#thinkaboutit

Seal of Approval – MidWeek May 15, 2024

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Dorothy, the youthful protagonist in the 1939 classic movie, “The Wizard of Oz”, assured us repeatedly that “there’s no place like home”. Yet the very next year, vaunted author Thomas Wolfe wrote a novel that plainly stated, “You can’t go home again.” 

Well, leave it up to Kaiwi, the celebrated Hawaiian monk seal, to remind us that yes, indeed, you can (and should) go home again, as two weeks ago she gave birth to her third little one on O`ahu’s Kaimana Beach. As has become the norm, people are urged to provide ample room for mom and pup to do their thing. With monk seals an endangered species, all new births are reasons to celebrate, even from a distance.

The nursing and early training window for monk seal keiki runs up to about seven weeks, so curious onlookers may peek, but also should saunter else to sunbathe and swim for now. And as everyone knows, you never wanna get between an animal mom and her new offspring.

It is reassuring when humans take a back seat and let nature do its thing as we try (sometimes) to live in harmony with the unique creatures we’re blessed with here. Leave the nēnē geese alone, hang back from approaching sea turtles… the requests are simple and valid.

Beginning on May 1, O`ahu overnight camping sites (including Bellows Beach) were shut down for the summer to ensure/secure unobstructed sea turtle nesting sites. While sea turtles elsewhere are rarely seen during the day, things are cool (or warm) enough here so that we do see our fair share of these magnificent creatures during daylight hours, and wafting in the waves. This opportunity provides for learning, mindfulness, respect, and caring for honu adults and keiki. Hmmm… if only we could do that more often with humans…   

Add in spinner dolphins, humpback whales, Hawaiian hoary bats (ōpe‘ape‘a), crested honeycreepers (akohekohe), Hawaiian hawks (io), and even Hawaiian tree snails- and we have a good number of endangered species. Our fragile ecosystem, which most here love and helps to make Hawai`i so special, must be treated with reverence for preservation purposes. 

So, here’s to Kaiwi at Kaimana and the honu hovering along our shorelines. Here’s to flying rarities and gentle swimming giants. Here’s a quack out to the koloa maoli (Hawaiian duck). They’re all components of what makes our environs unique, special, and sacred.

Think about it…

Inter- esting – MidWeek May 8, 2024

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You gotta ask stuff to keep the mind growing and going, especially as you get older. We all know people who think they know it all. I checked… they don’t. I also checked on something that’s simply never made sense to me: why do we have “interstates” in Hawai`i, the most isolated, unconnected, populated spot on Earth? Pretty sure we’re not latched to any other state, though I’m sure I could find yet one more ludicrous “news” website that claims there’s a secret tunnel to California.

It’s a fair question to ask why our so-called interstates are not labeled as “intra-states”. I’ve wondered for years, never actually bothering to find the simple, yet logical explanation. So as the school year winds down this month, here’s a history lesson and semi-scintillating breakdown that should remove any future queries as to why Hawai`i is home to interstates.

Hawai`i was admitted as the union’s 50th state on March 18, 1959. Looking at Hawai`i (and #49 Alaska), the Bureau of Public Roads (BPR) hierarchy identified possible in-state routes, utilizing “…the same criteria applied during a 1957 expansion of the Interstate System: national defense; system integration; service to industry, fishing, agriculture, mining, and forestry… and population” (U.S. Dept. of Transportation Federal Highway Administration). So, on the basis of BPR’s 1960 report to Congress, the interstate network statute subsequently no longer required that qualifying roads be located just in the continental U.S.

Our interstates are labeled H-1, H-2, and H-3 in contrast to interstates throughout the continent that begin with the letter “I” (“Interstate”). Alaskan interstates begin with “A”, and in Puerto Rico, they start with “PR”. H-3, our latest addition, was designated in December, 1997. A 4.1-mile slab of Moanalua Freeway was upgraded in 1990 without using Interstate Construction funds, and was not called H4, but rather is known as H-201. Huh? All of our interstate roads are “built to interstate standards”, according to the Dept. of Transportation.

So, thanks to former President Eisenhower, the BPR, and Congress (back in the halcyon days when it actually tried- and succeeded- in getting stuff done…) for our paid-for road reality here with H-1, H-2, H-3 (hike), and outlier H-201. Hawaii has almost 55-miles of interstate; Alaska has 1,082 miles; Puerto Rico has 250 miles.

