July 22, 2006 - Saturday

There's an explanation for what follows--I just bought a new scanner after finding that my original little Canon scanner has developed some kind of living mold under it's glass which makes scans appear fuzzy. While unpacking and installing the new scanner yesterday, well, one thing just led to another.

The results include scans of several more issues of The Roach, part of Hawaii's alternative press in 1968-69. I had scanned the first two issues earlier, and yesterday managed to do issues three through five. These are little time capsules from the 60s.

Then there is a transcription of a set of letters from Meda's great-great-grandfather penned in 1866 while romancing his soon-to-be-wife. They were in Texas right after the end of the civil war, eventually ending up in Wyoming. I'm sorry that this one is a large pdf file, something around 2 MB. So those with dial-up Internet connections will need to set aside some time if you want to view the letters.

July 21, 2006 - Friday

Here's a masterpiece of understatement in an excerpt from the Campus Beat column in Ka Leo, the UH Manoa student newspaper:

Saturday, July 15

8:28 p.m. – A Honolulu Police Department dispatch responded to a possible assault on the fourth floor of the Agriculture building.
8:29 p.m. – A man reported that his friend, working in the Agriculture building, was assaulted by a professor.
8:35 p.m. – Both parties involved in the assault charge were located by security. No medical assistance was required.
 
Sunday, July 16

1:11 p.m. – A doctor from Saint Francis Hospital called to request details on the prior assault that occurred in the Agriculture building. The victim wanted to be treated for sexual assault, yet no charges were filed with the Honolulu Police Department.

What's happening up there in Manoa? Will we see some follow-up on this?

A journalism refugee responded to yesterday's photos from Hilo:

Don't run any more photos of Hilo.

We don't want people find out how great it is.

They might want to move here.

I also received lots of feedback regarding our former mayor's appearances on the lecture circuit. Here's the most pointed:

Dear god. The man is still collecting paychecks on the speaking circuit, whereupon he tells grand tales about how he turned Honolulu into a first class city? Absolutely apalling. I would've loved to hear more of your thoughts on the actual content of the Victoria interview. I mean... he's giving advice on handling sewage infrastructure! For the love of god, don't any of these civic planners or engineering groups Google before extending speaking invitations?

A reader sent over the link to this column on the "outsourcing" of political canvassing, which I found most interesting.

Ed Case has his new television ads running that pretty much ignore the candidate but push the idea that we need someone new.

Our Hawaii's been well represented in Congress over the past generation.

But now is a time of transition ... time to pass the responsibility of leadership to the next generation of leaders.

The problem I have is that "Case" and "leader" are two ideas that don't mix well. Leadership implies that you've got that magic mix of qualities that result in people following your lead. Perhaps that happened when Case was practicing law. It certainly didn't seem to happen during his time in the legislature. At least I can't recall instances where he demonstrated that ability to lead his peers, either the majority or even a Democratic minority in the legislature. He was able to criticize them and needle them quite effectively, but it seems to me that's a different thing that leadership. So it seems to me stessing leadership is a risky gambit that could come back to bite the Case candidacy.

And Gary Hooser's campaign was quick to trumpet his position as the senator with the highest environmental ranking from the Sierra Club's Hawaii Chapter.

July 20, 2006 - Thursday

Jeremy Harris was sighted last week in Victoria, British Columbia, Star-Bulletin owner David Black's home turf.

Democracy for America is offering a series of three online workshops on the theme, "Learn how to take back the media." I suppose journalists should check them out to understand how others view their work.

Someone in my high school class sent out this link for a look back at the 1960s.

And do check this essay on class and globalization from The Guardian.

Finally, here are a few photos from our brief visit to Hilo last weekend. As usual, just click on this photo for more.

July 19, 2006 - Wednesday

The counter on this page quietly recorded the 800,000th visitor sometime late yesterday.

Congressional candidate and former Lt. Governor Mazie Hirono is now one of the Emily's List "featured candidates", which could give her a fundraising boost.

A reader points to a statement by Rep. Ed Case (as quoted in Hawaii Reporter) in which Case refers to both Senator Dan Akaka and Republican challenger Jerry Coffee as extremists.

The Hawaii Reporter article describes the announcement that Republican Jerry Coffee is entering the senate race, and includes this comment by case:

Congressman Case, also vying for the seat, says he welcomes Coffee to the race, maintaining that Hawaii voters will now have three clear political philosophies to choose from.

Akaka was rated the most liberal Senator in the 100-member Senate in 1998 and continues with an extremely liberal voting record; Case has been deemed a moderate Democrat because he is a fiscal conservative who has supported limiting the federal budget and the troops in the war on terror, but is socially liberal; and Coffee, who is a Conservative Republican, backing the president on most of his initiatives including tax cuts, reducing the deficit and the war on terror.

“Voters can choose between extremes on both sides or someone who is more moderate and in the middle of the political spectrum,” Case says.

"Is Ed losing it? Or has he always been this wacky?", the reader asks rhetorically.

Hawaii Island Journal editor Peter Serafin responded to my comments here on Monday:

As you noted, we sometimes use content from the Weekly, but that exchange works both ways.  Chris Haire and I took over as editors of our respective publications at about the same time; since then  HIJ has also provided a fair number of articles to our sister publication over there on the Little Island.

"Clearly the S-B has not abandoned the neighbor islands," you wrote. 

