Homespun Honolulu

Or I at least hate needing it! Money should have been a four-letter word! I know we all need it but all it seems to do is get us into trouble! It gets individuals in trouble, it gets politicians in trouble, and it gets businesses in trouble.

We all go through periods in our lives or the life of our business when things just get messed up. Stuff like this can happen. It happens either because the decisions made were not always the best ones, because you’ve lost your job, because you’ve lost your spouse, or just because you’ve temporarily lost your mind.

When it’s time to return to some kind of normalcy with your personal or business finances, consolidation loans are a miracle come true. For some. The problem is that some of these loans do more harm than good.

A borrower may want to borrow money that in reality they cannot safely pay back and risk-taking lenders, like New Century Financial, irresponsibly lend money to people who will never be able to pay them back.

The buzz is out there about problems with sub-prime lenders. I have heard it on the Internet, I have heard it from bloggers whose opinions I respect, and I have seen it in hard-copy publications like Financial Week. It shook me. It does that when drama impacts your own backyard!

Home123, a subsidiary (or something like that) of New Century Financial, has a Honolulu office. They do what any other lender does. They review your request, they review your financial situation, and then they review their ability to assist you with your needs.

New Century’s problem is with those offices that don’t see the big picture. They don’t assess the borrowers ability to pay, they don’t pay attention to the company’s regulations, and their only focus is their commission.

I’m not as caustic about it as my blogger friend, Sauer Kraut, but the extent of the damage and the impact it has already had is far-reaching! It even has the investment managers biting their nails over mortgage-backed securities and it’s giving them second thoughts about investing client monies in these things!

New Century called me the other day to remind me about my payment — not because I was late, but because it was almost due and because they’re, quite obviously, afraid. I was going to say nervous, but I think fear is a more appropriate definition at this point. I let the caller know that he scared me because I thought I forgot or something.

He said they have had a problem with payments being late. “Not yours,” he said quickly so as not to offend, “but many are.” I told him that I doubted there were that many late payments from Honolulu because the Honolulu office of Home123 “knows how to dot their I’s and cross their T’s!” He agreed.

I have it on good authority that the Honolulu office of Home123 has always been careful not to get the borrower or themselves into trouble. From my own experience I have to agree. Yes, I got myself into debt trouble, and they bailed me out!

New Century Financial is terrified (or should be), the Honolulu office of Home123 is going to come through this unscathed (I hope), and I still hate muny! That’s right, M-U-N-Y. It IS a four-letter word!

Since we’re on a rock and safely away from the heart of this mess, the Honolulu office still has its doors open. They may not be able to lend money at the moment, but they’re still there! I’ll update this as I hear more.

Home123
841 Bishop Street, Suite 2001
Honolulu, Hawaii 96813
808-531-5500

When I first mentioned my irritation with Chevron and my out-of-order gas station , I sent the link to Chevron’s corporate office. I guess I really was annoyed to have gone that far. (I did the same thing to Kaiser but we’ll deal with that later.) Anyway, a few days later, Chevron’s response was to put a new tarp on the sign.

Okay, so I’m being paranoid. It probably had nothing to do with me. But, it’s amusing to think that it might have. They may not have liked me saying their sign looked like an abandoned infant “with it’s fallen tarp looking like a dirty baby diaper.” A couple of weeks after the new tarp, something happened. Check out these windows! So clean! Hmmm… most people clean house before moving in don’t they?

A couple of days ago, there was a little truck there. I had to walk up to it and ask (because I’m nosy like that). “Whatchya doing?” You should have seen the glaring look I got! Sorry! I think I scared him. Anyway, I had to know! “Is it going to reopen?” I queried. “Sometime next month” was the curt reply. Good enough for me. We shall see. I’ll be sure to keep you informed! I know, you’re thinking that that’s what you were afraid of. I guess I have to add another category to this blog… maybe “This Irritates Me” or “This Pisses Me Off” or something like that but not so crude.

Hey, how about a contest?!? You guys give me a title and I’ll give the best one some “link love.” Who made up that expression — link love? And you guys think I’m weird? I gotta think about this. Back with this in a bit! You think about a category name while I think about how to do this, and remember to keep it clean.

One of the things that Hawaii takes pride in is its clean water. There’s no chlorine in our water! Our Board of Water Supply has on its billing envelopes the phrase, “Ka Wai Ola” which means Water for Life. We’ll just sneak this in as a vocabulary word for the day. What a wonderful and appropriate phrase.

This is a story I have avoided for a long time. As angry as it has made me over the last year or so, I didn’t want to talk about it, didn’t want to remind the rest of the world of the heinous error made by the City and County of Honolulu. All over the world this story made the headlines!

Back on March 23rd of 2006, we had a huge volume of rain that just kept coming down for weeks. The force main sewer line in Waikiki could finally take no more and it ruptured. So, what did they do? Let’s just dump the sewage into the Ala Wai canal where the kids paddle canoes and the water leads out to the ocean along Waikiki Beach. No problem.

Talk about shock — “They did what?!?” Could we not have called in every sewage company and every available truck to pump it out and carry it to the sewage plants? Maybe it was just cheaper to destroy the ecological balance and make our environment toxic. Is that it? Forty-eight million gallons of raw sewage?!? WHY?!?

