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I Hope So… – MidWeek July 1, 2026

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I was driving to breakfast in Waikiki recently. As I veered from King Street onto Kapiolani just before Kaimuki High School, I noticed a young woman on a scooter who’d pulled over to the side by a gas station. She had what appeared to be a fast food bag and she handed it to a (possibly) houseless person who had a mountain of possessions piled high in a shopping cart.

She was smiling; he was looking inquisitively at the apparent offering. The nature of traffic forced me to continue on my way, but I couldn’t help, for just a moment, to feel a sense of hope at this circumstance I’d happened upon. Hope. I’d witnessed an apparent reminder that there are quality people out there willing to lend a hand, or a meal, as the case may be. Just because.

Obviously, I have no way of knowing if this was a chance encounter, a regular drop off, a delivery (I doubt it), or simply a random act of kindness. It reminded me of 35 years ago when I took two of my young children down to A’ala Park around Christmas time to drop off breakfast sandwiches to those gathered/living in the encampment that used to be there. As little tykes, the last thing my kids wanted to do was trudge over the Pali Highway to do whatever dad had planned. I mean, Santa was coming!

Upon seeing the smiles on the faces of some of those residents when we handed out food and said, “Merry Christmas”, my kids grew unusually quiet. We finished our  deliveries and headed back to the car, when my seven-year son said, “Dad, can we do this every year?” Small story, but hopefully it meant something that has lasted with both of those kids over the years.

As I drove off to my breakfast with old friends in our bi-monthly quest to resolve the world’s problems over eggs and examples, I found myself smiling over what I has seen by chance- a sincere, honorable attempt to provide more than just a meal, more than just a smile. Perhaps that chance encounter I glimpsed at provided someone with hope.

If things drag you down, find hope; create hope; embrace hope. The journal Emotion suggests that “feeling hopeful contributes to the sense that life is meaningful, controlling for other positive feelings.” Not a bad start.

Think about it…

The Perfect Storm – MidWeek June 24, 2026

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The concept of “the perfect storm” is far from perfect. It’s often horrid, and it’s always bad news. We sit here now in late June with strange weather patterns (and lots of rain) already causing issues this year, with more to come. 

The natural warming cycle, known as El Niño, is predicted to possibly be so extreme in the coming months that it “would rank among the largest El Niño events” going back 75 years. And Hawai`i is one of the locations that might see more unsettling, tropical weather activity than usual.

The “perfect storm” part of this is that it comes questions are asked as to how prepared we are as a state to handle what seems like a natural inevitability- a bad and destructive storm… a hurricane that doesn’t skirt our islands but makes a direct hit. 

And if the state is not forearmed- since it’s been forewarned (for years)- a cataclysmic  storm’s impact will be compounded by the ripple effects of drastic cutbacks and non-spending at many levels- affecting the immediate capacity for federal response/relief on top of the lack of funding and rampant personnel cutbacks already in place.

Recent news stories, editorials, and a Hawai`i Alliance of Nonprofit Organizations’ (HANO) executive summary depict a struggling local nonprofit scene, where demands far outpace capacity, workers are hard to find and retain, and almost three-fourths of local nonprofits struggle to raise “unrestricted revenue” (moneys not earmarked for specific causes or projects).

If the government is not ready, first responders will be tasked like never before, and then the daily, long-term work of nonprofits will become even more essential, as we witnessed during the COVID years, the Maui wildfire devastation- with its ongoing effects, and the North Shore flooding we saw earlier this year. 

We need more food, more clothing, and more emergency housing. We need more mental health and trauma experts ready to roll. Issues that will arise from overwhelming weather events do not resolve themselves simply because the sun finally shines through.

Non-profit leaders and community advocates, along with attentive board members and employees at many of the 8,000+ charities registered in this state, know that we could be seeing a perfect storm if El Niño intensifies in the months ahead.

We are far past the time for discussing action, reform, accountability, and infrastructure retrofits. Sure, forewarned is forearmed, but only if you do something(s).

Think about it… 

Plurality of Notions – MidWeek June 10, 2026

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From time to time, it’s fun here to dip into a veritable potpourri of items to help get your gray matter to natter. So have at it!

