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"It's back," said the brief message in my inbox this morning. "It's very subtle. Easy to overlook, but the Star-Bulletin yellow hibiscus returned Friday." And so it did, at the top of yesterday's front page.
Star-Bulletin writer Burl Burlingame sent this photo of Sophie, who is apparently trying to fill the big paws of Kawika, who Burl described as the best dog ever.
But Sophie looks like she's off to a good start.
Burl provides this description: "Adopted this week from Humane Society, about six months old, part boxer, part something else, very sweet and affectionate, VERY submissive (I suspect she was mistreated), very calm and mellow dog."
OK, I have to admit that the back roads of Kaaawa weren't clogged yesterday with masses heading to the beach to greet the winter solstice. In fact, no one else seemed to notice. But it didn't dampen our enthusiasm for the occasion, although the heavy clouds on the horizon muted the sunrise somewhat.
Winter solstice
Here we are, the morning of the winter solstice.Although this marks the year's shortest day, the sun continues to rise later each morning for another month. Here in Kaaawa, sunrise moves from 7:05 a.m. right now to 7:12 in mid-January, before reversing. The U.S. Naval Observatory provides a sunrise-sunset chart for a full year, making it simple to browse through the sun's annual cycle.
The merger announced this week between the two large interisland airlines, Hawaiian and Aloha, has already consumed vast quantities of newsprint, including analysis of expected layoffs and cutbacks. But the merger will also mean cuts in advertising, which will again impact most heavily on the smaller Star-Bulletin. The intense competition between the two airlines has prompted heavy advertising in all local media, and the merger is likely to quickly wring out the excess. The airline deal follows the Liberty House takeover by Macy's, which appears to have already shifted some advertising away from the Star-Bulletin. Not good news.
When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,
But four curious llama, two close, and two rear.We're used to seeing more animals than you would in town. We see the dogs, the ducks, the strutting fighting roosters, occasionally the black bunny on Hiwahiwa Street, but we weren't ready to come around the corner just a short block from Kaaawa's beach and run into these llama grazing in a pen at Nozawa's farm.
The first day we walked past, they couldn't have cared less, but yesterday were most interested in our passage.
And check out the new set of Mornin' Dogs, just posted today, which introduces a couple of new characters.
There was a bit of grim satisfaction on the drive home last evening when the news reported a superseding indictment had been issued against union leader Gary Rodrigues and his daughter, more than doubling the number of counts from the original indictments in March to more than 100. This all started, of course, with my series of investigative stories beginning in early 1998, which drew a roadmap for prosecutors to follow. But the first round of stories in today's papers lack any details from the new indictments, getting the day off to a frustrating start.I got a frantic email yesterday morning, complaining that a great column by Rob Perez this past Sunday never made it into the online edition, and speculating that this was a case of censorship. But a quick check showed that the column was actually available online in its usual place, but the directory entry hadn't been done properly, and quick moves were being taken to fix it. Thanks to all who responded to my inquiry.
The person who asked about Rob's column had praise for the online edition, but says he's concerned about some of the changes in the "new" Star-Bulletin.
The reason, why I'm really ticked at what has happened to MY newspaper, the Honolulu Star Bulletin, is because it is the paper I grew up with. Yes, even in the days in the 1950's when it ran Monday though Saturday! My adult relatives, would ALWAYS tell me the advertiser, was the better of the two, in my mind, "Hell NO!!!" Of course as a kid, it was the COMICS and SPORTS sections for me. Never read the OP-ED section, till later. You grow into that section.Another reader notes: "Advertiser execs did in fact gather at the Halekulani. Saw the name on the banquet board when I was there."
Ms. Lizzie@restThere were sounds of fighting cats as we sat down for dinner last night, but all of ours showed up looking innocent, with fur unruffled, so hopefully they're all innocent. Except--and it's a big except--Wally and Lizzie are locked in an ongoing battle. It started when Lizzie made the mistake of making a run at Wally, and Ms. Wally has reciprocated by stalking the much smaller Lizzie for the last two days, and attacking her at random moments, claws extended and fur flying. That will teach Lizzie not to strut her stuff, I suppose.
Tomorrow is the winter solstice, and we're looking forward to a brilliant sunrise to mark it.
The rooster we called "The Baby," and, later, just Baby, died of his injuries late yesterday morning. I have this vague background guilt, as if focusing attention on him somehow contributed to his demise. If you read yesterday's entry early in the day, check my late morning amendments to catch up with events.
It's possible that Baby was injured in the first dog attack so that he couldn't fly. Or maybe he never learned to fly, and that's why he was vulnerable both times. I don't know. But he was a fine looking bird.
I think I'll just leave some silence here to ponder the meaning of it all....
Pity the poor Gannett executives. With advertising lagging and profits squeezed, the company announced at the end of last week that it is canceling next year's raises for some 80 top execs, from McCorkindale on down the line.But all is not lost. Although employees are being cut across the country to boost the company's bottom line, those same execs will still get bonuses. And they'll also get stock options in lieu of the canceled raises.
It's tough being a Gannett exec.
Meanwhile, staff at the Honolulu Advertiser gathered for their Christmas party this week. It was potluck, held there in the building. Rumor has it Advertiser execs will gather at the Halekulani Hotel.
