Above: Henk Rogers, founder of The Tetris Company, Blue Planet Foundation, and the new Blue Startups accelerator project.

I wear a lot of hats between my roles as Career Changers TV producer, writer, and member of the 808HALT coalition to put a stop to human trafficking in Hawaii. But one common theme keeps coming up during my interviews and meetings: the need for immigration reform. Earlier this week we filmed a segment with Henk Rogers, the man who turned Tetris into a multifaceted business/social change empire based in Downtown Honolulu. He didn't invent the addictive puzzle game, but after he got the licensing rights and established a relationship with the Russian creator of Tetris, Henk was able to grow it exponentially as handheld game players and mobile wireless platforms came into being. One article I read describes him as a self-made billionaire.

He's also an alien of sorts: Dutch-Indonesian, born in Holland, moved to New York with his family when he was 11, studied computer science at the University of Hawaii in the 1970s (funny stories about his jobs back then, including driving for Charley's Taxi) and moved to Japan because that's where the action was in the early days of video games. Suffice it to say, he could live and work anywhere he wants. So why Hawaii? In part, it's because of our diversity and location as a crossroads of the Pacific. He's a global kind of guy. Actually, he thinks much bigger than that. One of his major missions in life is to promote space exploration -- and settlement of Mars as a starting point for transforming other worlds into places where humans can live. In effect, we'd become the aliens.

You may not be aware of HI-SEAS, which stands for Hawaii Space Exploration Analog & Simulation, but he told me that on April 15 they will be launching a 4-month long project on the Big Island to test foods that could be consumed in space. Awhile back they advertised for qualified volunteers, who were willing to simulate living on Mars during that period. I'm not fully up to speed on the details, but from what Henk explained, they will be living in close quarters (a faux space capsule) and have to wear space suits if they venture out. Mauna Loa was chosen because the terrain is similar to Mars. Beginning Monday, you can follow the project on Twitter.

There's so much more I could tell you about how that project fits into Henk's other missions -- like Tetris blocks, in a way -- and how a heart attack in 2005 was the impetus for him to start the Blue Planet Foundation here in Hawaii. Coincidentally, I recently blogged that many successful entrepreneurs I know of have had near-death experiences that caused them to reassess their "purpose" in life. As it happens, his goal of reducing our dependence on oil and eliminating carbon emissions, also aligns with segments we just produced about Pacific Biodiesel (currently airing on the April episode of Career Changers TV -- click here for viewing times).

One of the tangents we went off on involved immigration policies. Since he's in the high tech field, it's no surprise he -- along with scores of business leaders/job creators -- sees a need to allow more high-skilled foreign workers to come and stay in the U.S. because there is a shortage of Americans with those kind of math and science skills. Seems hard to believe, huh? Yet I've heard that same complaint from other CEOs on "60 Minutes" and read it in a few business mags.

However, Henk was also referring to the need for low-skilled immigrant workers because he's a proponent of sustainable agriculture. And he recognizes the fact that for all the talk about supporting local farms, the reality is we need to import laborers from other countries since there aren't a lot of Americans who are willing to do back-breaking work for the kind of wages that are currently being paid. He mentioned that as a result of his heart attack, he bought a ranch on the Big Island where he could get away and relax. He's also trying to do sustainable farming on the property, so he's witnessed first hand the difficulty of finding local labor for ag work.

In future posts, I'll tell you more about the interview with Henk and the new Blue Startups accelerator program he's backing for a mix of homegrown and imported entrepreneurs, who are now working out of his Harbor Court offices. Very cool stuff going on up there!

It's not your typical business environment. There's art work by Roger Dean, the guy who did the Yes album covers and original Virgin Records Twins logo -- which ties into Henk's story about a gift he recently gave to Richard Branson (just noticed in the lower left corner of the photo at top, you can see Branson posing with him). Of course there's a Tetris motif running throughout the entire place, including stuff like these stackable seat cushions. We'll begin airing the Henk Rogers and Blue Startups segments in May, so stay tuned for details.

WEEKEND FESTIVAL ALERT

Regarding the 808HALT human trafficking project (here's that link), one of the coalition partners is inviting the public to attend the Burmese Water Festival this Sun., April 14 from 9 AM until 2 PM at Wilson Elementary School, 4945 Kilauea Avenue. It's sponsored by the Myanmar Association of Hawaii and Pacific Gateway Center. There will be authentic Burmese food, "Water Throwing," and other treats for you to experience and enjoy.

It's just another reminder of how our wonderful mix of cultures and people makes Hawaii such a special place... even if many of us might be considered "aliens" by others. When you look at it from Henk's universal perspective, we're all just citizens of one Blue Planet. BTW, there's an interesting story behind the Burning Man Festival hat he's wearing in the picture that I'll share some other time!

Earlier this year, we featured two young entrepreneurs who started Madre Chocolate to help cacao farmers in other countries, while exporting Hawaii-made chocolate worldwide from their home base in Kailua. Here's the link to Part 1 and Part 2 of the Career Changers TV segment on Dave Elliott and Nat Bletter, which tells how they became business partners and used Kickstarter to launch their venture.

