Last Sunset of 2007

Keeping with tradition I started a few years ago, I once again shot the last sunset of the old year. This series of shots were taken today at Ala Moana Beach Park and Magic Island. The colorful sunset made an otherwise cloudy and sometimes rainy last day of 2007 worth the time and certainly the beauty.

More shots of the last sunset of 2007 are at my Flickr.com website.



Once again, here's wishing you a Happy New Year.

The Best and Worst of 2007

It seemed like I blinked my eyes and 2007 was upon us and is now all but finished. Where have the last 12 months gone? Through tax increases, the Superferry controversy, UH football, new Apple stuff and a lot more, I managed to somehow survive the year and still find time to write about it every now and then. Hence my last blog entry for 2007...

GOOD STUFF THAT HAPPENED THIS YEAR



The Hawaii Superferry arrived in the islands and finally set sail on a close to regular schedule on December 13 after an aborted start in late August. I was so luck y as to be on that “return to commercial service” trip as photographer for HawaiiReporter.com and Small Business Hawaii (SBH). I wrote about the trip here as well as at HawaiiReporter and SBH. The bumpy ride going over to Maui was memorable and the return nearly as smooth as silk.

The voyage was the culmination of my documentation of the Superferry as it plowed through a sea of controversy from the time it was built, arrived in the islands and subjected to court orders and a special legislative session, which in the end, cleared it for service. Today despite bad weather, the Superferry is making regular trips between Honolulu and Maui in what hopefully will be a success story for the new year.

Another highlight of 2007 was the spectacular air shows offered by the United States Air Force Thunderbirds and U.S. Navy Blue Angels. Thousands of island residents turned out to watch the government sponsored aviation aerobatics as talented fighter pilots from these elite squadrons entertained the public in their own unique way to get young people interested in a military career. I was lucky enough to snap off several hundred photos at the Thunderbirds show from Magic Island Beach Park in Honolulu.

The University of Hawaii Warrior football team was not covered in this blog, but certainly made big news for islanders as they went through their football season relatively unscathed while compiling an impressive and record setting 12 win 0 loss regular season.... the first for the U.H., and the best and only unbeaten regular college football team in the country. On the first day of 2008, the U.H. Warriors put their unblemished record to the final test as they play for the BCS Sugar Bowl title in New Orleans against Georgia.



The local inter-island airfare war continued throughout 2007. Mesa Airlines’ Go! set the agenda for low inter-island fares that came tumbling down to $1 on one occasion. I was lucky enough to make trips to the Big Island at fare levels of $9 and $19 each way this year. The big 2 airlines, Hawaiian and Aloha hated the fare war enough to take Go to court. Hawaiian won their case and Aloha’s set for trial in April 2008. Feisty little Go! is still around, still selling discount fares for $39. The fare war is good for consumers and the local traveling public.

The design for the Hawaii Quarter was unveiled. In late 2008 the last in the 50 states series will be minted and feature a design of the 8 Hawaiian islands and King Kamehameha on the reverse side. While Hawaii’s quarter was to have been the last in the series, another half dozen or so new designs will also be forthcoming to commemorate the territories and the District of Columbia quite possibly in 2009 and continuing to 2010.

In late August Hawaii sky observers were treated to a clearly seen and highly visible total eclipse of the moon. I was lucky enough to capture a series of photos of this heavenly phenomenon without pesky clouds blocking my view.

Apple introduced the iPhone, iPod Touch and new iMacs. Mac OSX version 5 was also released. Apple stock ended the year at $198 per share as they became the 3rd most popular selling computer maker in America.

Amazon.com joined the digital music fray by offering DRM-free, downloadable tracks to compete with Apple’s iTunes, which this year also offered selected DRM-free tracks from mainly Capitol/EMI. Music downloads without DRM is a good thing. Let’s hope this trend continues into 2008 and beyond.

THE DOWNSIDE OF 2007

For those who are concerned about their pocketbook, 2007 certainly got off to a very bad start. On January 1 the State’s General Excise Tax climbed from 4% to 4.5% , hitting nearly every consumer in the wallet as the cost of final goods and services are rendered. What do the public get out of the .5% (more properly read 12.5%) tax increase?



Funding for a choo-choo train line to be built by the City and County of Honolulu to the tune of at least $6.4 billion dollars. This will be a rail line that will travel from West Oahu’s Kapolei community and finishing off somewhere in Honolulu near or at Ala Moana Shopping Center. The tax train to nowhere will become an even bigger headache in the years to come as more and more of our money are taken away to build a railroad that is supposed to alleviate traffic congestion but really won’t. The government knows that but they keep on moving with this choo-choo train fantasy.

