The 2009 First Hawaiian Auto Show

This year's First Hawaiian Auto Show which was held from March 26 to March 29 at the Hawaii Convention Center, featured a generous line-up of the latest and greatest new vehicles from the 2009 and 2010 model years. All of the vehicles had a certain amount of drool factor to make attendees wish they had unlimited amounts of space and money to buy nearly all of them. The best way to conquer the temptation of purchase is to just take photos of vehicles that you wish to have.

The auto show also featured an increased number of classic and vintage vehicles, as well as vehicles from many local car clubs. Photos of these cars will be added to my Flickr pages in the coming days, and updates to this blog will notify you of their posting.

2009 FIRST HAWAIIAN AUTO SHOW PHOTOS


Interior of a $213,000 Bentley convertible.


Rear deck of newly redesigned 2010 Ford Mustang

Top Photo: 2010 Ford Fusion sedan

Alakai Leaving / Left Today

Depending on when you are reading this post, Hawaii Superferry's Alakai is leaving /has left Honolulu today instead of the previously published schedule of 2:00 p.m. tommorrow. It's the end of an era for interisland travel. Aloha Alakai. Rest assured that I will forever be angry at the court decision, the environmental wackos (Sierra Club, etc.) and their political supporters.

• Hawaii Superferry Vessel Heads to Alabama
  

Tomorrow @ 1400 for Alakai

Hawaii Superferry's Alakai will be leaving island waters tomorrow afternoon, March 29 at 2:00 p.m. While hope remains that the Superferry can someday return, I think we have seen the last of this magnificent vessel that proved Hawaii residents, businesses and visitors will use and need this most important interisland transportation option. It is too bad the environmental wackos, their political supporters (Senators Hooser, English, etc.) and the "dysfunctional" Hawaii State Supreme Court have forced Hawaii Superferry out of business.

Alakai is headed for its place of birth, Mobile Alabama, presumably the Austal factory where she was built. It is possible she will be retrofitted with her own loading ramp and prepared for either long term lease or sale to the military or another commercial entity.

Hawaii Superferry will be missed by its many fans, supporters, businesses and customers. I was looking forward on voyaging with them to the Big Island this year.

Bon voyage Alakai until we meet again!


Hawaii DOT Harbors Division shipping schedule for March 29, 2009. Click image to enlarge.

Twitter & My Friday 5

BEHOLD TWITTER!

So what's up with Twitter these days? Plenty it seems. Twitter has exploded on to the scene in recent weeks with a lot of people saying they're using it, they're on it, they tweet and so forth. Many corporations and groups have their own Twitter pages or streams.

Media companies have found that Twitter is a great place to post breaking news items. In Hawaii most if not all of the major TV stations and newspapers are using Twitter.

Breaking news lie not only with the media firms of course. With Twitter anyone can report breaking news at anytime and from anywhere. Twitter and other Web 2.0 applications are having a big impact on how information is distributed and who is distributing it. Twitter has opened the timely flow of information to everyone. All you need is a computer and/or a mobile computing device. It's free to use Twitter.

Twitter is a personal web application that almost requires you to post your "tweets" yourself in order to make it personal. Most people post their own "tweets", though it can be assumed that businesses and organizations probably have teams of people posting to their streams. Some people and big name celebrities have hired "ghost writers" to maintain their Twitter streams. This is not good.

Of course as Twitter has grown in popularity problems have arisen regarding forged identities, fake friends and spam. Twitter users should carefully choose your "friends" and "followers". Check Twitter streams before you decide to follow anyone. Check your followers streams too. Prune and block the ones you don't want following you. Options are available on Twitter for you to control your presence, followers and stream.

Lastly you can follow me on my Twitter stream at: http://twitter.com/macpro.

