MidWeek Column

It was interesting to note… no, actually it was heartwarming and even re-affirming to note that late last month, four astronauts from different countries joined hands and joined forces as they reached orbit and inevitably docked with the International Space Station on August 27. 

There’s no joke about “four astronauts walked into a bar…” here, but it is smile-worthy and intriguing to read various quotes as this mission was launched at Cape Canaveral in Florida, featuring astronauts from Russia, Denmark, Japan, and the U.S. “We’re a united team with a common mission,” said U.S. astronaut, marine pilot Jasmin Moghbeli. 

And this gem: “’To explore space, we need to do it together,’ the European Space Agency’s director general, Josef Aschbacher, said before liftoff. ‘Space is really global, and international cooperation is key.’” Imagine that, cooperation is vital and space is for everyone! The cynic in me thinks “Let’s see how long this lasts,” but I am hopeful.

Lots of folks are looking skyward at moon missions- the U.S.A., Russia, India, Israel, China, Japan, South Korea, United Arab Emirates, Italy, and Luxembourg- plus many private entities. So while we’ve failed so badly in so many ways for so long on Earth to get along and work together, maybe the stars will align as nations forge partnerships to work together on the moon.

One stated goal (from Luxembourg, no less) “…is to promote peaceful exploration and sustainable use of space resources.” Now wouldn’t that be cool, unique, and even restorative? 

With the horror of Maui’s fires still fresh in our hearts and minds, with mind-numbing mass shootings sadly the norm, with the 2024 national election season already shaping up to be a bad sitcom… maybe we can gaze skyward for relief and ponder “what if?” Heck, maybe Hawai`i can get in on this retro rocket launching mania (it’s been proposed before…) gripping so many disparate countries and entrepreneurial, private entities.

The Apollo program launched many products and scientific firsts which evolved into real applications seen now in everyday lives. Perhaps this lucrative lunar lusting will provide more valuable ideas and items for usage on this mortal coil, plus spur more young people to head into science, medicine, engineering, and unknown vocational fields. 

Right now, if only for escapism, if only to dream a bit, if only because we could all use a break, perhaps we can stare skyward… and espy a moonbeam.

Think about it…

Cars and trucks have gotten bigger- increased demand for roominess, fitting in more people, safety regulations, etc. It becomes apparent when you just look at cars/trucks today vs. 10+ years ago. What hasn’t gotten biggerare most local parking spaces throughout our parking-challenged state. Have ya tried wedging yourself out of your car recently, even when both you and your adjacently parked neighbor are well within the lines? Good luck not dinging your door or theirs.

The attempt to extricate and contort oneself from a tight parking slot now qualifies as an Olympic sport, and (of course) it’s always worse trying this move after dining out. Space is at a premium in many congested areas of Hawai`i; we understand… the price of land and all that. But perhaps land owners/leasing gurus can empathize as today’s vehicles (and, it appears, humans, too) have gotten bigger, and parking slot size should adjust accordingly. Come on malls, hotels, parking garages, beach stalls, school lots- you can do it!

And for those who persist in obnoxiously parking over well-marked demarcation lines (whether due to cluelessness or a simple lack of caring), may soaring birds leave a telling gift on your hood as a simple, karmic response. For truck enthusiasts who persist in parking in “compact only” stalls just “because”… may your dashboard “warning” light appear long before your next service checkup is due. 

Also, driving is not meant to be a contact sport, but here it’s mid-2023 and our vehicular accident numbers keep climbing. Pedestrians and bicyclists always lose, but cars rear-ending other vehicles or crossing the center line seem to be occurring with greater frequency. Could it be distraction from digital devices, colorful and over-stimulating dashboard monitors, or even french fries? What’s up with that guy weaving in and out, only to end up a mere two cars ahead of you at the next stop light? Or the Indy 500 wannabes going 85+ MPH on H-3 who’ve enjoyed far too many testosterone supplements or caffeinated drinks?

Driving is a licensed privilege, not a right. But in a world where “me first” predominates and individual wants far exceed community needs far too often, it’s no surprise that we see more of this “collateral damage” when autos and trucks become weapons.

How ‘bout everyone takes a deep breath, parks nicely, drives responsibly, and saves their pent up whatever for inane video games at home.

