April 22, 2006 - Saturday

5:20 a.m.

I just checked on Silverman, still in a room of his own downstairs. The wound appears to be healing and he appears to be adjusted to the life of an inside cat. Not much fussing at all about the terms of confinement.

A former Hawaii reporter, now on the mainland, offered this bit of advice and commentary:

You have much more experience medicating cats than I do, but here was the procedure I followed when I had to give Tiger antibiotics. Getting a pill into him turned out to be impossible. (I had no idea cats' necks were so flexible and capable of moving in so many direction. Not to mention fears about injuring him by prying open his jaws. And, even if I could get the pill into this mouth, he would promptly spit it about five feet.)

1. Wrap cat in towel, leaving only the head exposed. (Actually, after the first day, a series of prior steps were added: Locate cat, crawl under bed to retrieve cat, wiggle back out from under bed, swear, pursue cat to opposite end of house, corner cat, lunge for cat, swear, pursue cat back to opposite end of house, throw bath towel over cat, haul struggling cat to dining room.)
2. Sit at dining room table, put cat in headlock with left arm.
3. Insert medicine dropper into corner of cat's mouth.
4. Praise and pet cat, who responds by giving me stink-eye.
5. Give cat Pounce.
6. Give cat's brother Pounce.
7. Announce to both cats that Pounce is now "all gone." Cats yowl.

Actually, after awhile, Tiger decided that it was even worth taking medicine if it meant getting Pounce afterwards. What's in that stuff - kitty heroin?

I tried mixing medicine in with food once. They can smell it from 50 paces. Not only do I get the "et tu Brute" look, they then refuse to go near their food or water for at least 12 hours, since I am clearly trying to poison them.

Here are a few other bits and pieces.

SB 2076, which would provide an tax incentive to allow leasehold comdominium owners to purchase the fee interest in the land under their buildings, has passed both houses and is now being considered in conference. The bill currently would provide a 100 percent tax credit, which would be a strong incentive for landowners to divest their leasehold properties. For those left hanging after the city's lease-to-fee ordinance was struck down, this is a much needed remedy.

Check out BusinessJournalism.org for a series of online tutorials on various financial subjects, as well as a lot of other useful information...There's an AP story making the rounds about Hawaiians who traveled to New Jersey to honor President Grover Cleveland, not a household name in most places but, as reporter Chris Newmarker explains: "It was Cleveland who set aside April 30, 1894, as a day of prayer and repentance over the U.S. role in the overthrow of the Hawaiian monarchy."...And from the Berkeley Daily Planet, how a Hawaiian sugar family made Berkeley its home.

April 21, 2006 - Friday

Did you notice yesterday's dueling story headlines in the two Honolulu dailies? An alert reader in Manoa noted these yesterday morning:

Star-Bulletin: Move-to-mainland tide turns.Hawaii brain drain reverses.

Advertiser: Census Bureau shows more residents leaving state

Both stories reported essentially the same facts, that Hawaii continues to lose population through out-migration but at a slower pace than previously.

But I didn't see this next story among the long list of environmental issues covered in either paper. This is lifted directly from an email report by Scott Werny of the Surfrider Foundation:

CITY FOCUS IS ON LAWSUITS, NOT SEWAGE SOLUTIONS

The Surfrider Foundation's Oahu Chapter organized a very successful Roundtable for Sewage Spill Solutions on Monday night at the Hawaii Prince Hotel. More than 40 experts attended, representing most groups that know something about some aspect of sewage or the ocean. Participants included an oceanographer, a coastal geologist, a microbiologist, a runoff control planner, an environmental engineer, a state representative, a state senator, an infectious disease doctor, paddling club representatives, several environmental non-profit organization representatives, a representative of Waikiki businesses, other scientists, as well as some companies with technology currently used to clean up sewage spills in other parts of the world. The Governor was out of town, but was thoughtfully represented by Larry Lau, DOH deputy director for environmental health, and Watson Okubo, head of monitoring and analysis in the DOH Clean Water Division. Noticeably absent was any representative from the City and County. Even though the Mayor, the Collection System Maintenance Division Chief, the Director of Environmental Services, and others from the administration were invited, a decision was made not to attend this important event or even to send one representative. They were told they must not attend.

