http://www.thehawaiiindependent.com en jeckardt@thehawaiiindependent.com Copyright 2010 2010-03-14T01:14:14+00:00 http://thehawaiiindependent.com/local/read/wahiawa/wahiawa-whitmore-village-neighborhood-board-minutes-2-22/ 2010-03-14T01:14:14+00:00 http://www.thehawaiiindependent.com/local/read/Kapolei/city-exchanges-development-for-land-with-kapolei-property-development/ KAPOLEI -- The city is taking a step into downtown Kapolei development, as it will be gaining 34 acres of undeveloped land from Kapolei Property Development (KPD). Mayor Mufi Hannemann brought the plan to the public during his State of the City speech in February stating that in exchange for the land, the city will develop these sections of land with the assistance of federal aid and public-private partnerships on properties from the deal. The land will also be developed in a timelier schedule compared to if KPD continued ownership of the land. 2010-03-13T00:44:48+00:00 http://www.thehawaiiindependent.com/local/read/Downtown/march-15-8th-annual-historic-preservation-awareness-day-at-the-state-capito/ The 8th Annual Historic Preservation Awareness Day is scheduled for Monday, March 15 from 9:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. on the third floor of the Hawai'i State Capitol. The event is co-sponsored by the Historic Hawai'i Foundation and the State Legislature's Heritage Caucus 2010. Events 2010-03-13T00:42:42+00:00 http://thehawaiiindependent.com/hi-lighter/japan-braces-for-atlantic-bluefin-tuna-ban/ Japan is preparing for a ban on international sales of Atlantic bluefin tuna, which has become more likely with a vote in support from the European Union, UPI.com reports. 2010-03-13T00:23:02+00:00 http://thehawaiiindependent.com/local/read/wahiawa/leilehua-high-school-march-calendar/ 2010-03-12T22:52:07+00:00 http://www.thehawaiiindependent.com/baktalk/news-dissector-journalist-and-filmmaker-danny-schechter/ HONOLULU -- Remember these words: credit default swaps, derivatives, subprime mortgages? While it now seems we can go five minutes without hearing a news report containing any of them, the question is whether we and our government can clean up the lingering mess and prevent a similar scenario in future, according to “News Dissector,” journalist, and filmmaker Danny Schechter. 2010-03-12T21:52:56+00:00 http://thehawaiiindependent.com/local/read/northshore/sunset-beach-elementary-school-p.t.c.a.-family-fun-fair/ 2010-03-12T01:25:21+00:00 http://thehawaiiindependent.com/columns/read/koa-ridge-to-pave-over-these-lands-is-to-pave-over-my-culture1/ I was able to speak against the development of Koa Ridge and in favor of food security and sustained agriculture. We were the minority at this meeting. This meeting was almost entirely comprised of Castle & Cooke supporters along with hordes of out-of-work construction workers -- their main issue being jobs. A young woman, whose husband is an unemployed construction worker, spoke on behalf of "green" jobs. She made it clear that there are jobs in agriculture, and they are secure jobs, unlike construction that seems to end when the building stops. However, the horde simply did not want to listen. Letter to the Editor 2010-03-12T00:43:47+00:00 http://thehawaiiindependent.com/hi-lighter/school-cancels-prom-over-lesbian-date/ A Mississippi high school senior has filed suit to get the school's prom reinstated after officials canceled it because the young woman, an open lesbian, asked to attend with her girlfriend and wear a tuxedo, ABC News reports. 2010-03-11T23:26:06+00:00 http://thehawaiiindependent.com/hi-lighter/honolulu-advertiser-employees-get-formal-notice-of-upcoming-termination-and/ Hawaii blogger Ian Lind reported that Gannett has officially notified Honolulu Advertiser employees they will be terminated when the newspaper’s sale to Honolulu Star-Bulletin owner David Black’s Oahu Publications, Inc. closes, which is expected to occur between April 12 and April 30, 2010. 2010-03-11T23:08:12+00:00 http://thehawaiiindependent.com/hi-lighter/student-loan-overhaul-seems-likely-to-join-senate-health-care-bill/ Senate Democrats said Thursday that they are inclined to add an overhaul of the nation's student loan program to the final health-care bill, The Washington Post reports. 