to turn the channel when the "making of" special comes on. I'll be watching for the interviews with my cousin (at least that's what I'll tell my wife when she sees it in our DVR queue of saved programs).

While I'm sure MJ earned the position through hard work, the cynic in me suspects SI chooses women as the top editors to diffuse criticism from feminists that contend they are exploiting females. The other day on Facebook, I saw comments to that effect from a young woman who wrote that the cover shot for the 2015 issue was "disgusting" because the model was peeling down her bikini bottom as if to display her most private female part (the FB comment put it much more bluntly in words I can't print here).

I haven't talked to my cousin in several years. Last time she visited us in Kailua, we chatted about what a wonderful job she had. MJ was traveling all over the world to help set up the SI shoots, going to glamorous fashion-related events, hanging out with superstar models. She was living the Dream. Yet if she was a male, we'd probably be snickering about how hard it must be to be surrounded by so many gorgeous, sexy ladies in so little clothing. Double standard, anyone?

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What I really meant to write about though was the proliferation of Hawaii-related TV content that makes me feel like we're being overexposed. On the Food Network, Guy Fieri has done multiple episodes of Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives (a.k.a. "Triple D") here, which included chefs we've featured on my Career Changers TV show. More recently, the Mystery Diners "sting" operation show set up their hidden cameras at Cha-Cha-Cha Salsaria in Hawaii Kai, Rock Island Cafe in Waikiki, the Hawaii Yacht Club, and Chef Chai's new restaurant. I'm surprised those episodes didn't get much notice from the local media, since the premise of the series is these are establishments that are being unknowingly ripped off by their employees or customers.

When I first began watching Mystery Diners, I thought it was real. The more I watched, it became apparent these were staged "re-creations" being acted out by actors and the actual owners, who I surmise do it for the "free" publicity of being on a nationally-broadcast TV show. If you Google around, you'll find numerous links to claims that much of the show is fake and that the producers encourage the restaurant owners to embellish or make up stories of misconduct. The stuff in the Oahu episodes was so bad it was funny! Sadly though, my family went to Cha-Cha-Cha and the service was so slow and inattentive, I wish that had been filmed for the management to see instead of the alleged unauthorized boat food delivery scheme they portrayed.

Over on HGTV and the Travel Channel, there are currently a plethora of shows and specials that have been filmed in Hawaii too. In fact, a fabulous $100,000 Dream Vacation in Hawaii package is the big prize in "The Trip 2015" giveaway by the Travel Channel, and they sent a gaggle of various show hosts to film an island-hopping hour-long promo for the islands. Which I prefer to what HGTV has been doing: using TV shows to literally sell Hawaii property to Mainland and international buyers.

First, there were occasional House Hunters episodes that followed couples as they shopped around for new homes in Hawaii. Then, the Hawaii Life real estate company begat their own series, which starts off with the promise that anyone can own a home in Paradise -- you just gotta want it! Right. There's also Building Hawaii, which is about a transplanted couple that has a home remodeling/construction company on the Big Island... which is not to be confused with Buying Hawaii (Travel Channel, I think) in which people seek out properties in remote island places off the grid.

I do have to say that seeing the relatively "low" prices for Neighbor Island homes, has made my wife and me consider selling our comfy little Kailua townhouse and moving to the Big Island or Kauai some day. It worries me though that as more affluent people from the Mainland and Asia are lured here by these type of TV shows, the harder it will be for locals to hang on to what little remains available for those who can't afford million-dollar mortgages. Sigh.

For daily viewing times of my Career Changers TV show, visit our website. You can also view segments from past and current episodes on the CCTV YouTube Channel, which now includes a Hawaii Food category at the bottom of the page.

It's first and goal inside the opponent's five yard line, and your running back has been virtually unstoppable in short yardage situations. The game is on the line. I turn to my wife and predict: "Iosefa jump pass." UH fullback Joey Iosefa takes the hand-off, stops and lobs a perfect TD pass that the UNLV defense wasn't anticipating. The only reason I saw it coming was Coach Chow had called it in the last game of the prior season in their win against Army. I'm not a coach, but I did play defensive back in high school and still tend to think like a DB or coach, whose brains have to process a bunch of scenarios in seconds before each snap.

Yet I'm also a sports fan who reacts on a gut level when I watch a game, regardless of which team I'm rooting for. My wife, Isabel, is from Tacoma, went to UW and has been a longtime Seattle Seahawks fan (more so when they are winning). Me, I'm not a New England fan, but I was hoping for a good game and told Isabel to watch out for their giant receiver Rob Gronkowski (perfect name for the huge lug!) and big-time playmaker Julian Edelman. Most of all though, I respected their QB, Tom Brady.

