Homespun Honolulu

Car shows are not normally my area of interest but this one was special and I had to be there to capture the scene a couple of weeks ago at Aloha Tower Marketplace. What was so special about it? The Oahu Motorsports Advisory Council put together this show to highlight the “Build the Track” campaign to provide a place for the different motor sports to enjoy their sport.

Right at the edge of the mall’s main entrance sat this race car. That’s what it’s all about – Build the Track! Since I found out about this campaign I have heard several comments. One of those comments was that there is a lack of interest. Well, let’s look through these pictures and you tell me if there’s a “lack of interest!”

There were trucks, cars and even a couple of motorcycles parked all over the place. I didn’t know where to turn first. With so much to see that it was hard to stay focused while trying to take in every corner of this automotive pageantry.

There were trucks with added character, truck-like coverings with a patriotic flair, and organizations whose specialty is, well, trucks.

I gave up trying to get perfect, clear pictures — there were just too many people walking around and too many balloons to get in front of the camera. Suddenly, it dawned on me that I should just take those shots so that I could show everyone how there’s such a “lack of interest” in this venue. Lack of interest my foot!

There was a truckload of representatives from several automotive firms and there were a few vendors sharing their ideas. In addition to those sponsors, there were others as well. This brings up another comment that was made to me recently about the track project. “They need big sponsors to make it happen.” The translation of that is that they need money. Oddly enough, there were no booths collecting donations. This was to raise awareness and to gain support of the community.

It wasn’t just the automotive places or tire stores who took part in this event! At least one of our radio stations, HOT I-94 (93.9 if you want to be picky), was there. There may have been other stations but I was focused on the automobiles.

There was at least one branch of the armed services in attendance. The National Guard even had their own vehicle there!

It’s quite obvious that this project was not completely without some governmental support! Even the sheriff’s office was there with their vehicle all pretty and shiny for the occasion.

Relax, they weren’t there to serve anyone with papers. They were there, I think, to show support while probably hoping “The Track” would come to fruition. They would have less drama with the freeway racing that we have seen so much of recently.

This brings up another statement that was made to me a couple of months ago. The statement went something like, “Those are not experienced racers doing that!” I know that. We all know that. What we have is young people wanting to race and having no place to do so.

When I was hanging with friends in the late 70’s and early 80’s, people went to Hawaii Raceway Park every weekend! Teens had something to do, something that captivated them and kept them out of trouble. They closed Hawaii Raceway Park. It’s gone. There is no place for them to go.

Youth of all ages love racing, they love anything with a motor that they can ride. That adoration doesn’t die with age.

There is no age limitation for the fascination with auto racing. The organizers of this show knew it too!

There’s just something about it that draws out the excited smiles of our keiki!

This really was a family event and everyone seemed to be having a great time. The real focus though was on the automobiles.

People were making their way in and out and around the vehicles on display.

There were many exhibitors enjoying the opportunity to share their hobby with others.

The vehicle above was my favorite drenching of colors but the intensity of conversation was even more interesting to observe. The passion, like a lot of things we involve ourselves in, is very intense for this activity!

I was hard-pressed, a few times, to figure out who was enjoying things more — the visitors or the exhibitors!

There was a lot of information to absorb and a lot of vintage vehicles to see and examine — inside and out.

I will continue making my point as we move down but I just couldn’t let any of these pictures be left without sharing them.

This way, everyone can get a better feel for just how important this event was to the organizers, and just how important this sporting venue is to so many.

We’ve got cobras under the hood and engines that are as clean and shiny as the car’s exteriors!

Beautiful colors and classic models glistened around every corner.

These racers have the traditional look of those race cars in the video games! Wow, they really do look like that!

Why do I care? I don’t race, I don’t like loud noises, I don’t like smoke, screeching wheels, or the smell of burning rubber. So, what’s it to me? I grew up on the West side of Oahu and every weekend there was almost always someone who was not home because they were reportedly at Hawaii Raceway Park. It was a life’s passion for many and a fun hobby for others. It was a place for youth to go and to burn off their energy instead of getting into trouble.

As I mentioned, they closed Hawaii Raceway Park. It has never been replaced. Nobody shared a place for the racers to go. They’re working on it!

There were no booths collecting donations but there was this booth to sign their petition with room for comments. Yes, I signed it and yes, I left a comment!

This says it all in a nutshell. “We Just Wanna Race!” The best argument that I have heard was that every other sport or hobby has it’s place to go. Basketball, baseball, volleyball, tennis, golf, bowling, running, swimming, shooting, and just about anything else you can think of, has it’s own place to happen — it’s own field, it’s own course, etc. Everything, that is, except for racing. Good point!

This was the best photo! Isn’t he cute? He was so amazed at the sight of all those trucks! Oblivious to all else, I think he was just amazed that his toy trucks had become reality. Right along the sidewalk too!

