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My comment yesterday on the Star-Bulletin's disappointing Pearl Harbor 60th anniversary special brought a reply from one reader blasting me for ignoring the Advertiser's extended coverage of the same events.Acknowledged. I have to admit that I hadn't even looked at the Advertiser's treatment. But now that I've at least browsed through the online version, it's clear that they won this battle, hands down.
I'm eating my words this morning. After reading Gordon Pang's account of City Council chair Jon Yoshimura's troubles with the Disciplinary Counsel, which is considering suspending his law license for up to a year, I spouted off with an email stating my recollection that records of disciplinary proceedings are normally confidential until a recommendation is filed with the Supreme Court for approval, at which time the court record and disciplinary file become a public record.
Wrong. Double-checking the rules of the Supreme Court indicates that the confidentiality provisions were amended last year, and now provide, in part: "Where a hearing committee or officer files, pursuant to Rule 2.7(c), a report with the Board recommending the imposition of public discipline by the Board or this court."
Hey, one small step for openness.
It's 5:33 a.m. and here comes the city garbage truck backing down Haahaa Street for its twice-weekly pickup. Good thing I took our can out early. I don't know how "normal" people who like to sleep in on weekends relate to this schedule. When the issue has come up in town, the city has claimed a 6 a.m. start time. Not, apparently, here in the "country".
"Live breaking news...Bombs and 0 % financing on a new SUV! Hey!" That's from a little comic strip commenting on the surreal media treatment of the war in Afghanistan. A friend pointed me to it. Check it out. And thanks, Marilyn.
It's Pearl Harbor day once again, and my father's 88th birthday. Happy Birthday!Gannett put itself back in the glare of nationwide negative publicity by firing three USA Today staffers who dared to fiddle with an unfinished sculpture outside the corporation's executive offices. The incredible incident was detailed in a Washington Post story earlier this week, and letters of outrage started raining into Jim Romenesko's MediaNews on December 5 from other journalists, including many current and former Gannett staffers, and the barbs continue to arrive.
I stumbled across the second of two stories by Mike Markrich on the Honolulu Newspaper war, which appeared in the final issue of Island Business Magazine and is still available online, at least for now.
Much of the analysis echoes what has been printed elsewhere about the economics of the situation, but a quote from former managing editor Dave Shapiro hits the journalistic issue head-on: "What remains to be seen is whether the Star-Bulletin will continue to be the paper that makes waves. I don't think that's evident."
The Star-Bulletin's much hyped special Pearl Harbor 60th anniversary commemorative section, hyped in house ads far in advance, appeared yesterday, and was a visually appealing but substantively disappointing product. Long on photos and graphics, mostly fuzzy underwater photos from the National Park Service, it left me wanting a lot more of what was promised, the stories of those who survived the events. It read like a project that didn't quite come together, or didn't get the resources necessary to fulfill the original vision.
Noted for the record: the passing of Tom "Fat Boy" Okuda, according to obituaries appearing today in both the Star-Bulletin and Advertiser. Okuda is still legend within the state judiciary, and many of the current crop of administrators still look back at his era with nostalgia. I played a roll in his downfall and the end of that political era, as did the Star-Bulletin. But he was a key, although largely unappreciated figure in island politics, and his passing deserved more than the brief wire service copy apparently relied on by both papers.
And back home, Ms. Lizzie's stitches are still in place. Since she removed the stitches almost immediately after she was spayed, we expected these to quickly disappear as well. But, instead, she's been pretty good about it.
They still look awful, though, and we've been calling her "Frankenpaw", only partially in jest.
Ms. Lizzie, aka FrankenpawIt's Friday. Have a good weekend.
From the "It all started when they hit me back" department: While our Bush league administration is spreading tales of possible radioactive weapons planned by terrorists, it is already making daily use of our own radioactive weapons in the bombing of Afghanistan.Depleted uranium is apparently the "secret ingredient" in the bombs being used to penetrate the bunkers and tunnels. We're being spoon fed glowing accounts of their usefulness daily. But the dark side is that they're also contaminating large areas of that country with radioactive dust that will harm the health of civilians and combatants alike far into the future.
