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October 2, 2004 - Saturday
"Don't trash Idaho." That was the reaction of the Idaho Conservation League to news that Honolulu is considering proposals to ship our garbage to their state. Environmentalists in Washington and Oregon also appear to have some concerns about shipping garbage up the Columbia River, although their views have only received passing mention. It would be helpful to hear viewpoints other than those of the landfill companies pitching their individual proposals.
Thanks to Joel Kennedy for this folo to the shipwreck story mentioned here on Thursday:
Glad you liked the "style" of those people on the Pearl and Hermes who salvaged parts of their wrecked ships and built a new ship on which they sailed back to Honolulu.
The leader of the group that did that was a Scottish ship's carpenter named James Robinson. When he got to Honolulu, he stayed, opening a ship's chandlery at Honolulu Harbor that eventually became McWayne Marine Supply at Kewalo Basin that many oldtimers will remember. Besides serving visiting ships, he repaired ships for the reigning alii and was a strong supporter of the monarchy.
James Robinson had seven daughters, each of whom continued the line in different directions. Besides the McWaynes, other descendants of James Robinson include the Wards of Ward Estate fame and the Thompson clan, the best known being Pinky and Nainoa. So, the Hawaii we know today would have been missing some very key ingredients if those ships had not gone aground on those reefs.
The story of the James Robinson Family was published in a series called "Tales about Hawaii" in the Star-Bulletin in 1952 by Clarice Taylor. Her series was published in pamphlet form by The Mark Alexander Robinson Trust and the Mark A. Robinson Trusts in 1967.
How do I know all this. I was lucky enough to marry into the clan. My wife is Ann McWayne Kennedy.
That's a great "rest of the story" twist.
NPR reported yesterday on comments by former Reagan speechwriter Peggy Noonan, who described George W. Bush as just a regular guy outmatched in a debate with a former prosecutor and college debater. Say what? Just a regular guy? Last time I checked, he was president of the United States and claiming to be qualified to serve another term.
And I know it's silly, but it is fun to watch the little DNC video of W's various squirms and smirks during the debate, which is now featured at the Democratic Party's web site, www.democrats.org. Leading up to the debate, pundits of all stripes were warning of the need to avoid the smirk.
From the MSNBC debate checklist:
If "the sigh" killed Al Gore in 2000, the "smirk" could damage Bush in 2004. Voter/viewers know the look: impatient, condescending, exasperated. The president can't afford to look that way, in response to either Lehrer or Kerry.
So despite the fair warning, Bush performed his smirk to perfection. Does this mean he can't be house trained or that Rove & Co. think it's an endearing trait? Either way, it seems like bad news.
October 1, 2004 - Friday
The first of October. Now all that Halloween crap that suddenly appeared in stores several weeks ago is finally arguably timely. At least we're now in the right month.
Presidential debate #1 is over, and the various polls and focus group results show Kerry prevailing by various margins. But I've got to love those Canadians. The Toronto Star gathered reader comments that strongly favored Kerry. Much more lopsided opinion than American polls have picked up. I think it's a measure of public reaction without all the priming by propaganda.
With the Toronto Star's parent company, TorStar, a minority shareholder in the Star-Bulletin via its stake in David Black's Black Press, it's looking like the Star-Bulletin could be laying the groundwork for an eventual TorStar takeover. The S-B's blue star logo, and references the paper as "the Star" make me suspect the subtle introduction of star images is not by chance. But hooking up more formally with the likes of the Toronto Star would likely boost the S-B's odds of long term survival, in both financial and journalistic terms.
Did you notice yesterday's dueling front page photos? Both the Advertiser and Star-Bulletin chose the same subject, at least for their morning editions.
Advertiser photo by Richard Ambo
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S-B photo by Dennis Oda
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I may be biased, but I think Dennis Oda's version in the Star-Bulletin wins handily in this head-to-head competition. By capturing the same scene at a slight angle, his photo has more energy. And he has strong details, like the one guy in the middle/right of the photo who is looking up rather than straight ahead. It's just a small detail, but his expression is worth a lot to the photo. But I would welcome other interpretations.
And many thanks to the reader who pointed me to the Mount St. Helens live webcam, so you can be on the scene if or when an eruption starts.
