Homespun Honolulu

There are so many little things going on in Honolulu that it’s hard to keep track of them all!  Here’s just a few things that have happened, or are happening, that have peaked my interest.  These are not in any particular order, they have just been large blips on my radar so I wanted to be sure to share them or remind everyone! 

–> First of all, today is the deadline for submissions to the Carnival of Aloha!  Don’t forget to submit your Hawaii-topic posts!  If you need a little extra time, just let me know.

–> The start of a new season of University of Hawaii college football is almost upon us.  Not that anything will be able to compare to the last couple of stellar years the University has had, but it will be nice to watch our team play and grow again.

–> It’s almost time to vote!  I really don’t know what the ballots are going to look like for the primary election but it’s coming up on Saturday, September 20, 2008.  If you’re not registered to vote, get with it!  It may be too late for the primary election at this point, but there’s still time to get registered for the general election!

–> I need to send out great big belated “Congratulations!” to the young athletes of the Waipio Little League baseball team!  They won!  Last weekend they won the World Championship against Mexico — our boys!  It’s all that great air and active lifestyle on the west side of Oahu.  :)  I had to throw that in.  Even the New York Times posted an article about them!

–> Finally, I need to send a lot of kudos over to Big City Diner in Aiea.  We’ll talk more about it all later but I have avoided this particular topic as it made me very angry and I didn’t know quite what to do with that amount of ire.

Big City Diner hosted an all-day fundraiser on August 19th for the benefit of the children of Janel Tupuola.  A percentage of all purchased menu items on that day were to be donated to the “Janel Tupuola’s Keiki Fund” to benefit the five surviving children.

You see, Janel Tupuola was bludgeoned (I hate that word) to death with the butt of a gun by her ex-boyfriend back in January of this year.  The jerk, Alapeti Siuanu Tunoa, Jr., was charged with second-degree murder but I have heard nothing since then.   You can count on one thing — when I hear, so will you!

Anyway, Big Mahalos to Big City Diner in Aiea for reaching out to the community.  If you guys read this, you can fill us in on how much you raised by leaving it in the comments below! 

There are other things, of course, but I just had to share some of the things moving and shaking stuff around here.

We’ve actually got three viable candidates running for this office.  With all of the fussing about rail, gas, water, and heaven only knows what else, we certainly need someone who will take the bull by the horns and get something done around here!  Wow, it’s great to see more people step forward.

There have been talks about the traffic needs on Oahu.  The discussion about building the rail or not building the rail has become a very heated topic.  One person stood out in my mind when the issues surrounding the rail were brought up.  I did not think it would ever happen and I was both stunned and thrilled to hear the news    Panos Prevedouros, the engineering marvel from the University of Hawaii, has thrown his hat into the ring for the Mayor’s office!  OMG!  I thought this would be so cool but never thought that is would actually happen!

My step father, who passed away a few years ago, always said that he couldn’t understand why our roads were such a mess and that they needed someone with a little more know-how to structure our road system.  My step father was a civil engineer for the Federal government.  I have to chuckle now.  I wish he was alive to see this candidate enter the race!

Here’s a quote from the “About” portion of his campaign web site:

“Engineering is in his blood
Unlike most of us, Panos’ family is crazy about engineering. His family includes computer engineers, electrical engineers, architects, civil engineers and a mechanical engineer.

Can you imagine being really interested in how roads are built, how traffic flows, how to synchronize traffic lights, how to build sewers and dumps that work? Of course not. But luckily for us, Panos is really interested in all that stuff.”

For the record, that’s Dr. Prevedouros, for anyone who wants to know!

DEPARTMENT OF CIVIL ENGINEERING, NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY, EVANSTON, IL
Doctorate in Civil Engineering, 1990. Focus on public policy, demand management, human behavior (in the urban transportation system context), transportation planning and modeling. DISSERTATION: Demographic, Social, Economic and Personality Factors Affecting Suburban Transport Behavior.

