I don't ever want to hear or read again that the United States is a "Superpower." "Superpowers" do not do this.
Category: blog
What a difference a year makes
A tip from a friend today led me to reread Governor Linda Lingle's April 25, 2008 speech before the Hawaii Economic Association's Annual Conference. This speech exemplifies everything that's wrong with the Lingle Administration. When it first came out, I briefly commented on the speech here (third item), but looking back now, it's clear I … Continue reading What a difference a year makes
Maui ‘Humane’ Society
There are many good and decent people who work at the Maui Humane Society, but I've got to say I'm not surprised at all at the really awful, heart-breaking stories appearing in The Maui News and Honolulu Advertiser these days about mistaken euthanizations and internal staff quarrels. Five years ago, I wrote about exactly these … Continue reading Maui ‘Humane’ Society
War! Or something like that…
So I woke up this morning to the news that we were at war with North Korea. Okay, I'm being hyperbolic, but not as much as you might think. It started with a Twitter message I received from Maui News reporter Ilima Loomis: "Oops! Lanai beach mistakenly evacuated over N. Korean missile threat!" The message … Continue reading War! Or something like that…
Action in Kaanapali
So yesterday afternoon I decided to drive all the way over to West Maui and visit Kaanapali. I parked my truck at Canoe Beach and headed north, along the beach walk, to Whaler's Village to get some lunch. It was a typical day, sunny and warm and gorgeous. About halfway there I ran into my … Continue reading Action in Kaanapali
Remember the Superferry!
With the future of Hawaii Superferry increasingly in doubt, I've begun to notice more a few blog posts and Facebook petitions calling upon us to "Save the Superferry." While well-intentioned, I fear these efforts are pretty much doomed to failure for a host of reasons. First, some background: from about 2005 to 2008, I wrote … Continue reading Remember the Superferry!
Superferry Sunk!
Yeah, I know this is old news now. Forgive me for waiting so long to blog on the sudden and possibly permanent demise of Hawaii Superferry, Inc. I mean, it's not like no one else was writing about it–blogger Ian Lind took a whack at it, as did Doug White at Poinography. Ditto Larry Geller … Continue reading Superferry Sunk!
Outraged!
So I get that President Barack Obama is all outraged at A.I.G. paying out many millions in bonuses to a bunch of its execs. "This is a corporation that finds itself in financial distress due to recklessness and greed," Obama said, according to this Pacific Business News story. "Under these circumstances, it's hard to understand … Continue reading Outraged!
Justice? What’s that?
A few hours ago The New York Times breathlessly reported that insurance giant A.I.G.–recipient of $170 billion in bailout funds (so much money that taxpayers actually own about 80 percent of the firm)–will soon pay out $100 million in bonuses to the very executives who bungled the company's finances to the point that it needed … Continue reading Justice? What’s that?
"Cheap" gas prices
This Pacific Business News story from a few hours ago is very easy to understand: the average price of gasoline in the state of Hawaii hasn't changed in the last two weeks, and remains at $2.45/gallon. This compares favorably to Alaska, where the average price is $2.51/gallon, and unfavorably to Wyoming, where it's a mere … Continue reading "Cheap" gas prices
Anthony Pignataro 