Okay, we couldn’t let the bikes go unnoticed. There were a couple of them there. They too need a place to race. We all know the dangers of motorcycle racing. It would be better for all if they had a place designed just for that purpose.

My heart goes out to the racing community and I can comfortably say they have my full support. I would rather put my support behind TheTrack than that stupid rail! If you feel they’re right, watch them, follow their progress and support their efforts. Our community needs a track to replace what we lost. Let’s support them while they Build the Track!

Technorati Tags: Auto Racing, Build the Track, Car Show

No, not the trade-winds. The winds I’m referring to here are those winds that carry the fairy tales to the ears of today’s youth and the ears of those who choose to still believe. Recently we were treated to a production of “Wind of a Thousand Tales, Folk Tales from Faraway Places” by John Glore with Music and Lyrics by Diane King

The Mid-Pacific Institute School of the Arts pulled together this production and, under the direction of CoCo Wiel, pulled the Winds together to tell three tales in an attempt to show protagonist, Kimberly-Kay, the value of fairy tales.

Kimberly-Kay had already decided that bed-time stories and the like are a waste of time. The “Winds” were on a mission to change her mind!

Just that abstract notion alone — that the winds are going to guide Kimberly-Kay into the world of the literary fiction — was enough to pull at my heart strings. I couldn’t wait to see if they would be successful.

The play was performed in a small theater inside the charming little building seen below. The building has obviously been around for a long time but it was equally obvious that there has been some recent repairs done to the building while maintaining it’s historic appearance.

Meet the Winds

This tree, seen here on the right, is Brisa, the first animated “wind” to share a bit a folklore with the audience.

Played by Julie Comstock, this wind leads everyone through an unusual Mexican love story that actually manages to peak Kimberly-Kay’s interest.

There’s nothing like the anticipation of hearing what ’s going to happen! After following the storyline for a bit, Kimberly-Kay can’t wait to find out what happens next. That was one bedtime story that was not going to put anyone to bed any time soon!

The most humorous part of this first tale would have to be the narcissistic Carlos, seen here on the left. He is more concerned with his hair and his collection of combs than he is with the young girl who is very much in love with him.

It is not until Carlos loses his sight that he is able to “see” that the same little friend from his youth has loved him all along.

The puppetry and the character of Carlos were created and played by Matthew Conners.

After the story is told, Kimberly-Kay wants to know, “Is it true?”

Her question is answered with another question: “Is it?”

I was waiting to hear the answer to Kimberly-Kay’s question but what I heard raised my eyebrows and made me start thinking. “Is it?” I think it was.

My own affectionate view of the world of fantasy fiction in general, and the fairy tales we grew up with, in particular, was certainly not jeopardized by this collection of tales. I have always seen fairy tales as one of the great teaching tools of early childhood and, while not really aimed at “early” childhood, these yarns being spun had stories to tell, lessons to teach, and left you with things to think about.

Nushi, played by Todd Aquino-Michaels and seen here on the right, is what I assume to be something of a Samurai wind. Nushi tells a Japanese tale of a girl who secretly dances for a spirit and whose secret is eventually discovered. She is later reunited with the young man to whom she was forced to disclose her secret.

Now, with this one, we were leaning more on the fantasy side of things — my kind of story! The magic of romance and the realities of what a woman is willing to dedicate her life to always makes for a good tale! Ah, the insufferable romantic that I am! Sigh.

In case you hadn’t noticed, the costumes for each of the stories in this play were a combination of clothing, make-up and puppetry.

Bluster, played by Zak Lathrop, was probably my favorite from a theatrical point of view. Quite the blustering, gasconading goofball, this peculiar breeze shared a European tale about a cranky princess who needed a suitor who could make her laugh, or lose his head trying.

This windy character, as you can see here on the right, was very appropriately styled — with the look of a court jester. Kudos to CoCo Wiel, the show’s director, for her creative puppetry!

In addition, there were some very appropriate sounds effects that were used to get a few points across. Bluster had a spring, or a “boing” in his step and the sounds of heads hitting the floor spared us the need for any visual confirmation — thank goodness!

The useful application of these sound effects for this segment was a nice addition and quite an effective touch.

At least twice I picked up on what I thought was a suggestion to Kimberly-Kay, played by Kellianne Cadavona and seen here on the left, to determine in her own mind if the stories were true.

Aren’t they all true for us at any given time in our lives? Certainly some of the emotions evoked by these stories are things we can all relate to — discovering the people who really do care for us, finding out that there really are people who can bring us happiness, and seeing the useful lessons and charm in the artful gift of storytelling.

The cast seemed to enjoy sharing these tales and as you can see below, they were very happy to do so!

No, these “Winds” were not our beloved trades but I must say that these Winds did carry some wonderful messages as they blew across the stage. The Wind of a Thousand Tales also carried the message that upcoming productions put on by the Mid-Pacific Institute School of the Arts may very well be worth seeing. I’m counting on it!

