Moloka'i To O'ahu Team Relay Canoe Paddling

The photo was taken by Joaquin Siopack of the Honolulu Advertiser. I wish I could have been here but final exams take precedence so here is Lauren Spalding Bartlett, a member of our canoe kayak team as well as a U.S.A. Olympic Kayak team member. She was in the 2004 Athenes Olympics and here she is coming into the finish line in first place in the Moloka'i to O'ahu (42+ miles) one person canoe race (team format). She partnered with Dane Ward to break the race record in 5 hours 23 minutes 24 seconds. Congrats to Lauren and Dane!

Hawai'is contribution to the World Cup

I decided to post this for Nicola and MoonSoleil of Germany for their spirited blogs on the upcoming FIFA World Cup to be held in various venues throughout Germany from June 9th to July 9th.

Brian Ching, a graduate of Kamehameha Schools - Imua Kamehameha! - and Gonzaga College has been selected to be a member of the U.S.A. World Cup soccer team - the first hawaiian ever!
WOOT. Congrats to Brian and best wishes to all participants from around the world! =)

Source: Honolulu Advertiser photo by Jeff Widener

The birth of Hawaiians...

The battle between the hawaiian culture and modern technology continues today with the building of the rock alter on Bachman lawn this weekend. The alter pays respect to the hawaiian ancester, Kalo (Taro), the birth mother of all Hawaiians. The University of Hawai'i is involved in research to genetically modify the Hawaiian Taro. The Hawaiians oppose any alteration of the Taro, a symbol of their ancestor and lifeline. To get a close-up of the sculpture above, [ press here ].
In order to understand why Hawaiians wish to keep the Taro genes pure, one needs to understand their history:

Before there were humans, there were Gods, Wakea, Father Heaven, and Papa, Earth Mother. They bore many children, one of which was Ho`ohoku. In time, Ho`ohoku gave birth to her first born, Haloa-naka. Born prematurely, the limb less deformed infant, Haloa-naka, was in the shape of a bulb. Wakea buried the body at East corner of his house and Ho`ohoku tended to the burial site until one day it grew into a taro plant. The couple’s second-born child, also named Haloa, was a healthy boy who would become the ancestor of the Hawaiian people. Haloa was to respect and look after his older brother for all eternity. The elder Haloa, Haloa-naka, the root of life, would always sustain and nourish his young brother and his descendants. The strong bond between Hawaiians and the Taro plant can be seen in the Hawaiian word for family - 'Ohana. 'ohana is derived from the word 'oha, the shoot that grows from the taro corm. As the young shoots grow from the corm, people grow from the family.

Sunset and H1 Freeway

This photo was taken at about 7 PM tonight overlooking the H-1 highway on the Kokohead overpass.

E10 Unleaded in Hawai'is Gas

This is my first post in "Hawai'i in a Snapshot" so why not talk about one of the biggest local news items - the current Gas price cap in Hawai'i, and the only price cap in the United States. As the gas prices continue to rise some people have argued for an end to the cap while others want a modification to the existing law. In the mists of it all, it was nice to see this E10 yellow sticker on a gas station pump. Even though its only 10% ethanol, which theoretically burns cleaner than conventional gas, its supposedly a step forward. Brazil is said to be close to fuel independence in a couple of years with their ethanol from sugar cane fuel production. Its always interesting to look at both sides of the argument, and here is an interesting editorial on why Ethanol in gas is not such a good idea, written by Ed Wallace. On average Hawai'i and California tend to have the highest gas prices in the country.