Homespun Honolulu

Passing by Pier 19 the other day, while on foot, I couldn’t help but stop and gaze at that boat with the pretty paint job. I felt sorry for it just sitting there looking forlorn and dejected. It got here with all the fan fare and excitement of something new and suddenly it’s all but abandoned.

I was going to ignore it and not talk about it but now it’s heading back into the headlines as the Senate has approved a special session that may have Senators agreeing to allow the Superferry to resume operation while the environmental assessment is underway. That may sound wonderful for the Superferry but it’s not to be without regulations and restrictions. The complaints heard the loudest included the protection of the ocean mammals, and the setting up a firewall (for lack of a better word) to prevent the inter-island transfer of invasive species. Of course I don’t know how the Superferry would deal with the latter, but we’ll see. Read the rest of this entry »

Wow! I’m stunned by the number of participants we have for this Carnival Chapter! We’re going to need a lot of energy so I think we should stop to eat first!

Ryan presents Happy Birthday, Highway Inn! posted at his HawaiiBlog, saying that, “The Highway Inn in Waipahu is truly a landmark island eatery. Situated in an unassuming strip mall on the west end of the dusty former plantation town, Highway Inn has served “a taste of old Hawaii” since 1947. Which means, of course, that this year marks the Highway Inn’s 60th birthday.”

Every morning I hear this TV ad and I have been saying for a long time how I really need to go try this restaurant. Thank you, Ryan, for trying it for me so now I know that I want to go there! This commercial has kept me thinking about this place for months! I’m passionate about my food, but this guy takes the prize for food passion! I wanted to include this to go along with Ryan’s post and he agreed it would be a nice addition. We lost this video, such is the danger of embedding YouTube videos. But, you can still get the impact of this commercial here!

Read the rest of this entry »

You guys have got to be kidding me?!? How long do we let this asininity continue? At what point do we put the brakes on and stop this nonsense?

So, now we’re going to demand a study on an already-existing process that transports life-sustaining water from one end of Molokai to the other? Did I miss the State-wide, governmental brain tumor? Or, is it a virus that has moved from the Department of Transportation over to the Attorney General’s office?!?

Molokai Ranch transports water (drinking water) to the West end of the island, i.e. from one end of Molokai to the other. The Honolulu Star-Bulletin, referring to this as Superferry Fallout, reported today that a contract with Molokai Ranch will not be renewed, and that over one million gallons of water a day should not be transported to the opposite side of the island until an environmental study is completed.

“The ranch is the main provider of drinking water to western Molokai.”

What?  I repeat, “You’ve got to be frickin’ kidding me?!?” Enough is enough! Just get the EIS(’s) started and let the businesses continue (Superferry included) until the studies are complete. If the studies show problems, then stop the corresponding vessels from running.

Everyone knew before any of this started that we have endangered species in our waterways. The study should have been the first thing to be set in motion before making promises to an incoming line of business! Now Molokai Ranch is to be impacted too? Molokai Ranch has been doing what they’re doing for years. Suddenly they will be made to stop because the Courts have made a decision about an unrelated topic?

The State let all of this go this far; now the State needs to support the businesses that have either spent a huge amount of money based on faulty information (that the State provided), or rendered essential services to residents for a long time. These are businesses that have either had the rug pulled out from under them, or are about to.

It would also be nice to get island residents away from being at each other’s throats! Stop it! Just do it! Nobody else asks before they make decisions for the rest of us.

If I was a business coming to Hawaii to set up shop, you can bet I would come with attorney in tow. Count on it!  Any new business should get it in writing that it won’t be told to shut down after sinking time and money into setting up shop! Come on Governor, draw the line and make it stop!

I made a comment the other day that struck me out of the blue. Some of us at work were talking about the Hawaii Superferry drama and I suddenly blurted out, “This is just like Captain Cook all over again!” The ladies laughed at me. But, the more I think about it, the less willing I am to let go of this visual.

Okay, first of all, watch this video from KHON Channel 2. Watch it first and then come back.

Did you watch it? Okay, here is a statement, go ahead and read it…

I know, the English is very old, but when you put Captain Cook’s own words together with that video… it’s almost funny. It really isn’t funny, but I just can’t help but laugh at it.

I thought about the pictures and the news casts and it suddenly struck me and that’s why I blurted it out. I’ll agree that it was a silly statement on my part, but you’ve got to admit, it sure feels strange! Somebody else in the office did make the comment, however, that “some people never change.”

The most peculiar thing is that nobody made noise about any of the other ships coming in to town to do business here. It’s distressing to think that the noise is all about moving people rather than goods. I still don’t get it.

Is history repeating itself? No, that’s not it. Actually, it’s worse. What’s really disturbing and revealing is this article in the Honolulu Advertiser. It’s not the article so much as it is the comments and the verbal stone throwing.

I think we’re all waiting to find out what the real crux of the issue is. Is the Superferry just caught in the crossfire? There are a lot of theories flying around but I guess we’ll just have to wait and see how it works itself out.