Think about it…

At the intersection of Vineyard Boulevard (heading ewa) and Aala Street stands a stoplight. Thisparticular stoplight sees heavy foot traffic due to social service agencies and apartments in the area, but a change there has occurred recently that few drivers seem to notice.

A sign was recently added to a sidewalk post that prominently reads, “No right turn on red”. Apparently, safety concerns of pedestrians amid cars turning right on to Aala Street attracted traffic officials’ attention. I admit, I didn’t notice the sign at first, and I turn at this intersection every workday. 

Now, since my sign enlightenment, I watch other cars in front of me creep up to the Vineyard red light… and turn, in ignorance, up Aala toward School Street. It dawned on me: isn’t this an example of what ratchets up far too many issues far too often? We see what we want to see; we’re pre-conditioned; we often refuse to see what’s right in front of us (or in this case- what’s right next to us) because of our innate sense of what is, based on beliefs, prejudice, intuition, learned experiences, or steadfast convictions.

There’s an interesting book on this very subject, “The Righteous Mind: Why Good People are Divided by Politics And Religion”, by Jonathan Haidt. The book was published a decade ago, before the widening American social fractures were so prevalent. One 2013 book review suggested: “… if you’re ready to trade in anger for understanding, read The Righteous Mind”. 

I’m not a shill for Mr. Haidt; I haven’t even finished this weighty tome. But the premise that our perspectives will invariably taint even our most mundane tête-à-têtes is a human reality. We might better understand others by allowing their perspectives into our weltanschauung, and not simply rely on our personal, deeply ingrained “moral intuition” (as Haidt calls it).

I’m not suggesting that we become wishy-washy, apolitical, or lower moral barricades (for those who ascribe to moral codes). But discussing/debating while really listening and perhaps learning beats where we’ve gone as a nation (and as a state, on some issues) as we cling to preconceived tenets, pooh poohing anything the “opposition” even suggests, assuming that their underlying motives are to divide, conquer or stake some (a)moral ground. 

Bottom line: when you approach a stoplight, look beyond, look around, learn, listen. You may be surprised to find something revealing and/or logical.

Think about it…

When he was one-year old, his dad, a retiring, career Army man, put his two-year old brother and him in the sidecar of a motorcycle as Mom wrapped her arms around Dad, and they drove… all the way from New York to San Francisco on myriad dirt roads and side trails… in 1924.

Warren Stone, now 99.75 years old, has no idea what possessed his father to perform such a crazy feat in uprooting his family and going west. He swears he never saw his dad ride a motorcycle again! Stoney, as he’s called by everyone, celebrates his 100^th birthday here on November 16, 2023. 

What’s perhaps most remarkable about this understated, kind, even-tempered gentleman, is that he still plays FOUR full rounds of golf weekly! He’s done so every week for the past 25+ years (since he retired from the local print industry). Do the math… Stoney has played over 5,000 rounds of golf… since he was in his mid-70s! Currently sporting a 35-handicap, this nonchalant nonagenarian humbly claims that while he’s never really been very good at the game (but he had a 6-handicap at age 70), he simply loves to compete ($2 bets are the norm).

He only took up golf at age 50 because a dang tennis elbow forced him to stop playing that repetitive sport. He didn’t play competitive team sports in school (“too slow” he says), and he’s had no major injuries precluding him from playing every Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Saturday- mostly at O`ahu Country Club in Nu`uanu, but also weekly at Navy-Marine Golf Course off Nimitz Highway (nice and flat, unlike undulating O`ahu CC). 

Stoney first arrived here via military duty in 1942, moved full-time to O`ahu in 1956, and has played regularly at O`ahu CC for 50-years. His life philosophy? “It’s really day to day when you’re 99…”, he chortles. He eats eggs with sausage or bacon every morning and loves his prime rib confirms wife, Karen. Through a Portland, Oregon, business contact in the mid-1980s, he helped bring MidWeek newspaper to O’ahu. He reminisces about a Honolulu with no traffic, no high-rises, and fewer people: “…a nice, little town”.

And golf? “It keeps your mind working, even if it’s how badly I hit the ball!” Now that’s a Stone-cold fact. Life may be too short, but less so if you enjoy every day.  And Stoney’s only looking fore-ward.

