The public is invited to Civil Beat in Kaimuki on Wednesday for a discussion of Public Education, the University of Hawaii and Prisons. The discussion will be based on essays from the book, “The Value of Hawaii”, with authors Kat Brady, Meda Chesney-Lind, Mari Matsuda and Neal Milner. The session (5:30-7:00 p.m.) is free and open to the public, membership not required, but an RSVP is requested–email to beatup(at)civilbeat.com.

If you’ve got an hour to spare–perhaps you’re celebrating this federal holiday–my friend, Norm, high recommends this YouTube video of a lecture by Robert Reich, discussing his book, “Aftershock”.

Or, if you only have a couple of minutes and want to start the day (and the week) on a high note, you can always watch the incredible Carrie, the Dancing Dog Doing The Merengue.

Several suggestions were received over the weekend. One was a link to a new blog, FreeCatholic808, “exploring the intersection of religion and politics.”

One recent post is critical of the church newspaper, Hawaii Catholic Herald, for excluding divergent viewpoints.

Recently the Hawaii Catholic Herald ran a full page ad by the Aloha Family Alliance PAC several times calling on Christians in Hawaii to not be “lackadaisical” and to engage fully in the “battle for the soul of Hawaii” by upholding traditional marriage and opposing same-sex marriage/civil unions.

The parents of a gay man wrote to the paper to express their deep dismay at the assertion that same sex unions would lead to “public school children being taught that homosexual behavior is normal and natural . . . [and] would result in experimentation by impressionable sexually developing children. “

They were equally offended by the ad’s misleading assertion that “Tax-payer funded public schools teaching values that attack the sacred institution of marriage is simply wrong.”

The editor of the Herald, after consultation with the Bishop, declined to publish their letter.

Another friend recommends reading through the guest book in memory of Mits Aoki, who died recently. It includes comments left by friends, as well as a long eulogy by Rick Bernstein. I suppose this complements my descriptions of my dad’s decline. He needed a Mits Aoki in his life several years ago.

Mits was, among other things, a professor who changed lives. Here’s one sample comment.

I first met Mits in his Religion class to fulfill and undergraduate requirement. How could this man, a Jonathan Livingston Seagull in human professor form, be so powerful with such simple means? He could draw us into his dream world with his stories, demonstrations, and self-awareness exercises. His passion was unmistakenably sincere. And moving. So much that I, and many of my classmates found ourselves being TA’s for his lab classes, and finding spiritual meaning in just asking the questions; Why am I here? Can death be embraced instead of feared? What happens when we put 100% faith in something we value or desire, instead of what we fear? How powerful are our thoughts and beliefs? What if everything really happens for a reason? A reason that we can’t see?

Finally, Norm–who recommended the Robert Reich video–also sent this collage along with his assessment that it is Chinn Ho in the photo posted here on Saturday.