Chapter 10 of the Carnival of Aloha takes a fascinating look at what makes Hawaii tick by getting up close and personal!

I know some people wait to see what method of “transportation” our Carnival will take in every chapter. Trust me, I thought of a couple of things that I could work in but, this time, in honor of our new friend and “Terror Suspect,” Chris Damitio,we’re going on foot! Chris did it — all the way around the island of Oahu, on foot!

Chris Damitio shares his Big Walk Update for the last few days of his journey. I have to take this moment to express how much it meant to me to hear Chris say how the West side of Oahu is where he found the warmth and aloha. Chris found that, “People on the West Side are perhaps the friendliest and most open people on Oahu.” What can I say? I won’t get into it but suffice it to say that it warmed my heart to read those words.

Isabella Mori submitted, at just the right time, her post about mental health week: empowerment in the workplace posted at change therapy, saying, “an interview with Dr. Matthew B. James about the Hawaiian spiritual system of huna.” Thank you for submitting this, Isabella! This is something that still exists, in its unspoken way. Chris Damitio can correct me if I’m wrong but I think he got a very strong influx of it during his journey.

So, grab your shoes and let’s go! Now, I know a lot of you are groaning at the thought of such an expedition but we do have a back-up plan! If the long walk scares you, Sheila has horses for us to ride — seahorses! Okay maybe we can’t ride them but they can be our little tow trucks.

Sheila gives us a Review of Ocean Rider Seahorse Farm Tour posted at Hawaii Vacation Blog - GoVisitHawaii.com, saying, “If you’d like to see a pregnant male or have a seahorse wrap their tail around your finger, you’d love this tour of the seahorse farm in Kona. It’s one of the few seahorse farms in the world and a great example of aqua-culture.” I wondered about them and their survival. They seem so fragile. Thank you, Sheila, for sharing that with us. I had no idea!

Angie reminds us to be careful — The stings of paradise, posted at True Aloha, are definitely a snap back into reality. The Man-O-War are almost as bad as the traffic-filled intersections on our walk. One of the true obstacles of the sea!

There are other obstacles for our walking carnival. We need clean air!

Bobbie tells us more about the Vog in Hawaii: Information and Resources posted at Virtual Scratchpad. Bobbie says, “I wrote a few earlier articles about the vog and they were getting a lot of search traffic from people looking for information — so, I compiled a lot of information into this one post so that it could be used as a community resource.”

Now that we’ve got the air down, we need to cover the soil we’re walking through too!

HawaiiVacationGifts asks the question, Do You Know the Name of Your State Soil? Hawaii’s is… posted at Hawaii Vacation Gifts Blog - Hawaiian Blog, saying, “I can’t wait to see how you weave in my dirty post.” Well, HVG, it’s a dirty job but someone’s gotta do it!

Something that has happened to many of us recently is the injection of politics into our lives. Life goes on as usual but politics has suddenly become a big part of what’s grabbing our attention. So, in keeping with this closer look at our lives, it will interject itself here too!

Lynn Vasquez presents Hawai`i Democratic State Convention Part II posted at Auntie Pupule. I was very happy that Lynn shared this pictorial coverage with us! I know I have been fixated on the political scene since February. Lynn also says we can “See the Hawai`i Democratic State Convention Part I.” Kudos, Lynn! Thank you very much for your coverage!

Evelyn (that’s me) will join Lynn and take the political scene a step further as she realizes that My Country Lied to Me! This post, while not a very happy one, presents yet another look of our community that most people never see. Ahhh, the politics of the Word — nothing ignites us more.

Praveen presents, just in time, a Dog in Hawaii posted at Tao of Simplicity where we can see how it’s best to chill out, take it easy and just go with the flow! One little doggie on Kauai showed Praveen the light!

After all that exercise, we’re going to need a drink!

L.P. “NEENZ” FALEAFINE shares Wine Tasting: Putting A Bit of Culture Into Our Lives with us! Neenz sent in this post, posted at From the Mind of NEENZ, saying, “SWAM (Shiroma Wine and More) is owned by kama’aina Jill Shiroma. Centrally located in Waimalu, every Thursday features different tastes from different vendors. Consider this an invitation!”

Ron joins in with adding culture to our lives as he presents Museums on the Big Island of Hawaii posted at Your Aloha Connection. This is quite an array of museums. I love museums! Thank you, Ron, for sharing these cultural finds.

Pua provides the ultimate relaxation at a Big Island Secret Beach posted at Best Hawaii Vacation with Hawaii Vacation Blog, saying, “A Big Island beach not everybody knows! Spend a day on the beach with the green sea turtles as company and no people around (or just a few)!”