Getting federal funds throughout the decades probably helped us remain “the Aloha State” as opposed to the “I’ll Owe Ya State”.

Think about it…

Academy Awards – MidWeek May 1, 2024

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We often hear about our public high schools when things aren’t going well. Too many students being taught by too few teachers, chronic absenteeism, stifling heat (still…) in classrooms, test scores stagnating or going down, annual concerns raised by legislators, Board of Education members and paid staff leaving… you’ve seen the headlines.

But have you heard about the Hawai`i Academies (HA)? It’s a partnership among 27 local, public high schools on five islands that aims to “…improve educational outcomes by implementing smaller learning communities through career academies”? The HA/Dept. of Education program began with just six schools in 2008. Workshops occur regularly as schools share information to make individual programs even better.

According to the Hawai`i Academies’ 2023/24 booklet, these smaller, real-life programs help raise kids’ grades, test scores, attendance, and graduation rates. The HA programs provides focus and consistency, which helps foment personal success for energized participants. Course offerings are diverse and future-focused. For example: 

‘Aiea High offerings include Academies in Health Sciences, Business, Culinary, Education, and Hospitality. Baldwin offers Digital Design, Computer Programming, and Sustainable Hospitality. Campbell has an Academy of Energy, Natural Resources, and Business. Kapa’a provides Health, Natural Resources, and Industrial Engineering Technology. McKinley offers Building & Construction. Hilo and Waiākea have student-run credit unions- for students! In conjunction with the DOE and Hawaii Pacific Health, Waipahu just opened its Academic Health Center, the first school-based health clinic in America!

HA entity represents more than incremental progress; it’s a marketable, thriving, success story that should be regularly acknowledged and loudly celebrated. You wanna talk about “growing our own”? Well, it’s happening via HA. I’ve actually witnessed the excitement in action at Kalaheo High through its Academy of Media & Design, where kids learn, innovate, and compete successfully at annual national competitions.  

Perhaps someday we’ll see this exemplary program expand to all 65 Hawai`i public high schools through more available resources and grants, with innovators, and individual school champions leading the charge. Greater sharing of best practices will further enhance the program as it continues to evolve and flourish. Getting teens excited and engaged in developing their own successes will propel them to become tomorrow’s local innovators, change-masters, ambassadors, and leaders. 

Amid the very real issues our public high schools face, big props to the Hawai`i Academies/DOE partnership. “My Voice, My Choice, My Future” is the HA mantra. And that future’s looking bright, indeed!

Think about it…

Animal Farce – MidWeek April 17, 2024

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I awaited my pick-up order at a well-known restaurant recently, one which serves patrons both inside and outside (with closed doors between); and what should I see just poking along, amid unfazed diners, but a chicken, a free bird. Well, she seemed to be free, as she had full range of the place, and no one seemed to care. Entertained diners even tossed scraps to the chicken.

I guess we’ve gotten so inured to the pesky presence of plucky poultry that we’ll apparently let them roam wherever they’d like. As I awaited my Thai Chicken phone order (seriously), I couldn’t help but think- someone should tie this chicken! But whatevah!

A day earlier, I was in a well-known supermarket and the person behind me in line was saying, “Sit! Sit”. Yes, of course, he was commanding a dog, a gorgeous golden retriever, friendly as they (almost) always are. We’ve had four goldens over the decades- truly, marvelous friends. But why a non-guide dog would be permitted inside yet another food establishment was beyond me. Perhaps the dog was guiding his owner to the gouda or brie; I don’t know, but at least the canine was on a leash. Alas, we’ve gone to the dogs.

As a fellow dog lover, folks I’ve wondered about are the friendly, neighborhood walkers or beachgoers who think that allowing their obedient pet free rein is just fine. Er… Hawai`i has a public property leash law, and there are valid reasons for that. When a heretofore friendly dog does something wrong (like say… bites someone or barks contentiously) we normally hear from the stunned owner that “he/she has never done that before!” Well, all it takes is once. You might consider your Fido to be a friendly sniffer, but perhaps it’s uncool when Fido’s cozying up to someone who (unbeknownst to you) has been bitten before or was once traumatized by a dog. So please, can’t we just (publicly) love ‘em and leash ‘em?

