Thursday, December 28, 2006
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Wednesday, December 13, 2006
Ten Newspaper Design Myths, Debunked
http://www.poynter.org/content/content_view.asp?id=4091
10 Universal Newspaper Design Myths, Debunked
By Mario Garcia (more by author) Poynter Affiliate
E-mail this item Print this Page Add/View Comments on this Article (1)
My diary entries contain travelogues, agendas, and occasionally, the graffiti of design myths. I always write these myths in red, to make sure I do not forget them. I must have more than 150 that I have listed during 20 years of traveling, but there are 10 that have become the "Super Myths," those that transcend nationalities, ethnicity, or language. I offer them as a checklist to see how many of them are part of your own myth repertoire:
1. Don't run headlines next to each other. "Bumping headlines" should be ranked as the No. 1 design myth, especially in the United States. I am certain that more time is spent in newsrooms everywhere designing pages that avoid headlines coming together than actually writing better headlines. As a veteran of hundreds of focus groups that were shown pages with headlines that sometimes bumped, I have yet to hear a reader anywhere echo the complaint about "bumping headlines." Of course, I am not an advocate of bumped headlines. However, I am suggesting that we should not spend unnecessary time and effort avoiding what seems to affect no one but the editor and his old journalism school professor.
2. Readers don't like reversed out type. Well, many editors don't. And I am sure that readers would probably find it unusual and hard to read if an entire article were set in white type against a black or color background. However, a few lines of a quote or a highlight set against a dark background will not affect legibility as long as the type size is larger than normal and the interline spacing is adequate.
3. Color must be introduced slowly. Life is in color. Attempts at a slow introduction of color in a newspaper that may have been entirely black and white for years are quite exaggerated. In this regard, one must respect the editors' knowledge of their own communities and their readers' ability to assimilate change. However, my own experience has been that color is almost always extremely well received, and that readers in most communities no longer attach the label of "less serious" to newspapers that print in color. Specifically with 25- to 35-year-old readers, color is an expectation more than an abomination. What is important, and this must be emphasized, is that color use be appropriate for the newspaper and its community.
4. Italics are difficult to read. I have heard this more than 500 times, from South America to South Africa, and in Malaysia, too! Every editor seems to have a built-in catalog of anecdotes to illustrate why italics should never be used. They are supposed to be "feminine"; therefore, why use them in the macho sports section? They are "strange" to the reader and imply soft news, as opposed to hard news, so relegate them to the gardening page. And, last, italics slow down the reading, so avoid them in text. The truth? Italics are unisex. A feature in sports can wear italics well, but so can that souffle story in the food section. The soft-versus-hard implication is an American phenomenon, I must admit. A banner headline in a strong italic font played large will be able to do the job as well as a Roman headline. Size and boldness and the distinction of the type used are more significant than whether the type is italic. Contrast italics with Roman type, or bolder or lighter type nearby, and they make that souffle rise on the page. Add them as a secondary line under a classic Roman face, and there is music on the page. Give the name on the byline an italic touch, and somehow the visual rhythm of the text may be altered for the better.
5. Don't mix color and black-and-white photos or graphics on the same page. Never once have I heard a reader complain about this special cocktail of mixed black-and-white and color images. The designer's task is to select the best possible images, regardless of color, and display them properly on the page following a hierarchy that indicates where the eye should go first, second, and third. The color versus black-and-white issue becomes quite secondary to the content of the images, their placement on the page, and the role of the images in the overall design.
6. Don't interrupt the flow of text. Magazines have been using quotes, highlights, and other text breakers for years. However, place one of these devices in the text of many newspapers and you will find a chorus of editors repeating the same verse: Any interruption of text causes the reader to stop reading. I have found no evidence of this in the many focus groups I have observed or in The Poynter Institute's own EYE-TRAC Research. (EYE-TRAC scientifically documented how color, text, graphics, and photos direct a reader's eyes around a newspaper page.) Of course, interruptions can become obstacle courses if: - One places a 24-line quote across 12 picas, forcing the reader to jump over text; or - One places the breaker in such a strategic position that the reader will not jump over it, but assumes instead that he should move across to the adjacent column. So length of the interruption and its placement determine legibility factors. Any interruption that requires more than a 2-1/2 inch jump should be reconsidered.
7. Readers prefer justified type over ragged-right type. The myth is that ragged-right type implies "soft" or feature material, while justified type represents serious hard news. This, too, is only in the minds of editors and some designers. There is no evidence of the truth to this perception. If newspapers had always set all their text ragged right, readers would have accepted that style. Ragged-right type can change the rhythm on the page, even when used for short texts or for columnists. Its use incorporates white space, which is always needed, and allows for more appropriate letter spacing within and between words. Some research has confirmed that the presence of ragged right speeds up reading.
8. Story count counts. One must have, says this myth, a minimum of five stories on the front page. Well, it is seven in some newspapers, and 11 in others. Story count is a state of mind; it should not be a formula. No two days in the news are alike for the editor putting together Page One. On certain days, one big story may equal four, or even seven, small ones. Sometimes a photo may carry the weight of 10 stories, and so on. Individual elements are what count, not a systematic formula that forces elements to satisfy a quota on the page. What do we know about story count and Page One? Well, the front page is still the face of the newspaper and must display not only the day's news but promote the best content inside. More is definitely better than less, and index items, promo boxes, and even standalone photos are all part of what makes the eye move. Readers in focus groups do not count stories. Eye movement - activity on the canvas of the page - is what counts. How one makes the readers' eyes move can be determined by factors that are not necessarily associated with the mythical story counts that editors are subjected to.
9. Leave things in the same place every day. For many editors, a Page One or a section front with static elements (promos at the top, left-hand column of briefs, etc.) provides a sort of teddy bear to embrace when they come to work every day. So, in typical fashion, editors always ask for the teddy bears. There is no truth to the myth that readers want these elements exactly in the same places every day. I prefer to experiment with "teddy bears on roller skates" - let the promo boxes appear differently from day to day. Some days use one promo only, some days use three promos. Surprise the reader with promos that run vertically on Tuesday, but horizontally on Wednesday.
10. The lead story must always appear on the right-hand side of the page. Editors seem sure of this, but nobody bothered to tell the readers. To them, the lead story is the one with the biggest and boldest headline, whether it is to the right or the left. Of course, hierarchy is important. No myth here. One definitive lead must appear on the page to guide the reader, but its appearance, as long as it is above the fold, becomes inconsequential. Why the myths? Well, what would newspapers be without them? Meetings would be shorter, and less argumentative, especially if there was no "italics" myth. Who creates the myths? Like the games children play, nobody knows where these myths start. Children teach each other games in the schoolyard; professors pass on myths to their innocent charges in journalism school. Then those myths gain momentum when the rookie journalist hears the same myth glorified by his veteran editor, and so on. What can one do about myths? Select the ones you really want to do battle over, then wrestle the myth promoter to the ground. Sometimes you win.
10 Universal Newspaper Design Myths, Debunked
By Mario Garcia (more by author) Poynter Affiliate
E-mail this item Print this Page Add/View Comments on this Article (1)
My diary entries contain travelogues, agendas, and occasionally, the graffiti of design myths. I always write these myths in red, to make sure I do not forget them. I must have more than 150 that I have listed during 20 years of traveling, but there are 10 that have become the "Super Myths," those that transcend nationalities, ethnicity, or language. I offer them as a checklist to see how many of them are part of your own myth repertoire:
1. Don't run headlines next to each other. "Bumping headlines" should be ranked as the No. 1 design myth, especially in the United States. I am certain that more time is spent in newsrooms everywhere designing pages that avoid headlines coming together than actually writing better headlines. As a veteran of hundreds of focus groups that were shown pages with headlines that sometimes bumped, I have yet to hear a reader anywhere echo the complaint about "bumping headlines." Of course, I am not an advocate of bumped headlines. However, I am suggesting that we should not spend unnecessary time and effort avoiding what seems to affect no one but the editor and his old journalism school professor.
2. Readers don't like reversed out type. Well, many editors don't. And I am sure that readers would probably find it unusual and hard to read if an entire article were set in white type against a black or color background. However, a few lines of a quote or a highlight set against a dark background will not affect legibility as long as the type size is larger than normal and the interline spacing is adequate.
3. Color must be introduced slowly. Life is in color. Attempts at a slow introduction of color in a newspaper that may have been entirely black and white for years are quite exaggerated. In this regard, one must respect the editors' knowledge of their own communities and their readers' ability to assimilate change. However, my own experience has been that color is almost always extremely well received, and that readers in most communities no longer attach the label of "less serious" to newspapers that print in color. Specifically with 25- to 35-year-old readers, color is an expectation more than an abomination. What is important, and this must be emphasized, is that color use be appropriate for the newspaper and its community.
4. Italics are difficult to read. I have heard this more than 500 times, from South America to South Africa, and in Malaysia, too! Every editor seems to have a built-in catalog of anecdotes to illustrate why italics should never be used. They are supposed to be "feminine"; therefore, why use them in the macho sports section? They are "strange" to the reader and imply soft news, as opposed to hard news, so relegate them to the gardening page. And, last, italics slow down the reading, so avoid them in text. The truth? Italics are unisex. A feature in sports can wear italics well, but so can that souffle story in the food section. The soft-versus-hard implication is an American phenomenon, I must admit. A banner headline in a strong italic font played large will be able to do the job as well as a Roman headline. Size and boldness and the distinction of the type used are more significant than whether the type is italic. Contrast italics with Roman type, or bolder or lighter type nearby, and they make that souffle rise on the page. Add them as a secondary line under a classic Roman face, and there is music on the page. Give the name on the byline an italic touch, and somehow the visual rhythm of the text may be altered for the better.
5. Don't mix color and black-and-white photos or graphics on the same page. Never once have I heard a reader complain about this special cocktail of mixed black-and-white and color images. The designer's task is to select the best possible images, regardless of color, and display them properly on the page following a hierarchy that indicates where the eye should go first, second, and third. The color versus black-and-white issue becomes quite secondary to the content of the images, their placement on the page, and the role of the images in the overall design.
6. Don't interrupt the flow of text. Magazines have been using quotes, highlights, and other text breakers for years. However, place one of these devices in the text of many newspapers and you will find a chorus of editors repeating the same verse: Any interruption of text causes the reader to stop reading. I have found no evidence of this in the many focus groups I have observed or in The Poynter Institute's own EYE-TRAC Research. (EYE-TRAC scientifically documented how color, text, graphics, and photos direct a reader's eyes around a newspaper page.) Of course, interruptions can become obstacle courses if: - One places a 24-line quote across 12 picas, forcing the reader to jump over text; or - One places the breaker in such a strategic position that the reader will not jump over it, but assumes instead that he should move across to the adjacent column. So length of the interruption and its placement determine legibility factors. Any interruption that requires more than a 2-1/2 inch jump should be reconsidered.