This was definitely a closer look at some of the unusual things about our home that people don’t always see or talk about. I continue to be amazed at how the Hawaiian blogosphere had become a niche of its own. Mahalo to all the participants for a job well done, for stepping outside the box when appropriate, and for sharing your thoughts and experiences!

That concludes this chapter. Submit your blog article to the next edition of Carnival of Aloha using our carnival submission form. Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.

Technorati tags: carnival of aloha, blog carnival.

Remember when they covered the news with all of those stories about the ethnic cleansing of Albanians in Kosovo? Remember we bombed the heck out of what was once Yugoslavia because of those claims?

Pure fiction! They lied to us! There was no such ethnic cleansing. It was all propaganda and false media reporting. How can we now look away and ignore this? Has our entire country become so parochial that we’re comfortably oblivious to the atrocities that are done with (and sometimes without) our citizen’s oblivious stamp of approval?

I know the newsies are laughing at me. Yeah, I know, you news experts are chuckling and wondering why I’m so surprised. You’re thinking, “They always lie to us, didn’t you know that?” Yeah, okay, I know. But this, for me anyway, is way beyond anything I have experienced in the way of deception by my own government.

If our government officials had said to us that we needed to protect our interest in the oil, we would have understood that. The problem is, they know we would have NOT understood, or tolerated, our country backing drug-trafficking terrorists! That’s what they were doing.

Are you mad yet? Believe me, it took me a while to cool down enough so that this post wouldn’t sound like raving lunacy. So, why am I writing about this? What does this have to do with me? What does this have to do with Honolulu? Read on…

The United States is not without its share of Serbian Americans. Serbian Orthodox churches all over the United States held big demonstrations about our (the United States of America’s) condoning of the Kosovar Albanians claiming Kosovo as their own — declaring independence in a land that is not and never was theirs.

My friends and members of my Church family are deeply hurt by this — hurt from personal, historic, religious and ethnic standpoints. Comparatively speaking, the declaration of disgust expressed in Honolulu was very small, but just as sincere and heartfelt nonetheless.

They gathered a concerned few together and met in front of the Federal Building just outside of downtown Honolulu. What America has done, without the knowledge of its citizenry, is to create a stage for this mess to play out where the outcry is too soft to be heard. Nobody is talking about it. The media is disinterested because there is no mob and there is no violence in the street. The feeble cry of, “but Kosovo is Serbia!” falls on deaf ears.

Yes, people were more than willing to talk it through — more than willing to explain their position and why it hurts them. I was able to get the full impact of those explanations. But, where do I go for a disinterested party?

At this point of discovery I am angry. I needed more information to make a case for seeing the Serbian side of this Kosovo conflict. I needed more to disagree so vehemently with my own government — the government that is supposed to be doing good throughout the World.

Increasingly frustrated and still in denial that my country could be so deceitfully secretive, and leave us with no access to news from the other side, I kept searching. You see, it’s not that we don’t care, it’s that we just don’t know and we don’t fully understand the degree of our involvement.

Other countries think our calm is because we’re wimps. That is not the case. We are seeking knowledge and trying to ascertain the truth. I don’t want to hear governmental rhetoric that is laced with “creative” truths, aka lies, that are designed to sway public opinion. Give me the facts and let me make my own decisions on the movements of the people we voted into office!

Do we have culture clashes going on here? Definitely. Hawaii, of all places, should be used to it! Well, for the bulk of the population, the Slavic nations haven’t made a large enough impact on Hawaii to keep us all paying attention to what’s going on with their cultures and their homelands. We keep track of China, Japan and the Philippines, but, for the most part, the European Union seems to be kind of off our radar.

The media (I refer here to mainland media — our local stations are exempt on this topic) is obviously hell-bent on lying to us. Either that or they’re being strong-armed or paid huge sums to rewrite the facts. So, we need news sources that come directly from the people — people who are in the middle of it all and know the truth. Fox News is already on my list of places not to listen to because they shoot their mouths off before verifying their information — anything for headlines and to be first with breaking news — even if it’s false!

I really don’t want to add CNN to that ugly place of distrust. Sigh. This is a classic reason why we need something like the blogosphere if we expect to get the truth. We’ll get particles of truth, but at least they’ll be just that — the truth! When I say blogosphere I mean real people, not spin-off blogs from the news channels — those are just the same thing we already get from the media with some added editorial comment. They’re not bad, they’re just not reliable when the honesty of their station(s) is being questioned.

The blogosphere I’m talking about is the actual people living in the neighborhoods they’re talking about. The real people that understand the culture and current events and are living and sharing their lives with the world through their blogs.

While our local media and blogs are quiet about the topic of Kosovo, the blogosphere as a whole is not without its opinion and voice on this matter. Nothing Against Serbia tells us about how Zurich has heard the pleas of its Serbian population.

So, Now What?

Where do you think the United States stands with Serbia now? Our applauding this illegal drama has made Russia mad at us too. Have we made enemies out of our friends?

