i L i n d . n e t

It’s Feline Friday again, and Mr. Toby marks the day because he happens to be the one who was around when the camera was out earlier this week. In fact, he’s just been around more the last couple of weeks, and even more in evidence since we returned from Portland. He even slept inside last night without our intervention (usually we would have to bring him inside and close the cat door). We’re much in favor of Toby’s new behavior as we can’t help worrying when he hangs out elsewhere on our little street. So happy Friday, Mr. Toby.

After our quick trip to Portland, it was interesting to see this “cost of living calculator” and get a rough comparison of Honolulu and Portland prices. That’s quite an eye opener.

In the news, Gannett and two other newspaper companies reported falling revenues in the latest quarter.

Gannett executives attributed the weak second quarter to continuing declines in classified ad revenue, which fell 7.5%. Of particular concern was the real-estate category, where slowdowns in the California and Florida markets hurt both companies.

And that classified revenue doesn’t look like its ever going back to former levels, does it?

While browsing Gannett’s corporate web site, I noted their “Best of Gannett 2006” collection. It’s always enjoyable to read good reporting, so check it out.

Some might find this item of interest. My mother has written up a brief personal biography of her grandfather, Robert William Cathcart. Born in Ireland, Cathcart arrived in Honolulu in 1881.

One interesting tidbit is her description of the friendship between Cathcart and John H. Wilson, who later was elected several times as mayor of Honolulu.

Cathcart recognized Wilson’s abilities as a teenager and encouraged him to pursue a higher education. In 1891, Cathcart and my great-grandmother sailed to California and escorted Wilson to the newly opened Stanford University. My mother was able to document the trip from the ship’s manifest in the State Archives.

She writes: “There Wilson joined good company. A classmate was Herbert Hoover who became the 31st President of the United States in 1929.”

In any case, her brief essay offers insights into Hawaii more than a century ago.