2010-03-11T23:05:33+00:00 http://www.thehawaiiindependent.com/local/read/waimanalo/moneys-available-to-waimanalo-farmers/ WAIMANALO -- Approximately $200,000 in federal funds were recently released to encourage farmers in the Waimanalo watershed to install practices on their land that improve the functioning of the watershed. Eligible projects will serve to reduce erosion, conserve water usage, and preserve the natural integrity of the water. 2010-03-11T21:34:15+00:00 http://thehawaiiindependent.com/local/read/northshore/the-north-shore-where-the-people-live-in-beach-front-mansions-and-beach-fro/ HALEIWA -- Homeless or houseless, both labels paint a similar picture: men, women, and children sleeping on public land because they have no where else to go. Amidst the tourism, beach front mansions, and surf-mania, Haleiwa and the North Shore have a large houseless population, something that is causing community concern and debate. Until recently, the Haleiwa Boat Harbor bordering Alii Beach Park had been home to the houseless for years. After recently being removed from the harbor by the Honolulu Police Department, the houseless folks figured out a loophole -- the 24-hour unrestricted parking along the makai side of Haleiwa Road. The stretch of road is their new home, and is located on the west side of Alii Beach Park down towards the Jodo Mission. Each night, the road is lined with bumper to bumper parked vehicles that belong to the people who are making the best of living in an unconventional way. 2010-03-11T20:16:14+00:00 http://www.thehawaiiindependent.com/local/read/Downtown/march-13-george-and-georgia-at-laughtrack-theater/ GEORGE&GEORGIA performs once again on Saturday, March 13. GEORGE&GEORGIA consists of graduate students from FISW: They are Sean Koegel, Tara Trevino, D. Tafa'i Silipa, and Steph Kuroda. Two shows at 8:00 p.m. and 10:00 p.m. Doors open 30 minutes prior to each show. Admission is $10.00. Discount for students and active military with valid I.D. All ages. BYOB for those 21 and over. If you're hungry, you can even bring something to eat while you watch the show! Events 2010-03-11T06:47:54+00:00 http://www.thehawaiiindependent.com/local/read/Aiea/coffee-party-usa-brings-day-of-community-dialogue-and-political-discourse-t/ HONOLULU -- In the midst of growing frustration with the political climate of the country, the grassroots movement Coffee Party USA has declared March 13, 2010 National Coffee House Day, during which Americans across the country will meet at coffee houses and around kitchen tables to facilitate informative and civil dialogue about a myriad of issues. The non-partisan organization has drawn members from all walks of life and works toward reestablishing civic pride and having a strong desire to contribute to the political discourse that is the basis of democracy. The Oahu chapter of Coffee Party USA will host National Coffee House Day on Saturday, March 13 from 10:00 a.m. at Kapiolani Coffee Shop, 98-1277 Kaahumanu St., at Waimalu Shopping Center in Aiea. 2010-03-11T05:30:14+00:00 http://thehawaiiindependent.com/lifestyle/blog-little-red-hens-on-the-north-shore-are-going-green-clean-and-sustainab/ I don't eat chicken or eggs, but my family does. I remember as a child my favorite thing to do in the supermarket was poke my seven-year-old vegetarian fingers into the meat (not through the plastic) and mush it around. The poking has now stopped but when I stare into the refridgerated shelves in Foodland or Costco, I have flashbacks of movies like Food Inc., where they discuss several cases of children being killed by E. Coli from store bought and fast food served meats, and I wonder how safe it is. Horror stories like that have yet to claim tofu, which I think adds to the appeal of my pan full of the mushy stuff simmering on a burner next to the pot of shoyu chicken or hamburgers in my kitchen. But my tofu loving non-meat eating self doesn't do the feared vegetarian thing and try to impose my omnivorous ways on others, so I've been trying to track down some of the cleanest, locally grown, or slaughtered animal products on the island that I can feel mostly guilt free about serving to my family. 