Japan is providing $5 million to the United States to help with collection and disposal of marine debris from the 2011 tsunami disaster. How’s that for Asia-Pacific economic cooperation? The huge tsunami triggered by a 9.0 magnitude earthquake March 11, 2011, off Japan’s northeastern coast killed or left more than 18,000 people missing and washed [...]
You have to admire the work our legislators handle this time of the year. They have so many things to do before and during the crossover period, it’s mind-boggling. To my surprise, all the significant gambling legislation fell by the wayside. I thought, with all the budget problems on the federal level, that a few [...]
Gov. Neil Abercrombie’s 2013 State of the State address was pretty entertaining, mostly because I don’t think a lot of people listening understood what he was talking about. His delivery was superb and he was dressed well. He didn’t have too many lei on, and the “applause machine” worked well and on cue. A couple [...]
Does loyalty matter in local politics? You’d better believe it. Dissident Democrats in the state House of Representatives, long on the outs with Speaker Calvin Say, joined with Republicans to oust Say as speaker and hand the gavel back to Joe Souki of Maui. Some observers said the dissidents were not being loyal to the [...]
If you were wondering how crazy things can get during a collective bargaining situation, you don’t have to look any further than Chicago. As I write, its teacher strike is still going on, with no end in sight. The Chicago teachers have given up on negotiating and are out picketing. Meanwhile, Hawaii State Teachers Association [...]
Bullying has garnered national coverage after recent suicides by young people who suffered torment at the hands of bullies. The state Department of Education has always been concerned about bullying, and has formulated plans to deal with the issue and with the bullies themselves. Actually, it’s a popular educational research topic. According to the Diagnostic [...]
We have so many laws in Hawaii, it’s hard to keep track of them. Some make a lot of sense and some don’t. Many of our more high profile laws deal with owners who are guilty of animal cruelty. It will be interesting to observe how diligent our investigators are in locating the person or [...]
It seems we have a conflict between our new governor and the National Football League’s Pro Bowl, which has been held in Hawaii every year except one since 1980. Why a conflict? It appears that Gov. Neil Abercrombie got carried away while speaking to a group of early-childhood educators, and when the question of setting [...]
Great article in the Star-Advertiser last Wednesday. It’s a very important article for middle-aged people in Hawaii coasting alone, having a good time in paradise, to digest. It’s a topic no one really wants to talk about, and that’s understandable because it’s about how much long-term care costs in Hawaii. I’ve always thought “long term [...]
The words are flying all over the place, but not about our budget shortfall or beleaguered public education system. It appears everyone has a take on President Barack Obama’s birth certificate. Donald Trump has been the most prominent supporter of the “Birther” movement. What’s going on? It’s simple politics and one of the arts of [...]