7. Readers prefer justified type over ragged-right type. The myth is that ragged-right type implies "soft" or feature material, while justified type represents serious hard news. This, too, is only in the minds of editors and some designers. There is no evidence of the truth to this perception. If newspapers had always set all their text ragged right, readers would have accepted that style. Ragged-right type can change the rhythm on the page, even when used for short texts or for columnists. Its use incorporates white space, which is always needed, and allows for more appropriate letter spacing within and between words. Some research has confirmed that the presence of ragged right speeds up reading.
8. Story count counts. One must have, says this myth, a minimum of five stories on the front page. Well, it is seven in some newspapers, and 11 in others. Story count is a state of mind; it should not be a formula. No two days in the news are alike for the editor putting together Page One. On certain days, one big story may equal four, or even seven, small ones. Sometimes a photo may carry the weight of 10 stories, and so on. Individual elements are what count, not a systematic formula that forces elements to satisfy a quota on the page. What do we know about story count and Page One? Well, the front page is still the face of the newspaper and must display not only the day's news but promote the best content inside. More is definitely better than less, and index items, promo boxes, and even standalone photos are all part of what makes the eye move. Readers in focus groups do not count stories. Eye movement - activity on the canvas of the page - is what counts. How one makes the readers' eyes move can be determined by factors that are not necessarily associated with the mythical story counts that editors are subjected to.
9. Leave things in the same place every day. For many editors, a Page One or a section front with static elements (promos at the top, left-hand column of briefs, etc.) provides a sort of teddy bear to embrace when they come to work every day. So, in typical fashion, editors always ask for the teddy bears. There is no truth to the myth that readers want these elements exactly in the same places every day. I prefer to experiment with "teddy bears on roller skates" - let the promo boxes appear differently from day to day. Some days use one promo only, some days use three promos. Surprise the reader with promos that run vertically on Tuesday, but horizontally on Wednesday.
10. The lead story must always appear on the right-hand side of the page. Editors seem sure of this, but nobody bothered to tell the readers. To them, the lead story is the one with the biggest and boldest headline, whether it is to the right or the left. Of course, hierarchy is important. No myth here. One definitive lead must appear on the page to guide the reader, but its appearance, as long as it is above the fold, becomes inconsequential. Why the myths? Well, what would newspapers be without them? Meetings would be shorter, and less argumentative, especially if there was no "italics" myth. Who creates the myths? Like the games children play, nobody knows where these myths start. Children teach each other games in the schoolyard; professors pass on myths to their innocent charges in journalism school. Then those myths gain momentum when the rookie journalist hears the same myth glorified by his veteran editor, and so on. What can one do about myths? Select the ones you really want to do battle over, then wrestle the myth promoter to the ground. Sometimes you win.
Tuesday, December 12, 2006
Christmas Every Day
William Dean Howells wrote what would happen.
THE little girl came into her papa's study, as she always did Saturday morning before breakfast, and asked for a story. He tried to beg off that morning, for he was very busy, but she would not let him. So he began:
"Well, once there was a little pig--"
She stopped him at the word. She said she had heard little pig-stories till she was perfectly sick of them.
"Well, what kind of story shall I tell, then?"
"About Christmas. It's getting to be the season."
"Well!" Her papa roused himself. "Then I'll tell you about the little girl that wanted it Christmas every day in the year. How would you like that?"
"First-rate!" said the little girl; and she nestled into comfortable shape in his lap, ready for listening.
"Very well, then, this little pig--Oh, what are you pounding me for?"
"Because you said little pig instead of little girl."
"I should like to know what's the difference between a little pig and a little girl that wanted it Christmas every day!"
"Papa!" said the little girl warningly. At this her papa began to tell the story.
THE little girl came into her papa's study, as she always did Saturday morning before breakfast, and asked for a story. He tried to beg off that morning, for he was very busy, but she would not let him. So he began:
"Well, once there was a little pig--"
She stopped him at the word. She said she had heard little pig-stories till she was perfectly sick of them.
"Well, what kind of story shall I tell, then?"
"About Christmas. It's getting to be the season."
"Well!" Her papa roused himself. "Then I'll tell you about the little girl that wanted it Christmas every day in the year. How would you like that?"
"First-rate!" said the little girl; and she nestled into comfortable shape in his lap, ready for listening.
"Very well, then, this little pig--Oh, what are you pounding me for?"
"Because you said little pig instead of little girl."
"I should like to know what's the difference between a little pig and a little girl that wanted it Christmas every day!"
"Papa!" said the little girl warningly. At this her papa began to tell the story.
Monday, December 11, 2006
A Brief Descent into Vulgarity
Defintion five of the entry for "hard-on" at UrbanDictionary.com
5.
hard-on
13 up, 16 down
(alternate spelling of hardon)1. An erection 2. A problemAlthough definition 1 is far more common, 2 is occasionally used. It is used with "for", as in "Having a hard-on for..." It implies an unhealthy fixation, and it is pejorative, in that (obviously) it implies a homoerotic obsession.
Ever since I got Jim fired, he's had a real hard-on for me.Stop picking on him! Why do you have such a hard-on for him anyway, dude?
by pimpassamir Aug 16, 2004 email it
---------------
What would Alicublog do without Rod Dreher or Ilind without Ed Case?
5.
hard-on
13 up, 16 down
(alternate spelling of hardon)1. An erection 2. A problemAlthough definition 1 is far more common, 2 is occasionally used. It is used with "for", as in "Having a hard-on for..." It implies an unhealthy fixation, and it is pejorative, in that (obviously) it implies a homoerotic obsession.
Ever since I got Jim fired, he's had a real hard-on for me.Stop picking on him! Why do you have such a hard-on for him anyway, dude?
by pimpassamir Aug 16, 2004 email it
---------------
What would Alicublog do without Rod Dreher or Ilind without Ed Case?
Friday, December 08, 2006
Rare Cookbooks, Part Two
I found this at the library. The title in full is Victorian Ices & Ice Cream: 117 Delicious and Unusual Recipes Updated for the Modern Kitchen: Original Recipes from The Book of Ices by A.B. Marshall, London, 1885. A reprint of The Book of Ices (London: Marshall's School of Cookery, 1885) by Agnes B. Marshall, this edition was published in 1976 by The Metropolitan Museum of Art and Charles Scribner's Sons. The introduction and annotations are by Barbara Ketcham Wheaton and the foreword is by A. Hyatt Mayor.-----
December 10 update: On a related note, Rose Vesel Mattus, the co-founder of Haagen-Dazs, has died. In 2004 she wrote The Emperor of Ice Cream: The True Story of Haagen-Dazs.
The Notability Criterion of Wikipedia
is what this Washington Post article addresses. Wikidumper rescues articles deleted from Wikipedia. This is another blog about Wikipedia, from a sociological perspective.
Tuesday, December 05, 2006
Vandalism in Canada
Kunstler's Eyesore of the Month for December
"The new addition to the Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto, by Daniel Libeskind-- scoring a two-in-a-row coup for the architect/savant on EOTM. Why are all those people standing around in the foreground gaping at this spectacle? They are from the Royal College of Physicians, trying to figure out a treatment plan. The stuffy old gentleman of a museum has developed a horrendous steel and glass tumor. It has become the "Elephant Man" of museums. Now, you may ask yourself: why is this sort of thing acceptable to the Guardians of Culture? The answer may be that it sends a truthful but subliminal message (which, alas, we are misinterpreting) that the mis-use of technology has become the fatal disease of civilization."
Kunstler also has a link to Dmitri Orlov's report on how the Soviet Union/Russia weathered its economic collapse.
Monday, December 04, 2006
Same As It Ever Was
Hunter Bishop notes that trouble is brewing with the 2006-08 County Council. Pete Hoffman is in charge now. Say what you will about Stacy Higa; at least he was never photographed making this choch facial expression.
Wednesday, November 29, 2006
Milli Vanilli
From an Allmusic.com review of Girl You Know It's True...The problem is, he did this at a time when acts were more visible than they ever were. Ironically, at the end of the '80s, MTV changed the rules for mainstream pop, putting the emphasis on image and overall package, to the extent that major artists lip-synched in concert so they could deliver better dance routines. So, it really wasn't that extreme to have a group with two faces — one to make the music, one to market it. And, face it, the fluffy dance-pop and slick ballads on Girl You Know It's True were of their time, hardly far removed from that of such peers as Paula Abdul, Debbie Gibson, or even the more substantive Janet Jackson. Audiences enjoyed the sound and the look, the entire package of Milli Vanilli. ...And [the album] was massively popular, no matter how many people denied owning the record after the news spread. And why shouldn't it have been? The height of the Bush era was a weird, giddy time, when the mainstream was filled with effervescent, transient pop, and nothing sums up that era as well as Girl You Know It's True. ...
Wednesday, November 22, 2006
Will Power
Will Smith gave an interview to Reader's Digest.
The Kalapana Pundit flies into a rage because of Will's remark that the "date of the Boston Tea Party does not matter."
Smith told Reader's Digest. "I know how to learn anything I want to learn. I absolutely know that I could learn how to fly the space shuttle because someone else knows how to fly it, and they put it in a book. Give me the book, and I do not need somebody to stand up in front of the class." . . .I'm sure that to the likes of Will Smith there is very little about the American Revolution that matters. But, after he reads An Idiot's Guide to being an Astronaut he will have the ability to fly the space shuttle into orbit, return to earth and then land it. Did I mention that this guy is an arrogant fool? I wonder if Smith has ever bothered to wonder how the first person to fly learned.Update: Here is more of the interview. Smith also thinks grammar school kids should be reading Plato's Republic and Aristotle's Politic, otherwise they won't be real Americans. To be fair Smith also said "That is what the forefathers of this country read, and they used them to create what I believe is the finest system of government that has ever existed." If he thinks the American government was based on Plato then his politic philosophy is as confused as his pedagogy. He needs to start studying history with all those annoying dates, facts and figures.
# posted by Grant Jones @ 6:10 PM
The Kalapana Pundit flies into a rage because of Will's remark that the "date of the Boston Tea Party does not matter."
Smith told Reader's Digest. "I know how to learn anything I want to learn. I absolutely know that I could learn how to fly the space shuttle because someone else knows how to fly it, and they put it in a book. Give me the book, and I do not need somebody to stand up in front of the class." . . .I'm sure that to the likes of Will Smith there is very little about the American Revolution that matters. But, after he reads An Idiot's Guide to being an Astronaut he will have the ability to fly the space shuttle into orbit, return to earth and then land it. Did I mention that this guy is an arrogant fool? I wonder if Smith has ever bothered to wonder how the first person to fly learned.Update: Here is more of the interview. Smith also thinks grammar school kids should be reading Plato's Republic and Aristotle's Politic, otherwise they won't be real Americans. To be fair Smith also said "That is what the forefathers of this country read, and they used them to create what I believe is the finest system of government that has ever existed." If he thinks the American government was based on Plato then his politic philosophy is as confused as his pedagogy. He needs to start studying history with all those annoying dates, facts and figures.