The damage has been done, so what will Washington do now to keep the peace? Anything? Hmmm… I wonder what Barack Obama would do to fix the situation? I don’t know. Perhaps he will open the lines of communication and help mend the rift and discuss options with all involved. What would Hillary Clinton do? NOTHING! Her husband was president when it started! What will McCain do? Nothing — he and his party want to continue it all in their “business as usual” manner.

What can we do? Not much. As citizens we can acknowledge the injustice done to our brethren so far across the globe, we can send venom-filled letters to our representatives in Congress, or we can pray for them as seen here.

Why does our Russian Orthodox Priest see this as important? Aside from the fact that Serbia gave refuge to the Russian Orthodox so many, many years ago, when so many were threatened by the communists, Father Anatole justifies his prayerful support in this way:

First of all, ANY immoral act, whether committed by an individual or by a government, must be condemned in no uncertain words. Let me just cite a few undisputed facts connected with the Kosovo debacle:

1. Kosovo is not only a territory which formed the heartland of Medieval Serbia, but by long standing tradition it is the seat of the Serbian Orthodox Patriarchate. In addition, there are (or were) many historically important churches and monasteries in Kosovo.

2. When NATO, led by the United States, was threatening to bomb Serbia and Kosovo, the Kosovar Terrorists (a.k.a. ‘freedom fighters’ in the United States) were demanding full independence from Yugoslavia. At that time Clinton’s girdle saleswoman, Madeline Albright, told the Kosovar Albanians that ‘unless you only ask for autonomy, NATO cannot bomb the Serbs.’ Well, since the Albanians wanted Serbs to be bombed they changed their demand to ‘autonomy’.

3. NATO was originally formed to defend Western Europe from aggression from the Soviet Union and the Warsaw Pact countries. Yugoslavia, at the time of the bombing was not allied with the Soviet Union, and the Warsaw Pact had disappeared. Thus, the bombing of Yugoslavia by NATO was not an act mandated to it – it was interference in the internal affairs of a country that had not attacked anyone.

4. During Miloshevich’s crackdown against the Albanian separatists in Kosovo it was the Serbian Orthodox Church that did its best to shelter and defend innocent Albanian civilians. And what thanks did it get after the Serbs were driven out of Kosovo? Churches, monasteries were burned and desecrated, and the NATO peacekeepers did little to stop the Kosovars from doing their ‘ethnic cleansing’.

5. There is so little law and order in Kosovo now that after NATO eventually pulls out, the remainder of the Serbs in Kosovo can only expect genocidal attacks against them. (And the Kosovars can be sure that they will be in no way punished by NATO and the United States for that.)

6. Finally, the Israelis, if not the United States government, have spotted the precedent, a very unfavorable precedent for them, in the Kosovo situation. If NATO can bomb a sovereign state because that state refuses to grant independence to one of its territories where a particular ethnic group is in the majority and even engages in terrorist acts against it, what is preventing the Palestinians from declaring independence in Gaza and the West Bank? After all, logically, NATO should be protecting them against Israel by bombing the Israelis. One may also add to this, the Kurdish separatists in Eastern Turkey, the Basque separatists in Spain, etc., etc.

Does he know what he’s talking about? You bet. A now retired linguistics professor from the University of Hawaii, Father Anatole has had his own ethnic reasons to follow the news of the Slavic regions all these years. He is Russian and he was born in Yugoslavia where his mother, like many other Russian people fleeing the Russian communist regime, was given sanctuary.

Peaceful by nature, with a strong and passionate Christian Faith, prayers over the icon of the Serbian saint, Saint Lazar, offer some peace to the distressed Serbs who continue to watch their ethnic homeland and the holy places of its national Church being desecrated. This is all the more hurtful when the land they now call home applauds these visual and mental horrors.

Why is America Being So Disagreeable?

Caution: The following is my paranoid opinion section based only on my own thoughts and observations.

Could all of this be the reason for the rise in the cost of gas? The new pipeline to transport the ever-coveted oil from one country to the next is an ongoing project. That pipeline runs right through Kosovo! Hello?!?

Okay, maybe that’s being just a little too paranoid but, $9 billion of oil revenue has suddenly vanished? (I was listening to Dianne Feinstein on CNN with Wolf Blitzer and had to go get the transcript just to confirm what I thought I heard.) Was that to fund the sending of more soldiers to “help” the citizens of Iraq or are we going there to distract the American public from the travesty in Kosovo? What ever they’re doing, it’s working.

Let’s think about it:

Tibetan Monks being persecuted by China, we say nothing. There’s no oil involved.

Darfur abuses are running rampant and we verbally condemn them, but nothing more. There’s no oil involved.

Yet phony genocide is retaliated with war with a country over it’s own property. That would be like Mexico taking over California or Cuba taking of Florida and calling it their own, with the help of the army from yet another country. What were we thinking? It’s all about the oil.