2010-03-11T02:37:09+00:00 http://www.thehawaiiindependent.com/local/read/moiliili/jim-donovan-fires-bob-nash/ It’s hard to believe Bob Nash ever leaving the program -- or at least so soon. Nash, the program's eighteenth head coach, has been involved with the Rainbow Warriors for 31 years. The decision came after the men’s team ended their season with a 10-20 record, losing to Boise State and Idaho on the road to give them a last place finish in the WAC, dropping the team’s chances of playing in the WAC tournament. The 10-win 2010 season marked the third straight year that the team would end the season with a losing record. If UH had finished the season with 18 wins, it would of have given Nash another year added to his contract. 2010-03-11T02:31:59+00:00 http://www.thehawaiiindependent.com/local/read/Downtown/march-13-dj-irene-at-pipeline-cafe/ Double-O-Spot presents Lucky Charms featuring DJ Irene of Los Angeles [Sreamin Diva Productions] on Saturday March 13 at Pipeline Cafe from 10:00 p.m. to 4:00 a.m., 16+, $15 Limited Presale, $18 after that. Also featuring DJs G-Spot, SCRRD, and more. Events 2010-03-11T01:03:33+00:00 http://www.thehawaiiindependent.com/local/read/Kapolei/march-13-2010-relay-for-life-leeward-oahu/ The 2010 Relay for Life Leeward Oahu takes place on Saturday, March 13 from 7:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. at Kapolei High School, featuring 107 teams, 925 participants, and has already raised over $41,000. Events 2010-03-11T00:45:16+00:00 http://thehawaiiindependent.com/local/read/kauai/national-tropical-botanical-garden-applauds-endangered-species-ruling/ 2010-03-11T00:18:55+00:00 http://thehawaiiindependent.com/hi-lighter/solomon-islands-truth-and-reconciliation-commission-hearings-under-way/ The Solomon Islands Truth and Reconciliation Commission has begun hearing eye witness accounts of the violence that swept the Pacific nation between 1998 and 2003. Pacific Scoop reports. 2010-03-10T20:06:07+00:00 http://thehawaiiindependent.com/hi-lighter/internet-dui-gallery-ends/ Without fanfare, the Honolulu Police Department has pulled the plug on its weekly online photo gallery of drunken-driving suspects. Police officials yesterday announced that the department was reviewing the effectiveness of the pilot program, and that during the evaluation period the agency would not be posting the names and mug shots of drivers arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence. The Honolulu Advertiser's David Waite reports. 2010-03-10T20:02:38+00:00 http://www.thehawaiiindependent.com/local/read/Aiea/roots-cause-4000-gallons-of-raw-wastewater-to-runoff-into-aiea-stream/ Crews from the Honolulu's Department of Environmental Services responded to 4,875 gallon sanitary sewer overflow (SSO) yesterday evening on Aiea Heights Drive. The call came in at 6:45 p.m. ENV arrived at 7:00 p.m. and secured the site at 8:05 p.m. 2010-03-10T19:31:14+00:00 http://thehawaiiindependent.com/local/read/northshore/womens-pipeline-pro-is-a-go-but-with-1-3-the-time-to-surf/ NORTH SHORE -- The Pipeline Women's Pro contest is set to go in April, but with only one-third of the usual time permitted. The City and County of Honolulu awarded Banzai Productions, who is organizing the event, a one day permit, something that has left surfers and community members feeling unsatisfied. “I am not too happy about the amount of days we were given," said Banzai Productions owner and contest director Betty Depolito in a statement. "We normally have three days of competition. We will work with what we have and have a great event. I am hoping to utilize two days per the allotted hours and have perfect surf.” Sports & Recreation 2010-03-09T22:49:29+00:00 http://www.thehawaiiindependent.com/local/read/waimanalo/spiral-gallery-cafe-stirs-it-up-in-nalo-town/ WAIMANALO -- There’s a new business on the main drag of Waimanalo, nestled into the orange-faced building west north of Keneke’s, called Spiral Gallery Cafe. The building was most