# posted by Grant Jones @ 6:10 PM
Tuesday, November 21, 2006
Beyond Borat!
I saw Borat! on Sunday. Because of the movie, interest in the real Kazakhstan--the ninth largest country on Earth-- is growing, as evidenced by this USA Today article. And Registan.net, a site I have just found, promises "Central Asia News — All Central Asia, All The Time."Critics' opinions of the movie are gathered here.
Does anyone else find that Borat looks like Steve Harvey?
Saturday, November 11, 2006
Obligatory Comments on the Election
On Election Day, in the early afternoon, I went to my polling place, which is held in the cafeteria of the elementary school I attended exactly twenty years ago.
A link to the list of links.
Not everyone thinks voting is effective.
A link to the list of links.
Not everyone thinks voting is effective.
Friday, November 03, 2006
How Far Is Heaven?
.jpg)
Ted Haggard's recent scandal reminded me of last year's 20/20 special about Heaven, in which he was quoted. The black-and-white illustration was made long before Mike Jones went public with his claims. I wonder if Haggard has ever been to Hawaii (note the lei).
7 November update: Yes, he has. Ian Lind reminds us of Haggard's April 2005 visit to Honolulu, which is when Dennis Oda of the Honolulu Star-Bulletin took this now-infamous photograph. From the article:Ted Haggard's name is not yet a household word like Billy Graham, but he's getting there. [And how!-P.Z.]...
Yesterday, 5,000 Hawaii residents heard Haggard, a keynote speaker at the three-day Hawaiian Islands Ministries Honolulu 2005 conference at the Hawaii Convention Center. Pastoral rather than political matters were the topics of the man who founded and has been senior pastor of the 11,000-member New Life Church in Colorado Springs, Colo., for 20 years.
The idea that church should be separate from state doesn't hold weight with Haggard, who said Thursday: "There isn't an issue in the news that isn't about religion. The Middle East is all about religion. The elections were about religion.
"Evangelicalism has no reservation about being a voice in politics," said Haggard, who is one of several Christian leaders who have the ear of President Bush. He regularly participates in the president's weekly conference call. He was at a recent White House meeting on Bush's faith-based initiative of government support for social services provided by religious groups.
He debunks the modern perception that church involvement in politics is rooted in the affinity of conservative Christians and Republican politicians. ...
Update: Haggard has admitted to buying methamphetamine from Mike Jones out of curiosity. He claims to have thrown it away, which is a good thing, or else Haggard's (in)famous grin would look like this:
November 20 update: If Haggard's story is ever adapted for film, Fred Willard would be the perfect actor to portray him.
November 26 update: Saul Landau opines here.
Thursday, November 02, 2006
S. Higa the Bigga Figga
While news of the rough conduct of George Allen's henchmen preoccupies the nation, there has been a similar incident in Kona recently. Stacy Higa, the County Council Chairman, reportedly did this:
KAILUA-KONA » Hawaii County Council Chairman Stacy Higa and Kona resident Matthew Binder have filed police charges against each other, each accusing the other of harassment.
Binder was the first to file, saying Higa allegedly ordered two associates to beat up Binder but they did not attack.
Higa said he was at a benefit gathering for Kona Community Hospital put on by Councilwoman Virginia Isbell Sunday when he saw Binder taking pictures of him about 75 feet away.
Binder, who supports Isbell's campaign opponent Brenda Ford, says he was taking pictures because he believed Higa was illegally helping Isbell's campaign.
Binder said he walked over to Higa and asked to take his picture.
Higa said Binder walked over and announced he had a right to take Higa's picture anywhere he wanted to.
Higa said he told Binder if he came into Higa's home with the camera, Higa would smash it.
Binder said Higa got mad and ordered two men with him:
"Bust his camera and kick his a--."
Higa denies it.
Binder said the two men followed him until Binder found a friend to serve as a potential witness. Then he and the friend left.
Police are asking anyone who saw the events to contact 326-4646, extension 228, or Crime Stoppers at 329-8181.
My suspicions about Higa's thuggishness were raised earlier this year when he yelled at another Councilman's staff member.
Higa thinks himself tough. Were he to meet a real don, he would soil himself.
Monday, October 30, 2006
Tuesday, October 24, 2006
Kalahikiola Congregational Church Website
Kalahikiola Congregational Church has under construction a website here.
Monday, October 23, 2006
Monday, October 16, 2006
The Earthquake Aftermath
By now, you've probably heard about the earthquake off the West Hawaii coast. I live in East Hawaii, incidentally. I was already awake when I felt the house shaking. We've had minor tremors, but as the shaking increased in force, we went to the doorframes.
KITV Channel 4 (our ABC affiliate) had continuing coverage with Shawn Ching et al. KGMB Channel 9 (CBS) was off the air until the evening because the station lacked back-up power. (Honolulu had a power outage). By 11 a.m. Hawaii time CNN and the other cable news channels began covering the earthquake. CNN had a screen of live coverage from KITV.
The County Civil Defense advised people to stay off the roads and refrain from using telephones unless absolutely necessary. Around eleven, however, our houseguest wanted to go to the Verizon store to see about a telephone with a local number. The Waiakea Center parking lot was full of cars and people walking as if nothing extraordinary had happened. We waited for about twenty minutes, then our houseguest returned. He decided to buy calling cards from Long's, where I bought the Star-Bulletin. Then we went home. Later I had my hair cut.
The weather was hot, sunny, and windy.
Tuesday, 17 October update: Other Hawaii bloggers discuss the earthquake: http://kalapanapundit.blogspot.com/2006/10/my-thats-big-one.html
http://hattie.typepad.com/hatties_web/2006/10/in_paris.html
http://hunterbishop.com/journal/2006/10/15/where-were-you-when-it-hit.html
http://www.ilind.net/2006/october/oct15-21.html
http://aaronstene.blogspot.com/2006/10/earthquake.html
http://poinography.com/index.php?p=3390
18 October update: Damage to historically significant buildings:
Tuesday, October 10, 2006
Availability of Meeting Minutes From State Agencies
Ian Lind today looks at various websites of state agencies to check the availability of their meeting minutes. (I added URLs--P.Z.):
So, with a few minutes to spare yesterday afternoon, I browsed more or less randomly through some state agency web sites to see if they include meeting minutes. Names of agencies with minutes available online appear in green, while those with no minutes, or minutes I couldn't find, appear in red.
Employee-Union Health Benefits Trust Fund: Minutes are available. Last minutes for May 10, 2006 meeting, which could have been the most recent. Committee minutes from 2005 are available but none from 2006. No list of meeting dates or agendas [sic] is provided. Instead, a link is provided to a centralized state central calendar, which is not particularly convenient.
Hawaiian Homes Commission: No minutes, despite its immediate impact on thousands of people.
Ethics Commission: No minutes.
Land Use Commission: Minutes appear to be up to date. Latest minutes for meeting August 25. Next meeting was Sept 7, and those minutes would not be due until this week.
High Technology Development Corporation- No minutes
State Foundation on Culture and the Arts--Web page for commission meetings "under construction". No minutes.
Board of Education: Minutes appear current for both the board and its committees.
Board of Agriculture. No minutes. Instead, an agenda that includes "actions taken" but do not contain all the information required by law to be included in minutes.
Procurement Policy Board. Latest minutes, July 13, 2006.
State Procurement Office, The Community Council on Purchases of Health and Human Services. Minutes are available with the latest for a meeting on July 27.
Aloha Tower Development Corporation. Lists link to agenda and minutes, but no minutes are actually included there and only the latest agenda (9/27/06) is listed, so its impossible to even check what business was dealt with at prior meetings.
Hawaii Tourism Authority. HTA does include both agendas [sic] and minutes, although they are buried down several levels below the home page. But the latest available are for a meeting on June 1, 2006, while the link to minutes for July 13, 2006 brings an error message.
Hawaii Community Development Authority. Minutes appear up to date with latest from September 6 meeting.
Hawaii Film Office Development Board. Neither minutes nor agenda are available.
Employee Retirement System. No minutes, no agenda.
Professional and Vocational Licensing Boards of the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs. There are 26 boards. [Note: According to the site itself, there are 25--P.Z.] None appear to post minutes.
From this quick spot check, it appears that only a minority of state boards make minutes available on their web sites in a timely fashion.
---
How many of the agencies of the County of Hawaii post minutes and agenda online? I might try to find out.
So, with a few minutes to spare yesterday afternoon, I browsed more or less randomly through some state agency web sites to see if they include meeting minutes. Names of agencies with minutes available online appear in green, while those with no minutes, or minutes I couldn't find, appear in red.
Employee-Union Health Benefits Trust Fund: Minutes are available. Last minutes for May 10, 2006 meeting, which could have been the most recent. Committee minutes from 2005 are available but none from 2006. No list of meeting dates or agendas [sic] is provided. Instead, a link is provided to a centralized state central calendar, which is not particularly convenient.
Hawaiian Homes Commission: No minutes, despite its immediate impact on thousands of people.
Ethics Commission: No minutes.
Land Use Commission: Minutes appear to be up to date. Latest minutes for meeting August 25. Next meeting was Sept 7, and those minutes would not be due until this week.
High Technology Development Corporation- No minutes
State Foundation on Culture and the Arts--Web page for commission meetings "under construction". No minutes.
Board of Education: Minutes appear current for both the board and its committees.
Board of Agriculture. No minutes. Instead, an agenda that includes "actions taken" but do not contain all the information required by law to be included in minutes.
Procurement Policy Board. Latest minutes, July 13, 2006.
State Procurement Office, The Community Council on Purchases of Health and Human Services. Minutes are available with the latest for a meeting on July 27.
Aloha Tower Development Corporation. Lists link to agenda and minutes, but no minutes are actually included there and only the latest agenda (9/27/06) is listed, so its impossible to even check what business was dealt with at prior meetings.
Hawaii Tourism Authority. HTA does include both agendas [sic] and minutes, although they are buried down several levels below the home page. But the latest available are for a meeting on June 1, 2006, while the link to minutes for July 13, 2006 brings an error message.
Hawaii Community Development Authority. Minutes appear up to date with latest from September 6 meeting.
Hawaii Film Office Development Board. Neither minutes nor agenda are available.
Employee Retirement System. No minutes, no agenda.
Professional and Vocational Licensing Boards of the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs. There are 26 boards. [Note: According to the site itself, there are 25--P.Z.] None appear to post minutes.
From this quick spot check, it appears that only a minority of state boards make minutes available on their web sites in a timely fashion.