My first posts to Twitter were made in late 2006. A new website called MyTweet16 can pull most Twitter users first posts. Here are mine, from November 2006.

fell asleep watching a B5 DVD. Woke up @ 1:15 and caught up on Ryan's U2 postings. 4:29 AM Dec 10th 2006

stayed home all day. Doing mundane stuff like laundry. Going nowhere as usual. 7:51 PM Dec 9th 2006

just got through watching the KFVE News @ 9. Listening to music. 12:27 AM Dec 8th 2006

can't decide what to buy for his neice this Christmas. Testing Twitter gmail chat. 10:30 PM Dec 6th 2006

checked out the ongoing bankruptcy sale at Tower Records Keeaumoku. 50% off all CDs. Slim pickings. More than 1/2 store is empty. 12:04 AM Dec 5th 2006

made an update to this twitter page and service. 6:55 PM Dec 3rd 2006

Did my laundry, getting rid of 3 old computers (1 already spoken for) and typing this. 6:48 PM Dec 3rd 2006

I am up at 2:27 in the morning and made a post to my blog. http://macprohawaii.blogspot.com/2006/12/island-air-cuts-back.html 5:30 AM Dec 2nd 2006

Just got off the phone talking to my boss on the subject of Pearl Harbor Day ceremonies. 4:39 PM Nov 30th 2006

I'm watching part 2 of the TV series "Boston Legal." Will Shirley Schmidt survive the kidnapping? 12:49 AM Nov 29th 2006

Watching the KFVE TV News at 9 tonight. No one can find the source of yesterday's earthquake hoax. 12:09 AM Nov 28th 2006

Those without mobile devices like me, tend to post computer related tasks here. I forgot to twit yesterday. So today I get 2 twits. 11:52 PM Nov 27th 2006

I went to the Hawaii Kai Christmas parade this morning. Christmas is in the air! 5:55 PM Nov 25th 2006

Just finished writing my blog entry on "Flying Go!" http://macprohawaii.blogspot.com/2006/11/i-flew-go.html 9:03 PM Nov 24th 2006

Posting to websites and sending emails out about the damn earthquake we had this morning on the Big island of Hawaii. 1:05 PM Nov 23rd 2006

Signing up for this service. There will be only one twit a day. 4:49 PM Nov 21st 2006

MY FRIDAY 5 FOR MARCH 27

Moving on from Twitter to the Friday 5. Here are my short answers to this week's inquiry:

1. To whom do you normally turn when you need to complain about something?

This blog or mutter to myself.

2. Which annual season-turning do you enjoy the most?

End of the Christmas shopping season knowing that I can put all of that off for another 360 days.

3. Where can you get a really good turnover?

I think Kafe Europa may have some baked goods that could qualify as turnovers. Can’t remember the names of them. The desserts are not on their website, but believe me, any dessert item they make "is to die for"!!!!

4. What’s employee turnover like where you work?

Seasonal… we get a regular influx of new workers at the start of the season and lose most of them at the end of the season.

5. One of the Wonder Twins could turn into any form of water, while the other could turn into any animal. Which of these powers would be more useful to you?

I have never watched the Wonder Twins. I don’t know what their powers are. That said I think I’d take water as a power source because in some places water can be used to power an entire electrical grid. Water powers us. The average human body contains about 55 to 60% water.

And that's my Friday 5 which I will definitely be Twittering this link to.

Civil Unions Bill Stopped!

The Hawaii State Senate failed to pull HB 444 out of Judiciary and Government Affairs (JGO) committee yesterday (March 25) after a floor debate that lasted for more than an hour. HB 444 would have allowed "Civil Unions" between gay couples to have the same benefits as traditionally married couples. Hawaii is one of the states that mandates marriage as a union between a man and a woman.

HB 444 is locked in the JGO committee after a 3 to 3 deadlock vote essentially killed the bill this session.

State Senator Gary Hooser led the charge to usurp the legislative process by trying to get 9 other senators to vote with him on pulling the bill out of committee yesterday. Only 5 other senators voted with Hooser to trump to process. Including Senator Hooser, the 5 other senators in favor of pulling the bill were Les Ihara, Suzanne Chun-Oakland, Carol Fukunaga, Roz Baker and Michelle Kidani. These 6 Senators are all supporters of "civil unions".

Eighteen other senators voted not to pull the bill out of committee. Most of them voting in the "no" column supported the merits of HB444 but did not want to see the legislative process compromised.

State Senator Sam Slom, an opponent of HB 444 pointed out that the bill received a fair hearing at JGO where both sides got to express their views at an 18-hour long hearing on February 24.

