Samantha Buller art

Notice of upcoming Hawaii County Council Meetings and a Real Property Tax Rate Public Hearing:

Committees on Tuesday, May 4, 2010 (Times TBA)  and regular Council meeting at 9 a.m., May 5, 2010 at the Sheraton Keauhou Bay Resort & Spa In Kona

Council Public Hearing On Real Property Tax Rates at 5 p.m., Monday, May 17, 2010,at the Hawaii County Council Room at 25 Aupuni Street in Hilo

Committees on Tuesday, May 18, 2010 (Times TBA)  and regular Council meeting at 9 a.m., May 19, 2010 at the Hawaii County Council Room at 25 Aupuni Street in Hilo

The proposed O'oma Beachside Village is described as "a diverse residential, coastal community" and a "mixed-use shoreline community," with up to 1,200 residences and 300 commercial spaces.

O'oma Beachside Village has filed Petition for District Boundary Amendment with State Land Use Commission, which will be heard Wednesday, May 5, 2010 at the King Kamehameha Kona Beach Hotel

The State Land Use Commission (LUC) will decide at a 9 a.m., Wednesday, May 5, 2010 meeting at King Kamehameha Kona Beach Hotel Hotel whether 200 acres of coastal O`oma will  be reclassified from conservation to urban. The reclassification would make way for 1200-plus residences and 300 commercial spaces being pitched as a “diverse residential, coastal community” called O’oma Beachside Village. (See O’oma Beach Village master plan.)

Many Kona residents maintain that O`oma’s environmental, cultural, social, economic, and recreational value can only be protected if O`oma retans its current state Conservation classification.

The National Park Service has reportedly intervened on to protect O`oma from being developed.

Folks like David Kimo Frankel have publicly stated that O’oma “provides absolutely no public benefits whatsoever” and have called for the preservation of coastal open space.   I urge residents to state here what they think about the plan to develop O’oma into a beachside village, along with the counter response for the coastline to be preserved.

Image courtesy of Catherine Tarleton

(Media release) — Queens’ MarketPlace celebrates the fun, time-honored tradition of May Day, Lei Day in Hawai‘i, on Saturday, May 1, 2010.  Visitors to the springtime festivities can experience colorful Hawaiian culture through the artistry of master lei-makers presenting their works of “living art” from noon to 6 p.m.  And then, the spotlight shines on Hawaiian music and hula in the Waikoloa Bowl at Queens’ Gardens, as some of the Big Island’s favorite dancers and entertainers take the stage.

Throughout the day, May Day entertainment and activities are open to visitors and residents alike: lei-making, keiki hula,coconut frond weaving, lei contest, lei demonstrations and entertainment by Hālau Na Pua O Uluhaimalama—Kumu Hula Emery Aceret, Rolinda Bean, The Kupuka‘as, Darlene Ahuna and the coronation of the May Day Queen at the Coronation Pavilion.

The performance, or hō‘ike, “Liko Ka Palapalai” directed by Kumu Keala Ching proudly presents a fabulous selection of Hawai‘i music, hula and song, starring great entertainers like John Keawe, Olomana, Frank K. Hewett, Kumu Hula Ula Hewett, Kainani Kahaunaele, Aunty Diana Aki and more.  Keiki from ‘Aha Pūnana Leo Hawaiian immersion school will perform, and dancers from Ka Pā Hula Nā Wai Iwi Ola, Na Lei O Kaholoku and Beamer-Solomon Hālau O Po‘ohala grace the stage with hula under the stars. Read the rest of this entry »

Labyrinth mage courtesy of Kate Kealani Winter

Dear ones,

Did you know we have a labyrinth at the Episcopal Church in Kealakekua?  It waits on the hill next to the Queen Emma building mauka of the parking lot. Thanks to Jane Mowry, we have a wonderful place for this spiritual practice.  I walk it often, especially at full moon.

A labyrinth has a single (unicursal) path that is walked in order to enhance physical, psychological, or spiritual wellbeing. The American Cancer Society states that walking labyrinths “may be helpful as a complementary method to decrease stress and create a state of relaxation.”