And then we have those wandering neighborhood cats, feline pets perusing our great outdoors, sometimes serenading us at 2am or digging in the dirt beneath our bedroom window at 4am. It’s a cat-astrophe… but perhaps these carousing kitties might (at least) scare off proliferating free birds clucking things up in far too many neighborhoods. Here’s to human appreciation for the sedate animal kingdom, but let’s keep ‘em under some control.

Think about it…

The ABCs of CBOs – MidWeek March 13, 2024

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Organizations that deal with crises all the time locally are facing crises not of their own making. The Hawai`i True Cost Coalition is comprised of more than 50 community-based organizations (CBOs) that annually serve over a half-million residents in Hawai`i. 

The Coalition is attempting to rectify the decades-old problem of government underfunding for government-based projects so that agencies can continue to provide support for victims of domestic abuse, housing for foster/at-risk youth and other low-income individuals/families, food distribution for those in need, elderly services, homeless outreach, mental health counselling… the list goes on and on. Pick a social problem, and odds are an agency dealing with it that that has to come up with its own funding due to government underpayment (and slow payment) for government-initiated programs.

It’s beyond unfair that local nonprofits must continue to have this financial burden placed upon them by archaic pay scales; the last few years (with COVID and the Maui wildfires) have made things even more difficult for so many agencies that so many rely on.

Full disclosure- I work at Aloha United Way, am involved with the True Cost Coalition, and thus help as a partner agency with Coalition members who are simply trying to make ends meet so that they can deliver social services so badly needed. If non-profit agencies cannot cover administrative and personnel costs to run government projects and programs, something’s gotta give… like services provided, having enough social workers available to do the work, etc. CBO-sourced grants and donations help, but the irony is that if non-profits must cut back services or close their doors, the onus to deal with social ills will invariably fall back on local government. Problems will compound, which will cost even more.

A 2022 survey of Hawai`i non-profits indicated that, in working on government contracts, 79% “always or often had to cut administrative costs”, 56% “always or often had to undercut staff salaries”, and 40% “…felt they may not be able to continue to operate in Hawai`i if government contracting challenges are not addressed”. Not good, not right.

The state has a budget crisis; that’s understood. But we’ll see disastrous, ripple effects if we experience a disappearance of or program cutbacks at efficient CBOs that help over 500,000 people locally because they are not being sufficiently funded by the very entities they contract with and who depend on them- the government.

Think about it…   

Weight; Gain – MidWeek March 31, 2021

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According to a recent American Psychological Association poll, 42% of Americans indicated that they’d gained “more weight than they intended” over the past year. Average weight gain? 29 pounds! Ouch… And 10% admitted to gaining 50+ pounds. Plus 33% polled said they’ve slept less during the pandemic; the potential for PTSD and other mental (as well as physical and emotional) disorders may linger long after the vaccination solution has calmed things down in the coming months.

Just over half the respondents in the APA poll said they are exercising less due to the pandemic and 68% said they are snacking more. Gotta do something when streaming and binge-watching, I guess. 

We all know that added weight, combined with general fatigue, anxiety, and less exercise over a prolonged period of time is a potentially toxic recipe for multiple health problems, so the question becomes just how quickly will affected people “recuperate” once things get back to something like our benign (in retrospect), pre-March-2020 local  lifestyle?

If you work for a large employer, there’s a chance that it offers a confidential Employee Assistance Program (EAP). If so, it’s worth making a call just to talk to someone, anonymously, without judgment. There is no shame in asking for advice, help, or a connection. Asking for help is actually a sign of strength as you come to grips with what’s gripping you during this abnormal time.

You, and everyone around you, can benefit if you’re willing to reach out. Call your health care provider or a local mental health entity to get direction and clarity. And please understand that you are most assuredly not alone. Anxiety, depression, hopelessness, helplessness- the COVID fallout list goes on. But there is hope and there are answers. Millions feel just like you do in this most cruel and unusual year of the pandemic, even now, with a possible end in sight (i.e. mass vaccinations).

Lack of exercise, energy, clarity, or the resources to resolve issues can be addressed and dealt with today. Or tomorrow. There’s no need to wait any longer. Give yourself a break; no need to tough it out- especially after 13-months. The State has a crisis line, and there are other avenues to travel down to find the relief that so many people deserve and need. Mental consternation? COVID blues? Weight gain? Eh, No wait.. gain answers.

