ISLAND LIFE SHORTS
Dragon seed
Advertiser Staff
Pam Chun, whose novel "The Money Dragon" has been a Hawai'i best seller and winner of a 2003 Ka Palapala Po'okela Award, will give a presentation at the Smithsonian Institution today, sponsored by the museum's Asian Pacific American Program and the Hawai'i State Society. Chun's book is based on the colorful and controversial life of her great-grandfather, Lau Ah Leong, who was one of the richest men of his day and left a legacy of stories and secrets that persist into the third generation. Information: www.apa.si.edu. Also interesting is Chun's Web page on the Authors Guild site: www.members.authorsguild.net/pamchun.
No carb-on copy
Cool name. Timely idea.
People are getting their first sips of Coca-Cola C2, a new cola with half the carbs, half the calories and half the sugar of regular Coke. The rollout began in late May when Coke gave away cases of C2 to its employees, hoping to generate a buzz. The new stuff has 70 calories and 18 grams of carbohydrate (all from sugar) per cup; a cup of Classic Coke has 140 calories and 39 grams of carbs. A can, though, is a cup and a half. Just for comparison: The Atkins plan "induction phase" limits carbs to 20 grams a day and the maintenance phase discourages any sugar carbs.
Check out TV's new cool million
Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban's Blogmaverick.com site gives a sneak peek of "The Benefactor," the reality show in which one contestant will win $1 million from Cuban.
The site includes a one-minute, 34-second video glimpse of the show that ABC has scheduled to run for at least eight episodes this fall before "Monday Night Football."
In a message on the Web site, Cuban says there is nothing more fun than handing someone a check for $1 million "and watching that person fall over on the floor and not be able to stand up."
At the end of the promo, Cuban takes a soft jab at Donald Trump's "The Apprentice," telling a trio of puzzled grade-schoolers: "I'm going to come back next week and choose one of you to run one of my companies. OK?"