Last week they announced Madre Chocolate won the World Silver Medal for their Triple Cacao bar in the International Chocolate Awards in England. Madre was one of only four U.S. companies to win world final medals, and the youngest company to win at only 2-years old. This same bar had recently won the U.S. Gold medal and the Northwest Chocolate Festival Inclusions Silver medal.

Here's  more from their press release:

The Triple Cacao bar is the only bar in the world that incorporates the tangy, lychee-tasting fruit of the cacao pod as well as nutty, crunchy nibs and smooth, rich dark chocolate to give you a taste of 3 flavors and textures all from cacao. This bar and Madre's full line up of Hawaiian and Latin American chocolates are showing the world that we can make world-class chocolate right here in Hawai‘i creating a great market for the new but rapidly growing cacao crop in the Islands.

When asked for comment, Madre Chocolate's cofounders David Elliott and Nat Bletter were elated and proud of the worldwide recognition of their hard work and social mission to support cacao growing communities throughout the tropics, but only rested briefly to relish the award from the lengthy work of selecting, sorting, roasting, cracking, winnowing, grinding, tempering, and wrapping their chocolate from cacao bean to bar. "We've got to get back to making more of these delicious bars to meet the imminent surge in demand locally and from halfway across the globe," said Nat, Madre's flavormeister, and then returned to his task of making sure each cacao nib for the Triple Cacao bar was exactly 1.5 mm wide with a digital caliper and a quadriflux confocal laser microscope. David, Madre's expert chocolate maker, could not give further comment as he was already off in a cloud of cocoa powder to conche another batch of chocolate for this award-winning bar.

Madre Chocolate bars, bean-to-bar chocolate making kits, and Cinnamon Daddy Mactella are available in their online store and stores throughout Hawaii, the U.S. mainland, and across Europe in Belgium, Holland, Germany, and Sweden.

**********

Halloween is creeping up! Our special Trick or Treats episode of Career Changers TV can be seen daily on OC16. For times and channel info, visit our website. You can also see segments from past and present Halloween shows by clicking here... if you dare!

We interrupt my originally-scheduled blog on Vegas gambling lessons, to bring you this update on local folks who will be appearing on the Travel Channel and Cooking Channel this weekend -- people we just happened to have featured on my Career Changers TV show. More on that in a bit.

On Eden Eats, Cooking Channel 322/1322, you can catch her Honolulu episode in which they filmed Aye Aye Maw's Burmese Pop-up Dinner a few months ago. Although the premise of Eden's show is they visit different ethnic restaurants and eating experiences within a 24 hour period, they actually spend several hours  -- even days -- at each location to get the shots they want. In this case, it was the Pacific Gateway Center, and the filming crew was there for a very, very long time I was told. That episode also includes Agnes' Portugese Bake Shop in Kailua. (The owner, Non, and I go way back to my pre-rehab days when I used to frequent Jake's Hideaway on Bishop Street, where he was a bartender back around 1986-88.)

That episode airs today (10/5) at 4 pm and 8 pm, then again on 10/6 at 3 pm and 7 pm, but will probably be repeated throughout the month if you search for it. Our segment on PGC's pop-up dinners ran all last month on OC16 and can be seen on the CCTV YouTube Channel by clicking here. By contrast, our low budget run-and-gun shoot took only about 2 hours and was minimally invasive, which was greatly appreciated by the PGC staff and dinner guests.

Over on Travel Channel 325/1325 this weekend, Legends of Hawaii will feature paranormal investigator Preston Galera and Hawaiian historian/ghost tour guide Lopaka Kapanui. We just did new segments on them for our Halloween edition of Career Changers, premiering Saturday night on OC16 after high school football (around 9:30 pm). You can DVR it this weekend at 2:30 am on 10/7 or 9 am on Monday... or view them in small screen, lower res format by going to the Trick or Treat link on our website.

You'll also find a couple of Lopaka's ghost stories that we couldn't fit into the show, along with segments from past Halloween episodes on that page. Over the next couple of weeks, I'll have more to post about other interesting news related to those people and filming that show!

For daily viewing times and other useful links, please visit www.CareerChangers.tv and check out videos from past or current episodes on the CCTV YouTube Channel. Have a great weekend... and let's hope the Bows -- er, "Warriors" -- don't get blown out again in San Diego! BTW, Lopaka is related to Chad Kapanui, a former UH football player many old-time fans will remember.

I tricked you. This is actually a blog post about immigration and human trafficking in Hawaii. But it does involve a Burmese pop-up kitchen at Pacific Gateway Center, so let me tell you about that before I explain how the cucumbers above are connected to the "Shaved Ice Salad" dessert beside it.

The next one is Saturday, June 30 at 6 pm, Lemongrass Cafe (83. N. King Street). It's a 5-course dinner for just $20 per person. Seating is limited to about 50 people, assigned tables, and reservations are a must. Call 851-7010. If the one tomorrow night is sold out, you might be able to make a reservation for a future pop-up dinner.