The excuse given for their absence was the presence of the Sierra Club, with whom they have a lawsuit pending. Had they not waited to the last minute to offer this information, the Surfrider Foundation would have gladly asked the Sierra Club to please not come, so City and County officials could attend, and the Sierra Club would have been more than happy to oblige for the sake of our environment. But instead, they chose not to participate in our solution seeking discussions. This is sad and disturbing, not only because there were a lot of great proposals, thoughts, and ideas generated that will now need to be presented somehow to the City in other ways, but because it shows a lack of willingness of the City to work with the community on these critical issues. One might get the impression that the current administration is more concerned with lawsuits than with doing the right thing for our island.

Both the program itself, and the city's absence, are interesting issues that should have gotten some attention.

Suprised by your last property tax bill? Compare it to my grandmother's property tax bill for 1958. The annual payment for her 7,585 square foot lot was just $45.13. Anybody able to figure out what that would be in today's dollars? [According to the Inflation Calculator, that $45.13 would be equal to $296.05 in 2005 dollars.]

The other historical gem of the day is this 1991 civil suit, Fasi v. Lind. I ran across a very faded fax in an old file and was able to make a legible scan of the complaint as well as a few assorted notes also tucked away in the file. Fasi filed the case but dropped it just a few days later. I don't know why I was the lead defendant despite the suit involving a Channel 2 broadcast.

And I should report that Silverman is having his first real experience as an inside cat. After spending most of the week at the vet, he's now confined downstairs and doesn't seem all that upset about it. They removed the drain from his wound, leaving an open cut on the side of his head. We removed the collar and, so far, he doesn't seem to be stratching at the wound. Now if I can just get the antibiotic into him without triggering WWIII....

April 20, 2006 - Thursday

There were lots of watery eyes at the capitol and among those watching the news coverage of Tuesday's ceremony granting posthumous honors to those with Hawaii links who have died in military operations Iraq and Afghanistan.

But there was an obvious thing crying out to be said--There's something that can be done to avoid doing this again next year with a larger group of casualities. If you don't want more lives wasted, bring the troops home. If you're angry about lives lost, hold the Bush administration, its lies, and its rush to war accountable. At least one Democrat should have come forward after all the honorifics to make this point loud and clear. No one, to my knowledge, did so.

Green Bay Ray, now with the Door County Advocate, commented on Google ads appearing here yesterday:

At the top of the page were these five ad links. One of these things is not like the others...

Cancer Liver
Senator Robert Byrd
Liver Cleanse
Liver Function
Liver Problem

But figuring out which one...

Today at the Door County Advocate you'll find Ray's story on the vote of the Sturgeon Bay City Council against a proposal to annex property currently outside the city where Wal-Mart wants to build a store.

And on the real estate front, perhaps you should consider New Zealand. A former Hawaii resident, now living on New Zealand's South Island, says she's putting her place up for sale soon.

If anyone in Hawaii wants a change, here's what $450-$500,000 New Zealand dollars - will get you

23 acres
800 olive trees in a beautiful cropping state, right now (picking in late June/early July, barring heavy frosts)
360-degree view
the one neighbor on east and one neighbor on west sides are about a nine-minute walk away through the paddocks
400-metre undulating driveway through the eucalyptus trees
a two-bedroom cottage facing north (the favored, warm side)
Views of the Wairau River
separate studio
a three-bay shed
a cattle race
electric fencing
huge paddocks
45 minutes west of Blenheim and the sea
45 east of the Nelson lakes and winter skiing
Rush hour on State Highway 63 consists of maybe 10 vehicles, and sometimes no vehicles
a country pub 10 minutes away
the only noise is the sound of the river
sky so clear you can see far out into the universe, between all the shooting stars
totally private
a 1977 or thereabouts tractor and all farm accoutrements
and more.

Such a deal.

FYI, that $450,000 New Zealand translates into $282,554 in U.S. dollars.

Interested? Let me know and I'll put you in touch with the owner.

For that same price, you can get properties in Honolulu such as a 464 square foot studio apartment in the Discovery Bay condominium in Waikiki, or a similar 533 foot unit at the Waikiki Banyan.

April 19, 2006 - Wednesday

A reader pointed out that I've been less than clear on one key aspect of the Star-Bulletin's loss of access to its own archive of old clippings and photos. When Gannett bought Star-Bulletin in the early 1970s and created the joint operating agreement with the Advertiser, the two newspapers merged their archives. Then when Gannett bought the Advertiser and rewrote the JOA in 1993, it appears that it unilaterally took control of those valuable clipping and photo files.

