You are visitor since November 2, 1999

Here we are again, creeping towards the winter solstice, which occurs sometime tomorrow night Kaaawa time, and marking the shortest day of the year.

The holiday atmosphere reached Kaaawa this week. Ron, the morning crossing guard at Kaaawa School, appeared early equipped with Santa hat and antlers along with his stop sign. We caught up with him just as the sun was rising and grabbed a photo.

Media types will be interested to know that Honolulu Attorney Carl Caliboso, appointed by Gov. Lingle in March to head the Public Utilities Commission, has been named to the Federal Communication Commission's15-member Intergovernmental Advisory Committee.

NBC said to be considering a pilot for a cop drama, "Pearl City", featuring crime fighting in, well, Pearl City. Really.

And if you're looking for another place for last minute shopping, stop by Antique Alley, on the ground floor at 1347 Kapiolani (parking right in front). You're sure to find something in their extensive selection of collectibles, jewelry, and all kinds of Hawaiiana. And it's educational as well. Yesterday we stopped in to visit with Pake Zane and Julie Lauster, who anchor the store, and I learned about www.beercan.com, which features the largest collection of Primo and other local beer memorabilia. You can't get that kind of info just anywhere!

December 19, 2003 - Friday

I haven't been outside to fetch the morning papers yet, but from a quick look at the online editions it appears that the S-B scooped the 'Tiser with the dramatic story of a Maui woman's survival swim to Molokai after her two person canoe swamped Wednesday off Lahaina. This has got to rank up there with surviving a shark attack in drama. I don't understand why the Advertiser didn't jump on this as well.

If you're interested in the details, here's a link to yesterday's court decision rejecting the government's detention of an American citizen as an "enemy combatant".

I just noticed that Star-Bulletin owner David Black took over as chairman of the BC Progress Board several months ago. The committee of business and academic types advises the British Columbia government on business strategies and directions.

Duke

Side by side. That's Mr. Duke (left) and his sister, Ms. Maka (right), in photos taken this week. Click here for one of their early pictures together.

Maka

Maka is obviously pretty pampered by her adopted family, who favor us with an occasional photo update.

December 18, 2003 - Thursday

There were some interesting comments during a panel discussion on labor and the news media held on the UH campus last Friday. I'm taking a quick look through my notes.

Bill Puette, director of the Center for Labor Education and Research at UH-West Oahu, pointed to the failure of reporters to refer to basic documents when reporting labor stories. Reporters covering the recent bus or nurses strikes failed to read the actual contracts or understand the issues on the table, Puette said.

He pointed specifically to coverage of Honolulu Mayor Jeremy Harris' complaints about an arbitrator's decision awarding hefty pay hikes to firefighters. While the mayor's complaints were being reported without challenge, Puette said that the arbitrator actually had accepted the employers' position--that is, the proposed contract terms and wage proposal put forward by Harris and the other counties themselves. Puette was in a position to know--he served as a member of the three-person arbitration panel.

Puette complains that this was never reported.

All we did was ratify the employers’ position, not the union position. For the employers to later come out and say, 'oh my gosh, we can’t pay'....It was the employers' proposal! So why is the city jumping up and down about those rotten arbitrators?

Puette added: "The sum total of their (reporters) research is listening to the mayor rant. They didn’t ask, they wrote about it without finding out. Totally uninformed."

Outgoing UH v-p Paul Costello, who said he has worked for both labor and management sides during prior labor disputes, said the goal of the public relations professional is to preempt available reporting resources.

When I worked on a strike, we knew every station, every reporter. We knew we had 7 minutes per show, who would be doing it.

If they don‘t fill that air time with what we want, we’re losing. If they go out for 7 minutes to someone suffering from the strike, I’ve lost.

The press can be manipulated because they’ve got air time to fill.You work to fill that time with your message instead of the other guys message.

From the public relations perspective, Costello said, "you want a neophyte (reporter). The worst person to deal with is an informed reporter."

