Posted on: Saturday, May 17, 2008
Apologies, smog and pilikia fill the air as we flashback on the week's news that amused and confused:
Duane "Dog" Chapman survived the fallout from his racist tirade against his son's black girlfriend, and the bounty hunter will be back on A&E July 16. What a year: our first black nominee for president and a big network wink at the n-word.
Kamehameha Schools will pay to send 700 Hawaiian kindergartners it can't accommodate to other top private schools. If the keiki have to get outsourced, this sure beats India.
City Council members Rod Tam and Ann Kobayashi want to ban homeless people from hanging out at bus stops. What are they supposed to do for transitional housing until the rail stations are built?
Suffocating vog settled over the Islands as tradewinds weakened. I knew it was too much to hope the haze would lift when the Legislature adjourned.
Gov. Linda Lingle and the Board of Education are locked in a squabble over who pays for teacher drug tests scheduled to begin next month. They could teach the kids about childish games.
Lingle is giving monthly awards to recognize innovation. They'll mean a lot coming from someone whose idea of innovative politics was appointing Bev Harbin to the state House.
The city began dismantling an emergency sewer pipe that ran along the Ala Wai for two years. Residents are glad to have the sidewalk back, but they'll miss waving goodbye to their excreta as it heads out to sea.
Economist Leroy Laney painted a dim outlook for Hawai'i with the loss of airlines, cruise ships, construction, imports and Japanese visitors. Let me guess — the good news is he saved a bundle on his car insurance.
Law enforcers converged on 'Iolani Palace grounds to evict self-styled Hawaiian monarch Mahealani Kahau after she entered an office building to see if she had mail. If she gets a FedEx package, they'll send tanks.
Sen. Daniel Inouye is the lone holdout in Hawai'i's congressional delegation backing Hillary Clinton over Barack Obama. Seniority has its privileges, but it seems picking the president isn't one of them.
And the quote of the week ... from Lt. Gov. James "Duke" Aiona, on new guidelines that ban sugary and fatty foods from public schools: "This is a significant step forward in developing lifelong healthy living habits among our children."
If they're taught to read well enough to decipher nutrition labels, they'll be all set.
David Shapiro's columns are archived at www.volcanicash.net. Read his daily blog at www.volcanicash.honadvblogs.com.
David Shapiro, a veteran Hawai'i journalist, can be reached by e-mail at dave@volcanicash.net. His columns are archived at www.volcanicash.net. Read his daily blog at blogs.honoluluadvertiser.com.
