January 20, 2007 - Saturday [ permalink ]

Romeo and Silverman spent the day at VCA Kaneohe Animal Hospital yesterday. It's not their idea of a good day, and they complained in stereo. The good news was that some other cat kicked the stuffing out of poor 16-pound Mr. Romeo. It was good news because if there hadn't been some wounds under that fur, then alternative explanations for the big lump on his chest were potentially pretty scary. So Romeo is now partially shaved and getting a substantial dose of antibiotic. And we were finally able to confirm that Silverman did in fact sprain or strain his right front shoulder, and he's now on an anti-inflamatory medication for the next two weeks.

One of the vet techs said that if it turns out there is such a thing as reincarnation, she wants to come back as a cat in our household. High flattery!

The demise of the Ko Olina aquarium and the politically charged tax credit needs more explanation. It appears that Senate President Hanabusa wants to clear her closet of some of its skeletons before her next run for higher office, and bailing out of the aquarium deal now gives it a chance to fade away before her next campaign begins.

From the news reporting, it appears that the tax credits were never really claimed. Instead, it would appear the developers were able to use the potential credits as sort of a promised line of credit to demonstrate financial strength when approaching other lenders or business partners. I don't know how you would calculate what that was worth, but it certainly must have been meaningful.

But it also shows what an ill-considered proposition this was in the first place. In the meantime, though, it diverted $75 million from being committed to other uses and, most likely, impacted negatively on the ability of the Waikiki Aquarium to raise funds and plan future growth.

Isn't politics great?

And I have to comment on an unexpectedly great NPR interview this week with violinist Arnold Steinhardt. It was a pleasure to have the opportunity to hear someone so thoroughly entwined in his work at so many levels. I especially fell for his story of visiting an aging master for advice on his playing of Bach's Chaconne, and the man asked Steinhardt if he knew how to dance it. Understanding isn't enough, he seemed to be saying. Get up and dance it in order to understand how to play it. Then Steinhardt, obviously also impressed by the insight, tells of a dream in which he is with Bach himself and they dance. The details are there. Bach leads. What a story teller!

January 19, 2007 - Friday [ permalink ]

Star-Bulletin reporter Greg Kakesako was hit several weeks ago with a subpoena issued by Army prosecutors to appear and testify in the Ehren Watada, on trial for refusing to deploy to Iraq, according to a report today on the Progressive Magazine web site. But you wouldn't know it from reading the S-B.

The case, and the subpoenaes issued to journalists, have drawn widescale attention, and media groups have been at the center of the criticism.

“If Olson and Kakesako respond to these subpoenas by testifying, they will essentially be participating in the prosecution of their source,” wrote Hannah Pakula and Larry Siems of the PEN American Center in a January 5 letter to Defense Secretary Robert Gates. “Such a role compromises their objectivity and can have chilling effects on the press.”

But as far as I can tell the Star-Bulletin hasn't reported Kakesako's subpoena and, according to The Progressive, the reporter declined to comment.

This was the scene in the hallway at our corner of the State Capitol's 3rd floor during opening day, where people lined up for hours to sample the cheesecake being offered by Rep. Josh Green. That's blogger Larry Geller (FreeRangeGourmet.com) to the right.

I shouldn't say this...really...but I wondered about Green, a physician, encouraging people to consume cheesecake, which has to be on the top ten list of most concentrated forms of calories and artery-clogging fat ever created. I'm hoping that he's discovered a revolutionary low-fat guilt-free version, but I probably won't be holding my breath on that.

David Raatz notes: "Congresswoman Hirono is a blogger!"

A Feline Friday story...UH Manoa Chancellor Denise Konan was making the rounds of the capitol on opening day accompanied by executive assistant Heather Crislip, who commented that she is a "fan" of this blog. I laughed and jokingly created a quick test. "Okay, can you name three of the cats?"

Ms. Harry

Without hesitation, Crislip named Duke. Then she thought for several seconds before naming Annie. More thinking. Time passed. I was just starting to offer up one of those "two out of three isn't bad" remarks when she brightened. "Romeo! I remember when you got Romeo."

Bravo.

And from a former Hawaii reporter now in Oregon:

We've had three weeks of bad weather on week-ends so mine have been on house arrest. They're going stir crazy, and taking me with them. (I had to get up in the middle of the night last night and confiscate a handful of cat toys that were being poked under my closet door. The responsible party then lies on his side, and tries to retrieve the "hidden" prey - resulting in non-stop banging on the closet door.)