Puette also noted that quirks in labor law create complicated negotiating strategies which reporters usually fail to understand. For example, labor law defines mandatory and permissive subjects. The parties must negotiate mandatory subjects if they are put on the table, but can refuse to bargain permissive issues and it is illegal for a union to strike over a permissive issue.

Retiree benefits are one of those permissive issues. If a union feels employer demanded cuts in retiree benefits are worth fighting over but the employer side refuses to bargain, then the union has to scramble.

"What unions have to do because of this provision in law is to hold another issue hostage at the bargaining table," Puette said. "So there may be another issue out there, and can’t be stated publicly because it would be illegal (under labor law)."

But, as a rule, reporters are unaware of the provisions of the law and are wholly unprepared to spot such typical but less than obvious strategies.

Asked for his advice in telling labor's story, Costello advised focusing on people.

People always win the hearts and minds of Americans. You see and feel and touch.

During the bus strike, I never saw a bus driver working three jobs. If I had seen a bus driver getting off the bus and going to work at the 7-11, standing there for 4 hours, then going on to another part time job, I would have dismissed the notion they were overpayed.

I always tell clients, go to people first. You’ll never lose by telling stories about how lives are affected.

December 17, 2003 - Wednesday

Incoming Honolulu Weekly editor Robert Meyerowitz responded to yesterday's entry with a suggestion that readers might want to look at some of the articles published in the Anchorage Press during his tenure in order to get a better idea of that paper's character. He included this list of some of his favorites:

"I want to ride in the bus Chris died in" Feb 7-13, 2002

Desolation Row, July 17-23, 2003

Students for Sale, April 11-17, 2002

Delta Dawn, April 25-May 1, 2002

Not fade away, May 30-June 5, 2002

And, Robert says, "there are many more."

I also received a brief biography of Meyerowitz, which might be of interest:

Robert Meyerowitz has been the editor of the Anchorage Press, Alaska's second biggest newspaper, since 1998. During his tenure the paper's writers have won more than 80 awards for excellence from state and regional juried competition. In that time, Meyerowitz and the paper's publisher, Nick Coltman, more than doubled the paper's size and revenues.

Meyerowitz was a reporter for the Anchorage Daily News before moving to the Press, where he covered metro and feature beats. Before coming to Alaska, he was a foreign correspondent in Central America and the Middle East, reporting regularly for NPR News and their programs "Morning Edition" and "All Things Considered" as well as several newspapers. He has written extensively on music for New Times papers in several cities and also written articles for Newsweek, Marie Claire, Details and Alaska magazines. He is married to Tataboline Brant, a reporter for the Anchorage Daily News.

With the media joining politicians in untempered glee at the capture of Saddam, I found the statement issued by the National Council of Churches strikes a reasonable tone.

To this, the Friends Committee on National Legislation, a Quaker-based lobby in Washington, added the following food for thought:

We at FCNL share in NCC's expression of new hope that the people of Iraq will see the long-time dictator brought to justice after years of brutal repression. However, we lament that our own government rent the fabric of international law and cooperation on its way to this outcome. Our preferred approach would have been for our government to have joined other governments to indict Saddam Hussein for his crimes and to bring him to justice through the mechanisms of international law, rather than through a war of choice. Now, in spite of Saddam's capture on Saturday, violent attacks against Iraqis and coalition forces have continued this week. At this crucial moment we at FCNL join with many people around the world who hope that the U.S. government will forge a foundation of respect for human rights and the rule of law by upholding the highest standards of international law and due process as Saddam Hussein is brought to trial. If the trial of Saddam Hussein falls to the level of "victors justice," then truth and justice will be poorly served. We join with the National Council of Churches in the hope that the capture of Saddam Hussein will mark a turning point in the reconstruction and democratization of Iraq away from unilateral force toward multilateral order and cooperation.

December 16, 2003 - Tuesday

In my mailbox this morning were some thoughts from a reader concerned about the future of Honolulu Weekly and the perspective of its newly appointed editor, Robert Meyerowitz. I don't know whether this offers a fair preview of what we can expect the Weekly to become, but it raises some provocative questions.