It was an emergency? Is that what you’ll say? Duh! Call the sewage, pumping and plumbing companies. You think they wouldn’t run to the scene to help? First of all, at times of emergency we always pull together. They would have been more than happy to help. Secondly, do you think they would pass up a job with guaranteed pay? Again I say, “Duh!” If the mayor had just sent out an urgent bulletin, people would have kicked their spouses out of bed to get down there! Come on, man!

Tourism is impacted by this kind of stupidity. That’s our lifeline, our survival! What is wrong with you?!? Then you have the audacity to insist we pay more taxes to pay for a rail transit system? I would much rather pay more taxes to cover an upgrade to the sewer systems before you dorks pollute our environment again.

Okay, all this is doing is making me angry all over again. Breathe.

So, after a year, where are we now? After several months, the canoe paddlers are returning to the Ala Wai, the Board of Health, or some such organization, says the bacteria levels of the beach water has returned to normal, people are swimming again. Some people. I was asked a few weeks ago if I’ve been going to the beach. Uh, not since March of last year. The closest I came was the very welcome ocean water pictured above by the Barbers Point lighthouse. That’s half way around the island from Waikiki. Even then it was just my feet.

They’ve put in a new line underground but… are they going to leave that sewer line on the sidewalk adjacent to Waikiki?

Look, Mayor Hannemann, you knew the job was dangerous when you took it and, I’m sorry, but part of that job is to accept the liability and take ownership of the mistakes made by the office you govern. Hello?!? I don’t know a lot about politics; in fact, I’m a bit of an idiot myself when it comes to the subject. But I DO know who is responsible for my City’s governance. Get off your little blamethon, stop trying to redirect people’s attention elsewhere and fix the *%&$ing problem!

Get your priorities straight, fix the Ala Wai, and get that damn piece of sewage paraphernalia off the sidewalk! Then, and only then, talk to me about rail transit systems, and re-election. Right now your term of service is nothing more to me than a train wreck and, to be honest, I just don’t like the way it looks.

Am I the only one feeling like this? Hell no! Others have taken the City to court to demand action. Play the video and see for yourself. The site of that dumping makes me want to puke. Yeah, the crabs got bigger in the Ala Wai, but, I’m not eating ‘em!

Auwe! to Kaiser’s Honolulu clinic which has lost its focus and has forgotten who pays for its survival. As a non-profit medical provider, you would think Kaiser would cater to its patients, not some obscure taxi company. Auwe, which means “oh” or “ouch” is often used as an exclamation of annoyance or irritation, similar to, “Oh please!” or “Give me a break!” or “You need a slap!” In this case, Kaiser needs a slap — a hard one!

The entrance to the urgent care department of this clinic had, at one time, four or five stalls for those who needed urgent care. Now, it has been chopped down to two. There are two handicapped stalls and that’s it. The other two stalls have been marked off to be used by a taxi company.

From what I could gather, the clinic got tired of dealing with the taxis parking in front of the main entrance to the clinic. Well, if the security guards can’t deal with the taxi companies, they need to find another job! The lazy, arrogant, do-nothings have no problem dealing with ailing people who really NEED those stalls. I had to bring an ailing family member to the clinic the other day and the only two stalls available were taken.

So, of course I parked in the stalls used for nothing. There were no taxis around and taxis should certainly not have first priority anyway. The guard couldn’t wait to ask whose car that was when he decided to come out of his cushy little hiding place and stop doing whatever it is they do in there… which ain’t much. Like I said to the security guard, patients are more important than taxi cabs!

You know what’s even more irritating? Who the heck is Akamai Cab? I don’t even know this company! “The Cab” or “Charley’s Taxi” would at least be familiar, but it’s even an unknown company! Akamai means smart or intelligent. They’re not very bright letting themselves be put into such an unpopular situation. I know some people catch cabs to the clinic but most people in need of urgent care drive are driven to the clinic… by family members or by friends.

This is a medical provider not a shopping center! Kaiser, get your priorities straight! Next thing you know they’ll reroute the ambulances to make room for the garbage truck. Sorry Kaiser, but this was an idiotic thing to do!

I am always the first person to back this medical provider up and to tell people they are crazy for paying the rates of other medical providers and that they should be a Kaiser patient etc., so THAT has NOTHING to do with it! This move of theirs was just plain dumb! My advice? Fix it and hire a new security company.

And call “The Cab” at 422-2222. No, no connection, I just love the commercials! The Cab is “for Tutus too!” Come on guys, fix this so I can update this story and send the clinic flowers… kick the cabs to the curb and let your patients have access to their care!

Sitting at a red light the other day, my car was dwarfed as it sat idling alongside a very proud-looking Chevron gas tanker. The light changed, I left him in the dust, and couldn’t help but think about the sight I knew I was about to see. Again. For about the 250th time. My Chevron station that has been sitting abandoned, deserted and desolate for at least that many days.