Okay, that’s the end of my paranoid opinion section.

I was almost ready to wrap this up and then I ran into this article about Russia, China, and India looking to revisit this very issue with Kosovo. The article opens with:

“The US administration rejected with derision Thursday’s joint call by Russia, China and India to resume talks on the future status of Kosovo.”

With “derision?” Who the hell do we think we are?!? I swear we have no diplomacy or shred of decency left! We have GOT to change what’s going on in the White House.

Still hungry for more? There are articles galore but here is just a bit more reading if you care to absorb more information about this fiasco. I just can’t stand this oil-based hypocrisy.

The Honolulu Academy of Arts did the “green” thing this past Sunday for its Family Sunday. Assuming this was in anticipation of yesterday’s Earth Day, I would say they did a great job.

For those who drive down Beretania Street and pass the Academy on a regular basis, like me, you’re familiar with the colorful banners in front of the Academy that are blowing in the wind as you drive by.

These banners, as festive and alluring as they are, have nothing to do with Earth Day. These are part of the motif that continues on the inside and is the current exhibit visiting the Academy.

The sacred arts of Bhutan are currently this featured display at the Academy of Arts. The full display of this attraction is on the second floor.

We did not venture up to see the display but it was definitely the topic of conversation while we were there. “The Dragon’s Gift,” as this exhibit is titled, is an attraction which focuses on the “Himalayan kingdom’s Buddhist art and culture.”

This exhibit represents an unusual opportunity to learn about a culture we don’t hear about very often. In addition to the educational aspect, it is definitely a visual feast of very colorful arts, sacred ritual dance, and rich textiles.

Those colorful banners we mentioned, the ones pictured above, are actually covered in writings that you would only see if you were standing next to them. While the writings are not in English, the quality and detail involved with such labor still makes quite an impact.

So, just what was going on for Earth Day? Well, there were a lot of things to make you think about protecting our environment and a lot of hands-on activities for the keiki (children).

Here we’ve got some terrariums being made to further educate the youngsters. I was surprised to see just how little parking was available and how many young children were there. The Academy is not usually a place where you find young children. Its focus is more on the arts of various World cultures. Bishop Museum is a more common place to see the kids.

It certainly made for some creativity and quality time for families. Happy Tamanaha, seen below, was showing people of varying ages the art of basket weaving from simple coconut leaves.

While the push has always been to plant more flora than concrete, the other, more-recent focus for our planet is to recycle products that may otherwise end up in the landfills.

Local sculptor, Mark Chai, has the right idea and shares those ideas with attendees. Pictured above, left, we see a conversational mood light created from a waste basket. In the center we have a decorative light made out of an x-ray film carton that would have otherwise been discarded. The item on the right is a wastebasket made from corrugated tin roof and, get this, old cafeteria trays.

This one is my favorite. The backing of this piece is actually the backing of a street lamp that Mr. Chai found at the dump. He has made a useful creation that, while maybe not suitable for your living room, would certainly make great shelf space on the lanai or in the garage. What’s the Aloha sign? Nothing more than thick cardboard. Imagine that — attractive, functional and Earth-friendly!

The Academy is not done with the green of the past Family Sunday. For their Art after Dark celebration on April 25th (held from 6 - 9:00 PM on the last Friday of the month) attendees will enjoy more live presentations for uses of recycled materials, some organic cuisine and drinks, a variety of entertainment, and a final chance to see The Dragon’s Gift exhibit.

Honolulu Academy of Arts
900 Beretania Street
Honolulu, Hawai’i 96814
Phone: (808) 532-8700

Technorati Tags: Earth Day, Honolulu Academy of Arts, Bhutan

We’ve all been distracted by what’s going on in the political arena at the national level and the ability of candidates to ignite a country behind them and their campaigns. Honolulu has its own political drama going on over here. This is not as glamorous by any stretch of the imagination yet, suddenly, it’s another one that is winning the support of the people.

These are the real people! They’re taking this seriously and the media, at least for now, is taking it seriously too. I saw KGMB, KHNL, and K-5. The others may have been there too but I’m not sure. I love the sign, “If You Build it, They Won’t Come.” We’ve been saying that from the start but only in conversations among friends and co-workers.

You have to wonder why we weren’t consulted. How can someone, even if he is the Mayor, have this kind of unilateral control over our land, our skyline and our money?!? Because we let him. Dennis Callan (above left), a photographer for the Hawaii Geographic Society, and Dr. Michael Uechi (above right), a physician, are looking to change all of that. The purpose of this “grassroots” movement is to get 40,000 signatures in the next 90 days so that we can get this question on the November ballot — as it should have been from the start! What will it say?

“Honolulu mass transit shall not include trains or rail transit.”