Now, if we can just find some of his students and interview them to see what kind of leader he is.    This one is looking good from where I’m standing!  Take a look around his site and see what you find interesting.  Oh, and he wants to see our racing woes taken care of too — auto racing is a passion of his!  Perfect!

Things in the kitchen don’t always work in my favor, but it’s nice when it does. Some recipes work out nicely and I’m very happy to have a success story from the kitchen. I’ll be sure to share success stories here when they happen! Everybody knows that if you live in Hawaii, food is very important. We love to eat! Even CNN a few years back told the rest of the World all about why we’re overweight. They blamed it on Loco Moco, but the message still rings clear for several of our favorites — we like food way too much! It’s not always what we eat, but the quantity. My problem is both quantity and mayonnaise. Yeah, well, rice doesn’t help much either.

Hubby won’t touch most of what I cook because he doesn’t like beef, unless it’s hamburger, or chicken, unless it’s from Zippy’s or Kentucky Fried Chicken. As much as I love Spam, it gets old after a while. I miss the old recipes that Mom used to make and that we used to enjoy growing up. I’m going through some of those oldies to see which ones still work for me after all these years. Hopefully some of those recipes will be greeted more enthusiastically by someone else at home besides me. Mom can’t cook them anymore so I’m on my own.

If you’re going to purchase cuts of beef, I have had wonderful cuts from Safeway and some to-die-for steaks from Times Supermarket. Since these two merchants have become the only places I shop, they will be the ones that receive my attention. That being said, I’ll send out a huge “Mahalo!” to Lawrence of Pali Safeway’s Meat Department for a very beautiful five pounds of decadent, fat-laden, USDA Choice beef ribs!

An old recipe that Mom kept worked out nicely for those ribs. Trust me, you will not find this recipe anywhere else — it was the brainstorm of one of my sister’s old boyfriends. The recipe card reads “Gill’s Ribs” and that is what we have always called them. Gill had a gift for cooking and he had quite a green thumb too! We lost him to an unfortunate accident on the Big Island some years back but his memory lives on.

Gills Ribs

From: Gill Reeves, Serves: 4

Ingredients:

4/5 to 5 lbs of ribs

Sauce:

2 onions, chopped
1 tsp ea: paprika, chili powder
1/2 tsp ea: ground red pepper; pepper
1 Tbsp salt
2 Tbsp ea: Worcestershire sauce; red wine vinegar
3/4 C. catsup
3/4 C. water

1. Prepare sauce my mixing all ingredients (except ribs) together and mis thoroughly.
2. Place in casserole: 1/3 of ribs, sauce, 1/3 ribs, sauce, 1/3 ribs, sauce
3. Cover. Cook at 350° for 2 hours and 40 minutes.
4. Remove cover and cook another 10 minutes.

My only error was not taking a photo of the finished product. But, it was as good as I remember and worth a try if you like beef ribs!

There’s just something about a tropical island just before dusk, or just after dusk. For some of us, there’s a feeling of melancholy serenity coupled with an underlying tone of anxiety. Some people wait for the evening hours for rest while others wait for the nightlife. For some of us, there’s an ever-pervading feeling that the day’s almost gone and there must be something else that can be done.

There’s something about the shoreline of the southern side of Oahu just before sunset. The calm, the quiet, and the subtle threat of rough water all add to the romantic, spiritual nature of this setting. Part of the beauty of our islands is the spiritual balance that calms the fears of those insidious pleasures that the nighttime brings.

On a Saturday afternoon, just before evening, there is nothing better than to be off the beaten path just a bit and enjoying this quiet time while being reminded of that spiritual balance that is intrinsically our own.

I thought about this as I stopped at this location. I’d heard about this place on the news some time back. I was quite fascinated to know there was an explanation for these rocks that just sit here — seemingly in the middle of nowhere.

Visiting tourists were there, taking pictures and trying to capture the last light before sunset as another day of their vacation came to an end. An older gentleman asked me if I knew anything about this little shrine that sits at one of the look-out points along the coastal drive between Hanauma Bay and Sea Life Park.