---
How many of the agencies of the County of Hawaii post minutes and agenda online? I might try to find out.
Monday, October 09, 2006
Living for the City
"A Reflection on Cities of the Future" is a new essay by James Howard Kunstler. I'll have more on this soon. (Cf. my post on Lunar Park, in which the protagonists flee post-9/11 New York for the seeming idyll of the (fictional) suburban town of Midland.)
Tuesday, October 03, 2006
The Ever-Evolving List of Links
Architecture
Archiseek, Institute for Classical Architecture and Classical America, The, Jackie Craven, Space and Culture
BLAWgs
Above the Law, Durham-in-Wonderland, Federal Judicial Center, FindLaw's Writ
Book Reviews
Bookforum, Booklist, Bookslut, Choice, Complete Review, The, Danny Yee, Dublin Review of Books, FindLaw's Writ: Book Reviews, H-Net Reviews, Holt Uncensored Book Reviews, J. Peder Zane, Kirkus Reviews Online, Latin American Review of Books, The, Literary Lotus (Hawaii focus), London Review of Books, Mises Review, The, NewPages Book Reviews, New York Review Of Books, The, Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews, Powell's Review-a-Day, Sentences (Harper's Magazine) Voice Literary Supplement
Comics and Cartoons
Alan Moore Interview Index, Batocchio's Right Wing Cartoon Watch, Black Sheep's Footrot Flats Page, BritishComics.com, ComicsResearch.org, Jess Nevins's Comic Book Annotations,
Madam and Eve
Crafts
CraftZine, Interweave Press, On Letterpresses, Wiki for Crafts
Culture, General
Afronerd, Arts and Letters Daily, Autodidact Project, The, City Review, The, Dynamist, FREEWilliamsburg, HiLoBlog, Lileks.com, Partial Observer, The, Paul Graham, PopMatters, Real Art, Sampaloc Toc, Sepia Mutiny, The, Sign and Sight, Snobsite, Teeming Brain, The, Thomas Frank, Time Goes By, 2Blowhards, Vanity Fair
Culture, Hawaiian and Local
HawaiiThreads, HI Art Magazine, Honolulu Agonizer, Ulukau, Yamanakanaau.com
Economics and Finance
Deal Breaker, How the World Works, Investopedia, Measuring Worth, Polyconomics, Wall $treet Folly, Whiskey and Gunpowder
Education
Chalkdust, Colleges That Change Lives, Inside Higher Ed, John Taylor Gatto, John Holt, Seminario Permanente de TeorÃa y CrÃtica, University of Hawaii-Manoa Media Log
Fashion and Appearance
Ask Andy About Clothes, Beard Revue, Beauty Tips for Ministers, Costumes.org, Fashionable Academic, The, Get Kempt, GQ Styleguy Shoes, La Bricoleuse, Lei Chic, Manolo's Shoe Blogs, Materialist, The, Mustaches of the Nineteenth Century, MyFashionCents, Sartorialist, The, Savoir Vivre New York, StyleForum.net, Suitable Wardrobe, A, Textile Blog, The, Uniwatch Blog, Uomo Classico
Fiction and Literature
Dalkey Archive, Fantastic Victoriana, Flashquake, Little Professor, The, Locus Online, Modern Fiction Studies, Not an Exit, Paradox: The Magazine of Historical and Speculative Fiction, Science Fiction Studies, This Space, Three Percent, Uchronia.net
Food
Cakehead, eGullet, Food Portal (Wikipedia), Food Reference, Foody, The, FreeRangeGourmet, Grits, Indian Foods, Mr. Breakfast, Retro-Food, Uncle Phaedrus, Finder of Lost Recipes
Frugal and Green Living
Carfree, City Hippy, Freegan, Global Alliance for Incineration Alternatives, Great Green Goods, Grist, Radical Frugality, Simple Living America, Suburban Scavenger, Treehugger, Wastrel Show, Wisebread, Zero Waste Alliance
Gardening and Landscaping
Garden Design Online, Garden Rebel, Plants for a Future, PlantZAfrica
German Matters
Dialog International, German Historical Institute, Tradition und Leben
Grammar, Editing, Typography, and Journalism
After Deadline,
Big Island Press Club, BookDesignReview, The, BuzzMachine, Council of National Journalism Organizations, Double-Tongued Dictionary, Edward Tufte, Form of News wiki, Fowler, FreeDaily, GlobalJournalist, Graphic Sociology, Hawaii Publishers Association, Maggie Media, New York Review of Magazines, The, Newsdesigner.com, Newseum's World Front Pages, Newsthinking, Nieman Narrative Digest, OldPapers.org, PoynterOnline, Slot, The, Typographica,
Under Consideration, Underground Grammarian, The, Weblogs of UNC Journalism School
History, Anthropology, and Sociology
American Men's Studies Association, Archaeological Survey of India, Axis Europa, BundesArchiv, Contexts (American Sociological Association, Cranky Sociologists, The (formerly at Global Sociology), German Propaganda Archive, History News Network, International Studies Association, Internet Sacred Text Archive, The, Journal of the Gilded Age and Progressive Era, Lapham's Quarterly, National Women's Studies Association, The, Newcomen Society for the Study of the History of Engineering and Technology, The, Off the Wall (National Council on Public History), Religion in American History, Society for the History of Authorship, Reading, and Publishing, WikiHistory
Internet
Bloggasm, Blogger Blogs of Note, Cool Site of the Day, John Labovitz's E-Zine List, Radical Reference, Technorati
Libraries and Library Science
Connexions Information Sharing Services, Dewey Decimal System, Directory of Libraries in Hawaii, Hawaii State Public Library System, Internet Public Library, Librarian.net, LISNews, Shush.ws, U.H.H. Mookini Library Blog
Movies
Feminema, Film Metro ("the online source for information about free movie screenings tickets"), In70mm.com, Internet Movie Script Database, The, Kyonsi, MicroCinemaDVD.com, Midnight Eye, Movie Review Query Engine, OpenFlix, Pajiba, Revenge is My Destiny, Self-Styled Siren, Turner Classic Movies, TwitchFilm
Music
All Music Guide, AlohaGotSoul.com, Chronicles of Chaos, Collectors' Choice Music, Discogs, Dusty Groove America, FluxBlog, FreeMuse.org, House Of Diabolique, I Was a Teenage Chart Freak, Jonathan Coulton, Louder Than War, Metal Sucks, Murder Dog Magazine, Only Solitaire, Parterre Box, Progression Magazine, PW Archive, Rebel Frequencies, Rock & Rap Confidential, Seattle Sound, Silent Ballet, The, Slipcue, Ugly Things, WARR
Peak Oil
Club Orlov, Life After the Oil Crash, Mike Ruppert, Sharon Astyk
Pets
Veterinary News Network, The
Photography
Wikipedia Photography Portal
Poetry
American Poetry Review, The, Bob Grumman's Comprepoetica, Electronic Poetry Center, Minimalist Concrete Poetry, New Formalist, The, RamblingRose.com Poetry Resources, Ron Silliman, Scorecard, Sharpsand, Terminal Chaosity
Radio
Air America Radio, Hawaii Public Radio, J.P. Muntal Honolulu Radio Show, The, MarksFriggin.com, Radio America, Radio Equalizer, Radio Locator, Talkers Magazine, Transom.org
Society
New York Social Diary, SocialRegisterOnline, The Times Court and Social Section
Sports
Armed Forces Sports, Asia League Ice Hockey, Basketball Comics, BP Sports, CasteFootball, Cosellout, Deadspin, Edge of Sports, E-Lacrosse, FanBase.com, HondaReport.com: Talkstory Central for Hawaii's Sports Fans!, L'Equipe, Mediasoftball.net, New York Corporate Athletic League, The, Newspaper Sports Pages, Polynesian Football News, SportsBlogs.org, Starting Five, The, Wikipedia Sports and Games Portal
Television
Brilliant But Cancelled, British Sitcom Guide, The, Current.tv, Degrassi.tv, Degrassi: Extra Credit, DramaWiki, FORA.tv, IGN TV, Minisode Network, The, Newshounds, Simpsons Archive, The, Something Old, Nothing New, TV Tropes.org, Vice Broadcasting System
Travel and Regional Flavor
AllAfrica.com, Ask the Pilot, Detroit Blog, Far Outliers, German Joys, Hawaiirama, Library Hotel, The, Pacific Islands Report, Southernbyways, Today's Deep South, Tokyo Journal, YouTube Travel and Places
Political News and Views
Across the Spectrum
Anarchy: A Journal of Desire Armed, Anarchism + Race, Anarchist Writers, Ann Althouse, Antiwar, Bad Eagle, Baptist Planet, Black Commentator, The, Blackfive, Blue Dog Coalition, The, Brendan Nyhan, Chicago Boyz, Classical Values, CounterCurrents, CounterPunch, Crunchy Con (see also Rod Dreher's Dallas Morning News columns) , Deliberate Agrarian, The, Dennis Perrin, Dissident Voice, Dougout, The, English Independence Party, The, Evangelical Outpost, FireDogLake, First Amendment Project, The, First Principles Journal, Francis Wayland Institute, The, FromThe Bleachers, FrontPage, Gay Patriot, Hans-Hermann Hoppe, Hip Hop Republican, Huffington Post, The, Ilana Mercer, Index on Censorship, InstaPundit, James Howard Kunstler, James Lileks, Jesse Walker, JesusManifesto, Kat's Korner of the Common Ills, Larry Flynt, Lawns to Gardens, Lew Rockwell, Lila Rajiva, Lila Rajiva at MindBodyPolitic.com, Louis Proyect, Max Blumenthal, Middle American News, Middlebury Institute, The, MIM (Maoist International Movement, The), Moderate Voice, The, Monarchist, The, Mondoweiss, Monkey Smashes Heaven, MR (Monthly Review) Zine, Mudville Gazette, Mutualist Blog, New Agrarian, The, Op-For, Peter Hitchens, Prison Legal News, Praxeology.net, Professor Zero, ProPublica, Public Eye, Racism Review, Rachel's Tavern, RealChange.org's Skeleton Closet, Rebellion, Ridenbaugh Press, Rittenhouse Review, The, Rob Schumacher, Rothbard Caucus, Samizdata.net, Steve Sailer, Stop Me Before I Vote Again, Strike the Root, Surfeited With Dainties, Swans, Taki's Top Drawer, Tech Central Station, Think Progress, Thousand Nations, A, Tory Anarchist, The, Volokh Conspiracy, The, Washington Babylon, World Socialist Web Site
Politics in General
Campaigns and Elections,
Politics1.com, Parties Worldwide, Politics Portal (Wikipedia)
Politics in Hawaii
All Hawaii News, Alan McNarie, Big Island Chronicle, Capsun's Corner, Damon Tucker, Disappeared News, Environment Hawaii, Gary L. Hooser, Global Hope, Hamakua Times, Hardball Hawaii, Hattie's Web, Hawaii Election Watch, Hawaii Free Press, HawaiiIndependent.com, The, Hawaii Land Use, Hawaii Legal News, Hawaii Matters, HawaiiPoliticalInfo, Hawaii Right to Life--Hilo Chapter, HawaiiReporter.com, Hawaii State Majority Caucus, Hawaii Sunshine Chronicles, HawaiianKingdom, Ilind, Island Breath, KauaiEclectic, Kauai Politics, Kenneth R. Conklin, Kona Blog, The, Kona Blog (new), The, Kubehead, Maile Shimabukuro, Malu Aina, MaoliNews, Midweek.com Political Columns, Once Upon a Krischel, OSHawaii.net, Pablo Wegesend, ParxNewsDaily, Poinography, Progressive Democrats of Hawaii, Smatter of Opinion, SusHI: Sustainability in Hawaii, Tax Foundation of Hawaii, The, Toward Freedom, Your Chore
Uncategorized
Amazing Things, Armageddon Online, Baptist Blogs and Bloggers, Can It Happen Here?, City Comforts Blog, Daddy Types, Don Aslett, Early Office Museum, The, Foot Talk, Hard Crackers, Hawaii Venture Capital Association, Houseblogs, International Brain Research Organization, Markets of New York, MidlifeCrisis Hawaii, Mo!, Paleo-Future, RetroThing, Ritter Antik, USA Cops, Victorian Database, Wikidumper Defunct but Not Forgotten