recently used as artist Ogden Meyer’s studio, The Way of The Artful Mind, but it recently took on a new partnership with Spiral owner Cassandra Rockwood-Rice. Now, the building houses both Meyers’ studio and the new Spiral Gallery Cafe, which is a coffeeshop, internet cafe, kitchen, artist co-op, and aspiring community hub. Arts 2010-03-09T22:26:52+00:00 http://thehawaiiindependent.com/hi-lighter/iraq-after-the-elections-slogging-towards-stability/ Two significant differences separate Iraq's parliamentary election from the first postwar poll in 2005. US combat troops are now on their way out – and, barring unanticipated changes, will be gone by the end of August, The Guardian comments. The other is that the Sunnis who did not vote last time did so on Sunday, sensibly eschewing the idea that their interests could be served by another boycott. 2010-03-09T02:37:56+00:00 http://thehawaiiindependent.com/hi-lighter/the-magic-disappearing-act-of-american-jobs/ The Atlantic's Derek Thompson blogs about what really makes the current job crisis a crisis: 2010-03-09T02:32:47+00:00 http://thehawaiiindependent.com/hi-lighter/three-proven-steps-to-advance-the-worlds-women-on-international-womens-day/ The New York Times' Nicholas Kristof blogs about the 100th anniversary of International Women’s Day: Society 2010-03-09T02:25:47+00:00 http://www.thehawaiiindependent.com/local/read/Downtown/march-11-honolulu-academy-of-arts-alohaa-night/ HONOLULU -- Starting March 11, the Honolulu Academy of Arts will extend its museum hours on the second Thursday of every month. On that day the museum will be open from 10:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. Events 2010-03-09T01:46:23+00:00 http://thehawaiiindependent.com/sports/surfing-and-golf-not-so-strange-bedfellows-in-hawaii/ While denting my couch on a recent, lazy Sunday at home, I found myself mindlessly gawking at the television, switching channels between a PGA golf tournament and reruns of old Vans Triple Crown of Surfing footage from the North Shore. It occurred to me that my interest and enthusiasm for each sport might be considered incongruous by those unaware of the particular and esoteric nature of each pursuit. The two sports might seem worlds apart to someone from, say, Wisconsin, but having grown up in Hawaii, where countless surf spots reel off just offshore from immaculately manicured golf courses, both have been a part of my life’s visual backdrop since before I can remember. Sports & Recreation 2010-03-09T01:40:27+00:00 http://thehawaiiindependent.com/local/read/wahiawa/wahiawa-whitmore-village-neighborhood-board-committee-of-the-whole-agenda-3/ 2010-03-08T18:00:12+00:00 http://thehawaiiindependent.com/local/read/wahiawa/leilehua-high-school-blood-drive-4-1/ 2010-03-07T00:41:06+00:00 http://www.thehawaiiindependent.com/remixedplate/read/shakeys-pizza-returns-after-30-years/ WAIPAHU -- Driving through Waipahu Town, you find yourself passing by dozens of colorful fast food restaurants and local eateries that have lasted through the years. Names like Leeward Drive-Inn, Poke Stop, and Tanioka’s are neighborhood staples. A stop by Waipahu Town Center, however, will bring you something new -- and old. The California-based Shakey’s Pizza Parlor opened its doors in Waipahu on February 24. After a 30-year hiatus, the national pizza chain has returned to Hawaii. Shakey’s first came to Hawaii in 1964 and was a popular place for friends and family to get together, enjoy some pizza, cold drinks, and music. Plate Launch 2010-03-06T00:13:12+00:00 http://www.thehawaiiindependent.com/baktalk/consolidation-killed-the-newspaper-star/ HONOLULU -- No one saw this coming. It was a regular Thursday afternoon until both staffs got the news: Honolulu Star Bulletin owner David Black had inked a deal to purchase The Honolulu Advertiser and the Star Bulletin had been put up for sale. A week after the announcement, many of the 900 combined employees who work for the papers are still in shock. Many know there will be substantial job losses by the time this is over -- and for some reporters, the sale may well signal the end of their careers. Editorial 