honoluluadvertiser.com

Sponsored by:

Comment, blog & share photos

Log in | Become a member
The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Thursday, January 17, 2002

THE LEFT LANE
Honolulu's sweet honor

The Hershey Corp. has named Honolulu one of "America's 50 Sweet Spots," in a survey commissioned by the company to recognize communities nationwide that are clean, safe, family-friendly and big on volunteerism.

Our city rated a sugary 19, between Portland, Maine, and Los Angeles. "Honolulu exemplifies the best that our country represents," said Bert Sperling, creator of Money magazine's annual "Best Places To Live" list and compiler of the Hershey list, in a vague "insert-your-Sweet-city-here" press release. "A place where people take the time to care for one another with random acts of sweetness."

Selected sweet spots are also cities boasting "high per-capita spending on fun, recreational and family activities and are the backdrop of frequent parades and celebrations that bring families together."

Check out Hershey's Sweet Spots list at hersheys.com.

— Derek Paiva, Advertiser staff writer

Read about 'Rings'

To herald the film version of J.R.R. Tolkien's "The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring," two new books are available:

  • "The Lord of the Rings: Official Movie Guide," by Brian Sibley, is the authorized tome, liberally illustrated with photos, chronicling the cult favorite from book to script. It's a good read, answering questions about the ambitious project, the first of three planned by New Line Cinema (Houghton Mifflin; $14.95 paperback, $24.95 hardcover).
  • "The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring Visual Companion," by Jude Fisher, provides a bonanza of photos and explains the origins of the Free Peoples of Middle Earth (Houghton Mifflin; $19.95 hardcover).

Beat the Oscar rush by latching onto copies now.

— Wayne Harada, Advertiser entertainment editor

Academy galleries open

The Honolulu Academy of Arts opens a renovated suite of galleries for Indian, Indonesian and Southeast Asian art today, spotlighting one of the fastest-growing departments in the Asian collection.

In the meantime, the academy has an ideal — if somewhat green — greeter in place. It happily accepted a ficus tree from Central Pacific Bank. The tree has special significance because, according to legend, it was under such a tree that Buddha was said to have attained enlightenment.

The tree, moved from the bank's Mo'ili'ili branch to the academy's Garden Courtyard Jan. 6, was donated in honor of Sakae Takahashi, one of CPB's founders.

The opening of the renovated galleries starts a yearlong celebration of the academy's 75th anniversary.

— Advertiser staff