Think about it…

It’s mid-summer! So now for something completely different…

Tough job for Anglo-philologists as they explain spelling, pronunciation, and usage of our American version of the English language? English may not be the toughest language to conquer (some say that’s Mandarin Chinese), but it sure has its nuances, inconsistencies, and idiosyncrasies…

Why do we get in the car, yet we get on the bus, train, or plane. As comedian Geroge Carlin once opined on this topic, “YOU go ahead and get on the plane… I’m getting in the plane.”

If something is neither overwhelming nor underwhelming, why don’t we refer to it as simply “whelming”?  Writers write, players play, actors act, and painters certainly paint, so how come barbers don’t barb, butchers don’t butch, and carpenters don’t carpent (or carpet)? And why do people yell “heads up” instead of “heads down”? If you put your head up, it’s often then too late to put your head down, as would be more appropriate.

Why do certain words that look like they should rhyme not rhyme? Tough, rough… OK. But what about though, cough, and through? If we have womb and tomb, then “bomb” should sound like “boom”; it absolutely leaves that impression (yuk, yuk)?

What about contranyms?! Like fast: move quickly or don’t move. Bolt: fasten down or hele on. Sanction: to penalize or to permit. Dust: add sugar… or wipe away sugar. Madness, I say!

And jumbo shrimp. Aren’t they just “shrimp”? We don’t refer to the small ones as mini-shrimp; that would be redundant, like pre-planning, new innovations, fiction novels, unexpected surprises, and advance warnings. Come on, a warning after the fact is of little use, especially if it comes after “heads up”! These morsels aren’t from morons; they’re oxymorons.

And what’s up with grow smaller, alone together, climb down, civil war, uncontested divorce, found missing, original copy, small crowd, negative growth, a working vacation, or those eerie living dead?

The brilliant Mr. Carlin once queried why is there no blue food?! Blueberries, blue corn, blue potatoes? Sorry, all purple. Cool Blue Gatorade doesn’t count. There’s a scientific explanation related to how plants handle sunlight and filter energy wavelengths, but wrapping one’s brain around this concept might actually give you the blues. 

Pondering or feeling perplexed persistently about this stuff might keep you up at night, or bore you to sleep, but that’s only if you even choose to think about it… 

I was just 14 when I glimpsed what I thought were the seeds of modern-day American society getting it together, as one. A start…

I watched and read of inspiring movements, people standing up for democratic ideals, the so-called American dream and all that. I was stunned as college students at two universities were gunned down in May, 1970. People angry about a dubious war and the bizarro world whereby those who fought for the U.S.A. in that unwinnable war were sadly ridiculed upon their return to the U.S.A. Black Power became a force to be reckoned with 100 years after slavery was allegedly purged; women’s lib(eration) found its voice, and it was a loud one; gay rights were based on “simple” rights supposedly guaranteed to everyone (as written in America’s formulation documents)… it all unfolded in daily conversations, on TV, and in newspapers, while I was struggling to figure out my own place, purpose, and destiny. Would all of this make sense; how would it play out?

And I remember saying to myself (because, after all, who else would listen?) amid the upheaval, uncertainty, violence, fear, inconsistencies and vibrancy… I envisioned, among the protest songs and loud rock that became such a dear ally that “…this is the beginning of change! And if I’m still here in 50-years, these moments will lead to more acceptance, celebrating or acknowledging differences, and realizing (as U2 sang many years later) that ‘…we’re one, but we’re not the same’”- that could/should be America’s mantra!

And so here we are, more than a half century later, and we’re regressing on so many societal issues after it seemed that we’d experienced a true understanding, empathy, and showing that we really can straddle even difficult contradictions, and not remain steadfastly opposed, but rather seeking common ground (to paraphrase line from U2’s Bono, again).

If I was 14 years old today, could I look at our sometimes-post-truth, take-it-or-leave-it world (which thankfully still provides daily stories of human hope, caring, and redemption) and say “ahhh, this is the beginning! Just wait; 50 years from now…”

I don’t know; I naïvely thought that we shouldn’t judge or care where someone came from or what they looked like, but should aim to relate based on actions, temperance, character, integrity, empathy, listening, and soul. So would I still be that dreamer, or a skeptic, if I was 14 now?

