Remove ImagesCoconut Wireless
This Week in Review
WEDNESDAY, Apr. 11
April 19, 2007
Kurt Vonnegut, who wrote many short stories and novels including Slaughterhouse-Five, Slapstick and The Sirens of Titan—wonderful
books about meek heroes and the end of the world that high school
students read because they're both hilarious and tragic as well as just
being fun to read—and is generally considered one of the most
imaginative American voices of the 20th century, died today at the age
of 84. So it goes.
THURSDAY, Apr. 12
Looks like the State of Hawai`i is awash in federal research cash, according to today's Honolulu Star-Bulletin
in the story "Isle's research funding among top." In 2004 there was
$169.4 million in federally funded (tax dollar-supported) research and
development in Hawai`i, which was more than double the figure from just
four years earlier and ranked the state the highest in the nation in
terms of percentage increases. For somebody like Governor Linda Lingle—who's
staking her entire second term in office on the idea that she can
switch the state's economy base from land to "innovation"—this is very
good news indeed, and the Star-Bulletin
wasted no time putting the best face possible on the news. "[R]esearch
on topics like tsunamis, volcanoes and disaster management helps make
Hawaii a safer and better place to live," the paper paraphrased University of Hawai`i Vice Chancellor Gary Ostrander
as saying. Of course, if you read a few paragraphs further into the
story, it was crystal clear that the biggest chunk of that research
money wasn't going to disaster relief: "Defense Department
grants accounted for $52.3 million in 2004 and a significant part of
the growth in federal spending on research," the paper reported. And by
"significant," they of course meant 31 percent, which is nearly a
third. And that isn't even counting the possibility of the U.S. Navy building a special research lab at UH, because those talks are still ongoing.
FRIDAY, Apr. 13
Speaking of Governor Lingle, she dropped by the Iao Theater in Wailuku today to sign HB 1756.
For those not up on this year's legislative priorities, HB 1756 ends
the 15-year limit on county leases to nonprofit organizations—like Maui OnStage,
which runs the Iao Theater but has been unable to secure long-term
financing. Lingle, who was a little late—she had to appear at a
blessing for a new Hawaiian Homelands development on the Westside—told
the three dozen or so officials, dignitaries and people who just
happened to be walking by the theater that HB 1756 was special to her
because she actually once appeared in a production of Love Letters at the Iao. Much hilarity ensued, mostly because no one could remember who was mayor—Councilwoman Jo Anne Johnson called Mayor Charmaine Tavares
"Councilwoman" and later Lingle referred to herself as "Mayor." Then
Lingle signed two copies of the bill—placing the pen between her
forefinger and middle finger—and gave one copy to Tavares (who later
joked to the crowd that the theater was special to her because she
found $5 there as a kid when she went to see Ten Commandments)
and one to Johnson, who first initiated the bill. Now if the county
actually starts handing out long-term leases to established, reputable
non-profits—and finally figures out which department is supposed to
approve leases to non-profits—then today's events will be something
more than mere politicking.
SATURDAY, Apr. 14
Don Ho died today at the age of 76. Obituaries are naturally focusing on the five decades he spent as a Waikiki entertainer, singing "Tiny Bubbles"
probably close to a million times to generations of tourists and locals
and in the process becoming the face and voice of Hawaiian music and
culture to the rest of the world, though Ho also had the distinction of
being the best Brady Bunch special guest star ever—better than Davey Jones, way better than Don Drysdale. So it goes.
SUNDAY, Apr. 15
Perhaps in response to the Save Honolua Coalition and those dozens of letters demanding the preservation of Honolua Bay that keep appearing in The Maui News, Maui Land & Pineapple Company boss David C. Cole has
an op-ed piece in today's paper promising that his outfit is "working
to protect Honolua Bay for the benefit of everyone." With nary a
mention of the 18-hole golf course or 40 homes his company will build
on Lipoa Point, Cole promises
that preserving the bay is ML&P's top priority. "We all know that
Honolua Bay is beloved by those who live on Maui and by those who
visit," Cole wrote. "ML&P wants to harness that aloha for the
benefit of the bay. Today I step forward to call upon the community to
help us devise the very best plan to malama Honolua Bay." Just to let
you know he's serious, Cole added that his company is prepared to meet
with "Hawaiian community leaders" and "bring together an independent advisory panel" to "help us plan the future of Honolua Bay." An independent advisory panel?! Now that's how you get things done!
MONDAY, Apr. 16
Apparently by coincidence, the Maui County Committee of the Democratic Party
met yesterday to discuss ML&P's plans for Honolua Bay. Their
solution? "The group unanimously approved a resolution calling on the
County, State and federal governments to use public funds, and if
necessary, eminent domain powers, to acquire Honolua Bay and Lipoa Point," wrote Democratic Party of Maui Corresponding Secretary/attorney Lance Collins
in an email yesterday. For some reason, I don't think the county
seizing Honolua Bay from the Maui Land & Pineapple Company is
exactly what Cole had in mind when he called for community suggestions
on how to help the bay. Still, it's something we should definitely
consider.
TUESDAY, Apr. 17
Television, which recently announced that MTV will be launching a new reality series titled The Road to Menudo about the return of the "popular" boy band Menudo from the 1980's, dies at the age of 71. So it goes.
Anthony Pignataro wants to save Lipoa Point, but doesn't have nearly enough room at his place to store it. MTW