The Seattle Times is running "Coaches who prey", a multi-part series on what is apparently a growing but hidden problem--sexual misconduct by coaches in women's sports. It's quite a read.

I'm still amazed at Mr. Duke's fine coloring, including the incredible tabby bulls-eye emblazoned on his side. It isn't so much that his Siamese coloring is unusual. It's just that I never knew that Siamese start out as white kittens and then continually darken with age. Click here to see what Duke looked like as a tiny kitten.

Mr. Duke

December 15, 2003 - Monday

I have to admit that I'm not convinced of the need to revise the internal rules of the state Senate to eliminate the veto power of conference committee chairs, as advocated by backers of public financing of campaigns. Two Senate committees, which have held hearings on the rules, will make their recommendation today. The Star-Bulletin offered its editorial support yesterday.

I've been a bit reluctant to address the issue, since it has gotten the backing of folks who I normally agree with. But, on this one, the issues are not as clear as they seem.

Although it is obviously true that an obstinate senator can block legislation, it is not simple and cannot occur without political consequences for the person exercising that veto power. It's a tactic not often used precisely because it requires expending large amounts of political capital. It invites political retaliation from other Senators, who have a myriad of subtle and not so subtle ways to express their disapproval. It is, in short, a very risky maneuver and is not something done on a whim.

A Senator exercising that conference committee veto also faces an inevitable test at the next election when voters express their views on the position taken.

The whole legislative process is about checks and balances between the majority and minority political views, and what some see as removing "obstacles" and streamlining the process can be legitimately seen by others as removing safeguards of minority interests. Popular ideas aren't necessarily good ideas, and the slow and sometimes frustrating legislative process is a proven way to tell the difference.

If you're looking for a last minute gift idea, how about a bit of 100% Kona coffee from Kona Sunset Farm? Those who enjoy political trivia will appreciate knowing that Kona Sunset Farm is owned and operated by Harold Masumoto and his wife, UH Professor Sylvia Yuen. I'm told they pick the 2-acres of coffee beans themselves, which adds a nice touch.

Masumoto, of course, was state planning director and consummate political insider during the administration of Gov. John Waihee, executive director of the Research Corporation of the University of Hawaii, and reapportionment commissioner during this last go-round.

The coffee is available in 1-pound or 1/2-pound gold foil packages. I've been brewing Kona Sunset for several days, and it is very good. It's available online from Hawaiian-Greenhouse.com and the price includes shipping.

December 14, 2003 - Sunday

Waking up to find the news of the capture of Saddam was pretty surprising. No mention yet whether the cash reward will be paid. Now we have to face the test of fair and legal treatment of the former leader, and will have to endure the smirks of our own appointed president.

Speaking of the president, you may have missed this recent interchange between W and his national security advisor. Hint: there's audio that accompanies this link.

The Advertiser's got a good story this morning with Rep. Neil Abercrombie's pointed comments on Gov. Lingle's "fantasy" rail proposal. And the Star-Bulletin's Craig Gima came up with a look at UH President Dobelle's ongoing conflict with members of the Board of Regents.

On that note, it's a little hard to fathom why the Regents made such a public matter of their decision not to renew the contract of v-p Wick Sloane. It was an unnecessarily public rebuke and, it appears, not at all necessary. As I recall, Sloane had a three year employment agreement that would have to be renewed or it would presumably lapse. If my memory is correct, then no public action would have been necessary by the board at this time, beyond private communication that renewal would be unlikely. That would have given Sloane the opportunity for a face saving departure, which is the way such things have normally been done in the past. Why the sudden move into the public pillory is a bit of a puzzle.

It was a great women's volleyball match last night, with UH outlasting Georgia Tech. Screaming headlines here. But I went to see how the game was written up back in Georgia, and I can't find any mention in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution sports page today. Just football, football, football.

I followed cats around the house and yard yesterday, camera in hand, ready to pounce on the perfect photo for our annual holiday email greeting. I wasn't above manufacturing a few photo opps as well. I don't think I ever got the perfect shot, but Ms. Wally gets to be the poster girl again.

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