Located next to Kawananakoa Middle School on Nuuanu Avenue, this station was ALWAYS busy. Last summer they lost their lease, or so we were told. I watched and waited, and waited, and waited. Then, back in October, I was able to corner some Chevron staff members as they were doing some corporate philanthropy at the Susan Komen Race for the Cure. (I love it when I have a captive audience and they HAVE to be nice to me!) I questioned them about the station and they seemed to be comfortable both with the question and with their answer.

I asked them, “So, are you going to open my station again?”
“Oh, yes, it should be opening very soon.”
“You know, that’s a very busy corner. Chevron CAN’T just leave it empty like that!”
“Yeah, I know.”

Fast forward to now, the beginning of March, and still my Chevron sits empty. That beautiful tanker was less than a mile away! Still the station sits, quiet and alone. Even the sign looks like an abandoned infant with it’s fallen tarp looking like a dirty baby diaper. Not that we want to be reminded of the price of gas, but those blanks on the sign make it look anemic!

This poor little station is not well! There is no gas, no air, no water, no safety checks, no diet Coke, and no individually-wrapped cheeseburgers for my husband to pop in the microwave and call dinner (his idea, not mine). It is not only a place for all of these things but it is a security blanket for a busy neighborhood that rarely sleeps.

It used to be open early in the morning giving neighbors a feeling of security while waiting for the bus in the dark. After dark it offered solace when a driver ran out of gas or was suddenly hit with a flat tire. It was always a place to seek safety or refuge because there was always somebody there. Somebody with a phone, a flashlight, a tire gage, or just a sympathetic ear.

Can someone please tell Chevron they don’t live in a vacuum? In addition, the 7-11 that is on the other side of the middle school is too darn busy now because that’s now the closest place to get gas! But, there’s no air, water or auto vacs at 7-11! That’s not what they do. That’s what Chevron does. They used to. I want to be able to update this story. This is the petroleum provider that the Honolulu Star-Bulletin calls Hawaii’s market leader. Hmmm… Chevron?

I just thought it would be nice to update some of the ongoing stories that continue to grace Honolulu’s headlines.

Update to Walk Wise Hawaii

Hawaii is still not walking too wisely. They’re not driving too wisely either. At the beginning of the ninth week of the year, we have our ninth pedestrian fatality. The laws are more strict, the penalties more severe, but still the body count keeps rising. The only result we seem to have is that the driver of yesterday’s incident fled the scene! Granted, the driver must have been shaken and didn’t want to pay those fine(s) but, man, it sucks to be that driver when he or she is identified. At the same time I think it is important to note that the victim was not in a crosswalk and it was dark. The incident has people screaming for the installation of a traffic light at the location. Good idea. Let’s see how long it takes, shall we?

So, my idea of restarting the New Year with the start of the Chinese New Year didn’t come to fruition. I guess firecrackers and dragons weren’t enough to chase away all of our highway demons. For both drivers and pedestrians — Auwe!

Update to Fire Hydrants for Dogs

Hawaiian Electric Company (HECO) was probably the hardest hit by this with 20-some-odd thefts causing six or better power outages. Now HECO is charged with the task (by default) of replacing all of that stolen copper wiring to re-light those streets that were left in darkness.

Sorry, HECO. You’ve had so much drama lately. Natural disasters are one thing, but the man-made variety are just not acceptable.

There’s hope! There is a new 2007 legislative package that includes not only crack down on the thieves, but a hard crunch on those buying the stolen metal. Copper buyers are now required to provide proper identification and an affidavit from the people they are purchasing the goods from.

Under this new law, both the buyers AND the sellers are equally liable for the passage of these stolen goods.

Over the grapevine (or the coconut wireless as it were) I hear that HECO will be replacing the copper with a cheaper metal to deter further thefts. For HECO and Hawaii Law Enforcement - Aloha and Mahalo for your patience and endurance!

One would like to think that if a fire hydrant is not being used to put out fires, it should only then be used by the neighborhood canines. Last year, however, some people had a different idea and were actually seen walking around with them. Why would anyone steal a fire hydrant?!? They wanted the copper. I didn’t even know that there was copper inside of fire hydrants, but there is. Who would have thought of such a thing? Who would have cared? The criminal element looking to make a fast buck seems to care a lot.

Copper theft! That’s how it started — with the fire hydrants, but then these vandals, thieves, or whatever you want to call them, went after the street lights and took the copper wiring from inside of those. This left portions of the freeway in darkness. Last summer, these morons darkened seventy street lights along the H-2 freeway. Apparently the demand, and hence the cost, of metal has gone up significantly and some have seen fit to take advantage of it.

There were arrests made last year but all the culprits received in the way of punishment was a one-year jail sentence and five years of probation, or something like that. Needless to say, after this off-the-wall copper theft cost the city over $200,000, prosecutors were not happy with the light sentence that the perpetrators received. The worst part of the whole thing is that the heists are continuing, and in broad daylight! I am just amazed at the audacity of these losers! Get a job!

Until the city is able to stop this nonsense, be advised that if your pooch is going for a walk in the evening, he may not be able to find his favorite fire hydrant. It might be missing altogether. Of course, even if it’s there, the street might be too dark for fido to see it anyway.