September 30, 2004 - Thursday
Diana Leone's story in today's Star-Bulletin on the possible discovery of a 182-year old shipwreck in the Northern Hawaiian Islands caught my eye, especially a paragraph late in the story. There were actually two ships--first one is wrecked, and then the rescue ship also falls victim. What happens to the survivors would make a great movie:
The combined crews made it safely to one of the atoll's small islands, salvaged provisions and timbers and eventually built a 30-ton schooner named Deliverance. A ship named Thames rescued the majority of the two ships' crews, although 12 survivors elected to sail the schooner they'd built back to Honolulu, according to the Friend.
No whining. Just use the salvaged parts to build a new ship, turn down the help of rescuers and sail it back to safety. I'm in awe at that kind of approach to handling the woes of the world.
Comedy Central's "news" program, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, featured a brief but direct interview last night with investigative reporter Seymour Hersh about his new book, Chain of Command.
Hersh is blunt in his criticism of the Bush administration, which he says amounted to a coup by a small group of neo-conservatives who were allowed to seize power with remarkably little resistance from the press, other agencies, or the public.
The real story of the treatment of prisoners at Guantanamo will overshadow what has been reported about the mistreatment of prisoners in Iraq, Hersh said, adding that it has changed the way that the world views America. And not for the better.
"What if Bush is reelected?" Stewart asked. Hersh shook his head. "Then we're in big trouble."
I just checked The Daily Show web site, but don't see Hersh's interview available there. But I suppose I'll have to run out today and snag a copy of the book. At least one observer has noted unusual delays in getting the book into circulation.
I stumbled across Joi Ito's comments on blogging while looking for something else yesteray, and thought them worth sharing.
| Finally, it's the end of another month. The cloudy skies the last several mornings have produced wonderful colors at dawn. Here's the view at Swanzy Beach Park earlier in the week. And we were several minutes late, missing the richest colors. |
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I'm off to the annual conference of the Hawaii TeleCommunications Association today at the Sheraton Waikiki. It promises some interesting panels, including one that I'll join as a panelist.
September 29, 2004 - Wednesday
Following my mention of the earthquake activity from Mauna Loa to Mount St. Helens, I was pointed to the U.S. Geological Survey site where you're greeted with a wealth of information, including "real time" tracking of earthquakes. Wander around in the section of "latest quake info" and you're sure to find something of interest.
I missed tech consultant Burt Lum's comments last month after his locally written Bytemarks column was abruptly discontinued by the Advertiser.
Lum says he was told the move resulted from the Advertiser's desire to save money, although he was only paid something in the neighborhood of $75 per column.
So what did the rag that calls itself "Hawaii's Newspaper" do to save money? It added another mainland syndicated column to take the place of the locally done Bytemarks. Come on, folks. If Gannett wants to claim the mantle of "Hawaii's Newspaper", then shouldn't they at least act like they mean it?
I received several nice comments on yesterday's "time flies" photo, although at least two people reported being unable to view it (all I can suggest is to get the latest version of QuickTime that will run on your computer, and remember that the player is free).
But one reader had this comment about the changes to that small slice of Kahala:
For a moment I thought something bad would happen, like overcrowding or something. But the neighborhood just got lusher and greener over the years. Sometimes the good guys win.
Sadly, I had to say that the uncivil mansions infecting Kahala in recent years were lurking just outside the confines of the "now" version of the photo, although right there on the corner everything remained remarkably reminiscent of the year of Hawaii statehood. For now, at least.
Another reader chimed in regarding the Advertiser's new online schedule:
And not only that . ..
I think it may have something to do with the presses being farther away, but my "morning" Advertiser is more often than not delivered after I leave home in the morning at 6. It used to show up regularly at 3:45. I'm thinking of dropping the daily subscription; did that some time ago with the Star Bull, since I "need" to see the news in the morning and that paper doesn't get delivered in our (Kailua) neighborhood until 5 p.m.
Of course, if you live in Kaaawa . . .
What he means to say, of course, is that in Kaaawa we get the a.m. S-B via home delivery, and always here quite early. It seems to arrive around 3:30 a.m. and always wakes up Mr. Leo, who in turn staggers down to the bedroom to yowl at me and, if lucky, score some fresh food. If he's unlucky, of course, he now gets the heave-ho out the front door. This means he's often prepared to engage in the evolving game of yowl and run, which involves taking off as soon as he sees evidence that my slumber has been suitably disrupted. And I can say from experience that it's hard to catch a hiding cat when you've just emerged from a sound sleep. Sometimes I wonder how we survive nine of these incredible creatures.