Think about it…

We’re not alone. As far as islands far too dependent upon tourism, we’re not the only ones grappling with this issue and its effects on our populace. Iceland, the Maldives, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, actually- the entire Caribbean- all economically dependent at some level on visitors. All looking at supplemental business options, including pharmaceutical production, renewable energy, tech parks, agribusiness, health sciences, and professional services. 

Tax incentives provide an attractive lure if we are serious about finding incremental business to ensure our economic well-being locally. IBISWorld (an industry research firm) ranked Hawaii #47 in business growth among states from 2017-2022. Our gross state product was ranked #49. In business opportunity terms, we rank #45, according to U.S. News & World Report. These numbers are not surprising nor encouraging, exacerbated by the emigration issue we’re experiencing with six consecutive years of net population loss.

Well-known local economist, Paul Brubaker, recently reminded us that our local economy was shrinking before COVID exacted its still-being-felt toll. Tourism numbers should improve when Japanese visitors return and also when government officials finally clamp down on O`ahu’s 8,000+ illegal, short-term rentals. For those who dream of limiting visitor counts, Brubaker opines that unless we substitute with beaucoup new jobs for those who’d lose out if we experience a tourism regression, local hospitality industry workers may abandon Hawai`i to find work and more affordable environs. We need options and solutions, not bitterness and resentment. Big picture thinking and sustainable action.

We seem perennially stuck on square one when seeking economic diversification. Hawai`i needs to research like-minded, tourism islands (as examples) to gain insight into manageable opportunities, success stories, and existing stumbling blocks. While no single industry or entity will provide the economic base that tourism provides, finding a half-dozen, new economic enterprises would make a big difference in the decades ahead. But the clock is ticking…

 And yes, we’re going to have to offer some eye-opening deals and tax concessions as we encourage people/business to uproot from 2,500+ miles away from their home office and extended families. Remote work? Let’s encourage more people to live in Hawai`i as they work for mainland firms. The recent increase in and positive vibes related to upcoming housing developments provides hope. We now need to find high(er)-paying jobs (and industries) to ensure that our working population stays, and that locally-raised, mainland college-educated graduates return. Now is the time.

Think about it…

Rail is now a reality, and having ridden the loop from Aloha Stadium to East Kapolei twice, I found Skyline to be easily accessible, intriguing, eye-opening, and 51… as in mph we reached (the train averages 30 mph and tops out at 55 mph).

Seeing sites between Halawa and beyond UH West O`ahu from new vantage points is fascinating. Skyline is properly air conditioned, with relatively seamless stops and starts (but please- brace yourself when riding… this is public transportation, not a leisurely “It’s a Small World” Disney ride). The 45-minute roundtrip allows you to clearly watch clouds above Palehua Ridge, view Diamondhead and downtown across the horizon, peer down at myriad geometrically-wedged, small farms, and gaze at ornate church rooftops hidden from normal, ground level sightlines as you rise 40-feet above the streets while making nine stops. Skyline is the first new major, metro system in the United States since 1993. And yes, more consideration for bathrooms and additional parking, please.

Sit on the mauka side as you head out, then switch to makai for a completely different vantage point on your way back. New housing developments (like Ho`opili) meant to take advantage of Skyline are under way, with more to come. HART is happening; it’s time to get on board (albeit while still demanding accountability from those in charge). Additional housing alongside burgeoning businesses to come. Envision the transition along O`ahu’s leeward cost throughout the coming decade, with major Honolulu housing evolving, too. 

Sure, many local systems (political, planning, permitting, pricing) are archaic, dysfunctional or parochial, and the project has taken too long with a perpetual lack of momentum, but four-car trains are now moving in the right direction. These are the real starts and stops consumers have been looking forward to. After years of fumbles (wheels don’t fit, pillar and pad cracks, funding follies) rail is now running. There is a light (and a train) at the end of the tunnel. Thousands will hopefully find Skyline to be convenient, affordable, time-saving, and dependable. Of course there’ll be headaches aplenty during upcoming construction in Kalihi and downtown.

It took 37-years to build H-3 and it’ll take five-years now to finally build Aloha Stadium #2, but today we have a usable, state-of-the-art choo-choo that should provide possibilities for many who heretofore might not have had ample options. We now own the country’s first driverless, metro rail transit system.