I finally gave in to intense begging and harassment last Saturday and let them out, despite the yard being covered with (very unusual for us) snow. The cats were appalled. Nasty, cold white stuff - everywhere. Everybody trooped back inside where I was treated to loud complaints for the rest of the day. (Clearly, the whole situation was my fault.)

And so it goes on this Feline Friday.

January 18, 2007 - Thursday [ permalink ]

Opening day at the 2007 Legislature was marked by an unsusual show on the House floor, where direct and sharp opposition to the leadership of Speaker Calvin Say was expressed by several members who were on the short end of this session's organizational battle.

Della Au Belatti of Makiki launched her first session with a blistering attack on Say. She's a great public speaker and should have a great future in politics, but walking the plank in such a public but largely symbolic way gets it all off to a most interesting start.

Only three "no" votes were recorded and reported in this morning's newspaper coverage. I was watching the proceedings on television upstairs, where poor audio prevented us from hearing much of the voting. But it was clear that several members also repeatedly voted "kanalua", as provided in the rules of the House.

52.8. Any member who refuses (including the "kanalua" response) three times to vote when ordered to do so will be considered to have voted aye, and the Clerk shall record an aye vote for the member.

It wasn't clear to me whether any of the majority "yes" votes were actually the result of members repeatedly refraining from voting via "kanalua", another symbolic way of expressing dissent without going the full way to a "no" vote in such circumstances.

It would be a mistake to think that the dissenting group is limited to those three "no" votes, as there appeared to be some confusion, perhaps disagreement, over using the opening day ceremonies to voice opposition to Say in such a direct manner. But, in my view, it does reflect a broader pool of disatisfaction that continues to simmer.

Reporter Gordon Pang, who now writes for the Advertiser, explained the way "kanalua" is used in a Star-Bulletin story back at the end of 1998.

I noted Larry Geller making the rounds of legislative offices checking opening day menus, which are reported this morning at his FreeRangeGourmet.com. I did get a photo of Larry making his exit from Rep. Berg's office with one of those gooey pieces of Costco much-less-than-health-food cake in hand, although I didn't have a chance to process any photos last night.

Ryan Ozawa has also posted a short video of the festivities on one of his many blogs. Thanks for the link, Ryan.

January 17, 2007 - Wednesday [ permalink ]

It's opening day at the 2007 state legislature. Now, we know this is a special day for everybody who is anybody, right? Or, as someone I didn't know said as he exited the 2nd floor at the capitol last week, "once more into the sausage factory!"

Another "where are they now" installment, this time from former S-B photographer Kathryn Bender:

How time has passed! I hope everyone is well. I want to hear what everyone is up to and how life is treating them. I am doing well except for I had sinus surgery early December. My nose is still delicate to the touch and my top front teeth still hurt. Every day gets better.

Remember Olga Camacho at the Tiser as the Photo Director. Well she sold her house, quit the paper in CA, and took off to travel the world for a year! I met her in South America for two months back in Feb to March. We went through Ecuador, Peru, Boliva, Brazil and Argentina! I had a great time except I was sick the first month with altitude sickness. I spent a great bit of time throwing up. I lost about 15 pounds that month. Olga just arrived back state side and is trying to adjust.

And by the way, I am living in Austin not big D. Austin is a fun and moving city. I am still in real estate and working as an agent, although, I am moving more into just doing investments. Both my sisters have two children and I am very involved in their lives. They both live in Fort Worth and I drive up all the time to see them. All four are just amazing. I didn't know kids could be so compelling.

I've been trying to submit a small item to Honolulu Weekly's "Honolulu Diary" column every week. Recent entries included a report on the Lex Brodie tire company settling a lawsuit which alleged the company systematically overcharged consumers by advertising 2-for-1 tire specials while jacking up prices so that buyers paid the regular price. Brodie has not been associated with the company he founded for many years, and the company's current owner stopped the 2-for-1 scam as soon as the suit was filed.

And, as it's related to the legislature, I also reported that the UH faculty union, the University of Hawaii Professional Assembly, appears to be losing it's associate director and lobbyist. John Radcliffe told me last month that he has submitted his resignation and is negotiating a retirement deal. Radcliffe is widely hailed as "a good guy" and has a good reputation as a union leader, but has been criticized in the past (including by this writer) for simultaneously operating a business as a professional lobbyist representing some familiar names in the corporate world, creating a situation ripe with actual or potential conflicts.