But the sale of the Star-Bulletin to David Black contained a provision giving the Bulletin access to the archive for five years, including the right to make a complete copy of the Star-Bulletin materials it contained. Apparently Black did not exercise that option, although photographers copied or scanned some old pictures, leaving S-B reporters working at a distinct disadvantage when it comes to context, background, and historical perspective.

"Pulling the clips" at the beginning of any story used to be standard operating procedure in the S-B newsroom. Now if its not in an electronic archive it's no longer available.

On the real estate front, the house next door to us in Kaaawa is for sale, again, this time with an asking price of over $1.2 million.

That's a seemingly insane 52% premium over what the current owner paid just 14 months ago. It's a beautiful location with great neighbors and a wonderful view of the mountains, but that's nuts.

More on real estate...The transformation of Kahala has been ongoing for years, but it's finally hit close to home. The houses on both sides of my parents have been demolished, the lots scraped clean of all living things, and new wall-to-wall starter mansions are being built. My parents are among the last holdouts on this stretch of Kealaolu Avenue, still settled in their modest pre-WWII home. While the amount of investment around them is impressive, walls have replaced hedges, there's little room for trees, and the new buildings have far exceeded any reasonable human scale. My mother hates the transformation and the loss of the neighborhood, while my dad seems just amazed and curious.

April 18, 2006 - Tuesday

Re yesterday's comment on the Honolulu newspaper archives, now controlled by the Honolulu Advertiser, comes this note from a writer at the S-B: "One small detail got overlooked in the newspaper archive negotiations. While Gannett allowed access to the archives, they also charged Star-Bulletin employees something like $50 an hour to do so."

Thanks to the Supreme Court of Hawaii Blog (Unofficial) for pointing out this commentary on a 9th Circuit Court decision that "Los Angeles' policy of arresting homeless people for sitting, lying or sleeping on public sidewalks as 'an unavoidable consequence of being human and homeless without shelter' violates the constitutional prohibition against cruel and unusual punishment." The implications for us here are obvious.

Thanks to Doug White over at Poinography.com for noting my comments on the legislative intern issue as well as my reservations about publicly funded campaigns.

Actually, what I've expressed reservations about is the overly complicated approach to public financing that has been advocated by the "clean electons" folks for the past several years. Their specific legislative proposal appears to me to overly complicate and bureaucratize a simple idea. I also don't think it's necessary to guarantee that publicly funded candidates have more money than their opponents, only that they have enough to run credible and effective campaigns.

My suggestion would be to simply put our current system of matching funds on steroids. Instead of the token amounts most candidates can qualify for today, put enough cash in the system to make a real difference. It would create a hybrid system with some private fundraising that could be matched at a substantial rate. I haven't thought it through fullyl, but, for example, a candidate's first $5,000 could be matched with public funds on a 3-1 basis, yielding an amount adequate for many small campaigns. Or 4-1. Or pick your own figure depending on how big a budget you expect the public will support.

The current system has little bureaucratic overhead, certainly far less than the "clean elections" approach.

This in from another cat lover:

Like some of your other readers, I continue to be amused by the links that pop up on your web site, prompted by your daily musings. I notice that, as a result of poor Ms. Kili's problems, there are now links to "liver cleansing" and "cirrhosis."

I don't mean to make light of her liver problems, but somehow the cirrhosis link conjures up an image of cats tippling. I have visions of Fuzzy and Tiger knocking back a few cold ones on the couch while I'm at work.

And I like the fact that your photo of the black cat identifies him as "visiting." You might as well admit it, you've got yourselves another cat. And a very nice one, by the look of him.

Hope you, Meda and the felines had a nice Easter week-end. A small, but vocal, bloc in my house lobbied heavily for a nice can of tuna as the centerpiece for Easter dinner. But my position remains firm: The person who brings home the paycheck gets to choose the meals, not the people who spend all day lolling around on the furniture, shedding.

Speaking of the visiting black cat, neighbor Elizabeth has a slightly jaded perspective:

I must say the black cat does look peaceful. However, you should have seen him once when I caught him inside my house (he's been in several times, but managed to scoot out the opened door like a blur when he saw me). This one time he got caught in the bathroom. Oh. He tried to slit the screen. He was DESPERATE. There were 10 toenails extended and digging into anything he landed on to get traction. He did NOT want to be anywhere close to me.

He's also the reason I don't have a cat door--when he came inside, he sprayed. Then Annabanana thought she had to spray on top of him to reclaim her territory. Then, well, then I just kept the doors closed.