Think about it…

Remember Mikey? You know, the kid in that old Life Cereal commercial where two young boys push a cereal bowl over to little Mikey to try the new, “healthy” cereal, only to be stunned when Mikey dives in, and one blurts out, “He likes it!”

So who was the Mikey who determined that you can enjoy a nectarine or apple skin, but not an avocado or orange covering? Who went out and brought back the “right” salad mushrooms…the ones that didn’t make you high, or kill you?

Someone decided to allow papaya to ripen and tossed the orange rind, but later on someone decided to shave an unripe fruit’s inside and turned it into a delectable salad? Just how long was the trial-and-error period to settle on cooking artichokes at medium heat for 55-minutes so that those delectable leaf bottoms are tooth-pliable? Who smartly opted to shave off those prickly leaf ends? Artichokes, sure; cacti, no.

Why would someone li hing mui things? Sure, it all worked out and perhaps was a neat preservative 150-years ago, but sweet, sour, AND salty together?! Genius! And how did a plum with spices become “crack seed”? Of course, back in the day, Yick Lung was voted most likely to “suck seed” (get it?).

And who knew that some fish must be cooked, some can be eaten raw, some are great when poke-d, and some should be completely avoided (trunkfish, stonefish, poorly handled blowfish- who made that call!). Would you order blowfish if told the regular chef was off that night, but Jimmy, the dish cleaner, was handling blowfish carving duties?! And why must some restaurants insist that I choose my lobster? I mean, they don’t allow me to pick my cow for a filet mignon.

Undercooked meat might seem to be a delicacy for some, but undercooked pork or chicken- not ready for prime time. Someone(s) figured this out… and lived to tell about it. Nuts, you say!? Er, cashews? Great… but raw- not so good (i.e.- possibly toxic).

And who figured what “edible” flowers to garnish meals with? Surely someone chomped on oleander or plumeria…  And that’d ruin a baby luau. In old Rome, they allegedly used food tasters. Court jesters- funny. Court tasters- not so much. Not a real secure career choice. Some undoubtedly learned by watching what animals eat. Not foolproof, sometimes logical, but surely food for thought.

Think about it…

In February, the City & County of Honolulu’s annual report “On the Status of Land Use on O’ahu” came out. It provides insight and page after page of facts, figures, and possible scenarios going forward as we ponder, perpetually, why we don’t have enough (affordable) housing in Hawai`i… and local people keep purchasing one way tickets to the mainland.

I don’t pretend to be an urbanologist (nor have I ever played one on TV), nor am I a city planner, builder, or architect, but I did find one chart particularly fascinating. The report provides the usual rationale behind our housing shortage, including “…limited land, geographical isolation, global demand, and income inequality.” 

O’ahu has just three land “use” districts: urban, agricultural, and conservation. Scanning a chart of land usage over the past 50 years, you might expect a gradual shift to urban land from either agricultural or conservation land. But you’d be mistaken. Since 1970, land zoned for conservation has remained remarkably steady at 41%. Preserving our `āina, I get it. The eye-opening numbers were the other two land types. Agricultural land since 1970 has fallen from 38% to 33% of the total. Urban land has grown from 22% in 1970 to 26% in 2020. That’s it; just a 4% shift.

You might assume that over the past half century, land formerly used for mainstay crops like sugar and pineapple might have (at some point) shifted. Not so. As a further example of the lack of redistribution of local land for possible housing initiatives, the report shows that between 2006 and 2020, fewer than 100 total acres on O’ahu were transferred to urban. To put that land mass into perspective, Aloha Stadium’s total fenced-in footprint is 98 acres. 

I may be oversimplifying here, but just 4% of Oahu’s land area has been re-zoned in the past 50-years. That seems astonishing, especially since the “housing crisis” has been an issue addressed repeatedly for over a half-century. Fast-tracking efforts being made now to provide more housing to more people more quickly are commendable. But you gotta wonder- what took so long? Why the intransigence? Sure, we’ll cherish more self-sustaining agriculture, but why haven’t we seen (at least) a few more affordable vertical units (a kama`aina Kakaako, if you will) over the past 50-years in other O`ahu locales?

I’m sure there are good answers, somewhere, but these seem like fair questions to ask.

Think about it…