We should have been asked, we should have been the ones to make this decision and we’re going to try to take this decision making back! The Stop Rail Now! campaign was just ignited yesterday at Honolulu Hale. Of course I just had to be there because my feathers have been ruffled for a long time and I needed to flock with the birds of the same feather! In addition, there are so many ideas out there and there have been studies going on to work through the traffic problem without ruining our home.

Quite obviously, this whole transit thing has become a very volatile topic of discussion. I knew I had a lot of angst about it but I thought everyone had just thrown up their hands and walked away from the whole thing. Uh, no they haven’t! Someone did say that a couple of the Mayor’s secretaries were out there taking notes. As I walked by I snidely remarked, “Oh, let me give them a pen!” Attitude? You bet — it’s all about “By the People, For the People!” Darn! I forgot my t-shirt! Still in doubt? Check out this video!

Technorati Tags: Mass Transit, Stop Rail Now!, Honolulu Hale

There’s nothing that ignites a keyboard better than things that ruffle your feathers, make your hair stand up or just plain make you furious!

The Good…

…started out bad. The State of Hawaii’s Department of Health actually had the audacity to try to push through a Bill that would allow any moron to put tattoos on people without being licensed and without having any sanitary procedures or other requirements in place. What?!? What were they thinking?!?

Somebody decided that it was okay to loosen the rules on the Tattoo industry because we hadn’t had any disease outbreaks from tattooing. Hello?!? No, duh! That’s because those regulations were in place to protect the consumers and the public at large! They can’t be that dumb!

Associated Press Writer, Mark Niesse, has a nice write up about the issue. There is also a quote contained in that piece from Anna Paige. Ms. Paige was a spokesperson for the Artists on a news clip that I saw a few days ago. She gets it, the other artists get it, what’s wrong with everyone else? How did it even get this far? Senator Rosalyn Baker said that the Bill, “needs more work before becoming a law.” I’ll say! Is that ever an understatement!
This is a much bigger issue than people seem to realize. These are needles we’re talking about. Hello?!? Think about it, friends, family members and anyone who comes in contact with those seeking and acquiring tattoos are at risk by this kind of deregulation. I’m sorry, I just cannot believe that the Board of Health would have even considered such a thing! It’s just so damn irresponsible!

Anyway, that stupid Bill was killed by the Senate yesterday after the Tattoo artists themselves made a stink about it on Monday. I heard about it on Friday and I went ballistic! Then I saw a news clip where several tattoo companies had gotten together to share their concerns. So, I waited. Their businesses and their clients both need protection from this kind of legislative nonsense!

I will restate, once again, that the image of the Tattoo industry, one that seems to be held by the general populace, is not necessarily an accurate one. This is a wonderful example — it was the artists themselves who yelled about this crazy idea and I say “hats off” and a huge “Mahalo!” to Honolulu’s Tattoo Artists! Thanks gang, for keeping us safe! You stood up, you came forward and you made a good thing happen!

So, what’s Bad?

The weather. Well, not really… Kilauea is bad. Our friends and families on the Big Island of Hawaii are choking on the sulphuric fumes from the volcano, Volcano National Park has been closed yet again, and the American Red Cross is standing by in case there is a need to evacuate some people.

Meanwhile, Oahu residents are suffering from extreme headaches, nasal problems and throat irritation. We can only venture a guess as to how they are feeling on the Big Island. So, while Kilauea is just being a volcano and doing what they do, we’re just breathing some bad air. It has not become a medical issue, yet.

Ugly!

There was a meeting Monday night (last Monday) about the rail system. Did you know about it? Yeah, I didn’t either. But, there was a notice about it from the City and County of Honolulu’s News and Events email. The notice said that, “Monday’s meeting on rail transit will be held from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. in the cafeteria of Radford High School.” When did I get the email? At 8:51 p.m. Monday evening –twenty or so minutes after the meeting was over. Yes, I confirmed it; it was this past Monday night.

Is the Mayor trying to avoid confrontation? Perhaps. I will talk more about my thoughts on TheRail later, I promise. It has become an even bigger issue than simply transportation.

Was this late notice intentional? Maybe, maybe not. At the very least it was negligent and it sure looked ugly. Even more flagrant is the other part of that notice. The rest of the notice is all about the curbside recycling program. There will be meetings for that all over Oahu. There’s even a schedule for those meetings. But, there’s no schedule for rail meetings. Looks very sneaky. Ugly.

I know people are looking for this. I talked about it last year but didn’t think to get on it quickly enough this year. Here is the link to the Kamehameha Schools 2008 Song Contest live broadcast where you can pick your software version for viewing. This is their 88th Annual Song Contest and KGMB is going to show it live this evening!

It’s already on — there’s a pre-show information running right now that gives some of the background of the school and the ongoing preservation of the Hawaiian language! It makes me proud to hear them and makes me want to cry. There is a short interview segment with Keali’i Reichel and that put my tears over the edge.  (Don’t ask… I don’t understand it either.) 