So after the "miracle" catch by Jermaine Kearse while lying on his back, I was feeling a bit deflated -- pun intended -- about the Patriots' prospects of holding on to win the Super Bowl. Lost in all the talk about the subsequent play call on second and goal from the one-yard line to pass instead of run, was the fact that Seattle was lucky Kearse even caught the ball. It should have been kicked or batted away by the second Patriot defensive back when the ball popped up. Instead, the DB hopped over Kearse as if to avoid "unnecessary" contact that might result in a penalty. When I played years ago, DBs were taught to "finish off" by laying a hit on a ball carrier who was being held up by another defensive player, or putting a lick on any receiver in the vicinity of a live ball once it had been tipped.

That's one reason former pro football DBs had nicknames like "The Assasin" (Jack Tatum) and Fred "The Hammer" Williamson. Due to serious career-ending injuries and concussions from blind side hits, the NFL now flags those type of finishing-off plays... which is by and large a good thing. Still, the New England defensive back should have gone for the deflected ball.

Anyhow, my first reaction was Seattle would hand off the ball to Marshawn Lynch two or three times and pound it in for a game-winning TD. When he's in "Beast Mode" as they call it -- he's trademarked that phrase, apparently -- he does seem unstoppable. Everyone who follows pro football expected Lynch to get the ball. Except defensive backs and defensive coaches maybe. As a DB, I was taught my number one priority was ALWAYS to play for the pass first. Let the linemen and linebackers do their jobs. Cornerbacks and safeties have to look for the QB pulling a bootleg or play action pass.

With Russell Wilson at quarterback for the Seahawks, I have to think New England was half-expecting to see that on at least one of the four downs they had to work with. What shocked me though was New England Coach Bill Belichick didn't call any timeouts to preserve precious seconds in case Seattle did score a go-ahead TD. I also considered he might tell his defense to let Seattle score on second and one, which would give Tom Brady one more chance to win or tie the game with about 50 seconds left on the clock. It's been done before and worked.

Mind you, all these options and strategies, counter-strategies, gut feelings are going through the minds of two head coaches that have decades of real time game experience. Of course, we fans know better than they, right? I'll tell you this -- when Wilson threw on second down, my jaw dropped. I blurted out, "I CAN'T BELIEVE THEY DIDN'T GIVE IT TO LYNCH! WHAT A STUPID CALL!" I mean, I was sort of happy for Brady and New England. Still, the thing that dumbfounded me was not calling a pass play -- it was the specific pass pattern. A quick slant into the middle of the defense, which is already in a tight formation to stop the expected running play?

Had it been a fake hand-off to Lynch with Wilson having an option to bootleg or pass to a receiver on the outside, I would have said, good call. At worst, if the play isn't there, Wilson is smart enough and skilled enough to throw the ball out of bounds or eat it and call time out. Yeah, I know, I know... there are still people who will say no matter what, the smarter move would have been just to give Marshawn Lynch the ball and not overthink things.

Yet the reason Lynch and Seattle -- and New England -- had such great seasons, is precisely because their head coaches do a lot of  creative thinking and play-calling. Some of the loopholes Belichick exploited in past games with tricky offensive formations were considered "cheating" by some. Heck, when Coach Chow called Iosefa's trick jump pass play, did anyone in Aloha Stadium feel like it was a cheat? Fans want results, and how many times did UH fans grumble about our offense being too predictable (myself included) or giving it to Iosefa too many times.

Speaking of UH offensive play calls, I wish they would steal this one from New England: down inside the five-yard line, Edelman ran a pattern that is a nightmare for defensive backs to cover -- he made it look like a slant to the inside, then pivoted and broke outside. When I played in high school, we called it a button hook. Would love to see UH employ it with the QB rolling out to the same side. Tough to stop.

Getting back to Game Theory, the Star-Advertiser ran a New York Times article about the Seattle play call and how it made sense when you compare it to a game of Rock, Scissors, Paper or Jan Ken Po as locals refer to it. Here's a link to that piece. The Economist followed up with an interesting take on that piece, pointing out that it gets more complicated when you factor in how many "rounds" are being played -- or downs in this case -- and the time remaining in the game. It points out that in multiple rounds or downs, one play can be "signaling" what you may intend to do next -- or could be meant to deceive the opponent. You can read that article by clicking here.

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Due to high school sports, the weekend schedule for my Career Changers TV show is a bit out of whack. However,  you can watch the special segments we did on the CabaRAE show and cast by visiting the CCTV YouTube Channel. To get the optimum viewing experience, click on the icon that looks like a gear and make sure it's set to 720 -- it's not quite as good as high def TV, but better than the lower settings YouTube automatically uses.