This is more of our asymmetrical view of the world. It's fine if we do it, but its a crime if anyone else considers it. What a country!
There's lots of information on the 'net, and I'm sure it's a story we'll all be reading more about.
From an avid reader: "That painting on the wall behind Ms. Lizzie (in Monday's entry). What's the story on that?
Well, the story is that we bought it at a McClain auction back in early September. Mainland scenes like this normally don't command much money in this market. It's an old painting of Mt. Hood in Oregon, which you could see out the dining room window of the house where Meda's family lived in Portland. It's also a bit of history, as we discovered.
After the purchase, we found out a lot more. Here's what I sent my sister (who lives near Yosemite) at the time.
Came home with this old painting of Mount Hood by Harry Cassie Best, done a few years before he "discovered" Yosemite and established his studio there. Best, an artist in his own right, was also photographer Ansel Adams' father-in-law.There's a partly legible note on the back: "Mount Hood, Oregon. H___ Best. (T)his (be)longed t(o) my greatgrand ---her Hart w(ho) (boug)ht it from -- (Bes)t in 1898."
We didn't know much about him until we came home and discovered the Yosemite & Ansel Adams connections.
The painting is in somewhat poor condition, and I'll have to see what it might cost to do some cleaning/conservation. It might end up being a good buy. In any case, it's kind of neat, and we recall seeing Mt. Hood from Meda's house in Portland.
Here's a biography I found:
Harry Cassie Best (1863-1936) was born in Mount Pleasant near Petersborough, Canada on December 22, 1863. He was educated in the public schools of Mount Pleasant. He and his brother, Arthur, were musicians and members of a band. In 1887 the band traveled west to Portland, Oregon where his first glimpse of Mount Hood inspired him to paint. Without the benefit of instruction, he began to paint and, when money was available, took lessons in San Francisco from Alfred Rodriguez. In 1891 he met cartoonist Homer Davenport in Oregon. At his urging Best began submitting cartoons to San Francisco newspapers. After selling a painting of Mt Hood for $l00, he and his brother moved to San Francisco where he worked as a cartoonist for the Post for five years. Harry organized a sketch club which was the foundation for Arthur's art school. Harry "discovered" Yosemite while on a sketching trip with Thad Welch in 1900 and vowed to live in the park. In 1901 he was married at the foot of Bridalveil Fall and received permission to build a studio-home in the Old Village. President Theodore Roosevelt acquired one of his landscapes of Mt Shasta in 1907 and hung it in the White House. By that time Best was a financially successful artist. He continued living in Yosemite for the remainder of his life except during the coldest winter months when he was often in Santa Barbara and San Diego. (Best's studio in Yosemite is now known as the Ansel Adams Gallery.) He also made trips to Hawaii in 1916 and 1920. While visiting his daughter in San Francisco, Best died of a heart attack on October 14, 1936. Member: San Francisco Art Ass'n; Press Club (San Francisco); Bohemian Club; San Diego Fine Arts Society. Exhibited: San Francisco Art Ass'n, 1904; Del Monte Art Gallery, 1907; Alaska-Yukon Expo (Seattle), 1909; Golden Gate Park Museum, 1915; Panama Pacific Expo (San Diego), 1916; Orr Gallery (San Diego), 1922 (with Maynard Dixon). Works held: Yosemite Park Museum; Oakland Museum; St Mary's College (Moraga, CA); Cosmos Club (Washington, DC); Jonathan Club (Los Angeles); Carnegie Institute; Press Club (San Francisco).
And speaking of Lizzie. She's healing, and got to go back outside last night for the first time. But she's sticking very close to home.
There is a city ordinance against dogs running loose. And yes, there is an ordinance defining a dangerous dog as one that attacks or makes a move towards a person or domestic animal. Will the city do something when these incidents are reported? That, friends, remains to be seen. The owners of these dogs need to understand that they have to restrain them or get rid of them. Sounds callous, but we're in a small neighborhood and can't afford marauding dogs.