Yesterday's vote was a victory for everyone who supports traditional marriage between a man and a woman without having it be clouded by legalisms of "civil unions". After all, 70% of the voting public approved a constitutional amendment in 1998 that required the legislature to define marriage as a union between a man and a woman.

Hundreds of red shirted opponents of HB 444 filled the senate gallery yesterday (see top photo) to watch how this crucial vote went down. They broke out in thunderous applause after the vote was taken and the bill defeated.

Civil union supporters vow to keep the fight going. Like a bad penny this issue will rear its ugly head next year or in future sessions. There is even a remote possibility that HB 444 could be revived once again using the same process demonstrated yesterday.

In the meantime all of the opponents of HB 444 and those who value traditional marriage should remain galvanized and remember those senators and representatives who voted in favor of this bill. The next election is a mere 18+ months away. Supporters of traditional marriage have another chance to throw some if not all of these liberal rascals out and get candidates elected that share our traditional values.

Additional Links

• HB 444 Status
• Civil Unions Bill Stuck, Likely Dead, Honolulu Star-Bulletin
• Isle Gay Rights Advocates Dealt Setback, Honolulu Advertiser
• Civil Union Legislation Dies in State Senate, HawaiiReporter.com
• Environmental Impact Statement for House Bill 444?, HawaiiReporter.com
• Recall of Civil Unions Bill Fails, KHON TV 2
• Photos of HB 444 Rallies, Supporters, Opponents @ State Capitol

Senator Hooser tries to persuade senators to pull HB 444. The session was shown on live TV.


Sign wavers outside the State Capitol yesterday.

HB444, Hawaii Votes, Alakai Leaving & Macs

It is likely that HB 444 that approves Civil Unions between gay people will be pulled out of the Senate Judiciary Committee today after being locked there for more than a month. The bill was technically killed with a 3 to 3 tie in that committee after passing out of the House. Senators who support the bill are being led by Gary Hooser who has said he wants to pull the bill. He probably has the 9+ votes needed to get the bill pulled. Opponents of HB 444 are urged to show up for the Senate floor session today which begins at 11:30 am in the State Capitol.

Grassroot Institute of Hawaii unveiled their new website HawaiiVotes.org which is a privately funded website designed to empower "citizens to track activity of state legislature and individual lawmakers". The site duplicates many of the functions as the State's official legislative site, but adds a lot of other features including blogging, comments, registration, profiles, message forum and polls. Users can register for a free account at HawaiiVotes.org.

From my Facebook account, I got a message from Anthony Arakaki of Kula Maui saying that the Hawaii Superferry's vessel Alakai will be leaving Hawaii waters on Sunday for Mobile Alabama. Arakaki is one of the many supporters of the Superferry on Facebook. Maui supporters are also holding a rally supporting the Superferry tomorrow March 26.

Somone recently asked me what kind of computer I use for this blog. All of my blog entries and updates to every single website and page I do are done on one of my two aging Apple Macintosh computers. One is a G4 Power Mac tower that I've had for nearly 8 years and another is an iBook laptop that I take with me to various places. Both computers are running versions of Apple's highly respected Mac OSX operating system. I am planning on buying a new Mac later this year.

Photo above: Opponents of HB444 continue to urge a "NO" vote.

HB 444 May Be Pulled

State Senators in the Democrat party are meeting late this afternoon to decide on whether or not to pull HB 444 (Civil Unions) out of the confines of the Senate Judiciary Committee. HB 444 was technically killed last month after the Judiciary Committee voted in a 3 to 3 tie on whether or not the bill should pass out of committee. The vote in February was taken in committee after an 18+ hour long hearing where both sides got to express their opinions of the very divisive Civil Unions issue.

It the Civil Unions bill is pulled out of committee, it will face a floor vote in the Senate where it may likely pass. If HB 444 passes out of the Senate as is, it goes to the Governor for possible action that could turn it to law and marginalizing tradtional marriage rights.

There is a possibility that a floor amendment could be offered if the bill is pulled. If the amended bill is voted upon, it will then have to go to conference committee.

It the Democrats agree to pull the bill out of committee, it could be pulled to the Senate floor by tomorrow March 25 at 11:30 a.m.

Opponents of HB 444 should continue to contact the following Senators asking them to please "don't pull HB 444 out of committee".

The following list was provided by opponents of HB 444 (original also lists Hawaii Family Forum).