(Photo courtesy of CabaRAE images by Ric Noyle)

PROGRAM ALERT: The new February episode of Career Changers TV premieres Thurs., Feb. 5 at 4:30 PM on Oceanic Cable channel 12/high def 1012 due to a live OC16 high school sportscast during our regular 7:30 PM time slot for that night. You can find daily viewing times (subject to change for live sports) at www.CareerChangers.TV.

This month's show is about the people and back stories behind the CabaRAE show, which moved into their multimillion dollar theater-in-the-round back in November. The intimate setting allows you to feel like you're not just watching these breath-taking performances -- you're experiencing them. What's more, the comedians and musical performers really draw the audience into their acts (in more ways than one!).

We've featured professional entertainers before, but circus folk are a unique breed. Most of the CabaRAE cast have been traveling around the world for years as part of large shows in Europe. Many of them went to "circus school" too, which I would love to know more about. However, my show is only 30-minutes long, so after interviewing 14 people in about two hours, we had to condense everything into two segments that run 21 fast-moving minutes. Still, we were able to cover a lot of their personal journeys that brought them together here in Hawaii.

It's great stuff, and you should watch it on widescreen high def TV if possible since the venue and acts are spectacular -- actually, you MUST see it live to truly appreciate it, but I think my show will whet your appetite if you have any hesitations about going into Waikiki for a special evening out on the town.

Consider these YouTube links a mere taste of what you'll be talking about long after you've left the showroom: Part 1 focuses on Creative Producer Alan Goldberg; his wife, Wanda, who is Artistic Director and performs as an acrobatic skater; and her skating partner/ex-husband, Jean-Pierre... yep, you read that right! Part 2 introduces you to other performers, including Wanda's nieces, and married couples that contribute to the "family" feeling in this tight-knit troupe.

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BTW, we're looking for new sponsors to feature in upcoming episodes. If you or someone you know wants to highlight their commitment to helping small businesses and entrepreneurs succeed in Hawaii, please contact me (email: richfigel@gmail.com). We've got great stories we'd love to share, but need some community-centered companies to underwrite the cost to produce these pieces. It's great publicity for the advertiser/sponsors -- plus, it's good karma to promote struggling businesses or non-profits who are doing terrific work!

Friends of the Library of Hawaii is holding a three-day sale of more than 40,000 records/CDs and over 10,000 gently-used books to help support literary and public libraries throughout the islands. It will be in the McKinley High School cafeteria at 1039 S. King Street, from 9 AM until 3 PM on Sat., Jan. 17 and Sun., Jan. 18. On Martin Luther King Day, Mon., Jan. 19, they'll wrap up sales between 9 AM and 1 PM. Collectors are already planning to line up early to get first crack at possibly finding rare albums and books. Kudos to all the Friends volunteers and the Hawaii State Federal Credit Union for putting together this event!

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Haven't been posting lately because my 27-inch iMac, which I love, was in the shop for a week. Mac Made Easy in Kailua diagnosed the problem and had to order a video graphics card from Texas because it's a 2009 model. Not sure if the Apple Store at Ala Moana could have fixed it sooner, but I didn't want to drive to the other side and have to lug my large screen iMac through the mall crowds. I could imagine some shopper with their eyes fixated on a cell phone walking right into me and sending my machine crashing to the ground. In Kailua, I just have to watch out for Japanese tourists on bikes crossing my path.

When I got my "old" iMac back, it was like seeing my wife after she had been gone for awhile... well, maybe not quite that emotional. But I really did miss my computer and couldn't get into writing on my tiny back-up laptop or iPad. At first, the repaired iMac seemed fine. Then a little later I noticed the right half of the screen was darker, as if covered by a shadow. I fiddled with the brightness control, moved it around, and it remained dimmer on one side. I Googled the problem, and it turns out many iMac owners reported the same glitch. They complained that Apple would not admit it was a known issue related to the 27-inch screens and was charging about $500 to repair it if not covered by warranty... which always seem to expire just before your computer goes on the fritz. In the future, I'll have to get the extended Apple Care plan I think. Sigh.

Anyhow, after shutting down the computer and rebooting, the dimming has lessened and is barely detectable. Yet it makes me wonder if Apple's famed quality control has been slipping the past couple of years. Anyone have thoughts on that?

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This month's Career Changers TV episode happens to be related to computers and business education programs. We've partnered with DevLeague, a coding bootcamp, to promote what I believe is a great alternative to 4-year college computer science programs. I'm a proponent of getting a well-rounded liberal arts education -- if you can afford it, and aren't sure what you want to do for a career, that is.