Thanks Governor Linda Lingle for letting the tax increase bill get by without a veto in 2005. Thanks Mayor Mufi Hannemann, who has gone against his mantra of “do we need it” “can we afford it” and “can we maintain it”.... Our “mess-transit” nightmare will continue unless the Mayor and current council members up for reelection in 2008 are tossed out and replaced. It is my hope that groups such as Let Honolulu Vote and HonoluluTraffic.com prevail in the ongoing issue of mass transit, the rail tax and the Mufi train to hell.

Other bad news for 2007:

Hawaii was still rattled by earthquakes long after the big one in 2006 shook us statewide on an early Sunday morning.

Big storms and heavy seas delayed the launch of the Hawaii Superferry. Humans bent on seeing the service not happen made worst storm waves by using the legal system to shut down operations in August before the legislature and governor intervened with a new law to exempt the service while a required Environmental Impact Study (EIS) is done.

Airline prices may climb in 2008 as Mesa Airlines lost its case against Hawaiian Airlines to the tune of $90 million in federal court. Should Mesa’s Go! leave the Hawaii market, island travelers and consumers will be whacked with severely increased costs to travel to another island.

Lastly property taxes continue to rise as we all get assessed for higher values as scores of developers and speculators push the cost of owning a home beyond what our dwellings are actually worth. Go figure.

Let’s hope that 2008 can be a better year where cost can be reigned in and more free market principles take root. Remember it’s an election year and it is another chance for the public to throw out the old cronies of the “tax and spend” generation.

Have a Happy New Year!

Rock n Roll on the Hawaii Superferry

Let me tell you about the Hawaii Superferry.

You know the big blue and white ship that spent most of the last 4 months sitting at Honolulu Harbor's Pier 19 all tied up with nowhere to go.

Just about everyone in Hawaii is familiar with the issues that left the ferry tied up: environmental study requirements and waiver; court orders halting the operation; the special legislative session; the new law that was passed to help the ferry; the fear about hitting whales, invasive species, increased traffic, drug proliferation, transport of i'wi and sacred stones, net fishing, animals, bad weather and more. You'd think after all this the ferry would never run.

But run it did.

Superferry finally made its return to commercial service voyage from Honolulu to Maui and back on December 13. I was lucky enough to join the media contingent from HawaiiReporter.com on the inaugural trip. The following is a review of that Superferry trip.



THE VESSEL

Alakai is the name of the first Superferry vessel. It is a 349 ft. long, 4 story high catamaran cruiser that displaces more than 800 tons and contains 4 decks, 2 of which can hold up to 282 vehicles, a passenger deck that can accommodate up to 866 travelers and a high tech bridge. The passenger deck is finely appointed with large panoramic windows, 3 food and drink stations, many flatscreen TVs, a video game center, children's playroom, aircraft-style seating, comfy sofas, and executive dining tables. Alakai can travel up to 40 mph (35 knots) and has four 10,988 horsepower diesel engines.

THE SERVICE

Employees at Hawaii Superferry seemed genuinely happy to be back on the job servicing paying customers. The ticket agents, security screeners, shuttle bus drivers, and cabin crew were friendly, courteous, helpful and informative throughout the trip. Some of the cabin crew had time to chat on each 3-hour trip segment.


Spectacular island views and choppy waves.

THE RIDE

Starting service near the dead of winter, Superferry encountered first-day sea swells that were large enough to have the weather service issue "small craft warnings". The mighty Superferry ploughed through the choppy seas in a bumpy and rolling fashion. The wind was blowing at about 10 to 20 mph, and waves of about 10 feet high would occasionally send their salt spray mist over the ship, splashing the side windows of the main cabin. The fully enclosed passenger cabin protects passengers and crew from the elements. However, several people did get seasick which is expected on such a bumpy trip. This should be less of a problem on days with good weather and calmer seas.

The choppy rolling surf was apparent from the Molokai Channel all the way to Maui shortly before reaching the harbor. Through it all, we never saw nor came close to any whale. The trip back to Honolulu yielded a much smoother ride since Superferry was just "going with the flow" in the direction of the same waves that pounded us on the voyage going over.

Popular activities to pass the time during the 3-hour long voyage included eating, drinking, sleeping, watching TV movies and programs, playing video games, doing work or engaging in conversation with other travelers and the crew. For the photo bugs like me, a Superferry trip presents a fantastic opportunity to catch views of the islands and ocean from a different perspective.