Senators Strongly in favor of Pulling HB 444:

• Gary Hooser - 586-6030
• Les Ihara - 586-6250
• Rosalyn Baker - 586-6070

In favor of pulling bill but not as strong:

• Carol Fukunaga - 586-7335
• Michelle Kidani - 586-7100
• Suzanne Chun Oakland - 586-6130
• Kalani English - 587-7225
• David Ige - 586-6230

Not sure about pulling bill

• Dwight Takamine 586-7335
• Clarence Nishihara - 586-6970
• Russell Kokubun - 586-6760
• Wil Espero - 586-6360
• Brickwood Galuteria 586-6740
• Clayton Hee 586-7330

Does Not Want to Pull the bill but may vote in favor if 9 votes needed

• Brian Taniguchi - 586-6460
• Jill Tokuda - 587-7215
• Josh Green - 586-9385
• Colleen Hanabusa - 586-7793

Strongly Opposes Pulling Bill

• Donna Mercado Kim - 587-7200
• Shan Tstusui - 586-7344

Strongly Opposes Pulling the Bill and the Bill Itself

• Robert Bunda - 586-6090
• Norman Sakamoto - 586=8585
• Fred Hemmings - 587-8388
• Sam Slom - 586-8420
• Mike Gabbard - 586-6830

Photo: More than 7,000 people protest against HB 444 on February 22.

Save the Hawaii Superferry

I don't think any citizen effort to change the minds at the Hawaii State Supreme Court to overturn their ruling regarding the Hawaii Superferry will be effective. Hawaii Superferry has to make money. While they don't want to leave the islands, they have already stated that they are "looking for employment" for the Alakai, the multi-million dollar ship that plied the waters between Oahu and Maui for the last 11 months. More than likely Alakai will be moving to a market at a place far away from Hawaii.

Nevertheless, the inevitable has happened. A campaign is now underway to SAVE THE SUPERFERRY and a couple of websites have sprung up to get people to sign online petitions to save the service and the ship.

I don't know of any online petition that has saved anything or changed the minds of people to do something or another. But I signed both the Facebook version (up to more than 1,400 signatories) and the one at Micah Carlson's site to provide moral support and be counted among the many people in Hawaii and elsewhere who support this valuable service and travel option.

Best of all I think we can get a critical mass of people to sign up to remind the environmental wackos and their political supporters that we are out here and we want the service to resume!

You can sign the petition to SAVE THE HAWAII SUPERFERRY at the following websites:

Facebook.com
www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=4852542724

Online
www.micahcarlson.com

Graphic above: Screen capture of the Save the Hawaii Superferry petition site.

Friday 5: March 20, 2009

IT'S MOSTLY GLOOM & DOOM SO FAR THIS YEAR
The Friday 5

1. Would you say 2009 so far is meeting expectation, exceeding expectations, or failing to meet expectations?

2009 is totally coming out as expected. First of all we have a Democrat President. More Democrats took over Congress and more Democrats took over seats at the Hawaii State Legislature. Conservative values and all of our money are at risk.

Democrats have led the charge this year to propose many new tax increase bills on the Federal, State and County levels. The cost of living is going up, employment is going down and the economy is still in decline.

Environmental wackos with the help of the Hawaii State Supreme Court have driven the Hawaii Superferry out of business. Conservatism is still alive but not in power. Our basic traditional values pertaining to marriage in Hawaii is at great risk with the possible passage of HB 444 that gives benefits to "Civil Union" gay couples.

It's going to hell in a handbasket, which of course gives me a lot to gripe and write about in this blog and elsewhere. So is 2009 a good year? Not yet.

2. What letter grade would you give yourself for your performance at work or school?

I am not giving out any letter grades. Like everything in life, we can always do a better job.

3. On a scale from 1 to 10, how happy have you been with the weather so far in 2009?

Except for a few days of rain and cold, the weather is mostly fine. After all this is Hawaii! Usually very sunny with blue skies in these parts. Scale rank: 8.5

4. Which of the Motion Picture Association of America’s film ratings would you give your social life so far in 2009?

I keep a social life to near zero as it costs way too much time and money to be even partially social. Up until today the big thing I do on Friday nights is catch episodes of Battlestar Galactica which finishes its series run tonight. Work is fairly social for me as I actually meet a few people every day. Getting involved with conservative politics is another social opportunity. Mostly I prefer to keep to myself.