It's really more of a tasting menu with small servings that emphasize fresh local produce and different flavors. Take the shaved ice salad pictured above. It had chopped up Jello, fruit, and other ingredients that made it colorful, fun and delicious. Yet the story behind this pop-up restaurant is even more intriguing. And this is where the immigrants angle comes in.

As you may know, I've been producing a series of videos about human trafficking in Hawaii  for the 808HALT.com project in conjunction with the Pacific Gateway Center, which secured a grant from the federal Rescue & Restore program to stop modern day slavery. You can see our latest segment by clicking here. I should tell you though that if you're a parent, this mother's story will be gut-wrenching for you to listen to. More on that and the State politics involved next week.

Anyhow, PGC is all about helping immigrants and low income people in Hawaii. Their latest project is setting up former farm labor trafficking victims with 5-acre plots of land in Kunia to grow produce and start their own farming businesses. PGC loaned them the money, leased the land, and is giving them guidance on how to run a business. I happened to be there when the first harvest was brought in... the cucumbers above. If you knew what some of these immigrant farm workers went through, it would bring tears to your eyes to realize what that picture represents. (Click here to see the piece we did on one such trafficking survivor named Samian.)

After I took the photo, Dr. Myaing of PGC, mentioned there was an upcoming Burmese pop-up dinner and that Aye Aye would be using fresh produce supplied by the new Kunia farm venture. I thought it would make a great segment for a future Career Changers TV show, showing how the human trafficking projects are actually making a difference in the lives of not just the immigrant workers, but for residents too. So when I hear about how on the Mainland, some states are doing all they can to turn away immigrants, it makes me grateful that most of us in Hawaii embrace people from other countries and cultures. In return, they make real contributions to our economy -- and our lives.

While we filmed Aye Aye as she prepared her Burmese dishes, she told us about coming to Hawaii and working seven days a week for very little pay. Yet she wound up starting the packaged sushi franchise in Honolulu that supplies stores like Foodland at Ala Moana, and many other places... yep, most of the store sushi is actually made by Burmese workers hired by Aye Aye! However, she said she "comes alive" when cooking, which is her true passion. The pop-up dinners are a way for her to develop her cooking and restaurant management skills. Don't be surprised if she opens her own place some day.

I didn't mean for this to be a pre-Fourth of July blog post on the meaning of Independence Day or the American Dream. But in rereading this, that's kind of what it is, isn't it? We are a nation of immigrants, united by the desire to live free and to build our own dreams with hard work and imagination.

Please support the Pacific Gateway Center. Call 851-7010 and make a reservation for the next pop-up dinner.

***********

Beginning July 2, Career Changers TV will have a new daily viewing schedule! Thanks to the increasing popularity of our show, OC16 has given us better time slots, which will be posted next week. Until then, you can still catch the current episode or watch segments from past shows on the CCTV YouTube Channel.

The new April episode of Career Changers TV begins airing Thurs. night, 8:30 PM on OC16 -- and if you like chocolate, you won't want to miss this show! We've got segments on the 2nd Annual Hawaii Chocolate Festival that drew hundreds of people to Dole Cannery, a close-up look at the Waialua Estates cacao orchard on the North Shore, a feature on Madre Chocolate in Kailua, plus a piece on how they used Kickstarter to help launch their biz. Hint: their campaign took off in part because of a video created by Chop Chop Media.

We had so much chocolate-related stuff, I had to hold back one segment about Chocolate On A Mission for next month's episode. There's a brief bit about them in the Chocolate Festival overview, but I was so moved by what they're doing that I felt it warranted a separate, more in-depth story. When I saw their banner and display of delicious candy samples, I asked Wendy Loh what exactly their "mission" was. It turns out she's working with the River of Life Mission in Chinatown, to help teach job skills to needy folks. That includes former prison inmates and homeless people, who are now producing high quality chocolate products. They do fundraising gift packages, chocolate-covered fortune cookies with customized messages, and offer popular items such as chocolate-covered mini Oreos.

This is River of Life's first business venture, and they've already landed big orders from Bank of Hawaii and other local companies for their Great Hawaiian Fortune Cookies. They also have plans to launch two other businesses while training clients skills to get jobs in those fields. Without these types of programs, there's not much hope for released prison inmates or the people you see living on the streets, to get a second chance at finding work. So if you're Downtown or in Chinatown, please stop in to buy some chocolate for a worthy cause. They might even take you up to the second floor in what they claim is the second oldest working elevator in Honolulu. (It did make me a little nervous though when the elevator seemed to get stuck for a moment.) For more info, click here.

Coincidentally, the Taste of Waialua event is happening this Saturday at the Old Sugar Mill -- which is where we shot this month's show and segment intros with our host, Theresa Tilley. The guys at Island-X Hawaii, who run the funky store pictured above, were great to us. They even offered free samples of Waialua Estates coffee and chocolate, which can also be purchased there. Next time you're on the North shore, check them out! Here's a link to the Taste of Waialua page.

For daily viewing times of the new Career Changers TV show, visit our website. You can also watch video segments from past and current episodes on the CCTV YouTube Channel. Mahalo!