“Uh, yeah — a little,” I responded. This visitor was retired military who served here in 1961. “This is Jizo,” I continued, “he’s a Buddhist deity placed here by Japanese immigrants to protect them while they were fishing (casting for ulua) or swimming.”

I’m not sure who was more surprised, the gentleman actually getting an informative answer to his question or me for being able to give him one! I don’t know where it came from but there it was — I was a tour guide for five minutes.

In keeping with the Buddhist (or Japanese) tradition, at least one that I am familiar with, there were flowers and food gifts left at the feet of this deity. As we here at Homespun Honolulu were reminded recently by one of our Carnival of Aloha participants, it’s Obon Season and this may have heightened the leaving of these gifts for Jizo. Perhaps Japanese tourists left those mementos, maybe some fisherman — this part is unclear.

Do we have a conflict of religious beliefs? Not really. It’s more a harmonious commingling of the multi-cultural map of the islands and a grand example of religious tolerance.

It’s not unusual or unlikely for a “blessing” of a new business or building to be multi-cultural as well. I have heard of people having several different types of blessings or services for big events like that. Now that I think about it, I might do the same. Let’s see, I would look for a Hawaiian blessing for the land, a Chinese dragon or two as sentinels, and the blessing of my own Christian faith to wrap it all up and bless us all — dragons included. Of course one might want to get a blessing from Jizo for your boat. I’ll never own a building or a boat so don’t worry about it.

There’s nothing quite like this type of cultural manifestation to calm your fears, quiet the soul and bring you back to the peaceful reality of our lives. It’s an intangible feeling but one that’s definitely there. It’s one of those feelings that is rarely spoken of or talked about — I’m just one of the few people crazy enough to talk about it.

Designated as the protector of fishermen and swimmers, having this Jizo memorial along the often-treacherous south shore is not such a bad idea. There are other statues of Jizo on the Northshore of Oahu and in several different seaside locations throughout the islands.  I’m sure I’ll find some one of these days and refer back to this post. If you’re a little curious, like I was, you can find John Clark’s book, Guardian of the Sea, Jizo in Hawaii, published by University of Hawaii Press, at local book stores and through Amazon.com.

So, let’s fix it!

I know everyone is busy so I am extending the deadline for the upcoming Carnival of Aloha to midnight this coming Friday.

For anyone who has been ill, overworked, or who just plain forgot, come join us and share in some of the fun that makes always makes a Monday just a little bit better!

The statue of King Kamehameha was draped beautifully this year for Kamehameha Day! I caught it at a bad time of the day for picture taking but the flowers looked beautiful! There was a lot more greenery sharing the stage this year which added a nice touch.

I’ve missed talking to all of you and chattering about things and events.  I certainly didn’t anticipate getting sick and being so out of sorts at the beginning of what’s supposed to be the season of summer fun and activities.

Things are better and I’m in the mood for a Carnival!  Perfect timing!  :)   I have asked if anyone would like to have themes for our monthly carnival and I’m more than happy to entertain any ideas or thoughts any of you may have!

Here are some thoughts for themes:

• Hawaiian Nights (evening events or natural evening occurrences)
• Back to the Aina (nature posts about hikes, scenery, flora and fauna, etc.)
• Politics (useful for the upcoming season)
• Water! (beaches, waterfalls, etc. for fresh or salt water… or even swimming pool posts)
• Roads and vehicles (traffic-related, automobiles, motorcycles, etc.)
• Sports (any kind — football, paddling, running, parasailing, horseback riding, whatever)
• Hawaiiana (cultural and historical posts about our home)

Let me know what you guys think.  Don’t worry, we will always accept submissions, even if they missed the theme, so it wouldn’t be exclusive.

Anyway, let me know if you have thoughts and send in your submissions by Friday at midnight (HST) for the Carnival going live on Monday!

It’s just what carnivals do. People think they’re just for kids but it’s much more than that. For Honolulu, the annual Punahou Carnival, put together by Punahou High School, is probably one of Honolulu’s best examples of bringing the community together.

