January 2004 Archives

Waikiki to get more sand.

The state of Hawaii is looking for a private contractor to pump 10,000 cubic feet of sand from a site 2,000 feet offshore to replenish the beaches in Waikiki. It is going be the largest replenishment of Waikiki beaches in over 30 years. About a foot of the beach has eroded every year since 1985. The receding sand has filled the reefs creating shallow water and changing the way the surf breaks. The $700,000 project is expected to begin in March and will take a month and a half to be completed.

Little Gold Statues

It's that time of the year again. The nominations for the 76th annual Academy Awards were announced this morning. Once again, being an uncool domesticated dad, I've barely seen a fifth of the movies on the list. Any nominees you liked? Any movies you think should have made the cut?

I didn't know it closed

I was reading the January 22, 2004 edition of the Honolulu Star Bulletin and I came across Erika Engle's TheBuzz column (and for some strange reason it can't be linked to directly) where it mentions "Expanding cheeseburger chain and virus vaccinations" which I will only mention the cheeseburger chain part here.

Dealing with Rude Honolulu Police Officers

I just encountered an incredibly rude and condescending police officer while trying to parallel-park tonight. I slightly bumped the car behind me, but there was no damage - the officer even confirmed there was no damage. He yelled at me the entire time and made me feel two inches tall, and all the while, I remained calm, speaking respectfully. Of course, he wrote me up, which is fine. But his attitude and venomous tone were not commensurate with the incident.

What are your experiences with Honolulu Police Officers?

50 First Dates

Blaine's post on Iz reminded me of another piece of news. The unstoppable "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" is featured prominently in the upcoming film "50 First Dates," starring Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore. But the film itself offers locals and locals-at-heart more than a great soundtrack: "50 First Dates" was filmed in several island locations.

Iz on iTunes!

I just noticed that Israel Kamakawiwo'ole and his "Facing Future" album is listed among Staff Favorites on Apple's iTunes music store!

They list four Iz albums on the store including E Ala E, Facing Future, In Dis Life and Iz the Man and His Music. Facing Future is only $9.99 for the complete 15-song album. The rest of the albums are sold by individual song, only, at $0.99 each.

And I just noticed that "Somewhere Over The Rainbow" is today's Nuber 4 Top Song on the iTunes music store, beating out No Doubt, OutKast and the Black Eyed Peas.

Average Joe Turned On Its Head

So am I the only one who noticed on the "Average Joe - Hawaii" NBC situation-reality show that their map of the Hawaiian Islands is UPSIDE-DOWN?!

On last night's "episode," a bunch of muscled hunks approaches the island of Hawaii on a yacht. They progress up the island chain, according to their map, from Kauai in the south to the Big Island in the north.

I'm sure the show's writers and producers think us a bunch of stupid "pineapples," but their use of the Hawaiian map upside down with Hawaii at the top of the chain, with South Point facing north, was just too much. I wonder if they know how stupid they look?

Privacy Schmivacy

This morning, the Advertiser ran a storyabout privacy issues and picture cell phones. The headline reads, "Privacy issues plague picture phones". The privacy issues outlined in the article made me wonder...

It's the Bandwidth, Stupid?

Oceanic Time "We're not AOL" Warner Cable is running a TV spot claiming Road Runner is now "50% Faster" (Please correct me if I am wrong about this ad, I've only seen it once).

So, Oahu broadband users, is it really 50% faster? Has Oceanic uncapped your consumer broadband connection? Have you challenged your bandwidth lately?

Mass Transit IV: Rail-ien Ressurection

I'm not exactly old, but I've still seen rail transit come up enough times to say, "Here we go again." Lingle recently went out on a limb, proposing a $2.6 billion Kapolei to Iwilei line by 2018. That's one hell of a price tag. Considering we got $800 million in fed funds only to kill a plan in 1992, I'm not holding my breath. Some have pushed for a state excise tax, but that would tax other counties that would see no benefit from the Honolulu project.

I believe in rail, but I also know human nature. Despite recent reports that we're about to cross the one-million-car mark, it will probably take literal all-day gridlock before everyday citizens see the light. Rail? BRT? Toll roads? Punitive taxes? What do we need? And what will we end up with?

Comment Spam

Just in case a bunch of old entries got hit with a new wave of comment spam today (my blog got hit with eight overnight), I just updated our master list of the blacklist file this morning.

I thought y'all should know.

Lingle's Lei's

I don't know much about Lei Ettiquette and probably know even less about Hawaiian Politics but something bothers me about seeing Linda on TV and in the papers always with Lei's around her neck. I get it, she's the Governor of Hawai'i but does that mean she must always be adorned with a Lei. Do people actually give her Lei's out of respect and admiration or does she have a "Lei Budget" payed for by Hawaiian Tax Dollars?

Poetry Reading vs. NFL Football

Aloha and Hau'oli Makahiki Hou! I'll be reading at Barnes & Noble at Kahala Mall on Saturday, Jan. 10th at 1 pm. I'll bring copies of BEFORE THE CITY to sign and I'll also be reading poems from the collection as well as excerpts from my novel manuscript. The novel is coming of age set on Moloka'i and chapters have already appeared in Hawai'i Review and Chaminade Literary Review.

Rain makes some people craaazy!

Hello everyone! This is my token "Hi, I'm the newbie and this is my first entry" entry, so please bear with me.

I've been enjoying the recent downpours we've had lately - call it Hilo nostalgia - but I was wondering if anyone has seen any interesting sights as a result of the rain. Of note I've seen Manoa stream turn into a river, the curb in front of Marco Polo disappear, and one spun-out truck. However, today was the best one so far.