5. 2009’s parents are on the phone and want to know how 2009 can improve its performance. What have been 2009’s areas of strength and what are its areas for growth in the second quarter?

Areas of strength in 2009? Hopefully the American spirit of individuality is still alive and that we can stick to those long held beliefs and traditions that our Founding Fathers envisioned for this country.

Government can give more breaks to the private sector to improve the economy and increase employment. I am not talking about government bailouts of ailing firms. No, we must lower the economic burden on all the citizens by not raising taxes and allowing us to keep more of the money we earn at work in our own pockets.

Photo above: Protesters who oppose HB 444 that trumps Hawaii's marriage law.

Superferry Ruling May Cancel Rail

The Hawaii State Supreme Court's ruling against the Hawaii Superferry may have unintended consequences. It is possible that state laws benefiting only one entity could be ruled "unconstitutional" if the same criteria that applied to the Superferry is used against other single entity projects. A long shot possibility is that the $7 billion fixed rail project could be canceled!

Honolulu City Councilman Charles Djou spoke about the possible fallout of the ruling as applied to city projects.

I'd love to see the $7 billion rail project die.

Photos by Jay McWilliams using my Canon S5 iS digital camera.

• Hawaii Supreme Court's Superferry Ruling May Void Multiple State Laws on the City

Hawaii Superferry's Alakai to Leave Islands

Hawaii Superferry is shutting down, moving their ship Alakai to another market and laying off its work force after the Hawaii State Supreme Court ruling on behalf of the Sierra Club and other environmental opponents, stated that a law passed by the Hawaii State Legislature in late 2007 is unconstitutional. Act 2 allowed Hawaii Superferry to operate in the islands while a required Environmental Impact Statement was assembled.

In a press conference held this morning, Superferry President Tom Fargo announced that the ship was leaving the island market. He stated that Alakai may be leased to a charter operation or to the military. While I thought he was going to announce the complete shutdown of Hawaii Superferry as a firm, he left a glimmer of hope that 1. the firm will remain in place and 2. they may return to the islands at a later date.

More than 200 employees are being laid off tomorrow (March 20) after the Superferry completes its last interisland trip to return vehicles back to their respective ports in Kahului Maui and Honolulu.

It is a sad state affairs for Hawaii's reputation as a place to do business. With the loss of the Superferry, the traveling public as well as many businesses will be losing a valuable and affordble travel and shipping options. Many businesses found that using the Hawaii Superferry was a viable option in which to deliver goods between Maui and Oahu at substantially lower prices and in a more timely fashion.

With the Superferry's departure, these firms will have to resort to more expensive air freight and barge options, the latter being much slower than the high speed ferry. The traveling public has certainly lost the opportunity to go between the islands taking their vehicles and stuffing them with many personal items without incurring the rath of extra baggage fees commonly imposed by the airlines.

I was lucky to take one trip on the ferry in late 2007 to and from Maui. Customer service was good and the crew on-board the ship were friendly, enthusiastic and helpful. The pace was bumpy going through the rough winter waters of December to Maui. The return trip was much more smooth and pleasant. Travel in the spring and summer months was mostly smooth for most passengers.

Superferry offered Hawaii travelers the most affordable option to see the islands from a different perspective... traveling the seas like how it was long ago, but in a faster, safer and modern vessel.

Superferry fares were comparable to the price of most interisland airfares. Superferry fares were often a few dollars less than the cheapest interisland airfare. The cost for taking a typical family car was around $55 to $70 each way, far less than what is charged to ship a car on a slow Young Brothers barge.

The Hawaii Superferry was a model corporate citizen and went beyond the requirements of the law to make sure no invasive species or illegal items were transported between the islands. They used the latest methods to avoid hitting whales or other marine life. Fact is in the 11 months Superferry was in operation, there were no whale strikes made by the ferry as feared by the environmental wackos. During the same period of time, a whale watching tour boat and research vessel did collide with a whale.

Bottom line is that the Supeferry's departure is a sad event for the State of Hawaii.