Carnivals are a place for people who share a common interest and/or common goals to congregate! In Punahou’s case, people come together for a common cause (to raise money for the school), they come together to enjoy the food and have fun with friends and family, and many people get to see friends and neighbors they haven’t seen for a very long time.

So, people of like minds and like interests gather at carnivals — for a variety of reasons. In addition to traditional carnivals, there are blog carnivals for just about every topic! If CNN and MSNBC have not met your thirst for political news, even the political bloggers have Carnivals!

I recently joined I’m a Pundit Too at TheNewPundit.com for their political carnival with one of my posts. I have said before, and will say again here, that the blogosphere is one of the best places to get the news. I appreciate unfiltered news about things but I would also like to have it unclipped! I want the whole news! Bloggers keep going about their topics until they’re done making their point and sharing all of the important details! They don’t have to worry about commercials breaks and all that nonsense!

I’m asking for it with the political gang, I know that, but I really think it’s fascinating to see what you get from some of the posts submitted. Wide open politics! Here’s the most recent carnival where you will see that I’m a Pundit Too is not narrow-minded about things and I appreciate that. As a result, we get a huge array of different topics about American politics and the stance over laws and controversial topics. It’s certainly a slice of American life we don’t get elsewhere — not all at once anyway!

I appreciate the candor of the host of this political carnival and I appreciate the wide open nature. Politics. Period. Cool! It kind of reminds me of a carnival of posts all about Hawaii — regardless of topic. It’s just anything about Hawaii. You guys knew I was going to get to that didn’t you?!?

REMINDER!

The Carnival of Aloha’s deadline for submissions is next week Wednesday, May 28th! If you’re a blogger in Hawaii, send in your favorite post. If you have visited Hawaii and shared your visit on your blog, submit your story! If you’re a veteran of the Carnival of Aloha, don’t forget to send in your post!

The sky is looking pretty clear, at least for the time being. Our tradewinds returned yesterday afternoon and, while still very present, the vog started to dissipate.

This Sunday morning I can look out the window and comfortably say that it is not raining.  Recently, I have had to look down at the street to see if it was wet.  This morning, the sky is blue and the asphalt is dry!

These pictures show what it looked like at the end of the last week.

Even the afternoon traffic was looking like the beginning of the holiday season with everyone heading out for shopping or an evening football game. It’s the afternoon; headlights are not supposed to be so bright!

It looks like rain but it’s bone dry.  After walking for a while and waiting for droplets it suddenly dawned on me that I was standing in the middle of it.  I assume that the vog will all come back as soon as the trades stop blowing, but for now, we’ll enjoy the clear sky.

I don’t remember it ever being like this and I have heard even people in the media say the same.  While it does make for beautiful sunrises and sunsets, I think we’re done with the novelty of it all.  I’m sure those with breathing problems and the parents with asthmatic children are very done!   I just worry about how people on the island of Hawaii deal with it!  Maybe it all floats away from there and wafts over to linger over the rest of the islands.  How’s the air on Maui anyway?

Congresswoman Mazie Hirono endorsed Barack a few days ago and now Daniel Akaka has stated his support for Senator Obama.

Senator Akaka summed it up quite nicely with the following words:

“He is the antidote we need to cure Washington of the uninspired, partisan politics that has plagued our country far too long.

What makes him uniquely qualified? A March 2008 feature in Vanity Fair magazine offers a clue: ‘He was born and came of age in Hawaii, the 50th state and in many ways among the freest‑thinking, where mixed‑race ancestry is …a given.

If Obama comes across as a bit of a softy — if you don’t see the toughness or the ambition at first — it may be in part because he spent his formative years in a place where ‘Live Aloha’ had not yet become a slogan aimed at recapturing a more gracious time, but was simply a way of life.’”

That statement by Senator Akaka is one that I would say succinctly states the feeling of the bulk of the voting body of the State of Hawaii.