Finally, it took a student newspaper to report this dismal view of the situation in Iraq on the eve of the presidential debates where W will undoubtedly insist that everything is fine in democratic Iraq and getting better all the time.
September 28, 2004
The new online schedules of our daily newspapers has certainly shaken things up. The Star-Bulletin is now regularly available an hour or two before the Advertiser, a complete reversal of the previous situation. Folks who get up early, as we do, certainly notice the change. Will it boost the Star-Bulletin's online readership? I suppose we'll see.
| Large advertisements appeared in both the Star-Bulletin and Advertiser on Sunday opposing the sale of Hawaiian Telephone to the Carlyle Group. The ads were placed by Pacific LightNet, a local firm with a clear point of view and a good sense of what's at stake. |
Click to see Sunday's ad
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By spelling out questions and issues of public concern on a matter which has gotten far less discussion than it deserves, Pacific LightNet has done a real service.
If you haven't done it already, check out some or all of the Guardian's series on "the world in 2020", an ambitious attempt to identify the direction and impact of current trends
| I stopped by my parents' home in Kahala yesterday morning to visit, then slipped around the corner and walked along Pueo Street in the block where I thought yesterday's 1959 photo had been taken. First discovery--I had flipped the old photo. After correcting that error, I was able to sandwich old and new, and "see" where the original had been taken |
See how time flies...
just click on photo
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September 27, 2004 - Monday
What's going on? First there were the earthquakes leading to worries about a possible eruption of Mauna Loa. Now, just a couple of weeks later, Mount St. Helens is similarly awakening and causing scientists to issue warnings and a "notice of volcanic unrest".
I enjoyed running into CoolGov.com, a site devoted to dredging up interesting tidbits from official government web sites. There's a lot here to surprise and entertain.
Santa Cruz, California, separated at birth from us here in Hawaii? Sounds weird, but check this story from the Santa Cruz Sentinal. Having the only Hawaiian music station on the mainland must mean something.
And this story gave me a jolt--a law requiring cats to be kept indoors! We'll be in big trouble if this approach ever gets a foothold out here.
Although this trouble pales along side the big trouble we're already in. A demented president relying on the one out of two people (well, one of two voters) willing to quickly agree on the quality of Emperor Bush's new clothes, and more than willing to ignore contrary evidence on the real state of affairs. It is just so hard to believe that propaganda can be so effective.
At least Kerry is now naming the Bush malady, that he's living in "a fantasy land of spin". But whether Americans will recoil from that or embrace it remains unclear.
| Another fragment of Kahala, 1959. A friend of my sister hides her face, adding a bit of mystery to this photo taken on Pueo near where it runs into Kahala Avenue. I don't think it looks much different today, but only because the ungainly new starter mansions haven't yet invaded this particular block. I like this old photo, rescued somewhat inelegantly from a Brownie negative. It quietly discloses a lot about that time and this place. |
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September 26, 2004 - Sunday
Freeway speedsters are not just a problem here in Honolulu. Here's a piece from the St. Paul Pioneer Press based on the newspaper's analysis of speeding tickets issued over time. Their finding: the number of tickets given for speeds in excess of 100 mph has gone up four-fold. It's a good example of going beyond individual cases or incidents to get the bigger picture.
The Advertiser has current job postings on Gannett's corporate web site for an experienced education reporter, deputy news editor, and a graphics editor "to supervise the graphics department as well as do hands-on graphics work."
| "If you've set yourself on fire, do not run."
That's one of the interpretations of new government anti-terrorism symbols lifted from an official web site. The satirical version is worth checking out. If you write some of your own interpretations, send them here and share with the rest of us.
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From Star-Bulletin photographer Rich Walker:
Those pix from the Ilikai are pretty cool, considering I'm currently living in the Tradewinds which is featured on the right side of the second photo. I'm sure the view from my apartment was a lot better back then.
Yup, back when the Tradewinds was considered a real high rise.
| Just a few dogs in this morning's photo set. These are some of the irregulars, dogs who only get to the beach occasionally or whose schedules don't typically coincide with ours. Just click on Roo's photo for more. |
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