THE VIEWS

Needless to say that despite the less than ideal weather, the views of the islands and ocean were spectacular. Leaving and entering port on both islands present shutterbugs with views they normally don't get while flying or being landlocked. Coastal views of Maui and Molokai were breathtaking. Even the protesters and increased security on Maui provided photographers with something to see and shoot.


Protesters try to keep their banner unraveled.

THE PROTESTERS

For the most part, the protesters on Maui were about as loud and boisterous as the ones on Kauai. At least they respected the security zone, thanks to highly visible, beefed up protection from the U.S. Coast Guard, Maui Police Department and the State Dept. of Land & Natural Resources. There were only a few protesters in the water who waved signs that could not be clearly seen from the vessel. Most of the protesters probably made their impact by slowing traffic down on the streets and highway just outside the harbor.

Processing and loading of vehicles and passengers was orderly and efficient. No one blocked the way. Cars, trucks, vans and SUVs went up and down the ferry ramp with no problem. Getting out of the harbor was not much of a problem even though protesters lined the sides of the road and created artificial traffic jams with their own cars.

CONCLUSION

Hawaii Superferry is a great alternative to interisland flying and well worth the time and money, especially if you are a business and need to transport many things with your vehicle. I can see the Hawaii Superferry becoming successful if the business community, nonprofit organizations and casual travelers embrace it as much as they supported for it during the tumultuous days of the recent special legislative session. I can't wait to sail again in the future, especially when Superferry starts going to the Big Island of Hawaii.


Superferry "Alakai" kicks up a colorful sea mist.

NOTES

* This posting will be be published in the January 2008 edition of Small Business News

LINKS

• Rock n Roll on the Hawaii Superferry - HawaiiReporter edition of this story
• Hawaii Superferry Photos
• Hawaii Superferry December 13, 2007 Trip Photos
• Hawaii Superferry Website
  

Comp USA Closing Soon

The Comp USA chain of stores were sold off to Gordon Brothers Group LLC, a liquidator that specializes in business closures and sales. The entire chain will be closed with some of the stores sold off to other retailers. Speculation is that this Honolulu location will be one of the stores sold instead of totally shutting down.

Nevertheless, there will be "Going Out of Business" sales at all stores, though at my visit yesterday, prices were more or less the same as they always were. I expect deep discounts to start showing up as we get closer to the Christmas holiday and most definitely after that if the stores are still open. The consumer vultures have already started to circle the dying carcass of this once thriving retailer.

I've had mixed experiences with Comp USA. The worst thing that happened to me at this store was back on the last day of the year 2000. I received a $100 gift certificate as a Christmas gift and went to the store to redeem it on the purchase of my first digital camera. I was using the certificate as a discount to the amount that I would pay for the camera in cash. When the certificate was passed thru the check-out, it came up as "invalid". Surely the person who gave it to me did so in good faith. After all he paid for it.

After wrangling with the sales clerk and then finally the store manager or supervisor, I got them to call the person who gave this to me. Luckily the person had saved the receipt and somehow he either faxed it over to Comp USA to prove that the certificate was legit. Apparently the clerk that had checked him out probably forgot to validate the thing after purchase, which left me the hapless recipient, stuck in a bind.

The problem took about a half hour to remedy at which point I was probably stressed out and vowed not to buy anything big from this store ever again.... which I more or less did. No large computer or other electronic component was ever purchased by me at Comp USA since this incident. I limited my Comp USA purchases mainly to blank media (CDs) and other small items.

Will I miss Comp USA? Probably not. I prefer to go to BestBuy these days and being a Macintosh owner and user, I usually end up at the Apple Store or local retailer MacMouse Club which is just up the street from Comp USA.


Photo: Comp USA Honolulu taken on Dec. 10, 2007. More photos at this link.

Sea Launch Leaves Honolulu

Sea Launch, originally uploaded by macprohawaii.

Here's a something you don't see everyday. This vessel is called the "Sea Launch". It is a large rocket launching floating platform. The thing was in Honolulu Harbor yesterday for a refueling stop. It is reportedly headed for a location near the equator. More information on the Sea Launch can be found at this link.

Governor Names New Chief

Governor Names New Chief, originally uploaded by macprohawaii.

Governor Linda Lingle (center) announced yesterday that Tranportation Director Barry Fukunaga (right) will become her new Chief of Staff who replaces Bob Awana who resigned several months ago. Brennon Morioka (left) has been named Acting Transportation Director. Taken yesterday in the Governor's ceremonial office at the Hawaii State Capitol. Canon 300D.