The Star-Bulletin newsroom was on edge last week because of gossip that their award-winning design guru Mike Rovner was being courted by another paper, possibly the Advertiser. But by the time the weekend rolled around, word was spreading that Mike decided to stick around. A collective sigh of relief could be heard.
What a cruel coincidence. Just a few hours after I posted this picture of the rooster that we've watched grow from the chick of an injured hen into a beautiful big bird, he was attacked for the second time by neighborhood dogs (not the Chows, for those of you who have been following the dog issue). This time, it looks like he may not survive the day.
Meda was home, heard a commotion, and went outside to find neighbors Bob and David trying to rescue the rooster, but apparently the dogs had already done their damage.
The rooster was placed in a cat cage in our garage, but Meda reported late in the morning that his condition seems to be deteriorating.
I buried the original handsome, white-plumed rooster that first claimed this territory several years ago, after he was killed in a fight with a younger rooster. He was a direct ancestor of this rooster, several generations back. I'm still hoping for a miracle of sorts, but it looks like I'll be laying this guy down in the same area just down the hillside next to our house.
It's really a sad turn of events in our little microcosm of the world. A minor tragedy, to be sure, but it's still painful.
Our cable service is out this morning, so I don't know when I'll have a chance to post this entry. I'll go ahead and write it up, and then hope for the best.Competing viewpoints have been flying the last few days. Here's a response to the comment included in Saturday's entry:
In the interest of full disclosure I'm a pretty new hire at the Bulletin, and while I've only heard horror stories of sales people being yelled at "to inspire them" during weekly meetings (by one who's recently departed), all I can say is -- I don't disagree with your poster's views -- I merely invite them to go across the street and get the best non-union deal they can get for themselves!Is it really that much harder to work for the better paper that has more of its heart in it than a shareholder's bottom line? Fine.
Desert a ship that's not sinking -- and see how much goodwill that buys you! (BTW I took an 11.5 percent pay cut -- what about you, o disloyal poster?!)
And several people suggested that the defections of MidWeek's Ken Berry and Jay Higa, who announced moves to the Advertiser last week, offer an opportunity to improve the Star-Bulletin's sales department. At least these writers did not express regret at their departures. As for the actual impact, we'll just have to wait and see.
On our Kaaawa cat front, that's Ms. Kili, apparently the household's best ratter. I disturbed her in the midst of a Sunday nap to get this picture. And while fussing over her, we discovered a scrape along her left shoulder, apparently a result of the brief battle with Mr. Rat in our bedroom the other night. I guess she's lucky it was just a minor scrape.
Ms. Lizzie is here helping me write this morning. She's pretty much gotten her attitude back after a week in the doldrums. She joined me in the yard for a while Sunday morning, her first extended foray into the outdoors since her injury and disappearance.
Ms. KiliI had a chance to watch my heart do its thing last week. You know how it goes. Insert yourself into the medical system for a knee injury and, once in their clutches, suddenly it's open season on your body. Last week's adventure was an echocardiogram, a fancy name for an ultrasound scan of my heart. We've had a couple of cats go through ultrasounds, so I knew what to expect. So there was the murky video looking like those taken in dives to the Titanic, blurry and grainy and...awesome. Seeing your organs in live motion video is more than a little strange. Things we take for granted suddenly take on new dimensions of reality. Of course, laying there on this table while a technician moved the magic sonar wand around, I was sure the blurpy mass and the accompanying sounds like a dirty aquarium meant that my days were numbered, and it was a low number. Then the procedure was over in half the expected time, and the "no problems" verdict issued, and then suddenly it was all just an interesting experience.
Sunday morning. I added a new round to the photo gallery, including this photo of the last sunrise before the rains that have now lasted most of a week. I've carried the camera but haven't taken one shot since, although I've got my fingers crossed for a better beginning today.
Last Monday's mention of a little jibe against the competition by Star-Bulletin sports editor Paul Arnett brought a quick and sharp response from Advertiser reporter Stephen Tsai, who says he's tired of being the attacks on their staff.
For too long, we've tried to take the high road, and not respond to any of the petty, whiney and ridiculous accusations made by Paul Arnett.No longer.
To say we're leaked information because of the Star-Bulletin's righteous reporting is, as usual, inaccurate and a disservice to The Advertiser sports department, which works extremely hard.
If we're getting stories, maybe it's because we're working harder.
It's too bad Paul Arnett has a disagreement with the UH athletic department, but we know the reason why -- as does everybody in the sports media -- and it has nothing to do with him being a pure-hearted reporter willing to stand up for any injustices or a latter-day Howard Cosell "telling it like it is."
Again, if he gets beat on anything, be a man and admit it or ignore it. But don't whine. That's getting tired.
Tsai told me he's disappointed that the jousting is getting personal, because he has nothing against star-bulletin staffers.
"We all know each other, many went to school together," Tsai said. "If you want to fight, then let's write the best we can and let the public decide. We can't keep taking these shots at each other."
I'm sorry that events of week preempted Tsai's comments for several days, and at that point I decided to hold them until today so that they'll get a full week of exposure.
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