Ahem. It's quite a jump to go from "Hilo" to "the neighbor islands." The S-B is available in Hilo town and a few other places around the island -- if you know where to look -- but on the Kona side the paper is as rare as hen's teeth. We've even gotten a couple of letters over the past few months bemoaning the fact that it's not distributed on that side. In contrast, one can grab the 'Tiser at just about any country store islandwide. 

I suppose I should have said that the S-B has not totally abandoned the neighbor islands.

I promised several people some new cat pictures last week and didn't quite make it before heading over to Hilo. So, somewhat belatedly, here are a few more glimpses of our Kaaawa cats. This is Ms. Wally in one of her familiar poses, vigiling in front of an empty food dish. Just click for more.

Ms. Wally

And, finally, an update on Ms. Mimi, our neighbors 15-year old cat who lost a leg in a dog attack just five weeks ago. She's now mobile again, able to move around the house and even get through the cat door to spend a bit of time outside. At least it's a bit of good news out of that whole tragic affair.

July 18, 2006 - Tuesday

On Saturday morning, we drove the short distance to downtown Hilo, parked the car, and walked towards the bustling farmers' market. On the way, we stopped to browse in a little collectibles/antique shop up the block. The woman running the shop said their main store is in Waimea, but the population growth around Hilo prompted them to open this new store. She went on, saying that it was Donald Trump's comment about Big Island real estate several years ago that has fueled a mini-boom in the Puna area.

I made some comment back that Puna would be a great place to live if you don't mind the absence of government services.

Without a beat, she followed that theme: "They should have to tell people before they move here that you can't get a doctor. When you call doctors' offices, they all tell you that they aren't accepting any new patients."

If her observation has any validity, it would appear the strains on the island's infrastructure are reaching a critical point for regular folks as well as the poor.

At the same time, Pacific Business News reports on the influx of the "super-rich" whose private jets are overflowing available spots at the Kona airport and spreading out to park at airports across the state.

The challenges to the county, which must manage the growing disparities between the Hokulia-type enclaves of millionaires and the stretches of cowboy country in Puna where poverty is common and vital services are scarce or unavailable.

It is no coincidence that former Treasury Secretary Robert Rubin is now talking about income inequality as a dangerous force that can threaten the stability of American democracy. A new Alternet essay by William Greider which looks at Rubin's current thinking about inequality and its political implications is well worth reading.

By the way, we did make it to the Farmers Market, and immediately ran into Chris Yuen and Noelie Rodriguez selling lychee from their organic farm up the coast. In their day jobs, Yuen serves as the Hawaii County planning director and Rodriguez is a professor of sociology at Hawaii Community College.

July 17, 2006 - Monday

Meda and I spent a couple of days in Hilo. I survived without my computer, instead devoting myself to devouring Michael Connelly's The Lincoln Lawyer.

We didn't get around enough to get an overall sense of Hilo, but I left with some random impressions.

There were no feral chickens to be seen, even in the more "country" parts of Hilo. Perhaps they were out there somewhere, but we didn't run across any. With wild chickens so prevalent along the windward coast of Oahu, the difference was immediately obvious. Perhaps more folks on the Big Island know how to convert chicken into dinner. Whatever.

I thought the current issue of Hawaii Island Journal was pretty good. It's now owned by Honolulu Weekly publisher Laurie Carlson, and it's making use of items shared with Honolulu Weekly. This issue had two very thoughtful letters, indicating that it is seen as a vehicle for ideas. One pointed to the unexamined role of Wal-Mart and Home Depot in spreading coqui frogs across the Big Island by failing to make certain their nursery products are coqui-free. During the legislative session, there was lots of testimony about the coqui, but I don't recall any fingers pointing at the corporate highway that is aiding their dispersal. It's certainly worthy of a full follow-up.

Another letter called attention a new web site, www.hawaiiprisonreform.com, and cited issues like the high prices prisoners are forced to pay for common items. "For instance," the letter states, "they are being charged $10 for a 12-pack of soda while the average customer pays half the price or less.

I was also very impressed by Hana Hou!, the Hawaiian Airlines in-flight magazine. Glossy, bright, interesting. And, it seems, Hana Hou! and Honolulu Weekly have a lot in common.

Hana Hou! editor Stu Dawrs and editor-at-large Julia Steele are both former Weekly editors, and Curt Sanburn, another former editor, appears with a story on the Diamond Head coast. Chad Blair, yet another former Weekly editor, and Ric Valdez, a former weekly writer, both authored stories in this issue. There may be others I don't recognize.

And I was surprised by the availability of the Star-Bulletin in Hilo. It was the Honolulu daily available in our hotel, the Hilo Seaside, popular with local families and budget mainland travelers. S-B racks sat right next to the Advertiser in front of Longs. Clearly the S-B has not abandoned the neighbor islands.

More on Hilo later....

Thanks to a reader for this update on the crowded field of Democrats in the 2nd Congressional District race.

here are the latest figures for "cash on hand" from the FEC filings that were due yesterday:

Mazie Hirono:
$335,273.57

Brian Schatz:
$120,801.06

Colleen Hanabusa:
$113,370.69

Clayton Hee:
$47,355.61

Gary Hooser:
$29,420.60

Joe Zuiker:
$2,438.58

Matt Matsunaga:
$85.03

Source:

Federal Elections Commission

Finally, we picked up Mr. Romeo on the way home from the airport yesterday. He's a bit lighter under the collar after five teeth were extracted during his dental surgery. As the hand-written note on his dental chart said, "poor Romeo".