ADDITIONAL LINKS

• Statement from Superferry President, KGMB TV
  
• Superferry Supporters Launch Online Petition, KHON TV
• Superferry Seeking New Markets, Honolulu Advertiser, 3-18-09
• Hawaii Superferry Leaving Hawaii, HawaiiReporter.com, 3-18-09
  

Screen capture of Superferry President Tom Fargo at this morning's press conference. (KITV 4)

Hawaii Superferry Shuts Down Again

I would not be surprised if Hawaii Superferry Inc. permanently throws in the towel after the Hawaii State Supreme Court ruled a law passed by the Hawaii State Legislature in late 2007 unconstitutional yesterday (March 16). The ruling against Hawaii Superferry came on behalf of environmental wacko groups such as the Sierra Club and Maui Tomorrow who filed the legal action against the Superferry.

Hawaii Superferry issued the following statement which in part read:

Obviously we are hugely disappointed with the Supreme Court's decision that Act 2 is unconstitutional. We have operated on a regular, reliable and responsible basis for the past 11 months. During this time over 250,000 people have booked travel on Alakai and it has provided new economic opportunities for Hawaii's businesses.

Superferry will make one more trip to Maui and back to Oahu to take customer vehicles back to their home islands. The firm will also contact and refund customers for trips booked in the coming weeks.

After that the future of Hawaii Superferry is very cloudy. I am sure layoffs will follow and perhaps a permanent shutdown forthcoming. If I were an investor in the firm, I'd say enough already and either move the company to friendlier waters or sell off all of the assets. And then of course sue the state. That will keep the courts tied up for years.

I have absolutely no respect for any of the environmental wackos and opponents of the Hawaii Superferry. They have done a great disservice to the traveling public by taking away a viable, affordable and new travel option between the islands.

This once again sends out a message that Hawaii is a very hostile place to do business. If any firm wants to launch a private passenger sea transportation option, do it anywhere else except in Hawaii. The environmental wackos and their supporters want to crucify you.

I will miss the Hawaii Superferry and regret that I will not have another opportunity to travel on it again. It almost seems like a certain "bon voyage".....

ADDITIONAL LINKS

• Superferry Suspended, Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 3-17-09
• Ferry shutdown to cause economic ripple effects, Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 3-17-09
• Turbulent Times for Superferry, Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 3-17-09
• Hawaii Court Forces Superferry to Cease Operations, Google News, 3-17-09
• Hawaii Superferry Will Shut Down Thursday, Pacific Business News, 3-17-09
• Hawaii Superferry Will be Ceasing Service...., The Kona Blog, 3-16-09
• Ruling Shuts Down Superferry, The Honolulu Advertiser, 3-17-09
• Sierra Club vs. Hawaii State DOT, Hawaii Supreme Court Ruling, PDF, 3-16-09
• Hawaii Superferry Ceases Operations, KPUA Radio, 3-17-09
• Superferry Loses in Court, HawaiiThreads.com
• "We're Done" - KGMB TV, 3-17-09
• Alaka'i's Encounter with Stormy Pacific Seas, HawaiiReporter, 3-17-09
• Is This the End for the Hawaii Superferry, HawaiiReporter, 3-17-09
• Hawaii Superferry Announces Layoffs, KITV 4, 3-17-09

Photo by Mel

GOP Hawaii Elects County Leaders

Yesterday's GOP Hawaii Oahu County Convention saw no major shake-up in leadership. Most of the county officials backed by the Lingle administration were swept to victory after polling was done by about 220+ delegates.

Coming on top for GOP Hawaii County Chair for Oahu was Malia Gray. She was backed by Governor Linda Lingle and many supporters. She beat Dan Douglass for the seat who was supported by delegates wanting to move the party back to its conservative base.

Several county and regional seats were also filled at yesterday's convention. They include the following:

• Adrienne King, Vice-Chair for East Oahu
• Chris Wong, Vice-Chair for West Honolulu
• Justin Menolascino, Vice-Chair for Central Oahu
• Suk Moses, Vice Chair for Leeward Oahu
• Eliza Talbot, Vice Chair for Windward Oahu
• Chico Figueiredo, Honolulu County Treasurer
• Nadine Nishioka, Honolulu County Secretary

OBSERVATIONS

More than 220 delegates cast votes. There were at least 250 to 275 people at the crowded Kawananakoa Elementary School cafeteria. Parking was very scarce for anyone who came after 8:00 a.m.

