i L i n d

Yesterday’s entry about the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands request to purchase a $75,000 painting without competitive bidding drew several pointed responses.

Perhaps the most telling point is that DHHL could draw upon the collection of the State Foundation on Culture and the Arts for its new headquarters. That’s one I didn’t take into account. Why are they asking to purchase a high-price painting when they could have their choice from among the State Foundation’s collection?

I especially appreciated this comment:

For an artist as apparently unknown as Ms. Magno to offer to sell a painting to the State for $75,000 while claiming that it is worth as much as $300,000 is to spark remembrance of Oscar Wilde’s admonition: “The more he talked of his virtue, the faster we counted our spoons.”

What else is happening? A movie now in production about Princess Kaiulani has outraged some in the Hawaiian community, according to published reports.

Reader Kimo Lanikai interviewed Palani Vaughan about his opposition to the film and produced a 33 minute video now available on YouTube.

And over the weekend I managed to gather up my favorite Kaaawa photos from the month of February. This was the most spectacular morning, but others are interesting as well.

Just click for the full February gallery.