Archiseek, Institute for Classical Architecture and Classical America, The, Jackie Craven, Space and Culture
BLAWgs
Above the Law, Durham-in-Wonderland, Federal Judicial Center, FindLaw's Writ
Book Reviews
Bookforum, Booklist, Bookslut, Choice, Complete Review, The, Danny Yee, Dublin Review of Books, FindLaw's Writ: Book Reviews, H-Net Reviews, Holt Uncensored Book Reviews, J. Peder Zane, Kirkus Reviews Online, Latin American Review of Books, The, Literary Lotus (Hawaii focus), London Review of Books, Mises Review, The, NewPages Book Reviews, New York Review Of Books, The, Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews, Powell's Review-a-Day, Sentences (Harper's Magazine) Voice Literary Supplement
Comics and Cartoons
Alan Moore Interview Index, Batocchio's Right Wing Cartoon Watch, Black Sheep's Footrot Flats Page, BritishComics.com, ComicsResearch.org, Jess Nevins's Comic Book Annotations,
Madam and Eve
Crafts
CraftZine, Interweave Press, On Letterpresses, Wiki for Crafts
Culture, General
Afronerd, Arts and Letters Daily, Autodidact Project, The, City Review, The, Dynamist, FREEWilliamsburg, HiLoBlog, Lileks.com, Partial Observer, The, Paul Graham, PopMatters, Real Art, Sampaloc Toc, Sepia Mutiny, The, Sign and Sight, Snobsite, Teeming Brain, The, Thomas Frank, Time Goes By, 2Blowhards, Vanity Fair
Culture, Hawaiian and Local
HawaiiThreads, HI Art Magazine, Honolulu Agonizer, Ulukau, Yamanakanaau.com
Economics and Finance
Deal Breaker, How the World Works, Investopedia, Measuring Worth, Polyconomics, Wall $treet Folly, Whiskey and Gunpowder
Education
Chalkdust, Colleges That Change Lives, Inside Higher Ed, John Taylor Gatto, John Holt, Seminario Permanente de TeorÃa y CrÃtica, University of Hawaii-Manoa Media Log
Fashion and Appearance
Ask Andy About Clothes, Beard Revue, Beauty Tips for Ministers, Costumes.org, Fashionable Academic, The, Get Kempt, GQ Styleguy Shoes, La Bricoleuse, Lei Chic, Manolo's Shoe Blogs, Materialist, The, Mustaches of the Nineteenth Century, MyFashionCents, Sartorialist, The, Savoir Vivre New York, StyleForum.net, Suitable Wardrobe, A, Textile Blog, The, Uniwatch Blog, Uomo Classico
Fiction and Literature
Dalkey Archive, Fantastic Victoriana, Flashquake, Little Professor, The, Locus Online, Modern Fiction Studies, Not an Exit, Paradox: The Magazine of Historical and Speculative Fiction, Science Fiction Studies, This Space, Three Percent, Uchronia.net
Food
Cakehead, eGullet, Food Portal (Wikipedia), Food Reference, Foody, The, FreeRangeGourmet, Grits, Indian Foods, Mr. Breakfast, Retro-Food, Uncle Phaedrus, Finder of Lost Recipes
Frugal and Green Living
Carfree, City Hippy, Freegan, Global Alliance for Incineration Alternatives, Great Green Goods, Grist, Radical Frugality, Simple Living America, Suburban Scavenger, Treehugger, Wastrel Show, Wisebread, Zero Waste Alliance
Gardening and Landscaping
Garden Design Online, Garden Rebel, Plants for a Future, PlantZAfrica
German Matters
Dialog International, German Historical Institute, Tradition und Leben
Grammar, Editing, Typography, and Journalism
After Deadline,
Big Island Press Club, BookDesignReview, The, BuzzMachine, Council of National Journalism Organizations, Double-Tongued Dictionary, Edward Tufte, Form of News wiki, Fowler, FreeDaily, GlobalJournalist, Graphic Sociology, Hawaii Publishers Association, Maggie Media, New York Review of Magazines, The, Newsdesigner.com, Newseum's World Front Pages, Newsthinking, Nieman Narrative Digest, OldPapers.org, PoynterOnline, Slot, The, Typographica,
Under Consideration, Underground Grammarian, The, Weblogs of UNC Journalism School
History, Anthropology, and Sociology
American Men's Studies Association, Archaeological Survey of India, Axis Europa, BundesArchiv, Contexts (American Sociological Association, Cranky Sociologists, The (formerly at Global Sociology), German Propaganda Archive, History News Network, International Studies Association, Internet Sacred Text Archive, The, Journal of the Gilded Age and Progressive Era, Lapham's Quarterly, National Women's Studies Association, The, Newcomen Society for the Study of the History of Engineering and Technology, The, Off the Wall (National Council on Public History), Religion in American History, Society for the History of Authorship, Reading, and Publishing, WikiHistory
Internet
Bloggasm, Blogger Blogs of Note, Cool Site of the Day, John Labovitz's E-Zine List, Radical Reference, Technorati
Libraries and Library Science
Connexions Information Sharing Services, Dewey Decimal System, Directory of Libraries in Hawaii, Hawaii State Public Library System, Internet Public Library, Librarian.net, LISNews, Shush.ws, U.H.H. Mookini Library Blog
Movies
Feminema, Film Metro ("the online source for information about free movie screenings tickets"), In70mm.com, Internet Movie Script Database, The, Kyonsi, MicroCinemaDVD.com, Midnight Eye, Movie Review Query Engine, OpenFlix, Pajiba, Revenge is My Destiny, Self-Styled Siren, Turner Classic Movies, TwitchFilm
Music
All Music Guide, AlohaGotSoul.com, Chronicles of Chaos, Collectors' Choice Music, Discogs, Dusty Groove America, FluxBlog, FreeMuse.org, House Of Diabolique, I Was a Teenage Chart Freak, Jonathan Coulton, Louder Than War, Metal Sucks, Murder Dog Magazine, Only Solitaire, Parterre Box, Progression Magazine, PW Archive, Rebel Frequencies, Rock & Rap Confidential, Seattle Sound, Silent Ballet, The, Slipcue, Ugly Things, WARR
Peak Oil
Club Orlov, Life After the Oil Crash, Mike Ruppert, Sharon Astyk
Pets
Veterinary News Network, The
Photography
Wikipedia Photography Portal
Poetry
American Poetry Review, The, Bob Grumman's Comprepoetica, Electronic Poetry Center, Minimalist Concrete Poetry, New Formalist, The, RamblingRose.com Poetry Resources, Ron Silliman, Scorecard, Sharpsand, Terminal Chaosity
Radio
Air America Radio, Hawaii Public Radio, J.P. Muntal Honolulu Radio Show, The, MarksFriggin.com, Radio America, Radio Equalizer, Radio Locator, Talkers Magazine, Transom.org
Society
New York Social Diary, SocialRegisterOnline, The Times Court and Social Section
Sports
Armed Forces Sports, Asia League Ice Hockey, Basketball Comics, BP Sports, CasteFootball, Cosellout, Deadspin, Edge of Sports, E-Lacrosse, FanBase.com, HondaReport.com: Talkstory Central for Hawaii's Sports Fans!, L'Equipe, Mediasoftball.net, New York Corporate Athletic League, The, Newspaper Sports Pages, Polynesian Football News, SportsBlogs.org, Starting Five, The, Wikipedia Sports and Games Portal
Television
Brilliant But Cancelled, British Sitcom Guide, The, Current.tv, Degrassi.tv, Degrassi: Extra Credit, DramaWiki, FORA.tv, IGN TV, Minisode Network, The, Newshounds, Simpsons Archive, The, Something Old, Nothing New, TV Tropes.org, Vice Broadcasting System
Travel and Regional Flavor
AllAfrica.com, Ask the Pilot, Detroit Blog, Far Outliers, German Joys, Hawaiirama, Library Hotel, The, Pacific Islands Report, Southernbyways, Today's Deep South, Tokyo Journal, YouTube Travel and Places
Political News and Views
Across the Spectrum
Anarchy: A Journal of Desire Armed, Anarchism + Race, Anarchist Writers, Ann Althouse, Antiwar, Bad Eagle, Baptist Planet, Black Commentator, The, Blackfive, Blue Dog Coalition, The, Brendan Nyhan, Chicago Boyz, Classical Values, CounterCurrents, CounterPunch, Crunchy Con (see also Rod Dreher's Dallas Morning News columns) , Deliberate Agrarian, The, Dennis Perrin, Dissident Voice, Dougout, The, English Independence Party, The, Evangelical Outpost, FireDogLake, First Amendment Project, The, First Principles Journal, Francis Wayland Institute, The, FromThe Bleachers, FrontPage, Gay Patriot, Hans-Hermann Hoppe, Hip Hop Republican, Huffington Post, The, Ilana Mercer, Index on Censorship, InstaPundit, James Howard Kunstler, James Lileks, Jesse Walker, JesusManifesto, Kat's Korner of the Common Ills, Larry Flynt, Lawns to Gardens, Lew Rockwell, Lila Rajiva, Lila Rajiva at MindBodyPolitic.com, Louis Proyect, Max Blumenthal, Middle American News, Middlebury Institute, The, MIM (Maoist International Movement, The), Moderate Voice, The, Monarchist, The, Mondoweiss, Monkey Smashes Heaven, MR (Monthly Review) Zine, Mudville Gazette, Mutualist Blog, New Agrarian, The, Op-For, Peter Hitchens, Prison Legal News, Praxeology.net, Professor Zero, ProPublica, Public Eye, Racism Review, Rachel's Tavern, RealChange.org's Skeleton Closet, Rebellion, Ridenbaugh Press, Rittenhouse Review, The, Rob Schumacher, Rothbard Caucus, Samizdata.net, Steve Sailer, Stop Me Before I Vote Again, Strike the Root, Surfeited With Dainties, Swans, Taki's Top Drawer, Tech Central Station, Think Progress, Thousand Nations, A, Tory Anarchist, The, Volokh Conspiracy, The, Washington Babylon, World Socialist Web Site
Politics in General
Campaigns and Elections,
Politics1.com, Parties Worldwide, Politics Portal (Wikipedia)
Politics in Hawaii
All Hawaii News, Alan McNarie, Big Island Chronicle, Capsun's Corner, Damon Tucker, Disappeared News, Environment Hawaii, Gary L. Hooser, Global Hope, Hamakua Times, Hardball Hawaii, Hattie's Web, Hawaii Election Watch, Hawaii Free Press, HawaiiIndependent.com, The, Hawaii Land Use, Hawaii Legal News, Hawaii Matters, HawaiiPoliticalInfo, Hawaii Right to Life--Hilo Chapter, HawaiiReporter.com, Hawaii State Majority Caucus, Hawaii Sunshine Chronicles, HawaiianKingdom, Ilind, Island Breath, KauaiEclectic, Kauai Politics, Kenneth R. Conklin, Kona Blog, The, Kona Blog (new), The, Kubehead, Maile Shimabukuro, Malu Aina, MaoliNews, Midweek.com Political Columns, Once Upon a Krischel, OSHawaii.net, Pablo Wegesend, ParxNewsDaily, Poinography, Progressive Democrats of Hawaii, Smatter of Opinion, SusHI: Sustainability in Hawaii, Tax Foundation of Hawaii, The, Toward Freedom, Your Chore
Uncategorized
Amazing Things, Armageddon Online, Baptist Blogs and Bloggers, Can It Happen Here?, City Comforts Blog, Daddy Types, Don Aslett, Early Office Museum, The, Foot Talk, Hard Crackers, Hawaii Venture Capital Association, Houseblogs, International Brain Research Organization, Markets of New York, MidlifeCrisis Hawaii, Mo!, Paleo-Future, RetroThing, Ritter Antik, USA Cops, Victorian Database, Wikidumper Defunct but Not Forgotten
New Look
I just redid the blog. The deep blue is much nicer. I'll be restoring the links (at least some of them).