Mahalo to Kamehameha Schools for the preservation of this tradition and the continued protection of our island culture. Mahalo to KGMB Channel 9 for bringing it to us live!

The best part is that, even if you miss it, you can order a copy of it this year! I don’t think they made it available last year. If they did, I certainly didn’t know about it!

Technorati Tags: Kamehameha Schools

They Told Us We Matter!

Finally! They said on the news that our votes in the caucus would actually have an impact on who is chosen to go on the ballot! Every Presidential election is pretty much decided across the Nation while Hawaii voters are still showing up at their polling places. The time difference between here and the mainland is dramatic enough to just leave us at the tail end of the national vote count and make our votes simply the rubber stamp to the Nation’s election results. Not this time…

The lines were long and slow-moving but people were, I think, excited and shocked at the same time. People kept coming… the line kept getting longer. At Kawananakoa Middle School, my polling place, people were lined up all the way around the cafeteria, around the next building, all the way to School Street and the line was quickly backing up to Pali Highway. It just kept getting longer! It was exciting to watch and shocking to see.

As I approached the location where I’m designated to vote, I saw all the people… on the wrong side of the school… what are they doing on that side? Uh, the line was that long! The media had obviously picked up on things and there where news hounds wandering around with cameras hoisted on their shoulders. As it turned out, it was the same way across the island. All across the State we had a voter turnout of 37,000 — compared to about 4,000 or so at the last Presidential Caucus.

What a blast! History in the making, without a doubt! The Democratic Party didn’t expect it and they were as shocked as the rest of us. People were smiling in spite of it all and giddy with amazement!

It’s 7:00 PM and people were still showing up and traffic was worse than it is during morning rush hour! This caucus was not only momentous in its decisiveness, but it was historic in the amount of enthusiasm and the overall body count! For Hawaii, this was amazing. Even Dan Inouye said he felt proud witnessing this and he hadn’t felt anything like it since 1962.

One lady working with the 26th precinct (that overflowed into the auditorium) said, “It hasn’t been like this for over 20 years, and I’ve been here that long.” It was hot in the auditorium with all of the bodies and the flood lights. It was kind of neat for me though… the rest of the media was in the cafeteria so this was my little piece of news coverage.

While trying to somehow capture all of the emotion with this post, I was listening to the news reports from the various news channels as my husband continued to channel surf in the other room… and I was squealing with delight and even more shock as the numbers started coming over the air. I knew Obama would just have to pull it off here, but I was shocked yet again as I listened to the preliminary numbers. The outcome?

Barack Obama - 74%
Hillary Clinton - 26%

The reporters were all quick to remind us that these are preliminary numbers and we will not have a final breakdown of the delegate count until maybe as late as March 1st, but man or man! These numbers are just too huge for it to swing back the other away!

There was a lot of frustration and confusion but on this night we all saw and were a part of a historic moment! We finally got to have our say and be heard. We mattered!

Reminder

It’s getting closer! Sports, Health & Fitness Expo 2008 at the Neal S. Blaisdell Center Exhibition Hall. This is where you need to go to pick up your packets and participate in some of the things they’ve got going on there. Fun stuff! If you haven’t registered yet, this is your last chance!

The Great Aloha Run is on Monday, President’s Day! That’s this Monday! If you haven’t made up your mind yet, go to the Expo and see if it helps you decide! Come on — join the community and have some fun, get some sun and get some exhaustion exercise.

Seriously, it’s fun and very rewarding! I promise! Okay, so now where’s the warning?

Warning

While looking forward to this event I have been a little apprehensive. I was trying to figure out why my leg was having so much trouble “getting it together!” I’ve been thinking about a possible cause for a few weeks now but thought I was just crazy. Last night, I finally decided to look it up.

Well, I found one site having a discussion about my exact concern, another site talking about a clinical trial and then, ultimately, WebMD talking about the side effects of Albuterol – pain in the knees and week muscles. OMG! One of the sites I found even used the word dystrophies.

Some time back I attempted a half marathon and I mentioned in a post that my leg pretty much quit on me. Well, I inhaled a little more than usual before the start of that event, because I needed “all the help” I could get! Regular readers might remember the end of this story? I fell — same leg, same symptoms. Now I have a lump and a scar on my brow to show for it.

Trust me, I’m going to have a discussion about this with the asthma/respiratory doctor, soon! But, for now, runners and other sports enthusiasts who think this sounds familiar, be aware. Carry it in case of emergency, of course!!! But, if you don’t need it, why use it? Be careful and talk to your doctor, please?

I would label this a Honolulu Rant but I have nobody to really blame. It is, I think, something that has only come to light recently. I’m angry that this happened to me, excited about sharing the news because I know a lot of people use Albuterol and I’m relieved that it’s not my body falling apart or my old age that’s to blame!

Come join the community, have fun and stay safe!