2010-03-05T22:54:31+00:00 http://www.thehawaiiindependent.com/local/read/moiliili/march-6-isenberg-adopt-a-block-cleanup/ The Department of Environmental Services’ Storm Water Quality Branch is conducting the Isenberg Adopt-A-Block cleanup Saturday, March 6. Events 2010-03-05T22:36:29+00:00 http://www.thehawaiiindependent.com/local/read/moiliili/lgbt-youth-prom-seeking-volunteers-donations/ Those of us who grew up in earlier times may envy the apparent openness and awareness of today's youth; however, even though popular culture has begun presenting more positive images of LGBT people, the challenges faced by LGBT youth haven't gone away. In fact, even as they come out younger, today's youth face new challenges around issues of gender, sexuality, and acceptance on top of longstanding problems of harassment and discrimination. Because of this, and because we believe in encouraging the next generation(s) of leaders for our community, Pride At Work Hawaii has made supporting our LGBT youth one of our organizational priorities. 2010-03-05T04:41:59+00:00 http://thehawaiiindependent.com/hi-lighter/un-says-three-pacific-parliaments-still-without-women/ A United Nations study released ahead of International Women’s Day next week has highlighted that three Pacific Island countries have parliaments without any women representation. They are Solomon Islands, Palau, and the Federated States of Micronesia. Radio New Zealand International reports. 2010-03-05T02:35:15+00:00 http://thehawaiiindependent.com/hi-lighter/obama-should-help-west-papuas-people-blighted-by-a-u.s.-corporation/ Pacific Scoop's Carmel Budiardjo comments on President Barack Obama's upcoming visit to West Papua: "The country Barack Obama will be visiting in March has in many ways changed beyond recognition from the country he wrote about a few years ago. But one place where virtually nothing has changed is West Papua, which was incorporated into Indonesia 40 years ago. Although Papua has abundant natural resources and is host to this copper and gold mining company, which is Jakarta’s largest taxpayer, the vast majority of indigenous Papuans live in dire poverty …" 2010-03-05T02:27:48+00:00 http://thehawaiiindependent.com/hi-lighter/san-francisco-day-of-education-protests-heat-up/ All lanes of Interstate-880 in downtown Oakland were shut down temporarily in the middle of rush hour after a splinter group of people protesting cuts to education entered the highway just before 5:00 p.m., The San Francisco Chronicle reports. The action came as thousands of students, teachers and others rallied today at UC Berkeley, San Francisco State University, and many other schools across the Bay Area and beyond. They expressed anger and frustration over the decline in funding for California's beleaguered public education system. 2010-03-05T02:20:16+00:00 http://www.thehawaiiindependent.com/local/read/Kailua/cinnamons-restaurant-celebrates-25-years-feeding-kailua/ KAILUA -- Kailua is at a critical point in its evolution as a town. The pressures of big stores like Safeway, Whole Foods, and Target are visceral, and residents are awakening to the need for self-definition to preserve the small-scale, local economy that defines the small beach-side community. As the editor covering Kailua, I see it everyday, and while sometimes I have the unfortunate obligation to document large corporations steamrolling grassroots protests, sometimes I have the pleasure of featuring resilient mom-and-pop joints succeeding in their original endeavor. 2010-03-05T01:33:53+00:00 http://thehawaiiindependent.com/local/read/kauai/starwood-owned-hotel-responsible-for-over-one-quarter-of-downed-newells-she/ Four citizen groups today advised the St. Regis Princeville Resort of their intent to sue over the luxury resort’s failure to prevent the ongoing deaths of rare native seabirds, in violation of the federal Endangered Species Act. The St. Regis is owned by Starwood Hotels and Resorts, which also owns the Westin, Sheraton, Four Points by Sheraton, W Hotels, and Le Meridien brands. 