But if you're interested in website design, building apps for smart devices, or becoming a startup entrepreneur in the high tech field, what you really need to know is computer coding. Nothing beats hands-on experience and small classes with guidance from professionals who know what companies are looking for in programmers and website developers. DevLeague does exactly that, and to date, they say all of their graduates have succeeded in finding employment after completing the bootcamp or their longer 24-week "part-time" program (still pretty intensive though!).

You can see that video segment on the CCTV YouTube Channel or by clicking here.

Also, we've got a sponsored story about Remington College's new Business Administration program. They consulted with local companies, big and small, who are part of their Program Advisory Committees, and revamped the biz courses into three tracks that address the needs of potential employers in Hawaii.  Their instructors have MBAs and solid real world work experience themselves -- stuff you can't learn just from text books. Here's the link to that piece.

For daily viewing times of my show, visit www.CareerChangers.TV. Have a great weekend -- and check out the McKinley Book & Music Sale if you're out and about!

Disclaimer: I am not a reporter for the Star-Advertiser, nor do I receive any payment from them for writing this blog. These are my opinions and personal observations only. If you disagree with my views, feel free to post comments -- which must be approved first by the blog moderator (me).

State Rep. Chris Lee didn't approve of my prior post regarding the Great Christmas Day Traffic Jam of 2014 because I inferred he was one of the politicians who only showed up to comment on the Lanikai/Kailua traffic problems when news cameras arrived on the scene. I copied his email in its entirety and added it below my last blog entry so anyone can read his point-by-point rebuttal. Rep. Lee said he called the news media, and not the other way around.

Although I didn't mean to single him out, that was the unintended effect since I didn't name other politicians, and mentioned his specific suggestion that people park outside of Lanikai and walk or bike to the beach from there. The reason I laughed at his on-camera advice was the main parking lot at Kailua Beach was closed for repaving on Christmas Day, making Rep. Lee's suggestion... well, impractical, to put it kindly.

However, nowhere in his first email or subsequent response to my follow-up questions, did he offer any explanation for why repaving work was scheduled for one of the busiest beach weeks of the year. He did note that the "irony" is these traffic and parking problems are actually the responsibility of the City and County of Honolulu. Which begs the question: why is a State Representative calling press conferences to address issues that should be handled by the City Council or Mayor's office?

In any event, Rep. Lee says far from being silent or passive about the traffic situation, he and others have already taken many steps to address the problems and things would have been "much worse" than they were on Christmas Day had it not been for these measures -- such as "No Parking" signs, increased fines for violating parking rules, and having police direct traffic. I suppose it could have been worse, but if people really were stuck in traffic jams for one to three hours as was reported, it's hard to see those efforts as being successful.

He also disputed my assertion that closing off close to 20 "private" beachside lanes has contributed to the influx of local residents who now drive to the only public parking lots at Kalama Beach and Kailua Beach, and funnel traffic toward Lanikai -- where, ironically, they have as many public beach rights of way as the entire 3-mile stretch of Kailua Beach because all of Lanikai's beach paths are still free of locked gates as far as I know. Why shouldn't the much larger portion of Kailua Beach be as open to residents and visitors alike as well?

To be clear, I don't think there is any simple solution. We can't put the genie back in the bottle and wave away tourists or locals, who are lured to Lanikai despite common knowledge that parking and traffic in that area is almost always going to be difficult on any given weekend. Will a roundabout help keep traffic flowing? I dunno -- Rep. Lee says it's been in the planning stages for a couple of years now, and that he has gotten $480K in State funding for the project, but didn't give me any dates as to when it will be done or how much longer it will take to put in that roundabout.

Has the ban on commercial activities lessened traffic around Kailua Beach and Lanikai? Again, I don't know. I saw flotillas of kayaks paddling out to the Mokes on Christmas, and streams of people pulling rented kayaks across the street. But since the main parking lot was closed, I can't say for sure if the ban has stopped people from offering yoga sessions, windsurfing lessons or kayak rentals right there by the beach.

As I explained to Rep. Lee, I think a lot of residents are frustrated by the lack of action on things we've stood up and complained about at Neighborhood Board meetings or public hearings year after year with no tangible results. Not just traffic problems, but stuff like illegal vaction rentals, illegal fireworks, illegal blocking of parking spaces, shoreline building "creep" and beach erosion. To be fair, much of that stuff is in the City and County jurisdiction. But it seems like the standard response we get from our elected officials -- NOT YOU, CHRIS! -- is that they want to "solicit feedback" and  get more "ideas" from the public (even after years of testimony and hearings on things like regulation of B&Bs) rather than taking bold action.

What we need are real leaders who step forward and say: Enough talk. This is what must be done, and here's how we're going to do it....

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For daily viewing times of the January edition of Career Changers TV, please visit our website. You can also watch video segments from past and current shows on the CCTV YouTube Channel by clicking here.