Think about it… 

Shark Tales – MidWeek October 14, 2020

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There have been a number of shark sightings recently off of Waikiki’s Kaimana Beach. Reports indicated that sharks seen on October 3 were “not aggressive”.  Same thing on October 6. Huh? Was that meant to be reassuring, like go ahead… go tubing and thrashing because it’s OK, you won’t be perceived as chum.

The draw? There have been bait balls in the area, a term used to describe when small fish swim closely together to try and protect themselves from larger predators- like sharks. The low key reference to these beautiful, but often fearsome and fearless, creatures as “non-aggressive” relates to one’s individual perspective. To halalu baitfish (scad), this non-aggressive shark portrayal would be simply fake news. 

Humans often make their own choices in life. The mere concept of the word “shark” might give some pause before placing their torsos into the tranquil surf, adjacent to a visiting shark. Something about that dorsal fin in such close proximity could take the fun out of that planned, pleasure swim. When is a door not a door? When it’s ajar (get it- “a jar”). When is a shark not a shark? When it’s melancholy, I guess.  But if these cruising sharks became aggressive, descriptive adjectives would change to: unfriendly, hungry, lunch-seeking- or some other term of non-endearment.

And what clinically trained sharkologist rendered the definitive word for the media to anoint these reef sharks as non-aggressive? Perhaps these sharks were merely passive aggressive. Luckily, we haven’t found out over the past month of sightings, with warning signs properly posted and no unfortunate (human) incidents; no reef sharks have become “eek” sharks.

Multiple sharks feeding 25 yards offshore multiple times at the placid Sans Souci. Sans Souci is a name for the beach that goes back to 1884; it’s French for “without a care”. Well if these non-aggressive visitors keep returning, mellow as they seem, I’m just not sure that bathers will be swimming or frolicking without a care during “shark week(s)”.  

Nurse, leopard, angel, whale, thresher- there are numerous, non-aggressive shark types. In reality, fewer than 8% of the 300 shark species are a real danger to humans. Sharks worldwide kill an average of just four people (unprovoked) annually. And sharks locally can be considered an ancestor, or `aumakua. But I still think it’s best to observe these wily wonders of the water from a safe- and dry- distance.

Think about it…

What We Want – MidWeek October 7, 2020

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This column is not about the post-COVID-19 dreams; it’s not about politics or red, blue or purple states; it’s not about how naïve or radical “they” are. It’s a simple tale about partnership. A study was conducted a year ago by researcher Andrew Thomas of Swansea University in Wales whereby 2,700 college students from Western nations (Australia, Norway, United Kingdom) and Eastern countries (Singapore, Malaysia) were queried about what, exactly, they were looking for in a mate for life, otherwise known as pair-bonding.

It’s estimated that only 5% of mammals mate for life, as humankind is grouped in a small cluster with beavers, wolves, and even some bats, to name a few of our bonding brethren. You undoubtedly have your own list of life partner priorities, but according to psychology lecturer Thomas, the #1 priority for men and women, East and West, is kindness. 

Seems reasonable… after all, 45+ years to be spent with someone (ideally) requires work, and having a shared appreciation for kindness can work wonders, especially during those tough times. After kindness, men favored physical attractiveness while women chose a man’s propensity to be able to provide financially. But kindness was easily the #1 requisite trait, far more important than other attributes mentioned in the study like creativity, religiosity, chastity, desire for children, and humor. Amazingly, one’s air guitar prowess did not make the “most wanted” list. Huh? While there are surely nuances based on cultural differences, at the end of the day we all want to hang out with someone who’s kind- friendly, generous, warm, decent, understanding, accommodating, compassionate, and present. 

Researcher Thomas commented that “…it’s great that kindness is king and appears to be a human universal”. Ah, if only we saw more of that in the world in general today. The lack of every day kindness around us goes beyond looking for our eternal soulmate. But let’s not venture down that dark, partisan wormhole this week. We’ve all earned a column this week bereft of political partisanship, paranoia, patronizing provocation, and the petty polarization of America. And now, back to kindness…

Kindness assumes a sense of empathy, a trait lacking far too often in opinionated conversation these days. Forget whether or not it’s about mate-seeking, sincere kindness can make even bitter indignation or disappoint a bit easier to tolerate. Kindness- a simple concept with major repercussions. Try it on…

Think about it…

The New Reality – MidWeek September 30, 2020

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Slowly peeling back necessary restrictions is not going to save many local businesses hammered by the reality of seven months (so far) of COVID-19, plus quarantine, consumer wariness and weariness, costly safety measures, restrictive seating measures, minimal desire soon for large crowds at events, and sensible store traffic limitations.