As one friend commented, "Terrorism by dog is unacceptable. If a cat is a target on it's own porch, when will a toddler or child be next?"
David Black made an unannounced appearance in the Star-Bulletin newsroom yesterday, huddling with his local honcho Don Kendall and managing editor Frank Bridgewater in Frank's office before the group headed out to lunch. Some eyebrows went up when he walked in, but he probably just arrived a few days early for Saturday's company party.
The big news in Kaaawa yesterday was the attack. It finally happened. The roaming chows belonging to our new neighbors attacked a 15-year old calico cat on the front porch of her house, several houses in the other direction on the opposite end of Haahaa Street from where we are.
She survived, but the prognosis isn't clear.
In tracking down info on the incident, another neighbor said she had seen the same dogs attack a smaller dog in her yard last week.
That's Ms. Harry on top,
& Kili below in the drawerNeedless to say, we're now worried about our cats' safety, as well as the safety of children and others. We hauled all eight inside last night and locked down all exits. Luckily, several have already altered their habits and are spending much of the day sleeping inside. Kili was back in the dresser drawer for about the third day in a row, joined this tme by Harriet, who lounged just above her.
After this vicious attack, I can hear my friend Marnie's angry "I told you so" riding the winds from Kalihi to Kaaawa. She was the first to send me a rant stressing that chows, as a breed, are known as unpredictable and dangerous.
There are rumors of impending pay cuts at Gannett's Honolulu Advertiser that could kick in as early as next month. This remains rumor, as I haven't had a chance to follow-up on it, but it makes sense that Gannett would try to squeeze some advantage from the cuts agreed to down the street at the Star-Bulletin.One S-B staffer passed along these thoughts about their reduced paychecks:
It's better than not having a job at all. This way, we all get to work. Everyone's attitude here has been great and grateful, especially the newbies who might have been let go. There were a lot of staff messages from new hires thanking the staff for their courage and unity. Hell, we've been through worse; maybe that's how we got this way.Honolulu City Council chair, mayoral aspirant, and former broadcast journalist Jon Yoshimura gets my "cheap shot" of the day award for a comment about colleague Andy Mirikitani, quoted in today's Honolulu Advertiser.
"It's sad that Andy's last act as a councilman was to again bilk taxpayers out of more money," Council Chairman Jon Yoshimura said last night.Yoshimura was reacting to news that Mirikitani got married just before retiring from his Council position at the end of last week, and before his sentencing on federal charges stemming from an alleged scheme in which he gave bonuses to staff members based on an agreement to receive a kickback.
Mirikitani's marriage to his girlfriend and codefendant makes her eligible for certain spousal benefits, including medical and dental insurance.
Yoshimura was probably just grandstanding, but accusing Andy of bilking or defrauding the public by reaching for the retirement benefits he's entitled to by law is unfair and unnecessary. I wouldn't want to be Andy's defense attorney on the criminal charges, but as to retirement, he earned it. Just as Yoshimura has.
And when Jon is defeated at the polls or steps aside after falling short in a race for campaign funding , we should be watching closely to see whether he also "bilks" taxpayers by seeking to draw his own legal retirement.
Jon always has the option to protect taxpayers by renouncing the retirement benefits. If I recall correctly, that's what former State Rep. David Hagino did after attacking the Legislature's retirement benefits package as excessive. But in Yoshimura's case I won't hold my breath.
On the cat front, Ms. Lizzie's foot has a bit of that sewn-together Frankenstein look, but so far it's standing up to her fastidious cleaning regime. And Mr. Silverman relieved a bit more of our anxiety by showing up for dinner last night after being absent for 48-hours. In fact, he's back for breakfast right now as I write.
