I guess I’ve tired of pop radio tunes. So while I drive (and provided my wife isn’t with me) I listen to countrywestern music. It provides me some comic relief in these serious times.That music seems to glorify drinking, hopping from woman to woman, not going to school, not having a job, and dressing and [...]
What’s a “best movie”? My wife and I would disagree on that. She leans to the “did it entertain me” side. I demand something breaking new ground. Entertaining is No. 2 on my priority list. No. 1 is getting out ahead of the ordinary. So Life Is Beautiful, Benjamin Button, Catfish and The Hurt Locker [...]
There are many books claiming a conspiracy to allow Japan to attack Hawaii on Dec. 7, 1941, but 10 investigations came to the conclusion we did not know it was coming. So most every student of that horrible Sunday morning reasonably asks, “Why didn’t we know?” One man told us in 1925 he knew it [...]
My favorite local sports writer is Dave Reardon of the Star-Advertiser. Not because he was my student at UH ages ago, but because he’s an incisive, clear-wording writer. And he’s come down hard on our million-dollars-with-little-to-show-for-it head football coach Greg McMackin. I don’t have the background to say if McMackin is good or bad, just [...]
I blow hot and cold about the American Civil Liberties Union of Hawaii. It’s gone overboard arguing that T-shirt vendors had a right to be on Waikiki sidewalks and that the homeless can’t be targeted when they squat on public sidewalks, beaches and parks. But it has been a steady beacon for our right to [...]
I guess I was supposed to be saying, “Welcome, Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) delegates and the $120 million you’re contributing to the Hawaii economy.” Instead, I’m wishing I had booked plane reservations to Tasmania, and I suspect we’ve long ago spent that $120 million on street and sidewalk work, medial strip treeand grass-planting and [...]
I think it’s fair to say that we have the least inspirational president, Congress, District 1 and 2 U.S. representatives, Legislature, local union leaders and Hawaii governor in recent history. We are dangling over the fires of recession and revenue shortfall that cannot easily be quenched. We could be inspired to tighten our belts and [...]
Last week I wrote about serious problems inside the old Kaua’i Food Bank (KFB), which was dumped-forcause by the statewide Hawaii Foodbank but continues to operate at Nawiliwili as “Kaua’i Independent Food Bank.” The volumes of documents I’ve reviewed for that piece and for this follow-up story make me wonder how KIFB continues to exist, [...]
This past Thursday, the Hawaii Foodbank held a blessing ceremony for its warehouse in the Puhi Industrial Park. But wait, the Garden Island already has the Kaua’i Independent Food Bank near Nawilili Harbor, about a mile away! What’s up? Therein is a story of intrigue, misspent funds, allegations of food going to unqualified people, and [...]
Be very careful what you wish for. California has mandated that gay rights be taught in all public schools. Besides the horror of politicians rather than educators deciding what needs to be taught, how do you close the door if lawmakers should want creationism taught rather than evolution, or only Christian studies rather than all [...]