Now the question remains — where or where is Senator Daniel Inouye? Let me just say that while I generally don’t want a blind, rubber stamp to whatever we say, I’m going to be very confused and dismayed if Inouye doesn’t follow suit.

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That’s all of the Net in one net. Okay, maybe that’s an exaggeration but if it keeps growing, this description of Alltop may not be so much of an overstatement after all.

In any case, this aggregated conglomeration of informational blogs and news sites just appeared under my nose. A lot of things have just appeared right under my nose recently!

Have you ever been oblivious to your surroundings and suddenly been shaken into the realization of something? Imagine yourself swimming at Hanauma Bay only to suddenly notice you’re swimming alongside a 500-pound manatee — it’s sort of like that.

I Got Into Alltop’s Net

Let me explain. I didn’t put my blog there, but there it was. That in itself was pretty cool. Then I read a little about the site designer, Guy Kawasaki, I looked around at the others listed there with me, and suddenly I found myself feeling just a little overwhelmed! Am I overreacting? I certainly hope not!

Somehow my darling blog earned itself a spot in this neat niche on the Net. While this niche is certainly an ever-expanding one, Homespun Honolulu was actually accepted into this net of niches on the Net! Thanks, Guy!

Hang on, it gets better! There’s one more thing I want to point out. Not only is this an ever-growing Goliath of an Internet Network, but its founder is a published writer and even writes a column for Forbes Magazine! That’s some impressive stuff to put on a resume if I’ve ever heard any!

A Little Personal Opinion

The beauty of Alltop is that, the way it’s organized, you can get a chunk of thoughts, news and opinions right in one spot. I am finding more often than not that it’s actually more beneficial to read the blogs about any given topic. While you might not get all the facts, what you do get, for the most part, is the truth. Readers will read about what’s really happening as seen through the eyes of those who are in the middle of things.

I’m so very tired of sensational journalism. I do love our media and I know the goal is to sell themselves with the juiciest, breaking news but, media guys, give it a rest and leave the fluff to your viewers! Tell us the truth, as much as you know about the truth and leave the embellishments and analysis to the listeners and their own points of view. We want to make up our own minds, based on the facts you provide.

I don’t know what put me up on that soap box but I must say that I was particularly grateful for Alltop’s addition of things I really want to know about and/or understand. What better way to understand the stance, the thinking, and the emotions behind something than to get it from the source? Am I being naive? Maybe.

Aliya at her Evolution blog said it best when she posted:

“Featuring approximately 150-160 Islamic news sites and general bloggery written by Muslims, the site aptly demonstrates that Muslims are a diverse bunch, with a wide spectrum of of views and opinions. In the same vein as the Gallup world polls, it’s the ideal place to go if you find out for yourself what Muslims really think.”

She’s talking about this area of Alltop and I agree and send out thanks to Guy for providing these kinds of educational experiences for those of us who really want to understand and follow the events around the World as they “really” happen and as they relate to us in our own lives.

Alltop shares many links to so many groups of links about related subject matter. Topics may include such things as fashion, celebrities, sports, Macintosh, science, topics about going green, and even automotive sites. Guy himself referred to it appropriately as a “digital magazine rack.” I’m impressed, grateful, and humbled.

Yesterday morning the news came over the wire that Colt Brennan has been drafted by the Washington Redskins! I was very happy to hear that for a variety of reasons.

Even though it took until the 6th round for Colt to get drafted, he didn’t end up as a free agent. Sheesh! Some of our much beloved receivers did end up as free agents.

Colt will be joining the same team that Kurt Gouveia retired from relatively recently. Kurt is now looking to be a coach for the UH Warriors. Hmmm… sounds like a good person to talk story with! Kurt graduated from the same high school as me except he’s a year younger. Yeah, he’s making me feel old.

Since the Redskins are on the West Coast, Washington has got to be a little familiar with the way locals function. In addition, Colt is closer to home and can come back to visit!

Congratulations, Colt! I think the Redskins just acquired some new fans! Good luck and we’ll be watching!