The first Saturday in May has been established as World Labyrinth Day, a global day of celebration for labyrinths. Falling on May 1 this year, enthusiasts around the globe are invited to “Walk as One at 1pm” by walking a labyrinth at 1 p.m. in local time zones, creating a wave of well-being flowing around the world. Read the rest of this entry »

Image courtesy of lovingthebigisland weblog

Aloha Community Members and Stakeholders,

We invite you to join us at a Community Meeting to share information and to provide input to assist the Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR), Division of State Parks, in their preparation of a Master Plan Update and an Environmental Impact Statement for the Kealakekua Bay State Historical Park.

The Master Plan will address the long-term use and management of the Park. The desired outcome for this meeting will be that all community members are informed of the current status of the Master Plan, and also to gather community input on preliminary Master Plan alternatives.

Date: Saturday, May 1, 2010

Time: 1p.m. – 3:30 p.m. Read the rest of this entry »

My Art Man Painting courtesy of layoutsparks.com

By Dr. Thomas Burnett

I think I have seen only one white person in my life outside a morgue. I’m kinda pink myself. I happen to have a white shirt on and I’m certainly not that color. You’d think WHITE supremacists would be covered in white tattoos….but they are covered, sometimes head-to-toe in BLACK tattoos which say how superior it is to be white. You have to guess they are white under all that black ink.

To me it’s simple. They are too stupid to understand irony. I know some pretty smart black people, too. They have black tattoos. If you can see the tattoo, the person isn’t black. If you can’t, you don’t know what the tat is about. I suspect they are undercover white supremacists. Read the rest of this entry »

Image courtesy of extremestealthgrows.com

(Media release) — Big Island police have arrested a Waikoloa man in connection with a robbery of medical marijuana plants in Waimea last week.

South Kohala patrol officers arrested 21-year-old Michael Bonelli on Sunday (April 25) on suspicion of robbery. Bonelli was also arrested for an unrelated investigation of unauthorized entry into a motor vehicle.

A 38-year-old Kamuela man reported that he returned home after his morning walk Thursday morning, April 22, 2010 to find a male intruder, who threatened him with physical harm and removed two medical marijuana plants from his house.

Bonelli is being held in the Kona police cellblock while detectives from the Area II Criminal Investigations Section continue both investigations.
(Submitted by Hawaii Police Department via Nixle.)

Hydroelectric system image courtesy of energybible.com

Richard Ha will speak about “Geothermal and Peak Oil” at a Sierra Club meeting Wednesday, April 28, 2010,  at the Ola’a Community Center in Kea’au. (across from McDonald’s,) A potluck at 5:30 p.m. will precede the meeting slated for 6 p.m.. Ha had the large banana farm in the Kea’au area before becoming the Hamakua tomato farm producer he is today.

Geothermal power plant image courtesy of solarpowernotes.com

(See Hamakua Springs Country Farms here.) He has been attending sustainability conferences on mainland. He is known to be developing hydro electricity on his farm, and involving workers on his farm in more co-op way.

Hawaiian royalty will reign at the 'Ku I Ka Mana' May Day Celebration at Kealakehe High School at 6:30 p.m., Thursday, April 29, 2010. Nancy Lee Chong Hawaiian flag quilt image courtesy of womenfolk.com

(Media release) — King Nerony Slade, son of Matthew and Corinna Slade; and Queen Kilihea Inaba, daughter of Don and Kawehi Inaba, will reign as Hawaiian royalty at Kealakehe High School’s annual evening May Day Cultural Celebration. The event, open to the public, will be held on Thursday, April 29, in the school’s gymnasium.

This year’s program, entitled, “Ku I Ka Mana” will start at 6:30 p.m.  Come early to visit our vendors. Admission is $3.

This will be a great family event and the community is invited to attend and experience the excitement and creativity that exudes from the students of Kealakehe High School.

(Submitted by Sharon Sakai.)

Emmanuel "Bob" Niihau Jr.