In case you missed them, both the Advertiser and Star-Bulletin ran obituaries last week of Hawaii Newspaper Guild founder Roy Cummings. They tell a bit of Hawaii newspaper history that we rarely hear about, although current staffers at newspapers around the state continue to benefit.The sad saga of the newspapers handling of last week's hiking death in Kaaawa continued. At the end of the week, a brief item in the Star-Bulletin identified the victim as Bingham Joseph, but here's the published obituary:
Torry Joseph Bingham, 28, of Kahaluu, an automobile mechanic for Tony Volkswagen, died Sunday. He was born in Bellevue, Wash. He is survived by mother Jennine; father Joe; stepmother Lauri; sister Tonya Castor; brother Christopher; grandparents Darline Goodsell, and Louise and Joe; great-grandmother Mildred Dickerson; and fiancee Dawn Keeley. Services: Saturday in Kailua. Call Dawn at 375-0955 for more information.I'm still can't figure why no one has really reported this story. Perhaps it would have been different if the first accounts had said something like this: "A hiker fell to his death Sunday from cliffs just a few miles from Sacred Falls....", or "The fatal hiking accident occurred near the trail where two Danish hikers were rescued after being missing for eight days..."
A brief search also turned up some visuals to suggest what the trail is like up there.
The good news of the day is that Ms. Lizzie is home. The bad news is that the injury on her foot turned out to be more serious than it appeared. She was released to us with a bright red bandage on her foot and news that several stitches were required to close the wound.
Dr. Lee Loy said it appeared that Lizzie was jumping over or through something which snagged on her trailing foot, leaving a big gash. Luckily, it didn't go deep enough to affect her toes or other vitals.
As you can imagine, the bandage hasn't been a big hit with her. At first, she tolerated it. By evening, she was growling and snarling. I removed some of it, leaving the section right around the injury, which seemed to help. Luckily, the rest can come off this morning. Then I get to start the twice daily battles over the pink liquid antibiotic, which she just doesn't like.
After our early walk today, I took off the bandage, as our vet instructed. Within what seemed like seconds, Lizzie started licking her foot and it started to bleed. It took a bit of cage rest (for her, although I felt like I needed it as well) to figure out that the bleeding wasn't serious, and was probably prompted by the bandage removal. She calmed down, and I calmed down, and now she's locked in the house, asleep up on the kitchen cabinets where I spread out a clean towel. I decided to work here today in order to keep an eye on her, just in case.
Click for the new galleryI also updated the photo gallery yesterday. Nothing real dramatic this week, but still fun.
Not a good morning. Besides being wet and windy, we're dealing with another overlay of cat anxiety because Ms. Lizzie has done her thing and wandered off again. We haven't seen her since Friday night when we went off to bed. She didn't show at all yesterday. It's the third time in the last two weeks that she's been off on an extended absence. Yesterday we refused to obsess because it's most likely the same routine. She disappears, and then walks in the door many hours later as if nothing at all is amiss. But today, after more than 24 hours, I'm afraid we're going to succumb to the anxious parent syndrome.
So at 5:33 a.m., I was just getting ready to type up a description of the stormy mornings and awesome skies this week when a cat rubbed the underside of my legs as it passed beneath my chair heading for the kitchen. I looked down. It's Lizzie. Just a little damp, but she certainly hasn't been sitting in the rain. No distinctive scents on her, but she doesn't smell like she was huddled outside for 24 hours. So where has she been? She's not telling.
But despite that, maybe it's a better morning than I thought just a few moments ago. But the portals are now closed, and those inside are staying inside, at least for a while.
Lizzie update (7:20 a.m.): On closer inspection, Lizzie proved to have an injury to her right rear foot. It looks like a slash across the top of the foot, which has left a wide scab. She doesn't seem overly bothered by it, but she's probably earned a drive to the vet a little later this morning.
Leaden skies--click for larger view
Perhaps I'll add to this later this morning after celebrating Lizzie's return.This site was apparently unavailable much of yesterday. Problems at the hosting service again, but up and running fine this morning. Sorry for any inconvenience for those of you who tried to stop while things were down.
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