We will not see local consumers rushing back to stores, malls, or restaurants soon. We will not see 10.4 million tourists visiting in 2021 or 2022. Estimates suggest that it could take five years, if we really want and get to that 2019 visitor count number again. What we need is creative collaboration, perhaps even unimaginable tax incentives and other lures to bring new business to Hawai`i. Hotels and tourist destinations will surely offer incentives soon. But how about local government working with the private sector to hopefully entice new business in the foreseeable future? Venture capital money is looking for opportunities, interest rates are low; now is the time to be entrepreneurial.

Some questioned metropolitan areas as they did backflips to convince Amazon to build its new headquarters (HQ2) in their towns. 238 cities bid, offering free land, community control, and property tax deferrals. One site purportedly offered to give Amazon employee’s state income taxes right back to Amazon! Crazy? Perhaps, but we are moving beyond “rainy day” options here as we look ahead six or 12 months. Rainy days? Prognostications indicate ground saturation and flooding. 

We need more higher-paying jobs and truly affordable housing for residents than we’ve seen over the past decade. Lots of talk for years, but little action. Tourism has been our gravy train; it’s now off the tracks. Unlike New Jersey, which offered Amazon about $7 billion to bring HQ2 there, we’re not looking to add residents, we’re just trying to keep residents from leaving in the coming years. 

Our exceedingly high cost of living and lack of quality jobs won’t permit a future of business as usual, and a vaccine won’t resolve our ongoing problems. In January, 2020, Aloha United Way (my employer) revealed that we had almost 200,000 Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed (ALICE) families in Hawai`i, a number also identified in AUW’s 2018 data. That was local reality pre-COVID-19. So let’s procure an East/West medical partnership, international space exploration facility, military adjunct, cybersecurity hub, science/technology expansion, ecotourism, media production facility, and/or alternate energy facilities? Or should we just wait?

Think about it… 

True Facts, Maybe – MidWeek September 16, 2020

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Those daily updates on the number of local COVID-19 cases are inaccurate. They represent official numbers- confirmed coronavirus cases. The Center of Disease Control (CDC), local medical prognosticators, and foreign studies indicate that the actual number of daily cases might be five to ten times greater than the daily confirmed and reported caseload. So if 220 cases here daily doesn’t cause you any concern, would you pay attention with 1,000 or 2,000 daily cases? Asymptomatic people (perhaps 80% of the cases) are less likely to get tested (since they feel OK) but can be so-called “super-spreaders”, so this invisible game of tag goes on. Estimates suggest that 20% of COVID-19 carriers are responsible for 80% of local virus transmissions. 

We will probably have the vaccines available by year end, but they might be just 50% effective. Flu vaccines annually are only about 50-60% effective. Yet even partially effective vaccines can mitigate virus impacts. Many people simply won’t get a vaccine… ever. Only 45% of Americans get the annual flu vaccine. And the people who do get a COVID-19 vaccine, do you think they’ll then assume they’ve acquired super-immunity status, and thus no longer adhere to rules about mask-wearing and social distancing? Not a smart idea. Plus, who knows how long any new vaccine’s effectiveness will last? Smallpox, polio, and measles vaccines provide long-lasting staying power. But only time will tell the efficacy of a single COVID-19 vaccination and if possible virus mutations down the road might necessitate annual vaccines.

We obviously need to do a better job here quarantining confirmed patients. Sending a pre-symptomatic or asymptomatic coronavirus patient home where others live is a possible ticking time bomb. Good luck segregating completely in Hawai`i with so many postage stamp-sized units, multiple generations in single houses, and neighbors living so close by that you not only hear them, but you can identify the song they’re singing in the shower.

The reality is- we’re tired. Many locally have done their best to isolate and do it all- working, parenting, providing, Zooming, creating- and they’re ready to come out and play. But don’t. COVID-19 is an insidious insider, takes no vacations, mandates no time off, and doesn’t sleep at night. Stay connected digitally, but don’t let your guard down. The “he’s a good guy”/“she’s probably safe” logic is problematic and underestimates how surreptitious this invisible droplet villain really is.

Think about it…