Heard something stunning on the radio yesterday (which, in itself, is very unusual indeed). It was one of those mid-day news briefs read by Wendy Osher (click here for my completely unrelated take on what I perceive to be Osher's slippery ethics). And Osher was reading off headlines and news blurbs and then she came … Continue reading 60 percent?!
John Updike is dead
Just read that John Updike, one of the giants among American novelists in the last few decades, has died at the age of 76. This is probably going to surprise some of those who read this blog, but I've never read any of Updike's work. What's more, it was a conscious decision on my part, … Continue reading John Updike is dead
Something stinks at North Beach
And it isn't the big Lahaina Wastewater Treatment Plant. Oh, wait–yes it is. You know, I used to live in Honokowai, which is just north of both the sewage plant and North Beach (all of which are located on Maui's Westside) and watched (again, over the period of years) the construction of the thousands of Honua … Continue reading Something stinks at North Beach
One more thing about Obama’s speech
Inaugural Addresses–and all political speeches in general–are masterpieces of ambiguity. Low on specifics and high on lofty euphemisms and well-worn cliches, they seek to both reassure voters and provide sufficient cover for later, quite possibly nefarious actions. President Barack Obama's address today (click here to watch it, here to read it) was no different. One … Continue reading One more thing about Obama’s speech
Lingle apparently wants it both ways
Skeptic though I am of all things political, I must admit–in this first hour of Barack Obama's presidency–to feeling a bit contented at the state of our nation and its government. I'm sure it will pass in due time. In other news, I just noticed some strangeness surrounding our own Governor Linda Lingle's official statement … Continue reading Lingle apparently wants it both ways
Save the Paper Airplane Museum!
One of my first stories for Maui Time Weekly was on the old Paper Airplane Museum in Kahului's Maui Mall and its earnest curator Ray Roberts (you can see some of the amazing aluminum can models he built for the museum here). It was a quiet, quaint place run by Roberts, a soft-spoken retired shop … Continue reading Save the Paper Airplane Museum!
7 days to go
Like many of my friends and neighbors, and much of the rest of the world (we're talking just about every conscious person out there), I'm looking forward to a time now slightly less than a week away when George W. Bush will no longer be President of the United States. That this will be a … Continue reading 7 days to go
Newspapers according to Thoreau
Been relaxing with a copy of Henry David Thoreau's Walden for much of this afternoon, and I came across the following passage on newspapers. I tend to think about journalism a lot–given that until recently it's how I made my living and will probably be my profession again–and have often thought that the practice has … Continue reading Newspapers according to Thoreau
THIS JUST IN: Irony Lives!
Seriously, I was beginning to worry. But good ol' embattled Maui County Councilman Wayne Nishiki has ridden to irony's rescue. Check out this Maui News story, posted this morning, about how Nishiki now says County Board of Ethics Chairman Alan Kaufman is actually too biased towards super-developer Everett Dowling to be fair about Nishiki's failure … Continue reading THIS JUST IN: Irony Lives!
8.5 trillion reasons why we’re screwed
I know I've written about this before, but today's Pacific Business News report saying that the current $8.5 trillion in taxpayer-supported bailouts is more money than that spent on all U.S. wars since the Civil War demands some kind of comment. It seems like only yesterday (it was nearly 20 years ago actually) that the Berlin … Continue reading 8.5 trillion reasons why we’re screwed
Anthony Pignataro 