Were you aware that when it’s 2:40pm here in Hawai`i, it is 12:25 in morning (tomorrow) in Nepal?! Yes, that’s right, Nepal prides itself on being 5:45 ahead of Coordinated Universal Time. It’s part of the country’s effort to define itself uniquely, to showcase its independence; after all, a recent story posted that Nepal has 123 languages spoken within its borders. Certainly we know Hawai‘i is unique in many (good) ways, but how about adjusting your brain clock every time you are out and about…

The State Department of Accounting and General Services recently announced it had awarded a contract to redesign/rebuild/renovate its old financial system. I understand “local time”, but seriously- a 55-year old data system? If the third time’s a charm (as ancient wisdom has it) then we should be in great shape, as this is the third effort to get it right. 55 years ago people were punching numbers with adding machines and using voluminous ledgers. All the work was done manually. The old system, known as FAMIS, is surely anything but famous, and will rightfully be retired in the coming years…

I don’t wanna crush your kids’ artistic futures, but did you know that the sun is actually white? When seen from the purity of space (no atmosphere), the life-giving orb is white. Hey, don’t feel bad. The sky is actually purple. It all has to do with wavelengths scattering the light and redirecting a portion of it and… you know what, just check out the lyrics to “Flowers Are Red” by “Taxi” crooner Harry Chapin for an enlightening view…

According to lots of data and research compiled by the Space Daily publication, men get quieter when they retire, and women get busier. Men lose (possibly) their major social outlet when work is gone, and thus their network can shrink drastically… and immediately. Women who retire tend to look at the needs of others in their world and ramp up the caretaking aspect as the void of not working takes place. Over-simplification? Perhaps. A tendency and not an absolute? Of course. But a fascinating study as we look at those in their kūpuna years. There are no built-in instructions with retirement. We all kinda wing it.

Think about it…

Fireworks Fix? – MidWeek October 9, 2024

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Stunning, perhaps, but we now have a City Council proposal allowing for more incendiary devices to be available legally during permit periods around New Year’s Eve and July 4. Bill 22 will be decided upon soon by the full Council, but the idea that we should add more lit up devices- even seemingly benign fountains, sparklers, and poppers- to the obnoxious already existing aerials- legal and illegal- seems nonsensical and counterproductive.

Obviously, it’s been extremely difficult for law/fire officials to apprehend scofflaws who ply their handiwork (as long as their hand-ies aren’t blown off). Neighbors begrudgingly tolerate cul-de-sac celebrations, wary of complaining on their neighbors. Dogs cower. And law enforcement cannot be everywhere at once. Sometime they’re too busy and thus cannot be anywhere as the rockets glare red.

Encouraging more smoke, noise, street strewn garbage, potential injuries, neighborhood angst, and enhanced fire hazards is incomprehensible. A councilmember suggested that the current fireworks ban is not working. Well, neither is the speed limit in lots of places, so should we simply abandon speed signs or increase speed limits? 

Another council member asked how to make it easier for HPD and HFD to go after illegal fireworks’ users. I’m guessing that having more “stuff” exploding and lit up won’t make policing any easier, as we’re all left to ponder what’s legal and illegal amid incessant smoke and noise. 

State House Bill 2193 (now in force) allows law/fire officials more leeway to inspect legal permittee’s homes, to make sure there are no illegal devices among the legal cache.  Perhaps we could offer $1,000 bounties for people to surreptitiously use their cell phones to report sonic booms and illuminating explosions in their immediate environs. They can then text the footage via a fireworks hotline, thus enhancing anonymous community patrols. The mere nagging suspicion among fireworks abusers that “someone” is watching/taping might curtail some of this semi-annual mess.

And please, enough with the false premise that usage of sky high, aerial devices is somehow a celebration or must-have for festive or religious reasons. If that’s the belief, OK, then simply restrict airborne exposure to specific religious sites and/or permitted, cordoned-off areas, not the current craziness where anything goes… anywhere.

Let’s snuff this suggested fireworks fiasco; there’s no justifiable rationale to add more obnoxious cacophony to simply appease amateur pyrotechnicians and opportunistic retailers. This idea is a dud that’ll make policing even more futile.

Think about it…