2010-03-05T01:24:55+00:00 http://thehawaiiindependent.com/lifestyle/colleens-tsunami-blog/ I had owned my boat for exactly two months when the earthquake hit Chile. So needless to say, when I woke to sirens sounding, I was impressionable. My dock-neighbor shrugged when I asked if we were going to die; then he went back to bed. Lucky for me I got to the stores early enough to buy emergency water, peanut butter, and helium balloons reading ‘God loves you’ before the rest of the island woke up. Down at the docks, the mood was calm, but split. Half were gearing up to meet the wave head-on, the other half were banking on insurance. Despite a burning desire to get my money’s worth on a policy, the idea of abandoning my newly-renovated fiberglass bullet to the whitewater bearclaws of the tsunami I’d seen on TV was too American in all the wrong ways. So I decided to sail out. Life & Style 2010-03-05T01:13:54+00:00 http://thehawaiiindependent.com/hi-lighter/hawaii-mulls-imposing-internet-shopping-sales-tax/ Hawaii lawmakers, labor unions, and retail merchants are urging the passage of a measure that would tax Internet shopping, Associated Press reports. 2010-03-04T22:04:42+00:00 http://thehawaiiindependent.com/hi-lighter/chile-earthquake-earths-rotation-and-big-changes/ The 8.8 earthquake in Latin America last weekend has caused considerable changes throughout the world. Not only was there a tsunami some 6,700 miles away on the other side of the ocean, but the force of the earthquake actually caused the earth to shift three inches off her axis. Associated Press reports. 2010-03-04T22:00:10+00:00 http://thehawaiiindependent.com/arts/hair-today-at-manoa-valley-theatre/ Hair, the Tony Award-winning tribal rock musical that defined the “Age of Aquarius,” is onstage at Manoa Valley from March 4 to March 28. Theater 2010-03-04T15:33:46+00:00 http://thehawaiiindependent.com/columns/read/verbatim-money-power-and-politics-paved-the-way-for-elevated-rail/ I think Honolulu will benefit from rail transit. But I’ve been puzzled why our city has so stubbornly refused to consider the alternative of light rail, a more flexible steel-wheel-on-steel-rail technology used in most of the cities that have built new rail systems over the past two decades. Verbatim 2010-03-04T05:54:43+00:00 http://www.thehawaiiindependent.com/local/read/Downtown/march-5-first-friday-at-soho-mixed-media-bar/ Check out the first monthly art installation by the University of Hawaii at Manoa Art Department -- a percentage of the proceeds from the First Friday festivities from 5:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. at SoHo Mixed Media Bar will benefit the UH Manoa Deptartments of Art and Art History. Events 2010-03-04T05:27:35+00:00 http://www.thehawaiiindependent.com/local/read/hawaii/peaceful-sky-alliance-presents-the-good-medicine-show-2/ The Peaceful Sky Alliance, 10,000 Gardens Project, and Friends for Justice presents The Good Medicine Show 2 with Clan Dyken, Kaliko Guys, and The Iris Eve Band -- a show featuring tribal beats, electric rock, and multimedia. Events 2010-03-04T05:15:09+00:00 http://thehawaiiindependent.com/local/read/northshore/intrigue-concern-and-fun-in-the-sun-dominate-north-shore-evacuation/ NORTH SHORE -- Having grown up on Hawaii Island, I've heard about many tsunami warnings throughout my life. But Saturday was the first evacuation I had ever been a part of. So when I heard the tsunami alarm go off at 6:00 a.m., the possibility that it was an actual alarm didn't even cross my mind. I assumed, irritatedly, that it was accidentally set off somehow. When I got up again around 6:30 a.m., I finally looked at the phone that had been ringing like crazy in the middle of the night and I finally thought that something may be going on. I called a friend back and heard the news -- a huge tsunami would hit Hawaii in about five hours and I had to pack up and leave immediately! 2010-03-04T01:06:09+00:00 http://thehawaiiindependent.com/hi-lighter/karl-rove-just-admitted-the-iraq-war-was-a-huge-mistake/ The Philadelphia Weekly blog Cup O' Joel reflects on recent comments by Karl Rove regarding the justification for the Iraq War -- the weapons of mass destruction, which did not exist: 2010-03-04T00:29:16+00:00