Demolition Men
I found this, on the Ambassador Hotel, at Franklin Avenue. More here and here. The Ambassador was a swank hotel, famous for more than being the site of Kennedy's demise. With Emilio Estevez's upcoming film Bobby, about Bobby Kennedy's assassination at the hotel, you'd think the Ambassador would become a tourist draw (albeit a macabre one). No. The hotel met its own demise a few years back. The above links tell the story of the Ambassador's glory days, then its neglect and destruction.
On the other side of the Pacific Rim, Tokyo officials plan to cleave in two the hip Shimokitazawa neigborhood with an 81-foot-wide thoroughfare. The article says:
The road has set off a rare battle for preservation in a country where big construction projects have long been welcomed as progress and used to grease the wheels of politics. The fight pits boutique and bar owners, among them the first bearers of hippie culture to the neighborhood three decades ago, against city hall and older residents who resent the relative newcomers.
In cities from New York to Bucharest, the practice of plowing large roads through urban communities has been widely discredited. But Tokyo is only just beginning to consider the social costs, after decades of covering its medieval moats and rivers with highways, and replacing tile-roofed dwellings with featureless concrete buildings.
"Until now, nobody cared if we destroyed the culture and environment of Tokyo," said Mikiko Ishikawa, a professor at Keio University here who specializes in urban planning. "People are gradually coming to understand that these things matter, too."
For many Tokyoites, the charm of Shimokitazawa lay in the fact that it had escaped such redevelopment. A sleepy residential community on the city's outskirts, it escaped American wartime bombings.
On the other side of the Pacific Rim, Tokyo officials plan to cleave in two the hip Shimokitazawa neigborhood with an 81-foot-wide thoroughfare. The article says:
The road has set off a rare battle for preservation in a country where big construction projects have long been welcomed as progress and used to grease the wheels of politics. The fight pits boutique and bar owners, among them the first bearers of hippie culture to the neighborhood three decades ago, against city hall and older residents who resent the relative newcomers.
In cities from New York to Bucharest, the practice of plowing large roads through urban communities has been widely discredited. But Tokyo is only just beginning to consider the social costs, after decades of covering its medieval moats and rivers with highways, and replacing tile-roofed dwellings with featureless concrete buildings.
"Until now, nobody cared if we destroyed the culture and environment of Tokyo," said Mikiko Ishikawa, a professor at Keio University here who specializes in urban planning. "People are gradually coming to understand that these things matter, too."
For many Tokyoites, the charm of Shimokitazawa lay in the fact that it had escaped such redevelopment. A sleepy residential community on the city's outskirts, it escaped American wartime bombings.
Ironic, no?
The article also mentions the conflict between older, longtime residents who welcome the development (one reason, the thoroughfare would be an earthquake-evacuation route) and resent the hipper newcomers protesting the project.
Preservation begins at home. The National Trust for Historic Preservation should be your first stop.
Hawaii Electoral Trivia
It was a great piece of campaign art, listed on eBay as the "Hawaii Signgate sign, autographed by Ed Case."
It was the sign that became famous when it was removed from its spot in Manoa by Nancie Caraway, wife of Congressman Neil Abercrombie. The lengthy description continued.
"A sign of our times? Here's your chance to own a piece of Hawaii's Political History! Yes, this is the very "Ed Case Senate" sign that Rep. Neil Abercrombie's wife, Nancie, took and crumpled from a Honolulu Community Garden on Sept. 5, 2006. The sign was eventually returned to its rightful owner and Ed Case supporter. Now it can be yours! Signgate happened during a heated senate campaign that pitted Rep. Ed Case against incumbent Sen. Dan Akaka. Abercrombie and wife are supporters of Dan Akaka. Dubbed "Signgate" it was one of the most talked about events of Hawaii's 2006 election season. It could be a first in Hawaii Political History. The famous sign comes in its original, unrepaired condition with Rep. Ed Case's autograph. Nancie has not autographed this historical item, but it does have her fingerprints on it! Winning bid to be donated to Community Gardens.
So I bid $15.25 (why not?) and won the eBay auction, but now the sad part...when I tried to arrange to pick up the sign or pay for postage, the seller--using the name "casevolunteer"--disappeared. I've sent three or four emails which have all gone unanswered and the sign remains somewhere in eBay limbo.
It was the sign that became famous when it was removed from its spot in Manoa by Nancie Caraway, wife of Congressman Neil Abercrombie. The lengthy description continued.
"A sign of our times? Here's your chance to own a piece of Hawaii's Political History! Yes, this is the very "Ed Case Senate" sign that Rep. Neil Abercrombie's wife, Nancie, took and crumpled from a Honolulu Community Garden on Sept. 5, 2006. The sign was eventually returned to its rightful owner and Ed Case supporter. Now it can be yours! Signgate happened during a heated senate campaign that pitted Rep. Ed Case against incumbent Sen. Dan Akaka. Abercrombie and wife are supporters of Dan Akaka. Dubbed "Signgate" it was one of the most talked about events of Hawaii's 2006 election season. It could be a first in Hawaii Political History. The famous sign comes in its original, unrepaired condition with Rep. Ed Case's autograph. Nancie has not autographed this historical item, but it does have her fingerprints on it! Winning bid to be donated to Community Gardens.
So I bid $15.25 (why not?) and won the eBay auction, but now the sad part...when I tried to arrange to pick up the sign or pay for postage, the seller--using the name "casevolunteer"--disappeared. I've sent three or four emails which have all gone unanswered and the sign remains somewhere in eBay limbo.
Happy German Unity Day!
Sixteen years ago today the two Germanys were reunited.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_Unity_Day
Saturday, September 30, 2006
Friday, September 29, 2006
Down the Memory Hole: Notes on the Folly of Concealment
Earlier this year, some Duke University lacrosse players were accused of rape. The university cancelled the team's season and removed the team roster from the athletics website. Since then, the 2005-06 roster was reinstated, but without the names of accused team members David Evans, Collin Finnerty, and Reade Seligmann.
The Johnsville News blog discusses the removal of the site and has an image of the roster taken in March 2006. In a September 16 post, JN points out that:
Once information is on the internet it's almost impossible to take it back. The Duke lacrosse team information was already in the web caches of some internet search engines, ready to be retrieved and put back on the internet. Which is what immediately happened. So what did Duke accomplish by taking down the lacrosse team information? That action just made it appear that the entire team was possibly guilty of doing something bad. It added to the perception of guilt that was building in Durham, stoked by the local news organs and the public security apparatus.Those pictures from the Duke website were the same ones used for that infamous "wanted poster" that started circulating all over Duke and Durham. Crimestoppers had the web info and pictures. The police investigators also had the website information and were using it to put together their initial photo lineups for the alleged victim.
...
Getting even more specific, should Duke have just removed some of the player's individual information that was listed: height, weight, and photos? If they did, does that not also taint the team and imply concealment? Again, that information is already available and part of the public domain. If Duke keeps the information online they can at least utilize it to draw interested internet user's attention to their official position regarding the matter.Should Duke have left all the lacrosse team web pages and information online and simply amended them with some official statement regarding the presumption of the "team's" innocence? Legal and public relations experts are probably better prepared to discuss all of this and crisis management strategies involving the internet. One interesting side question regarding the team is whether the Duke men's lacrosse roster for 2006-07, if it is posted [The 2006-07 roster is now posted; however, without links to individual photos. In fact, the reposted 2005-06 roster has no links to individual photos, either--P.Z.], should symbolically include the names of Reade Seligmann and Collin Finnerty? Seligmann and Finnerty, who would have been juniors on the 2006-7 team, are techically on a leave of absence from the university. ...
(All emphases mine--P.Z.)
Though the Johnsville News blog doesn't address the alteration of the reposted 2005-06 roster, Duke's reposting of the 2005-06 roster without the names of Evans, Finnerty, and Seligmann is historical revisionism (albeit, on a small scale) and implies that Duke considers their names tainted, regardless of the outcome of their upcoming trial.