April 17, 2006 - Monday

Easter sunrise on the beach in Kaaawa. The sun appeared after several cloudy days. The sky was clear enough to leave the umbrellas at home. Not a bad way to start the week.

click for larger photo

For the lack of a library....When the 5th anniversary of the "new" Star-Bulletin passed last month, so did the S-B's right to access or to copy the library of historical clippings and photos now held exclusively by the Honolulu Advertiser, which had been granted for a five-year period in the original agreement. Unless the Star-Bulletin made a last minute run to copy those old articles, history is now out of easy reach of its reporters.

It showed last week when the Star-Bulletin, as a reader pointed out to me, "missed the fact that indicted Aloha Stadium Security chief Herb Naone was the police officer charged in the shotgun robbery of a gambling game on Kauai almost 20 years ago, fired from the force, got a deferred-acceptance-of-guilty plea and served no time, was hired by Hawaii Protective Association and then by the Stadium Authority."

Only the Advertiser, now with sole control of the archive, reported this significant bit of information. I think it was missing from television reporting as well, at least until after the Advertiser story appeared.

From the coincidence file: Back in 1985, Herbert Naone was a partner in Circle Six, a partnership set up for ranching and other purposes, according to state business regisration records. One of the other partners was Gabe Aio, also a long-time associate of Hawaii Protective Association and Larry Mehau.

Aio was arrested in May 2000 in a series of raids on a Chinatown gambling operation where he was the reported head of security and was paying bribes to protect the gambling operation from law enforcement. At the time of the arrest, Aio was also cheif of security for Matson in Honolulu, while his former business partner headed security for the stadium. Small world.

Things on the home front are a bit unsettled this morning. I've got Silverman locked in a room downstairs. I hoped to take him to the vet yesterday to treat this apparent infection that's swollen up the side of his face, but he didn't show up until about 3 a.m. this morning. We'll have to take him as a walk-in patient on our way to town this morning. He's not a happy camper.

And then, for all you dog lovers, another round of our Kaaawa morning dogs. This lover is Ms. Hoku. Just click for more.

April 16, 2006 - Sunday

I must apologize for an error in comments made Friday concerning the web site redesign by the State Procurement Office. After visiting the new site, I wrote that certain documents had been removed and were now not available for viewing. I was wrong. These documents, agency requests for exemptions from the standard procurement process, were moved to a slightly different location but remain readily accessible. My thanks to Jeff Garland for pointing out my error. And my apologies to the State Procurement Office for pointing fingers when it was not deserved.

Only a couple of responses to yesterday's ramble on the subject of legislative interns.

John Radcliffe, whose lobbying was at the center of the debate that sparked my comments, replied:

I note over time--that the closer you actually are to that which you write about, like most humans who think, the fairer and less fantasy/conspiracist oriented you seem to be. Your blog today (Saturday) is an example. It is very fair and balanced--- because, I think, you are right there observing the people and the processes that you are writing about. You don't just surmise or suspect--you know.

He also sent along comments on "lobbying as a profession" presented recently to the Chaminade Graduate Business Administration class of  "Hogan Entrepreneurs".

"Incidentally," Radcliffe writes, "a lot of my remarks are stolen from the public speeches and thoughts  of a truly great American, Senator Robert Byrd of West Virginia."

Another reader said:

Having worked in the Hawaii Legislature during the 1987-88 session, I've believed ever since that everybody should work there at least once. Of course, that would be impossible, but it would be a good thing if it could happen. As you write, "There's a lot to learn from this side of things." 

P.S. I sent my niece in Blue Spring, Missouri, your photo of the black cat who is quietly working its way into your hearts and household. She and her husband recently added a black and white cat to their collection of two in the same way. Where they live, abandoned or lost cats face a brief future because of the winter cold. This cat had a collar and had been neutered, but they put up ads everywhere they could think of and nobody claimed him. Now their other two cats are getting used to him. He thinks everybody is his friend, she says, and he makes delightful little chirping noises talking to himself as he explores their large house.

And among our cats...Poor Ms. Kili. After a month of daily medication she had another blood test last weekend and her liver enzyme level had continued rising. So yesterday she was back at VCA in Kaneohe for an ultrasound exam. I suppose the result was good news. Nothing unusual observed, no growths on the liver or other organs. The bad news is that this means we still don't know what's behind her liver problem. The search continues.

Ms. Kili

Food. Always an enjoyable subject. I can't match Larry Geller's Free Range Gourmet, but I can share one of our weekend meals, served on American Modern plates by Russell Wright. Just click on the photo for more.