Early voting started before the formal meeting began or candidates nominated. All nominations were made during the floor session. The Dan Douglass camp is now looking into the process of early voting and whether or not any rules were violated.

It would seem voting should have started after all nominations were made and closed.

It was also noted that the credentials committee report was not ready until sometime after 10 a.m. The credentials committee is supposed to verify delegates and alternates present before voting starts. Voting was well underway when the report was verified.

Ballots were collected in 3 cardboard boxes. Ballots were pre-printed for most races.

Governor Lingle made a speech about taxes and how she opposed "any tax increase" this legislative session. Well said but not entirely true. At the beginning of the session the Governor introduced a bill (SB 985) that will increase the vehicle weight tax, registration tax, fuel tax and car rental surcharge tax. That bill was copied to a Democrat sponsored one (SB 1611) which made it out of the Senate and awaits action in the House.

The main issue dividing the Hawaii GOP is the Akaka Bill. Conservatives oppose the Democrat sponsored and authored Akaka Bill while moderates have supported it. The new county chair is in the camp that supports the Akaka Bill. Governor Lingle supports the Akaka Bill.

There was a new group that I was made aware of. "Conservatives for Change". Sounds promising. I signed up with them and hopefully get more information on what their platform is and who they are.

Finally I shot dozens of photos at the 3-hour convention. They are posted at my Flickr site.

GOP-HAWAII OAHU COUNTY CONVENTION PHOTOS



Photo captions: (Above) - East Honolulu Vice-chair Adrienne King; (Top) County Chair candidates Dan Douglas (left) and Malia Gray (right) kick off the early convention agenda with the Pledge of Allegiance with Tercia Ku (center), convention chair.

Recktenwald Confirmed to Hawaii Supreme Court

The Hawaii State Senate confirmed the nomination of Mark Recktenwald as Hawaii's newest Associate Justice to the State Supreme Court yesterday, March 13. Justice Recktenwald was nominated to the seat by Governor Linda Lingle after Associate Justice Steven Levinson retired in December 2008.

Recktenwald had been serving on the State Intermediate Court of Appeals since mid 2007. Before that he was Governor Lingle's Director of the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs (DCCA).

I think Justice Recktenwald is a welcome addition to the 5-member Hawaii State Supreme Court. He will hopefully bring to the court a more conservative view on cases that appear before it.

Photo: Justice Recktenwald with Governor Lingle by Mel.

• Recktenwald Confirmed to Hawaii Supreme Court, HawaiiReporter.com

Friday 5 - March 13, 2009

IT'S COLD - BRRRRRRRRRR!


leggo my......, originally uploaded by Unluckyღ Puppy.

What?

This week's questions from the Friday5.org site:

1. What’s your favorite frozen heat-and-eat food? - Eggo Waffles!
   
2. How sensitive are you to cool temperatures? - I put a jacket on when temperature plunges below 68 degrees.
   
3. How many ice-cube trays are there in your freezer? - Zero
   
4. What aspect of your life seems to be frozen in place? - 20+ years living in the same building.
   
5. What’s your favorite blanket like? - Don't have one.
   

So now you folks know another aspect of my life.

How Unions Will Manipulate Workers Using Card Check

Originally published at The Heritage Foundation site, March 10, 2009. | Permalink

Liberals are introducing the misnamed Employee Free Choice Act today on Capitol Hill. The legislation would effectively eliminate workers’ rights to a secret ballot vote on joining a union. Heritage’s James Sherk has done extensive research on card check, including a new paper that outlines why the bill would create government-run workplaces.

Last month at a Heritage event, former UFCW Local 700 Organizing Director Rian Wathen described how unions will creatively manipulate workers into signing union cards if EFCA takes away their right to a secret vote. Click here to see the actual card being used by unions in California that Wathen talks about in the video below.

Would you realize that by signing this pamphlet you legally decided to unionize your workplace?

In Hawaii the State Senate passed SB 1621 that authorizes Card Check. There is also a House Bill but I forgot the number. Will update that soon.