The Johnsville News blog discusses the removal of the site and has an image of the roster taken in March 2006. In a September 16 post, JN points out that:
Once information is on the internet it's almost impossible to take it back. The Duke lacrosse team information was already in the web caches of some internet search engines, ready to be retrieved and put back on the internet. Which is what immediately happened. So what did Duke accomplish by taking down the lacrosse team information? That action just made it appear that the entire team was possibly guilty of doing something bad. It added to the perception of guilt that was building in Durham, stoked by the local news organs and the public security apparatus.Those pictures from the Duke website were the same ones used for that infamous "wanted poster" that started circulating all over Duke and Durham. Crimestoppers had the web info and pictures. The police investigators also had the website information and were using it to put together their initial photo lineups for the alleged victim.
...
Getting even more specific, should Duke have just removed some of the player's individual information that was listed: height, weight, and photos? If they did, does that not also taint the team and imply concealment? Again, that information is already available and part of the public domain. If Duke keeps the information online they can at least utilize it to draw interested internet user's attention to their official position regarding the matter.Should Duke have left all the lacrosse team web pages and information online and simply amended them with some official statement regarding the presumption of the "team's" innocence? Legal and public relations experts are probably better prepared to discuss all of this and crisis management strategies involving the internet. One interesting side question regarding the team is whether the Duke men's lacrosse roster for 2006-07, if it is posted [The 2006-07 roster is now posted; however, without links to individual photos. In fact, the reposted 2005-06 roster has no links to individual photos, either--P.Z.], should symbolically include the names of Reade Seligmann and Collin Finnerty? Seligmann and Finnerty, who would have been juniors on the 2006-7 team, are techically on a leave of absence from the university. ...
(All emphases mine--P.Z.)
Though the Johnsville News blog doesn't address the alteration of the reposted 2005-06 roster, Duke's reposting of the 2005-06 roster without the names of Evans, Finnerty, and Seligmann is historical revisionism (albeit, on a small scale) and implies that Duke considers their names tainted, regardless of the outcome of their upcoming trial.
Tuesday, September 26, 2006
Sometimes Blog Comments Are Witty
From a comment attached to this AlicuBlog post:
It is clear, reading between the lines, that our Crawford Caligula farts like a calliope, and thinks this the funniest thing in the world.
It is clear, reading between the lines, that our Crawford Caligula farts like a calliope, and thinks this the funniest thing in the world.
Cynthia Thielen
Poinography today hints that Cynthia Thielen got the nod from the state GOP as early as Friday. The post also mentions Cynthia's son David, who also posts to DailyKos, and created a blog for Cynthia. Other Thielen websites are here.
HawaiiReporter, as Poinography puts it, is "barely lukewarm" about the selection. Poinography adds:
It won’t be long before someone at that blog laces on the RINO gloves, I reckon. Thielen’s non-democratic selection by Lingle and the Hawaii Republican Party leaders could become a GOP mirror image of the Case-Akaka “fight for the soul of the Party” event… Oh, fun.
More interesting to me: while his mother is a Republican who supports alternative energy, David is a Democrat who supports nuclear power (first posted here). He doesn't totally reject alternative energy, but says it's insufficient to power the country. He writes:
I think one of the top priorities of this country should be finding 2 or 3 standard safe state of the art designs for nuclear power plants and put us on a crash program to build them out until we eliminate the need for oil in this country.
HawaiiReporter, as Poinography puts it, is "barely lukewarm" about the selection. Poinography adds:
It won’t be long before someone at that blog laces on the RINO gloves, I reckon. Thielen’s non-democratic selection by Lingle and the Hawaii Republican Party leaders could become a GOP mirror image of the Case-Akaka “fight for the soul of the Party” event… Oh, fun.
More interesting to me: while his mother is a Republican who supports alternative energy, David is a Democrat who supports nuclear power (first posted here). He doesn't totally reject alternative energy, but says it's insufficient to power the country. He writes:
I think one of the top priorities of this country should be finding 2 or 3 standard safe state of the art designs for nuclear power plants and put us on a crash program to build them out until we eliminate the need for oil in this country.
Sunday, September 24, 2006
Primary Aftermath
I can't really improve on today's Poinography post on the primary results. Check it out.
The primary results in full: http://www.hawaii.gov/elections/results/2006/primary/pdf/histatewide.pdf
HawaiiReporter gripes that Akaka's victory was pulled off by the "nearly five-decade old" machine: http://www.hawaiireporter.com/story.aspx?57ad5d4b-6151-449c-b782-79e402bbf1c8
Bev Harbin's out.
The primary results in full: http://www.hawaii.gov/elections/results/2006/primary/pdf/histatewide.pdf
HawaiiReporter gripes that Akaka's victory was pulled off by the "nearly five-decade old" machine: http://www.hawaiireporter.com/story.aspx?57ad5d4b-6151-449c-b782-79e402bbf1c8
Bev Harbin's out.
Saturday, September 23, 2006
Friday, September 22, 2006
"From Akaka to Macaca: The Battle for the Senate"
A real title for an NPR "Political Junkie" column worth checking out for its list of senatorial races. Hawaii, incidentally, is listed as safe Democratic.
There's also another dig at Quentin Kawananakoa at HawaiiReporter.com today.
There's also another dig at Quentin Kawananakoa at HawaiiReporter.com today.
Tuesday, September 19, 2006
Sunday, September 17, 2006
Lookalikes: Bob Ney and Larry Mondello
September 19 update: On a related note, Spy's "Separated at Birth" was one of that magazine's greatest features. (Revised on 2 November 2010.)
Friday, September 15, 2006
"Dogs and American Pussies"
A real title for a HawaiiReporter article on the arrest of Duane Chapman et al.
http://hawaiireporter.com/story.aspx?2ea98122-bbb1-4bb6-93f9-d490e15ef9f2
http://hawaiireporter.com/story.aspx?2ea98122-bbb1-4bb6-93f9-d490e15ef9f2
Wednesday, September 13, 2006
More Coffee Talk
Today's Poinography post has more on Lingle's support of Jerry Coffee, and excerpts a Jerry Burris column which speculates:
If Coffee should win but be unable to campaign, the local GOP will have to select someone to take his place. The logical choice would be the next highest vote-getter in the primary, but there is no obligation to do that. The other five folks in the race are Mark Beatty, Chas. Collins, Jay Friedheim, Edward Pirkowski and Steve Tataii.
The Republicans may decide the remaining five lack the name-recognition and firepower to go head-to-head with the winner of the Democratic primary contest between U.S. Sen. Dan Akaka and U.S. Rep. Ed Case.
Enter: Who?
Speculation right now rests on Honolulu Councilman Charles Djou, who is nominally nonpartisan today but is well-identified with the Republican Party through his years in the Legislature.
Djou, who faces no opposition for re-election, has nonetheless been running expensive television ads reminding voters of who he is and admonishing them to remember his name.
And it would be a no-danger adventure for him to run for Senate, since he would not have to resign his seat on the council.
But at this point, the drama seems more focused on keeping Republican voters "at home" than it does on developing a complicated and some might even say devious plot to get a hand-picked candidate into the Senate race.
It would make sense that Lingle would like to see Republicans stay within their own party. That decreases the number of people who might "cross over" and end up voting for the more moderate Case against the liberal Akaka.
Why should Lingle care? She might want to run for the U.S. Senate herself one day, when her gubernatorial days are over.
A relatively youthful and relatively moderate Case, in the early years of his Senate career, would make a tougher opponent than an aging and far more liberal Akaka in the twilight of his senatorial days.
A Long Shot
Of course, if Coffee wins the primary and recovers enough to campaign in the general, then wins that, it might throw a wrench in Lingle's plan. But he's still older and probably in poorer health than Case, so he wouldn't be a big opponent should Lingle decide to run for Senate after her governorship is over (assuming she wins this election, which is very likely, but never say never.)
September 14 update: This comment to yesterday's Poinography post is very insightful:
On your final point: I think it was you that suggested the Lingle wants to be able to use the Senate race as an opportunity to raise the name recognition of one of her GOP “rising stars"? That certainly sounds like a reasonable secondary motive. But I think Lingle does want Ed Case to fail in his bid for the Senate and that is her primary motive in calling upon the GOP voters to NOT crossover.
Sam Slom and his network ARE encouraging crossover voting. I also think it coincides with the feeling of most Hawaii Republicans that Ed is really, at heart, one of them. Certainly most “kamaaina Republicans” feel that way. For them, voting for Case is not a matter of voting for a “lesser evil.” He’s their boy! Even the “Hawaii Reporter” Republicans are fond of Ed and have been promoting him for years, except for the estrangement when they were supporting Gabbard over Case for Congress.
Some hard right GOPers may think Ed is too “liberal” for them if they are motivated by social issues like opposition to gay rights or abortion and other women’s rights issues. For them, Ed might still be a “lesser evil” vote than Akaka. [Mark Beatty is socially conservative, and will be the "values voters'" choice--P.Z.]
SO I expect a significant GOP crossover. Enough to possibly swing the election to Case.
Also, I agree that the GOP would LOVE to have an opportunity to pick their candidate after they know whether Akaka or Case wins the Democratic nomination. If Case were to win, I think the best choice for them would be one of their key Hawaiian operatives. Lingle-them have been VERY smart in how they have worked the Hawaiian community in an effort to rebuild the old Haole-Hawaiian alliance that held sway for decades. A lot of Hawaiians would vote for a Micah Kane or a Sam Aiona over an Ed Case. Not enough to win, but it would help build loyalty among Hawaiian voters.
That logic disappears if Akaka wins the nomination, so I woud expect they would save Aiona or Kane and use the opportunity to build the profile of some other candidate.
I do agree that Lingle is trying to “game the system” and to assume onto herself powers that should remain with the voters. Even granting the fact that Coffee’s withdrawal was unforeseen and perhaps the Republicans should be given another chance to put forward a strong candidate, good faith with the voters would require that Lingle anounce in advance who they have in mind as Coffee’s replacement.
I repeat what I have said elsewhere. For all this talk about the “Democratic machine,” the Democratic Party is MUSH more internally democratic and transparent than the GOP under Lingle. Our State Convention was open to observers and broadcast for public review on Olelo. I called to see if I could observe the GOP convention and there were few sessions open and even then, I would have to have been a guest of a GOP officeholder or candidate. Our platform, resolutions and Rules are posted for public review on our website. Can someone provide me a link to such documents on the GOP website–I can’t find them.
Comment by Bart — 9/13/2006 @ 11:08 am
If Coffee should win but be unable to campaign, the local GOP will have to select someone to take his place. The logical choice would be the next highest vote-getter in the primary, but there is no obligation to do that. The other five folks in the race are Mark Beatty, Chas. Collins, Jay Friedheim, Edward Pirkowski and Steve Tataii.