(Media release) — A 58-year-old Kona man has been charged with three offenses in connection with the double stabbing in Kona on Saturday night, April 24, 2010.

At 2 p.m., today, Monday, April 26, detectives from the Area II Criminal Investigations Section charged Emmanuel Niihau Jr. of Kailua-Kona with first-degree assault, second-degree assault and first-degree terroristic threatening.

His bail was set at $35,000. He remains in custody at the Kona police cellblock pending his initial court appearance.

Niihau also goes by the name Bob Niihau.

(Submitted by Hawaii Police Department via Nixle.)

Image courtesy of Fast Company

By Rod Thompson

I am disturbed, to put it mildly, by an advertisement in yesterday’s (Sunday, April 25) Hawaii Tribune-Herald, which masquerades as a news article. Advertisements generally try to manipulate people, and the ethical thing to do with an ad is to give clear warning that it is not news.

The page A7 article with the headline “Latest and Greatest!” does indeed have a single word above it:  “Advertisement.” The word is in gray lettering, as opposed to the black lettering of the advertisement, and the word is in smaller type than the type in the article.

When I say, “the ethical thing to do,” I mean there are established ethical standards banning this kind of thing in journalism. Here are some examples in which I have put key words (in my opinion) in boldface.

From the New York Times code of ethics:  “Advertising and ‘advertorials’ (paid text or paid broadcast content) must not resemble news content.” http://www.nytco.com/press/ethics.html#A7

From an Online Journalism Review article by Robert Niles: “The old rule: There must be a wall between advertising and editorial.” Read the rest of this entry »

Image courtesy of Shane DeWeese

Aloha Tiff:
We had an excellent turnout for today’s football game at Hawn Bchs Park. Our visitors from Panaewa, Wailoa, Waiakea, Keaukaha, & our Puna Panthers were very impressed with the look of the maintainence of Hawn Bchs Park. We had players from each team, parents, grandparents, aunties & uncles attending the games.

We had approx 1500 people in attendance. We ran out of food to sell for the visitors & our home team. Win or lose our teams are all winners. I couldn’t believe the turnout we had. We also had Pastor Allen to say the blessing for our home game; Hunter Bishop was so impressed about the big crowd & how the park looked.

The team & the parents & all the attendants were nothing but smiles. We had beautiful weather & we had tents set up all over the place. Unbelieveable! Thank you for supporting our Puna Panthers in your blog. Our next home game will be May 23rd at Hawaiian Beachs Park again. Read the rest of this entry »

(Media release) — A Kona man is in police custody in connection with a double stabbing in Kona on Saturday night, April 24, 2010.

Police responded to a 7:41 call reporting the stabbing at Kahalu’u Beach Park. A 41-year-old Kailua-Kona woman and a 51-year-old Kailua-Kona man had been with friends in a pavilion in the park when an argument ensued. During the argument, the woman was stabbed in the back. When the man went to her aid, he was stabbed in the right side.  The man with the knife fled the scene.  Both victims were taken to Kona Community Hospital. The male victim was treated for his wound and released. The female victim remains at the hospital in guarded condition. Read the rest of this entry »

“Our vision is to extend the program so that it will eventually reach thousands of schools, fostering in the next generation of world leaders the capacity to ask the key questions, to articulate their vision of a sustainable future, and to ground that vision in a science-based methodology.”

— Mathis Wackernagel, president of Global Footprint Network and co-creator of Ecological Footprint

(Media release) — Hawaii Preparatory Academy, one of the premier boarding/day schools in Hawaii, and Global Footprint Network of Oakland, California, announced their partnership to launch Footprint Futures, a student-driven program, to develop more ambitious sustainability targets than those reached at the 2009 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen.  The partnership is hoped to initiate a conversation in schools and their circles of influence.

The announcement was made during Hawaii Preparatory Academy’s recent grand opening celebration for the Energy Lab, a “living” building that is a prototype for buildings of the future. The Energy Lab is a submitted LEED Platinum candidate and a participant in the Living Building Challenge. Read the rest of this entry »