Link: Union Card Check Bill Gains Momentum Nationally and in Hawaii from HawaiiReporter.com, March 11, 2009.

Friday 5 - March 6, 2009.

I've heard about this Friday 5 site for some months now. Never got around to participating in this, but I figure why not today? So here it is.... my answers to what the current Friday 5 questions are. I can't promise I'll do this every week, but for some reason I just wanted to answer this. So here goes:

1. On March 6, 1869, Dmitri Mendeleev presented the first Periodic Table of the Elements to the Russian Chemical Society. What memories do you have of your high-school chemistry course?

For some reason I never took high school chemistry, so I don't have any memories. I did take Physical Science and we did learn about the periodic table of elements. I remember a few of them like GOLD (Au) and IRON (Fe). Other than that never did much with glass tubes, beakers, chemicals and Bunsen burners.

2. On March 6, 1899, the Bayer company registered aspirin as a trademark. When did you last take medication for pain?

I take a low dose aspirin every day, not for pain but to lessen my chances of well... a heart attack. Hey I'm old.

3. On March 6, 1853, Giuseppe Verdi’s opera La Traviata premiered in Venice. How do you feel about opera?

Don't listen or watch it at all. Next.

4. On March 6, 1947, American film director Rob Reiner (Meathead!) was born. Which of these Reiner-directed films have you seen, and what do you think of them?

I'll just list and comment only on the ones I saw or remember seeing:

* When Harry Met Sally… (1989) - I'm not very big on romantic comedies, but I know I saw this... and of course like most people, the fake orgasm at the restaurant scene is memorable. And for some reason I also remember a couple of Harry Connick Jr. songs also being featured in this movie.

* The Princess Bride (1987) - I have this on DVD, haven't watched it in a long time, the hero was kind of a klutz and I remember seeing people rolling down a hill and getting lost in a forest. And Andre the Giant was in it.

* Stand by Me (1986) - Three kids find a dead body and they have to figure out what to do with it. I don't remember much about this except that they used Ben E. King's song for the title track and it was loaded with a bunch of other late 50s hits.


5. On March 6, 1972, American basketball-player Shaquille O’Neal was born. How do you feel about basketball?

I used to watch a lot of it way back in 1971 and 72 when the U.H. Rainbows had the "Fabulous Five". Joe Moore was doing the play by play for KGMB TV who at the time aired the games live. Later on I used to take pictures of basketball games at the college I went to.

The sport is fun, fast moving and quite a big business these days (like many others). I don't watch it much these days as I am not the biggest sports fan there is, but once in a while I'll catch it on TV.

Photo: Dmitri Mendeleev

Honokaa Boy - The Movie

I don't know too much about the movie Honokaa Boy except that parts of it were filmed in Honokaa on the Big Island of Hawaii. My Dad told me about the film late last year, though at the time I don't think it had a title. Apparently he and some senior citizens in town were hired as extras for a one day shoot. He said he spent most of the day just waiting around (typical of most film and TV shoots) for something to happen. I don't know if what they recorded of them got into the film. If so, probably a small snippet, but more than likely it all fell on the cutting room floor.

Honokaa Boy made its world premiere debut late last month (February 24) at the Honokaa Peoples' Theater. From the Big Island Video News site, it reads:

"The Japanese language foreign film, "loosely based" on the book by Leo Yoshida, was filmed in Honokaa in October, and incorporates many of Honokaa's well known landmarks into the story.

The main character in the film (who visits and falls in love with the small Hawaii town) becomes a projectionist at the Honokaa People's Theatre. In the film, it is while working at the theatre that the main character befriends and grows close to a seamstress."

From the trailer above one can see that the ol' Honokaa Peoples' Theater is central to this movie's story. The Big Island Video News goes on to say that the movie has already put Honokaa on the map as Japanese visitors are beginning to come to visit the town to see some of the locations portrayed in the film.

Hopefully Honokaa Boy will show up soon in Honolulu. The movie website indicates a March 14 release date. I'd be interested in watching it. If not then I'll surely look for a DVD.

Additional Links:

• Honokaa Boy Film Site
• Honokaa Boy on IMDB
• Honokaa Boy Trailer on YouTube.com
• Honokaa Boy Premiere
• Honokaa Peoples' Theater
• Honokaa Town

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