The Republicans may decide the remaining five lack the name-recognition and firepower to go head-to-head with the winner of the Democratic primary contest between U.S. Sen. Dan Akaka and U.S. Rep. Ed Case.
Enter: Who?
Speculation right now rests on Honolulu Councilman Charles Djou, who is nominally nonpartisan today but is well-identified with the Republican Party through his years in the Legislature.
Djou, who faces no opposition for re-election, has nonetheless been running expensive television ads reminding voters of who he is and admonishing them to remember his name.
And it would be a no-danger adventure for him to run for Senate, since he would not have to resign his seat on the council.
But at this point, the drama seems more focused on keeping Republican voters "at home" than it does on developing a complicated and some might even say devious plot to get a hand-picked candidate into the Senate race.
It would make sense that Lingle would like to see Republicans stay within their own party. That decreases the number of people who might "cross over" and end up voting for the more moderate Case against the liberal Akaka.
Why should Lingle care? She might want to run for the U.S. Senate herself one day, when her gubernatorial days are over.
A relatively youthful and relatively moderate Case, in the early years of his Senate career, would make a tougher opponent than an aging and far more liberal Akaka in the twilight of his senatorial days.
A Long Shot
Of course, if Coffee wins the primary and recovers enough to campaign in the general, then wins that, it might throw a wrench in Lingle's plan. But he's still older and probably in poorer health than Case, so he wouldn't be a big opponent should Lingle decide to run for Senate after her governorship is over (assuming she wins this election, which is very likely, but never say never.)
September 14 update: This comment to yesterday's Poinography post is very insightful:
On your final point: I think it was you that suggested the Lingle wants to be able to use the Senate race as an opportunity to raise the name recognition of one of her GOP “rising stars"? That certainly sounds like a reasonable secondary motive. But I think Lingle does want Ed Case to fail in his bid for the Senate and that is her primary motive in calling upon the GOP voters to NOT crossover.
Sam Slom and his network ARE encouraging crossover voting. I also think it coincides with the feeling of most Hawaii Republicans that Ed is really, at heart, one of them. Certainly most “kamaaina Republicans” feel that way. For them, voting for Case is not a matter of voting for a “lesser evil.” He’s their boy! Even the “Hawaii Reporter” Republicans are fond of Ed and have been promoting him for years, except for the estrangement when they were supporting Gabbard over Case for Congress.
Some hard right GOPers may think Ed is too “liberal” for them if they are motivated by social issues like opposition to gay rights or abortion and other women’s rights issues. For them, Ed might still be a “lesser evil” vote than Akaka. [Mark Beatty is socially conservative, and will be the "values voters'" choice--P.Z.]
SO I expect a significant GOP crossover. Enough to possibly swing the election to Case.
Also, I agree that the GOP would LOVE to have an opportunity to pick their candidate after they know whether Akaka or Case wins the Democratic nomination. If Case were to win, I think the best choice for them would be one of their key Hawaiian operatives. Lingle-them have been VERY smart in how they have worked the Hawaiian community in an effort to rebuild the old Haole-Hawaiian alliance that held sway for decades. A lot of Hawaiians would vote for a Micah Kane or a Sam Aiona over an Ed Case. Not enough to win, but it would help build loyalty among Hawaiian voters.
That logic disappears if Akaka wins the nomination, so I woud expect they would save Aiona or Kane and use the opportunity to build the profile of some other candidate.
I do agree that Lingle is trying to “game the system” and to assume onto herself powers that should remain with the voters. Even granting the fact that Coffee’s withdrawal was unforeseen and perhaps the Republicans should be given another chance to put forward a strong candidate, good faith with the voters would require that Lingle anounce in advance who they have in mind as Coffee’s replacement.
I repeat what I have said elsewhere. For all this talk about the “Democratic machine,” the Democratic Party is MUSH more internally democratic and transparent than the GOP under Lingle. Our State Convention was open to observers and broadcast for public review on Olelo. I called to see if I could observe the GOP convention and there were few sessions open and even then, I would have to have been a guest of a GOP officeholder or candidate. Our platform, resolutions and Rules are posted for public review on our website. Can someone provide me a link to such documents on the GOP website–I can’t find them.
Comment by Bart — 9/13/2006 @ 11:08 am
Tuesday, September 12, 2006
Monday, September 11, 2006
The Case of the Missing Coffee Endorsement
This is why Poinography has become a must-read for political news"
Borreca either failed to ask for a denial (or even comment) from Lingle on the possibility that she would herself fill that vacancy on the ballot if Coffee were to win the GOP special election, or (hopefully) he asked and she dodged the question.
Borreca either failed to ask for a denial (or even comment) from Lingle on the possibility that she would herself fill that vacancy on the ballot if Coffee were to win the GOP special election, or (hopefully) he asked and she dodged the question.
Doug follows with a lengthy quotation from Borreca's column, then chastises him:
“More to the story,” indeed. This story should have asked Governor Lingle and Republican Party Chair Sam Aiona for an explanation of why this replacement should not be named in advance.
Doug continues:
I suspect that one reason why the Hawaii Republicans won’t name their replacement in advance of the primary is because they have more than one person in mind. i.e. I suspect that if Case and Coffee win in the primary, then the GOP would name a different replacement for Coffee than they would if Akaka and Coffee were to win.
Read the whole piece and the attached comments. There's speculation Lingle might appoint herself if Coffee, recuperating from a heart attack, wins the primary. Don't quote me on that just yet, though. (September 12 update: However, there's the chance that a victorious Coffee, whose name is still on the ballot because he didn't withdraw in time, could serve in office, throwing off Lingle's plans.)
Lingle may be gushing (over) Coffee, but the GOP Hawaii blog has recently pulled its July post deriding Ed Case as "still a liberal to the core" and endorsing Coffee:
Tuesday, July 25, 2006
Still a Liberal! Don't be fooled, Ed Case is still a liberal to the core.
Many Republicans are considering pulling a democrat ticket in the Primary election, just so they can cast a vote to support Ed Case over Daniel Akaka in the race for the coveted state Senate seat. Ed Case makes a strong case for why voters should elect him over Dan Akaka. He points to the need to do succession planning, making room for the newer and younger perspectives, etc. That all sounds great, but let us not forget that Ed Case is a bleeding heart liberal to the core and when push comes to shove, he will vote with the likes of Neil Abercrombie, John Murtha, Dennis Kucinich and Nancy Pelosi (a gaggle of liberals kooks). Don't believe it? Case's voting record speaks for itself, he voted "NAY" (No for your people in Puna) on HR 2389 Pledge Protection Act that protects the Pledge of Allegiance from federal judges who might try to stop schoolchildren and others from reciting it becasue of the phrase "under God." These liberals will gladly stand behind same sex marriage, abortion, pornography and other devient acts but will attack God, Country, marriage between a man and woman only and other normal, acceptable activities in America. God help us and save us from Liberals of all stripes! Let it be stated loud and clear....Ed Case is a LIBERAL. Calling all Republicans in the County of Hawaii: During the primary election, vote for Capt. Gerry Coffee for Senate! 1:17 PM Permalink
In its September 7 issue, Hawaii Free Press has a front-page, above-the-fold headline: Our Endorsements: Ed Case for Senate. No mention at all of Jerry Coffee. The endorsement article ends with "Ed Case's stand strong [sic] against corruption and his openness to new directions is a breath of fresh air. His election to Senate would continue the badly needed transformation of Hawai'i's political scene begun with the 2002 election oif Linda Lingle as Governor. Please cast your ballot for Ed Case, September 23."
Thursday, September 07, 2006
Lee Siegel
OLD: A Stinky Sock Puppet
The "brilliant" Lee Siegel wasn't smart enough to get away with being a sock puppet. He is now suspended from The New Republic. Things like this once interested me much more.
NEW (as of 19 September): I see that Aunty Hattie mentioned me, referring to my "O Canada" post, and this one, on Lee Siegel. I checked out his New Republic blog. Replying to one's own blog under an alias--the reason for his dismissal--isn't so bad. My apologies for coming to a hasty conclusion.
The "brilliant" Lee Siegel wasn't smart enough to get away with being a sock puppet. He is now suspended from The New Republic. Things like this once interested me much more.
NEW (as of 19 September): I see that Aunty Hattie mentioned me, referring to my "O Canada" post, and this one, on Lee Siegel. I checked out his New Republic blog. Replying to one's own blog under an alias--the reason for his dismissal--isn't so bad. My apologies for coming to a hasty conclusion.
Tuesday, September 05, 2006
O Canada! "Many Things Aboot...,"
Aunty Hattie sings the praises (and dishes a little dirt) on the country that brought us Degrassi, You Can't Do That on Television, Porky's, Jane Child, Celine Dion, Tom Green, Hugh MacLennan, and For Better or For Worse, among others. (September 19 update: how could I have forgotten Ed, Edd n Eddy?)
Another Campaign
Here is a brief account of the Hogue-Kawananakoa race. Not as famous as Akaka-Case, Hogue- Kawananakoa (a.k.a. the "Popular Pauper" and the Prince) is bubbling under the surface. Kawananakoa is campaigning hard and Hogue usually seems laid back, but will make an issue of Kawananakoa's wealth: The Honolulu Advertiser notes, "Their differences were also highlighted in a public battle, when Kawananakoa called on Hogue to discontinue his Midweek sports column for the duration of the campaign, which Hogue countered by saying he had to earn a living because he didn't have access to a vast fortune, as Campbell Estate heir Kawananakoa does..."
However, this article in HawaiiReporter.com can do the fighting for Hogue:
Unfortunately for Kawananakoa, his money may be his downfall, not his salvation.
Why the backlash?
However, this article in HawaiiReporter.com can do the fighting for Hogue:
Unfortunately for Kawananakoa, his money may be his downfall, not his salvation.
Why the backlash?
The modern trend in American politics is populism. Thus, Kawananakoa, with his cool, patrician demeanor, is depicted as a mandarin, with this article shouting for him to come out of his ivory tower. Admittedly, Hogue has a sweaty, Ratzenbergian charm (September 9 update: Gary Hooser is another Hawaii candidate who looks like Cliff Clavin, even without the mustache) while Kawananakoa is a genuine aristocrat, yet one who points out in the aforementioned Honolulu Advertiser article that he "started out at Dole pineapple washing down machines." In short, Kawananakoa is not quite the ivory-tower man(darin) the press has portrayed him to be.
I'll post more soon.
---September 7 update
Last May, the KalapanaPundit posted to his own message this comment:
Personally I have little use for monarchs and hereditary aristocracy, except as target practice, especially if they are wearing red.
Among the royals KP has "little use for" is Prince Jonah Kuhio Kalanianaole, who was elected for ten consecutive terms as Territorial Delegate, serving in the U.S. Congress from 1903 until 1922. In fact, Quentin Kawananakoa is related to the Prince.
I'll have even more soon.
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